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Northern Trails (Argentina, Chile and Bolivia)
Discovery of La Quebrada, Uyuni & Atacama 15 days - 14 nights

This trip to the Northern Trails takes us to the unparalleled landscape of the Altiplano, La Quebrada and the Salt Deserts, as well as to meet the people inhabiting these zones for centuries and their millenary culture. The balanced amount of excursions and hikes, the careful selection of places to visit, allow us to enjoy the spectacular landscapes of the Argentine North, of Uyuni at Bolivia and Atacama at Chile; but also bringing us closer to the to ancient life styles, traveling the very same trails the used first by the Kollas and later by the Incas, admiring the cultivation terraces on the high valleys and the animal grazing in the cliffs. This is a very colorful travel, magnificent, flowing through the warm hospitality of the local people.

Day 1 Airport - Ciudad de Salta
We are greeted at the Salta Airport and transferred to our accommodations. The rest of the day will be free for us to discover this unique city.
Lodging at Hostería double or single. Meals we provide: none.

Day 2 San Antonio de los Cobres and Salinas Grandes
We depart early on our way to Campo Quijano, going thru the Quebrada Del Toro, and the finally arriving to the pre Hispanic city of Rosa de Tastil with its legendary ruins. Our trip continues to San Antonio de los Cobres, a typical town located at 4000 meters high. Later, we will be able to appreciate the “Salinas Grandes”; then descending over the path of the Lipan, we’ll make a stop at the town of Pumamarca and its famous Mount of the ‘Los Siete Colores’. Later we arrive to our lodge at the picturesque town of Tilcara.
Lodging at Hostería double or single. Meals we provide: Breakfast

Day 3 Trek to The Devil’s Throat - Tilcara
We’ll have the morning free to discover the town and its unique things such us: la plaza grande, la plaza chica, the town church - and the Pucará de Tilcara. In the afternoon we’ll do a small trek to the devil’s throat, walking along the old Kollas paths and watching the amazing view. After 3 or 4 hours we finally go back to Tilcara.
Lodging at Hostería double or single. Meals we provide: Breakfast

Day 4 Tilcara - Iruya - Humahuaca
Early in the morning we take a local bus and go to a small town located right in between the mountains, Iruya. From it we can have a special view since its right on the end of the valley. After enjoying the town we spend the night at Humahuaca.
Lodging at Hostería double or single. Meals we provide: Breakfast, lunch.

Day 5 Uquia - Quebrada de las Señoritas
After breakfast by bus we leave Humahuaca and alter 10 km we arrive to the small town of Uquía. Once there we visit the church of “San Francisco de Paula” with its altar laminated in gold by the Jesuits in 1691 - year in which it was built - and adorned with the pictures of the brought arcabuceros angels brought from Cuzco. Then we do a small trek to the la Quebrada de las Señoritas o Yacoraite. The intense red color makes of it a shocking place; also because it’s known for its paleontological deposit where have been rest fossil of the last great mammals that inhabited the Earth, like milodontes and gigantic perezosos. Back in Uquía we visit a place where vicuñas are raised and an old hydraulic mill. At the end of the
day we go back to Humahuaca.
Lodging at Hostería double or single. Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch.

Day 6 Colorful Towns and Quebradas
We leave Humahuaca and we cross “Peña Blanca”, east border of the Quebrada of Humahuaca. Here we begin our adventure of “colorful towns and quebradas”. After a few kilometers we meet the first towns. The overwhelming plains of the Cocataca Valley remind us of one of the main Inca agricultural sites. During the morning we walk this valley and take our lunch once in town. During the afternoon we go hiking for 2 and a half hours to watch the ancient paintings on rocks on Cerro Negro. From here we enjoy spectaculars view over the valley. After getting back in our vehicle we cross by different towns such as Valiaso and Pucará to climb the Serrania of Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara Hills) reaching 4200 mts. above sea level. We end up the day at the viewpoint in Cerro Horconal, with beautiful views over the Abra (huge prairie) de Zenta. We take a typical northwest tea time and get back to our hotel by 7 pm.
Lodging at Hostería double or single. Included Meals: Breakfast, box lunch

Day 7 Quebrada de Sapagua – Hornaditas Community
We depart in our mini bus for Humahuaca to the Quebrada de Sapagua, where we’ll take a walk around the area. For there we continue to the small community of the Hornaditas, where we will be able to share the life experience of the natural inhabitant of the area, which open the door of their homes. Finally we go back to the city of Salta.
Lodging at Hostería double or single. Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch.

Day 8 Humahuaca – La Quiaca, Villazon – Uyuni
After breakfast we take a regular bus from Humahuaca to La Quiaca, crossing the border we reach Villazon and head to the train station to take the service to Uyuni. Finally we arrive at Uyuni to spend the night at our accommodations.
Lodging at Hostería double or single. Meals we provide: Breakfast.

