A ride through the high Andes should be on every rider’s bucket list – a chance to explore some of the highest roads in the world while drinking in the fresh air and captivating scenery. Argentina’s Route 51 from Susques to Salta in Argentina is a perfect microcosm of what this region can offer: earthy landscapes, uncrowded roads, and a challenging enough ride that you’ll be bragging about it for years.
Planning Your Ride on Argentina’s Route 51 Compared to routes that venture further into the peaks of the Andes, this ride is fairly easy to plan for. It’s not too long, and should something go wrong, there are facilities located at reasonable intervals. That being said, you should be aware that this road is rough, with baseball to house-sized rocks littering the route. Best to save this ride until you have some experience riding rough terrain – it will certainly test you.
Fuel As the ride is just under 200 miles, there’s a chance you’ll need to top up somewhere along the way. Right around the midpoint of the trip is the smallish town of San Antonio de los Cobres , and it’s an excellent place to fuel up if you’re unsure you can do the whole route on just one tank.
Accommodations and Food Hotels are few and far between in Susques, with the small inn known as Pastos Chicos being one of the only options outside of roadside camping. Fortunately, Salta has quite a bit more when it comes to tourist facilities, so you’ll have no trouble finding a room there. There’s quite a few campgrounds scattered around the edge of the city too if you’re searching for a budget option. If you decide to break up the journey and spend a night in San Antonio de los Cobres, there are two motels there with rooms for about fifty dollars a night.
Only Salta has much for dining options, so be sure to stock up on essentials and pack a lunch before heading off into the moonscapes of the Andes.
Sights The town of Susques only has one notable attraction, save for some truly desolate landscapes surrounding it, the 16th century church of Our Lady of Bethlehem. It’s a fairly simple structure, spartanly decorated with just a few paintings, but it’s still pretty interesting to see something like this amongst the dusty roads high up in the mountains. The Salinas Grande salt flats are also only about an hours ride east of Susques along Route 52.
Argentina’s Route 51 from Susques to Salta will feel alien to anyone not familiar with the area – high mountain peaks, huge cacti, and and not much other vegetation to speak of. While it might sound bleak, there’s quite a bit of beauty in this barrenness – completely unobstructed views in all directions.
The city of Salta is much larger than Susques and has quite a bit more going on, with beautiful churches and plazas scattered throughout the city. Anyone that’s interested in Spanish architecture will have a field here.
Church at Suques – Photo Credit: Rodoluca / CC BY San Antonio de los Cobres – Photo Credit: Robert Ettore / CC BY Cabildo de Salta – Photo Credit: Jotabe.ar / CC BY Featured Image of Tastil Ruins – Photo Credit: Alicia Nijdam / CC BY
