Trekking crossing from Tilcara to Calilegua

Puna, hills, valleys and wildness: the Argentinean Northern dream  from Tilcara to Calilegua. 

Blue ski, teasels, couplets, colorful dresses, dark and light hills and deep valleys. All these marks are part of a huge traverse. A landscapes defile and unique experiences from the Puna of Jujuy to the indomitable damp corners of the Nuboselva in Calilegua National Park.

During this surprising experience you will hike among the trails used by the original inhabitants in the past. In the ride you will join the missed villages from the puna to the jungle. You will also feel the warmness of local people, learning a lot about their simplicity, enjoying their company in the middle of a contrasting and amazing landscape. Embedded paths on the slopes, bottomless valleys, crags and rocks of many colors and as a gold brooch: forest, toucans, vultures and the corzuelas of the colossal Calilegua National Park.

Please note that this trek can only be done from March to October.

Meeting point

I suggest to be in Tilcara a day before the start of the trip, in order to be well acclimatized. Ask for accommodations. End of the trip in San Salvador de Jujuy.

Itinerary

Then, you can see the planned route of the traverse. You have to know that every item can be changed depending on weather conditions, group features and any other factor considered by the guide.

DAY 1: TILCARA

Meet the guide in Tilcara with a brief introduction of the trip. In the afternoon, a visit to the local fairs, the square, the museum and the Pucará. Accommodation in a hostel and welcome dinner.

DAY 2: LOS AMARILLOS 

After mid-day we will be transferred to the trailhead in Altarcito and Los Amarillos. The trail is constantly upward, visiting antique villages, rural schools and the farming terraces worked with the same Inca techniques from the past. Night in tents in a wild camp.

DAY 3: YUTOS PAMPA

In the first hours we will experience a slow ascent from Los Amarillos to Campo Laguna at 4.200 meters (the highest point of the expedition). Once in there, we start the descent to the posts of Yutos Pampa, admiring one of the best viewpoint of all NOA. In the trail we will find high valleys, ravines and slopes. Night in tents in a wild camp.

DAY 4: MOLULO

Ascent to Cumbre Grande to watch one picturesque posts of the North of Argentina. The trail continues between edges and more slopes changing gradually the landscape into a Nuboselva.  By the afternoon, we’ll get to Cuarteles de Molulo, a small village in the middle of Subandinas hills. Cultural exchange with local people. Depending on the conditions, we can sleep in some community hut or in our tents.

DAY 5: ABRA DEL POTRERO

Distended morning. We’ll have the opportunity of getting in touch with local inhabitants and school children or visiting the surroundings. After lunch, we continue hiking in a trail with amazing viewpoints. Trees will start to appear slowly until we reach to a high plateau where we’ll sleep.

DAY 6: SAN LUCAS

A new day to admire a magnificent sunrise between Calilegua’s hills. After breakfast we continue the traverse. Horseshoe footprint continues to decline and the grassland gives way to the mountain of alders between the red ground. We will get to San Lucas in the afternoon. It is a beautiful village accessible only by walk or horse. We can sleep in a hut or in our tents**.** 

DAY 7: LEDESMA

We leave very early in the dawn. The path continues along the south bank of the River San Lucas. The vegetation is dense with a dazzling scenery: thick vegetation and stunning scenery: cornice roads, more-than-50-meter walls with caves and waterfalls.

Finally, we will cross the Rio Grande by a bridge, ascending to Peña Alta, where we boarded the transport that lead us to Ledesma, through a beautiful mountain road. From there, we continue to San Salvador de Jujuy and Salta. You can choose between those two cities where to finish the trip. Optional night in a hostel to go back home the following day.

It will be an amazing trekking expedition from Tilcara to Calilegua in a 7-day unforgettable trip. I will be very proud of being your guide. Please contact me and let’s make the Argentinean Northern dream.