Northern Argentina
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The price includes scheduled return flights London/Buenos Aires, airport taxes, internal flights as outlined above, ground transportation as outlined above, accommodation on a full-board basis, admissions, local taxes, and the services of the leaders.
The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, optional tips to the local guide and drivers, and other personal expenses. Principal Leader: Luis Segura |
From the cloud forests and dry semi-deserts of the Andean foothills, to the awesome peaks and high plateaux of the High Andes, we go in search of Argentina's amazing wildlife, with, for the first time on one of our tours, a focus on its spectacular and fascinating cacti, at a time when many are in flower. Join us for the trip of a lifetime in some of the best wilderness areas in South America! |
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Scenically, this is one of the most varied trips we run, travelling to some of Argentina's most spectacular landscapes and its richest wildlife habitats. Within short distances, there are a wide variety of landscapes and habitats, ranging from woodlands in the lowlands to cloud forests at greater altitudes, and from vast extensions of shrub deserts to high Andean meadows with snowcapped peaks in the distance.
Our itinerary also takes us to some superb archaeological sites where we can absorb the history, arts, crafts and music of the area. Even though the main focus of the trip is seeing unique cacti in their native setting, there is much more to experience as we will be travelling at a relaxed pace to allow the group to take advantage of these other attractions. Itinerary Day 1 We take a scheduled evening flight from London to Buenos Aires, arriving the next day. Days 2 - 4 We arrive in Buenos Aires in the morning. After lunch in a city restaurant we connect with our first internal flight to La Rioja from where we travel south to the Valle Fertil, where we are based at San Augustin for three nights Next day will be a relaxing day to recover after a long flight. We'll have a full day sightseeing in the Ischigualasto Provincial Park, also known as the 'Valley of the Moon'. As its name suggests, this is a dry landscape with wonderful rock formations which offers great photo opportunities. Cactus species we will be looking for include Echinopsis leucantha with long funnel-shaped blooms, three or more species of Tephrocactus with long spines, Gymnocalycium schickendantzii, one of the 'chin' cacti, Pyrrhocactus sanjuanensis, and several columnar Trichocereus species , as well as the tiny Parodia mesembrina var. juanensis. Next day we go to the Talampaya National Park, a World Heritage Site, with dramatic red cliffs, gorges and rock formations, and with excellent birding; Andean Condor and Crested Gallito are amongst the many birds expected here, along with more cacti. Three nights San Augustin Days 5 - 6 In the morning we visit an area of Ichigualasto Park, with more spectacular rock formations, which has been compared to Bryce Canyon in the USA. Cacti include more Echinopsis and Gymnocalycium species, including the superb columnar red-flowered Echinopsis grandiflora. We then drive north through La Rioja to Catamarca for a two-night stay. En route we'll look for more columnar cacti, including Cereus aethiops, Pyrrhocactus bulbocalyx and the Echinopsis-like Soehrensia bruchii. On one day we'll go up into the rugged Sierra de Manchao, where cacti abound amongst the rocks. In the area we may also encounter our first Lobivia- Lobivia schreiteri var. schreiteri - as well as the epiphytic Rhipsalis tucumanense, the 'mistletoe cactus' Two nights Catamarca Days 7 - 8 We travel north again to the Ruinas de Quilmas, passing through Los Menhires park, with ancient patterns carved into the rocks. We travel up to 3000m on El Infiernillo pass, where birds could include Ecuadorian Hillstar and White-winged Cinclodes, while Burrowing Parrots could be seen in several places on our route. New cacti could include the very spiny Maihueniopsis glomerata, Opuntia-like Tunilla sp, Gymnocalycium spegazzini, the spiny, pale pink flowered Acanthocalycium thionanthum - and Opuntia sulphurea. The Pre-Colombian cultures which inhabited this region were strongly influenced by the Incas. We will spend two nights