San Antonio de los Cobres 

Perfect synthesis of Puna

It is the town of the Puna surrounded by a landscape that simulates a work of Jackson Pollock, a neutral background, with yellow spots everywhere of the "iru ichu" grasslands, intense shadows of great character, all this natural frame dotted with some muted green of the particular flora of this area of Salta.

The stone main church that honors its homonym San Antonio stands out, with the blue background of the Puna sky, super crystalline.

The town constituted the national territory of Los Andes, being the capital of the governorate. In the 30's it became part of the current provinces of Jujuy, Salta and Catamarca. For decades the latter has been in litigation against Salta for the determination of the limits before the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, which is still pending... perhaps forever.

From Salta it is accessed by crossing the Abra Blanca, of course windy and imposing. From the Calchaquíes Valleys it requires the challenge of crossing the merciless route through the Abra del Acay.

Its tourist attraction is -without a doubt- the Tren de las Nubes (Train of the Clouds), since from its station the notorious railroad runs towards La Polvorilla, the highest viaduct of the section, the only one in the world built in a curve, ascending and with slightly inclined rails.

The climate is arid and lonely, as the town seems to be.

There are few lodging options, the most outstanding being the Hotel de las Nubes. Its service deserves to be appreciated taking into account its remoteness and inhospitable seating. In fact, during dinner we could not help overhearing how some passengers at a nearby table grumbled certain complaints about some shortage in their order. In view of this, a reflection was imposed: the demands of the traveler and even the tourist must adapt to the environment in which they find themselves, so @tripticity_ will always be of the idea of valuing what has been achieved in these desolate and isolated destinations.

During the day, the radiant sun dazzles whether winter or summer, at night the cold takes over the dark serenity. In winter, the temperatures and the strong winds that surround these lands are not suitable for the comfortable. Its very presence in the area inspired the masterpiece of Salta's narrative, the story "El viento blanco" by Juan Carlos Dávalos, which describes a story of muleteers who must overcome the difficulties of the area to reach San Pedro de Atacama.

San Antonio de los Cobres is the perfect synthesis of what the Puna means.