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Of all the attractions in the Salta area, nothing beats Tren a las nubes, train to the clouds. You see its logo all over town.
The railway runs all the way to Antofagasta on the Pacific Ocean. To get there, the railway climbs the Andes and reaches as most an altitude of 4600 metres. If you want to go all the way to Antofagasta, the only option is by freight train, and it will take you at least a week. There is no regular passenger traffic, but the tourist train Tren a las nubes goes to the amazing viaduct at Polvorila and then returns back to Salta. The amount of departures varies over the year, with the peak being in July. During the wet season the train takes a pause. For a time table, check the web site for the train. A tip is to get a window seat on the left side. Here you get the best views, not the least at Polvorila. I was lucky, and got a left-window seat here without asking for it.
Already the first time I went to Argentina, I was drooiling over the description of this train trip. As I travelled in January that time, the train was not availble even if I had gone to Salta. But now it was time! An early Saturday morning, I took a taxi to the railway station with the ticket I had bought just a few days earlier. And it was indeed a fantastic trip. Stunning views, even if the landscape is dry, arid and bare.
The train as such is a tourist train. There is a guide in every car, and as most such guides they talk too much. (Here it is an advantage to know only some Spanish, as it makes it easier to ignore.) There was also a bar and a dining car. And since the train climbs to an altitude of 4200 metres, there is also oxygene in every car for those who get a problem with the thin air. On the way back they showed a video film on the TVs - as if the landscape would not warrant a second look! When the dark fell, there was a folk show of dubious quality.
I took many pictures, most of them through the window as the train was rolling.
