GEOLOGICAL 4X4 EXPEDITION (December - March)

*This program is personally guided by Federico Norte, the owner and founder of Norte Trekking, and by Ivan Petrinovic, PhD in Geology, CONICET researcher, and volcanology specialist.

Day 1 

We depart from the city of Salta, heading towards the Calchaquí Valleys through the Quebrada del río Las Conchas until we reach the city of Cafayate. We will then continue along the famous National Route 40 south, passing through the towns of Quilmes and Colalao del Valle in the province of Tucumán, before entering Santa Maria de Catamarca. From there, we will continue south to Hualfín, arriving at the town of Puerta de Corral Quemado, where we will spend the night at the Municipal Inn.

On this day, we immerse ourselves in the depths of Andean history, from its beginnings to the present day. A journey into the past with stops and visits to key places to understand it. The history of the Calchaquí Valleys and the evident geological dynamics.

Day 2

From Puerta de Corral Quemado, we will begin the ascent towards the Puna de Atacama, passing through Barranca Larga to stock up on food for a picnic. We will continue until we reach the town of El Peñón and then enter gravel tracks through a volcanic area to visit a large sand dune, Duna Blanca (White Dune), where you can walk and take incredible photographs. Afterwards, we will continue to one of the most impressive volcanic landscapes: the Campo de Piedra Pómez (Pumice Stone Field), a white rock desert. From there, we will continue to a completely black landscape: the Carachi Volcano, at whose base we will stop for lunch and contemplate the lagoon with a great variety of Andean birdlife: Laguna Carachi (Carachi Lagoon). After the picnic, we will continue until we rejoin the main road and arrive at the town of Antofagasta de La Sierra, where we will stay for two nights in a hotel.

On this day, we leave the Calchaquí Valleys and ascend to the Puna, and the resulting landscape of salt flats and volcanoes, one of the most rugged and wonderful places on the planet. We will see a very recent super-eruption from the Cerro Blanco caldera and the records it left in the form of rocks and landscape.

Day 3 

The day of the return to the Galán Volcano: we depart from Antofagasta de La Sierra through the Quebrada de Real Grande and enter the Caldera del Volcán Galán, which is nothing less than a large valley 35 km in diameter. Inside, we find the great Laguna Diamante (Diamond Lagoon) and a geothermal field that we will visit to contemplate the fumaroles. From there, we will continue our journey out of the caldera and pass through Laguna Grande (Big Lagoon), where we will see the largest flamingo colony in the area, especially in the summer months. We will also pass through a field of red volcanic rocks called Ignimbrites, a product of the Galán eruption 2.5 million years ago. Finally, we will descend to the town of El Peñón to return to Antofagasta de La Sierra.

We understand the significance of a supervolcano (Cerro Galán) and grasp the scale of one of the most violent eruptions in the planet's history. We will see the records of this eruption and the persistence of thermal springs and the life forms that utilize such extreme conditions. We will compare these records with those left by very small but very abundant eruptions in the surroundings of Antofagasta de La Sierra.

Day 4 

Our journey begins on this day, departing from Antofagasta de La Sierra through the Quebrada del Diablo (Devil's Gorge) to reach the great Salar de Antofalla (Antofalla Salt Flat), where we will visit the Travertinos de Botijuela (Botijuela Travertines) and the small lagoons of the Ojos de Campo (Eyes of the Field), and then arrive at the town of the same name as the salt flat: Antofalla, to spend the night in the tourist residence of a local family. The night in this place, under clear, cloudless conditions, offers one of the clearest skies in the world for stargazing.

The most extensive salt flat of the Puna, the formation conditions of the salt flats, the contribution of the surrounding rocks, the current and extinct thermal springs, the internal lagoons and the life they harbor.

Day 5 

After breakfast in Antofalla, we head north along the salt flat until we reach the town of Antofallita, where only one family lives. From there, we will enter the Province of Salta, spotting in the distance the Salar de Arizaro (Arizaro Salt Flat) with the famous Cono de Arita (Arita Cone) on its southern edge. From there, we will take a mining road called "Proyecto Río Grande" until we connect with an old asphalt road that was used in the 1970s to transport sulfur to a railway station called Caipe. From there, we will return to the salt flat to cross it from west to east until we reach the town of Tolar Grande, where we will spend the night.

The Salar de Arizaro and the volcanoes that surround it, current and past mining in the Puna, the passage of millions of years and erosion.

Day 6 

On the last day, we leave Tolar Grande early to head towards the Salar de Pocitos (Pocitos Salt Flat) and the town of Olacapato, where we will begin to see traffic from mining and industrial activity, with the presence also of two large solar energy complexes that take advantage of the high irradiation in the Puna 365 days a year. After descending a mountain road, we will reach the largest town in the Puna: San Antonio de los Cobres. After lunch in a typical food restaurant, we will descend to Salta through the Quebrada del Toro (Toro Gorge), thus returning to the Lerma Valley again as on the first day.

We will descend from the Puna, traversing almost its entire west-to-east section, traveling along the mythical National Route 51, with countless volcanoes and a rich geological history. The Quebrada del Toro is one of the richest geological landscapes in the northwest. We will make stops and narrate its history from the beginning of the Andes.