A beautiful and bruising trip to Salta

Salta, Argentina — TRAVELING in this province is rough. Even on a guided tour and traveling in comfortable vans and cars, I encountered bumps. I bounced over miles of unpaved road, got stuck in a tour van in treacherous sand, gasped in fear at steep drops and sharp switchbacks, and gave up sleep for days that started before dawn and ended too late for dinner.

But every bit of discomfort was worthwhile, because Salta's scenery is spectacular. The remote, crescent-shaped province in northwestern Argentina has dramatic gorges that stretch for miles, mountains that show off brilliant mineral hues and castle-like rock formations, green fields, cactus-strewn desert and treeless tundra so high that the clouds float far below.

Much of this province is uninhabited. Llamas roam free. Wild burros munch scraggly plants and nose at water seeping through rocks. Condors circle overhead.

I first heard about Salta while touring in Argentina's Mendoza wine country, where I tasted Torrontes, a lovely floral white wine unique to Salta. One sip and I wanted to visit the region to learn more about the wine.

So I came here in April, which is autumn in Argentina. The lowlands were warm, but fierce, frigid winds drove me from a summit.

Except for one overnight trip, I toured by day from my base in the province's capital city, a two-hour flight north of Buenos Aires.

Salta, founded in 1582 by Hernando de Lerma, governor of Tucuman to the south, is a pleasant city. People lounge at outdoor cafes around a tree-filled central plaza. Nightspots called \o7penas \f7present shows of boisterous northern music and dance. Women sit in the main square outside the \o7cabildo\f7, a colonial building that was once the seat of government, and sell woolly socks, caps, gloves and shawls. I bought a llama-wool sweater from one.

I also shopped the large public market, which offered a variety of products, including the herbal brew mate; bright, striped cloths from Bolivia; and produce such as corn, a staple used for, among other dishes, the stew \o7locro \f7and \o7humitas\f7, which are fresh corn tamales. Spice stalls sold \o7pimenton \f7(paprika) from Cachi in the Calchaquies Valley, where the sweet red peppers are sun-dried.

The market was also a place to buy coca leaves, which are reputed to aid digestion and prevent altitude sickness. Every restaurant I visited served soothing, delicate coca-leaf tea. The leaves do yield cocaine, but small amounts aren't intoxicating.