Puna of Catamarca

This circuit covers the Catamarca part of the Puna or high plateau of the Argentinean Andes. There you can see hills, volcanoes, salt flats and lagunas (like lakes). The climate is dry and with a wide temperature range between day and night.

A characteristic to mention is that it is one of the most intact areas of the country. On the one hand, it has large areas totally uninhabited, even without fences (rare to see in other places) and with totally natural landscapes. The only town with a considerable permanent population is Antofagasta de la Sierra, as others such as El Peñón and Antofalla have few inhabitants. The main access road is Provincial Route 43.

There are many places to visit, but it is worth mentioning that only some of them can be reached with your own vehicle and in a self-guided way. For most of them it is necessary to hire an excursion that includes an all-terrain vehicle and an authorised guide, many of which are offered in El Peñón and Antofagasta de la Sierra. This is for safety reasons, as there are places where there is only one path to get there, it is easy to get lost or hours (or days) can go by without anyone showing up.

Among the classic walks we can find:
- Antofagasta and Antofalla Volcanoes: they are located near Antofagasta de la Sierra, and you can get to know both the volcanoes and their lagunas at the foot.
- Campo de Piedra Pómez: a desert place with large fragments of pumice stone, which take different shapes.
- Antofalla Salt Flat: it is the longest salt flat in the world. The village of Antofalla is right next to it.
- Laguna Blanca: an extensive protected area that includes the laguna that bears its name, where you can observe a good number of wild birds.
- Volcán Galán: there is a gigantic volcanic caldera with an elevation inside.