Northwest Argentina

You can ride straight across a salt flat here. You can also drink some of the world's highest-grown wine, pass weavers working at roadside looms, and climb from cactus desert into dripping cloud forest, all in one week. This is northwest Argentina, the country's old Andean heartland, ridden from colonial Salta down the Calchaquí Valley and up onto the Puna.

From Salta, riders transfer up to the pass at Piedra del Molino and let the bikes run down through Parque Nacional Los Cardones, a forest of candelabra cacti, into the valley town of Cachi. The next days follow Ruta 40 south past roadside weavers at their looms and the tilted rock fins of the Quebrada de las Flechas to Cafayate, where vineyards grow in sandy desert soil high above sea level.

The route rides back north through the Quebrada de las Conchas, a gorge of red sandstone carved into shapes locals have named one by one. The final days climb into the Quebrada de Humahuaca, a UNESCO valley of mineral-streaked hills, before the road tops out on the Puna and drops riders onto Salinas Grandes to ride across the salt itself. Nights are spent in converted colonial houses and haciendas with thick adobe walls.

Highlights:

• Descend through Parque Nacional Los Cardones' forest of giant candelabra cacti
• Ride Ruta 40 past roadside poncho weavers to a 17th-century colonial hacienda
• Cross the wind-sculpted sandstone fins of the Quebrada de las Flechas
• Visit the pre-Inca hillfort of Quilmes and lunch at a biodynamic altitude winery
• Ride through the red-rock gorge of the Quebrada de las Conchas with a naturalist guide
• Cycle directly across the salt crust of Salinas Grandes, one of South America's largest salt flats

Surface and terrain:
Roughly 60% paved, 40% gravel, concentrated on two big unpaved days (Molinos and the long run into Cafayate). Climbs are steady rather than savage, but several days cross 3,000m altitude, where thin air adds to the effort. Average climbing is 626m/day; the longest day (118km) also has the most climbing.

Weather:
The Andean northwest is best visited in spring (September–November) and autumn (March–May). Rain, wind and cold can occur at any time; layering and a quality waterproof jacket are recommended.

Suitable for:
Rated "Active" difficulty. Suited to riders with solid fitness and experience riding consecutive days on mixed surfaces; not suitable for complete beginners. Pre-trip training of three to four rides a week is recommended. The longest day can be shortened by joining partway. Group size 4–14, minimum age 18.