at the ruins of Quilmes, home to a pre-Colombian settlement of farmers, with domesticated llamas and guanacos, many years who managed to hold off the Spanish conquistadores for decades. Our hotel, situated on the original site, provides the perfect location from which to explore the ruins and its surroundings. We'll spend a day in the area of Ruinas de Quilmes, visiting the ruins and the Archaeological Museum of Amaicha del Valle. Two nights Amaicha del Valles Days 9 - 10 We travel north again towards Salta, where we spend two nights. On one day we travel up to Los Cardones National Park, named after its columnar cacti Trichocereus pasacana, a giant that can live for three hundred years or more. We'll reach our highest altitude here, at 3,500m. Here also can be found Cleistocactus smaragdiflorus and C.hyalacanthus, hairy columnar species with white spines and tubular pink flowers that hardly open. One to hunt for is the tiny, free-flowering Rebutia senilis, well-known to growers, with red flowers much bigger than the plant itself. As well as a fantastic range of cacti, the area boasts an excellent variety of birds including Black-legged Seriema, Red-billed Scythebill, Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper and large numbers of raptors. Two nights Salta Day 11 We travel north to Reyes, set in the subtropical Yungas cloud forest. At upper elevations we may find the rare Red-faced Guan, Smoky-brown and Golden-olive woodpeckers, and three species of hummingbirds: Speckled Hummingbird, Blue-capped Puffleg and the minute Slender-tailed Woodstar, Argentina's smallest bird. The area is also excellent for larger raptors with possibilities including Black-and-white and Ornate Hawk-Eagles, Black-and-chestnut and Solitary Eagles. The fast-flowing rivers here may hold Torrent Duck and the endangered Rufous-throated Dipper. But there are cacti here too - mainly hanging from the trees! Epiphytic cacti include various Rhipsalis species. Overnight Reyes Days 12 - 13 We continue north along the Quebrada de Humahuaca, a 155 km. long, deep valley stretching north to south along the spectacular Rio Grande. Formerly an Inca Road connecting the vast Inca empire, it was later used by the Spaniards to link their vice royalties in South America. The influence and grandeur of the Inca Empire can be appreciated by the remains of numerous buildings, stone carvings and ancient roads in the area. UNESCO added the Quebrada de Humahuaca to its World Heritage list in 2003 in recognition of its natural and cultural importance. We stay at the attractive village of Purmamarca, in a stunning setting, with 17th-century houses set around a small square, complete with hummingbirds on the flowering shrubs that can include the superb Giant Hummingbird. Next day we continue up the Humahuaca Valley. As we reach the entrance of the Humahuaca Gorge, the landscape changes completely as we climb ever higher amongst the rocky ravines, cactus and thorn scrub, and terraced cultivation. The magnificent scenery of this arid valley is the habitat of Giant Hummingbird, Grey-hooded Parakeet, Rufous-banded and Puna Miners, Puna Yellow-finch, White-winged Negrito, Brown-backed Mockingbird and Black-hooded Sierra-finch. This is the haunt of the hairy 'Old Man' cactus, Oreocereus celsianus, which rarely flowers in the UK but can be seen in full bloom here, as well as many small sought-after Lobivias and Rebutias, and Parodia chrysacanthion (which Americans call 'golden ball cactus'). Two nights Purmamraca Day 14 We drive to Salta for a flight to Buenos Aires and connect with our return flight to London, arriving on Day 15. Accommodation will be in mostly 3-star hotels and lodges. All rooms are en suite. Altitude: We have deliberately kept this tour to only moderately high altitudes. The maximum height for accommodation is at Purmamarca, at an altitude of approx. 2,500m, with two days spent in the high Andes at a maximum of 3,500m. Pace: We will not be walking very far on this tour (2-3 miles on a walk at most), and walks, especially at high altitude, will be at an easy pace. Numbers: Max. 14 clients What you say:'It really was one of the very best trips I have ever done. The scenery was so dramatic - quite unlike anywhere I have been before. Luis looked after us so well...' R.A., Edinburgh |
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