North to south
Ruta 40 in the NOA
Argentina’s longest road starts at the Bolivian border and runs the length of the Andes. Its northern stretch crosses the Puna, the Calchaquí Valleys and the wine and weaving towns of Catamarca and La Rioja. Much of it is still gravel.
La Quiaca
Where Ruta 40 begins (or ends)
A windswept border town on the Puna facing Villazón, Bolivia. The northern end of Ruta 40 is here, and the photo with the milestone is a rite of passage before heading south across the high plateau.
Long gravel stretches with no fuel between towns. Fill up here and carry water and warm layers.
Salinas Grandes
White salt flats on the Puna
A huge salt flat straddling Jujuy and Salta, where Ruta 40 meets the road down to Purmamarca. Local communities run guided walks to the extraction pools.
San Antonio de los Cobres
Mining town on the high Puna
A small adobe town at the junction of Ruta 40 and Ruta 51, up from Salta through the Quebrada del Toro. It is the base for the La Polvorilla viaduct and the Tren a las Nubes.
Take it slowly on arrival: the altitude is felt by most visitors.
Abra del Acay
The highest point of Ruta 40
A high mountain pass on a narrow gravel track between San Antonio de los Cobres and La Poma, and the highest point of the whole route.
High-clearance vehicle recommended. Summer rains (roughly December to March) can close the pass; check conditions locally.
Cachi
White village under the Nevado de Cachi
Whitewashed adobe houses, a colonial church and a quiet plaza at the foot of the snow-capped Nevado de Cachi. Most travellers arrive from Salta over the Cuesta del Obispo and through Los Cardones National Park.
Molinos
Adobe village and high-altitude wineries
A sleepy colonial village of adobe streets and a white church, and the turn-off for the high-altitude vineyards around Colomé.
Quebrada de las Flechas
A canyon of tilted stone blades
Between Angastaco and San Carlos, Ruta 40 winds through rock layers tilted into sharp, arrow-like spikes. One of the most photographed stretches of the route.
Mostly gravel, narrow in places. Allow extra time for stops.
Cafayate
Torrontés country
The wine capital of the Calchaquí Valleys, known for aromatic Torrontés grown at altitude. Wineries sit within walking or cycling distance of the plaza, and the red Quebrada de las Conchas leads back towards Salta.
Ruinas de Quilmes
A pre-Hispanic hillside city
Terraced stone ruins of the Quilmes people, who resisted Spanish rule for over a century. A short side road leaves Ruta 40 just south of the Salta–Tucumán border; Amaicha del Valle is nearby.
Belén
Cradle of the poncho
A Catamarca town famous for hand-woven ponchos and textiles of vicuña and llama wool, overlooked by a large statue of the Virgin on the hill above town.
Chilecito
Mining history under the Famatina
A green oasis under the Sierra de Famatina, with an early-1900s mining cable car climbing towards La Mejicana mine, plus olive groves and Riojan Torrontés wineries.
Talampaya
Red canyon detour
Towering red sandstone walls in a UNESCO World Heritage park. Reached from Ruta 40 via Villa Unión (Ruta 76) or as a day trip from Chilecito or La Rioja.