TREN DE LAS NUBES...
One of The World's Highest Railways

The train to the clouds - tren de las nubes - is one of the three highest in the world, and together with La Trochita - Old Patagonian Express - the two most famous train rides in Argentina.

In fact, the list of the world's three highest include...

• Beijing-Lhasa Express, China, running at an altitude of 16,640 feet (5,072 meters) above sea level.
• Lima to Huancayo, through the Central Andes of Peru.
  It took nearly forty years to be completed, from 1870 to 1908.
  The track's highest point is at La Galera, some 15,685 feet (4,781 meters) above sea level.
• Tren de las Nubes, running from the city of Salta - capital of Salta province - in Argentina's NW to the border with Chile.
  Its highest point is located at La Polvorilla viaduct, a remarkable engineering achievement - both a curve and a slope at the same time - 224 meters long and 63 meters high, at an altitude of 13,779 feet (4,230 meters) above sea level.

Even though the service is currently suspended (until March , 2008), due mainly to restoration of tracks and carriages, the tren de las nubes was officially inaugurated in 1948, but it wasn't until the 1970s that began receiving international tourism.

So please check with your Travel Agent to confirm and don't forget to book your weat well in advance, as the train can carry up to 640 passengers only.

Today it's the biggest attraction in the region, and receives yearly well over thirty thousand visitors that come for the ride.

A journey of 134 miles (219 km) that begins once a week at General Belgrano station in the city of Salta and takes around 15 hours to complete.

Due to the height at which the train runs, it's fairly common to see clouds under the bridges, hence its name.

It goes through 29 bridges, 21 tunnels and 13 viaducts, among other landmarks.
The tren de las nubes snakes its way up to Quebrada del Toro gorge, toward San Antonio de los Cobres - the most important town in the Puna Salteña.

San Antonio de los Cobres owes its name to Sierra de Cobre (Copper Hill).
Apart from its mining resources, the town is famous for its weaving, clothing weaved out of alpaca, llama and vicuña wool.

So the actual circuit goes from Salta's Lerma valley to Alvarado, Cerrillos and Rosario de Lerma to Campo Quijano, door to the Andes, and start climbing Quebrada del Toro gorge.

You'll see wonderful landscapes throughout the ride, from thick lush vegetation to the deserted high plains of the Puna.
From then on, Diego de Almagro until San Antonio de los Cobres - 3,774 meters above sea level - reaching its highest point after Mina Concordia, at La Polvorilla viaduct - 4,230 meters above sea level.

The following it's the complete list of stations starting from Salta, with their height in metres above sea level...

• Salta (1,187 meters)
• Alvarado (1,207 meters)
• Cerrillos (1,260 meters)
• Rosario de Lerna (1,332 meters)
• Campo Quijano (1,520 meters)
• V. Toledo (1,587 meters)
• El Alisal (1,806 meters)
• Chorrillos (2,111 meters)
• Ingeniero Maury (2,358 meters)
• Gobernador Solá (2,550 meters)
• Puerta De Tastil (2,675 meters)
• Tacuara (3,036 meters)
• Meseta (2,844 meters)
• Diego de Almagro (3,503 meters)
• Incahuasi (3,553 meters)
• Cachinal (3,739 meters)
• Muñano (3,952 meters)
• Los Patos (3,842 meters)
• San Antonio de los Cobres (3,774 meters)
• Mina Concordia (4,144 meters)
• La Polvorilla. (4,220 meters)

Salta city was founded in 1582 by Spanish conqueror Hernando de Lerma.
Beautifully preserved Colonial city, it's known as "Salta La Bella" - Salta The Beautiful.
Among its landmarks of Colonial architecture we find...

• Cathedral
• Cabildo (Town Hall)
• San Francisco Church
• San Bernardo Convent
• La Merced Church

You must try the exquisite "empanadas" Salteñas - pastry filled with beef and cheese, with a glass or two of Torrontes wine, from the wine region of Cafayate - second biggest city in Salta province.

You'll love to visit the Calchaquies valleys as well, with millennial rock formations that are a feast to the eyes.
Among the most recognizable we find...

• Devil's Throat
• The Friar
• The Frog
• The Obelisk
• The Castle

Do make a point to visit Salta province, in Argentina's NW.
Whether you're in Buenos Aires with a few days to spare, or coming instead from Bolivia or Chile, Salta is a province not to be missed.

It has superb landscapes, lots of gaucho and Spanish traditions, wonderful samples of Colonial architecture, and of course, world famous tren de las nubes...

So forget about planes, just catch the tren de las nubes and you will be flying like a condor over the magnificent Andean range of South America...

How to Get There:

There are regular flights from Buenos Aires'Aeroparque to the city of Salta, even long distance buses departing from Retiro Bus Station if you have time to spare.
There are also bus connexions to / from Chile and Bolivia.

If driving, you can get from Bolivia through National Route 34.
To / from Chile, there are a couple of options..

• Socompa Pass:
  Links Salta with Antofagasta, on the Pacific ocean, through National Rout 51.
• Sico and Huaytiquina Pass: that links Salta with San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.

Where to Stay:

Accommodation in Salta city vary from regular Hostels to three-four Star Hotels.
Some options include...

• Terra Oculta: Córdoba 361, Phone: 421-8769
• Samana: Urquiza 12, Phone: 431-9382
• Hostal La Salamanca: Av. San Martín 104, Phone: 421-5512.
• Backpacker's City: Alvarado 751, Phone: 431-6476.

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