Day 9 Salar de Uyuni
We leave Uyuni around 11:00 hs. Heading to Colchani (22 Km. to the north of Uyuni), a little village of built around the exploitation and refinery of salt. We enter the town walking through the piles and attending a demonstration of the extraction of the salt blocks. We can visit the stores, the salt hotels and the Isla Lomo Pescado, appreciating the huge cactus and an outstanding panoramic from the view point. Box lunch at the Island and continue our walk to Chuvica, where we spend the night in a rustic refuge.
Lodging at Basic Refuge. Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch & dinner.

Day 10 Salar de Uyuni – Altiplanic Lagoons
Leaving around 09:00 hs., after breakfast, to visit the altiplanic Lagoons: Cañapa, Hedionda y Ramadita, then continuing through the desert of Siloli to see the Tree of Stone. Visit to Laguna Colorada where we can appreciate the pink Flemings and major Andean fauna such as vicuña, suri or andean ñandú. We spend the night at another basic refuge.
Lodging at Basic Refuge. Meals we provide: Breakfast, box lunch & dinner.

Day 11 Altiplanic Lagoons– San Pedro de Atacama
The day begins around 05:00 AM, when we leave the refuge to be able to see the Geysers (volcanic steam springs) and visit the thermal waters. Continuing our travel we find very curious rock formations produced by countless years of erosion, and finally reach Laguna Verde, a lagoon very particular and famous because of its color shift occurring between 11:00 and 12:00. We also visit Laguna Blanca and then cross the border control and customs office to Bolivia. After that, we take a new transport vehicle and continue to San Pedro de Atacama, arriving past noon.
Lodging at Hostería double or single. Meals we provide: Breakfast.

Day 12 Laguna Cejar and Tebinquinche
By the afternoon we will visit two lagoons located in the north sector of the Atacama salt pans, 30 km. away from San Pedro de Atacama. The first lagoon we encounter is Laguna Cejar, with its intense emerald color and borders crystallized by salt; we can get in the water and enjoy the levitating effect of the high amounts of salt making our bodies float easily and making for a very relaxing experience. Continuing our course we reach Tebinquinche lagoon, which has characteristics similar to the Chaxa lagoon, in both cases they depend on thaws and the rains at the end of the years. Here we can see some flemings, foxes and a variety of birds in small groups. As we finish the day, we return to San Pedro de Atacama.
Lodging at Hostería double or single. Meals we provide: Breakfast.

Day 13 Trekking de las Cornisas
At 09:00 hs. We begin the Trekking de las Cornisas (Cornices’ Trekking), which takes place in the highest portion of the salt mountains chain, starting at the Catarpe valley, going up to the cornice of the salt mountains chain and ending at Valle de la Muerte (Valley of the Death). We are driven in vehicle to the starting point, the old tunnel conducting to Calama, built in 1930, and once we complete the trek and reach Valle de la Muerte, the vehicle will be waiting for us to bring us back to San Pedro de Atacama. This trekking takes approximately 3 hours to be completed. From this sector it is possible to appreciate the magnitude of Salar de Atacama, San Pedro de Atacama and the Andes. Then we have the rest of the day to enjoy San Pedro de Atacama at our leisure.
Lodging at Hostería double or single. Meals we provide: Breakfast.

Day 14 San Pedro de Atacama – Salta
Early in the morning we say goodbye to San Pedro de Atacama and take a regular bus to cross the Andes and enter Argentina in an amazing trip through Paso de Jama (at 4200 mts above sea level) until we reach the beautiful City of Salta.
Lodging at Hostería double or single. Meals we provide: Breakfast.

Day 15 Salta - Salta Airport
After breakfast we are transferred to the airport where our tour ends.
Meals we provide: Breakfast

2009 Dates: Aug. 15-29, Sept. 5-19, Sept. 26-Oct. 10, Nov. 14-28, Dec. 12-26
2009 Price per person in US$: $2550 in hostel, $2810 in double room, $3050 in single room

Minimum of 2 people needed to operate.

Included
• Incoming Services
• Bilingual guide (Spanish - English) during the excursions.
• 12 nights at Hostería on double or single base and breakfast
• 02 nights at Basic Refuge (single common area with external services)
• Included meals: 15 breakfast, 6 box-lunch / lunches, 2 dinners.
• Transfers according to the Itinerary descriptions. Transportations as shown in the itinerary combining private and regular services.

Not included:
• Air tickets and taxes.
• Medical and life insurance.
• Tips.
• Drinks and beverages (provided meals are without alcoholic or non alcoholic drinks).
• Optional excursions.
• Services not shown or detailed in this program.