Travelling to Catamarca is touring across deserts, volcanoes, Yungas, forests, lagoons, and the deepest roots. It is discovering peaks that used to be the stages of pilgrimages and ancestral ceremonies. In Catamarca, the vicuña yarn for making the famous ponchos is prevalent, and the range of activities for enjoying its natural environment are as extensive as the ecosystem it embraces.
You are not going to forget the natural sites. Or the warmth of the local people. This province invites you to enjoy its magic and its roots with open arms. Discover the Adobe Route. See the weavers make ponchos with vicuna fiber. Tour captivating landscapes. Deserts and volcanos. Yungas and forests. Mountain tops that witnessed pilgrimages and ceremonies. The dwellings of the gods, according to the native culture.
Challenge the Route of the Seismiles. Tour the Campo de Piedra Pómez and sit on a different planet. Live an adventure in the chain of high lakes: the highest aerial crossing zone in the Andes and the second worldwide, after the Himalaya. Enjoy trekking and mountain biking, horseback riding and tours on 4x4, bird watching, and historical and archeological circuits. And in winter, come to the National Poncho Fest. Catamarca is waiting for you.
Visitors will be dazzled by Catamarca’s warmth, people, gastronomy, and magical spots. It is home to cultural attractions and nature, offering activities such as trekking, 4x4 vehicle excursions, bird watching, and historical and archaeological circuits. What to visit in Catamarca? The province has the most varied landscapes, it houses the world’s highest dune, and its capital, San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, is known as “the Athens of the Argentinian north”. There are enough reasons to visit it! Come and tour Catamarca.
A landscape that seems from outer space at 3000 metres above sea level. A genuine sea of chalk-coloured rocks and figures created by nature that capture the attention of every adventurer.
The ideal scenery to relax in hot springs. Multi-coloured hills, amazing properties for the body, and one of the major hot springs in the country: welcome to the Fiambalá Hot Springs!
A place ideal for sandboarding, where you will be amazed at its desert painted in shades of orange, brown, and white. Here, you can find the Federico Kirbus dune, the highest in the world, with 1230 metres.
A trip back in time. This road encompasses 50 kilometres of villages that still preserve their original adobe architecture: from ranches to mansions, chapels, churches, and colonial buildings.
Cultural and historical heritage. This city is known as “the Athens of the Argentinian north”. Why? You will discover the reasons along its streets, through its myths, and local legends.
Nature amid forests, hills, rivers, and mountain streams, where the colour green is the main figure. And in its centre, a quaint tourist village that makes everyone sigh in amazement.
A walk into the past is guaranteed in Catamarca because the technical stop on the Inca trail is El Shincal de Quimivil, the southernmost city of the Incas.
Catamarca has two types of climates: warm and arid. Depending on the landscapes, one or the other predominates. Its average annual rainfall is between 400 and 500 mm. The average temperature is around 20 °C, reaching 45 °C during summer.
Its name comes from the Quechua language and can be divided into two parts: "cata" meaning hillside, and "marca" meaning fortress or castle on the border. Thus, Catamarca means a fortress on the hillside where it was founded.
Catamarca is in the northwest of Argentina, bordering Salta on the north, Tucumán and Santiago del Estero on the east, Córdoba and La Rioja on the south, and Chile on the west.
The best means of transport is the car, as it allows you to stop at amazing spots and travel at your peace, with no rush. However, there are always organised tours that depart from the main cities and go through the most important points of the region.