Driving through high altitude deserts

We departed from Purmamarca towards the Salinas Grandes, a high-altitude lake that dried up around 10,000 years ago, leaving behind a 3-meter thick salt crust covering approximately 500 km². Walking on it feels akin to traversing an endless glacier dotted with miniature crevasses—a breathtaking yet harsh landscape devoid of life.

Driving for hours along the salt lake on a gravel road at 3,200 meters altitude, we encountered only 4 or 5 passing cars. I breathed a sigh of relief that our Renault Clio held up despite reaching 170,000 kilometers. Though the doors didn’t shut properly, we couldn’t resist taking a few kilograms of sand as a souvenir back to the lowlands. The fine grains managed to infiltrate every crevice of our clothes, hair, and luggage, leaving a pristine white layer on absolutely everything, even inside our backpacks.

It was an exhausting day of driving—around 8 hours in total. I don’t recall ever covering such a distance before. Yasuko suffered from a backache, prompting us to decide against returning to the bustling downtown Salta, opting instead to book a charming finca we discovered online. Upon arrival at Finca Valentina, a beautifully restored house with meticulous attention to detail, we instantly fell in love with its serene ambiance, attentive staff, and the charismatic Italian owner, Valentina.