Hike the Inca trail in Argentina
Description
This is a tough 7-9km hike through stunning and rugged high altitude scenery: suitable for the experienced and adventurous trekker! From Salta city, we travel to Campo Quijano, a town famous as the base for workers constructing the Train to the Clouds railway line to the Chilean coast. We can stop to see an antique engine and the mausoleum of the train line's chief engineer, Richard Maury, from Philadephia, USA. From here we will climb into the stunning multi-coloured Quebrada de Toro, crossing rivers and driving off road through canyons to reach San Bernardo de las Zorras, where our hike begins. It's two hours travel each way: the walk takes between 4 and 5 hours. Our guide is experienced in hiking all terrain, and speaks English and Spanish. Picnic lunch provided.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We travel up into the multi-coloured canyon of the Quebrada de Toro to walk a little-explored section of Argentina's Inca trail. The route is scattered with Inca ruins from more than 500 years ago.
We pass close to the train line for the famous Tren a las Nubes, the Train to the Clouds.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pick up at your Salta hotel between 7am and 8am
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have a high level of physical fitness
- A current valid passport is required on the day of travel
- Minimum age is 12 years
Reviews(5)
The hike of the Inca Tour that we did with Poncho Tours was amazing! Our tour guide Nick Evans was excellent--very knowledgeable and friendly. He went out of his way to make sure we had a rewarding day. The Andean landscapes were stunning. Our tour with Poncho Tours was the highlight of our recent trip to Argentina and we would not hesitate to recommend it to others.
It was a pleasure to meet you both, and share the hike with you, hope you come back!
We loved our tours with Nick - he made everything so straightforward for us so we were able to just sit back and enjoy the incredible scenery around the Salta region. The Inca trail hike was a particular experience we were very keen to have while in Argentina and we’re happy we found Nick to guide us. It was amazing to get off the beaten track from the more visited tourist attractions and to have a hike through the stunning mountain landscapes past several sites of Incan ruins. Nick also suggested adding a visit to the pre-Incan ruins at Tastil and we were really glad we saw these as well. We also enjoyed Nick’s company and the information he gave us about the area while we were exploring. We’d very happily book with Poncho Tours if/when we (hopefully!) come back to Argentina!
Thanks for taking time out to write a review for us Fiona: I enjoyed spending time with you and Chris. Yes, come back soon!
The guide is knowledgeable and informative. He prepared everything including the lunch, water and Yerba mate tea. He is professional with GPS providing exact location, route and altitude. The Inca Ruins were impressive.
Thanks Wilson, I am glad you enjoyed it.
Two weeks with Nick tracing route 40 was outstanding. No better guide to local/remote inns, restaurants and shops is possible. More than simply wonderful scenery, he provides insightful commentary to history, culture and flora/fauna. Eating empanadas, buying a salt llama, drinking chicha, watching flamingos or Spanish colonial religious paintings, climbing a 1920s railroad trestle ( built with civil engineer Tito!), wandering in small rural town squares, marveling at the friendly industrious Argentines, observing Bolivian smugglers, enjoying Cafayate Malbec, learning, learning. All in supportive care and direction of a friendly companion, Manchester’s own Nick Evans. Go with Poncho tours or don’t go.
Thanks Stuart, I enjoyed the time on the road with you, and our chats about politics, football and all things indigenous!
