La Ruta Natural | Baritú National Park and El Nogalar de los Toldos National Reserve

Baritú National Park and El Nogalar de los Toldos National Reserve

Salta

A world of tangled vegetation and intense shades of green, jungles amid the clouds and fauna sheltered from massive prying eyes. The north-eastern tip of Salta (very hard to access) offers wild adventure, adrenaline and an experience for fearless travellers.

The best time to visit is from May to October, during the dry season. Only for adventure-seekers.

What to see

Baritú National Park

Almost bordering Bolivia, it protects over 70,000 hectares of Yunga forest. It is so hard to access that you have to cross to Bolivia and enter Argentina again to visit it. It is an exclusive destination for adventure and nature lovers who enjoy taking long walks, crossing rivers and getting wet, and do not mind the heat, the rain or the cold. The reward is big: almost virgin jungles, unique communities and villages, walks along riverbeds filled with footprints of tapirs, jaguars and other animals.

The place can only be visited on foot, with experienced guides and notifying the park’s administration in Los Toldos. Free-of-charge.

El Nogalar de los Toldos National Reserve

A few kilometres north of Baritú National Park, the small El Nogalar de los Toldos National Reserve, offers another magical area of the Salta Yungas. The abundance of mosses, lichens and climbers fill the landscape with a fairy-tale touch that surprises visitors while looking for birds and squirrels.

At the park’s recreational area begins a 700-metre trail that ends in a viewpoint depicting the most privileged view of Huaico Grande River.

It also has a transhumance trail that connects this reserve with Santa Victoria Oeste, only advisable for people with experience in the mountains and accompanied by a specialized local guide.

How to get there and move around

It is 330 km from Salta capital city to the cities of Orán and Aguas Blancas (on the border with Bolivia). Once there, you must enter Bolivia and drive 95 km to the international La Mamor - El Condado bridge, where you enter Argentina again.

Along Provincial Route 19, from the crossing, you must go 18 km along a consolidated road up to Los Toldos. More access recommendations at

https://www.argentina.gob.ar/parquesnacionales/baritu/como-llegar

Where to stay

Los Toldos, 26 km away from Baritú National Park, offers some cabin resorts and homestays.

Inside the park, you will find the villages of Lipeo and Baritú, a rural camping area. There are no grocery stores, so if you visit the place, take everything you need. El Nogalar de los Toldos Reserve has a camping site, with no grocery stores.