Train to the Clouds is one of the highest journeys in the world

Train to the Clouds is one of the highest journeys in the world


The highest point is 4,220 meters above sea level […]

Away from Argentina’s most popular tourist destinations, the northwest of this country, bordering Brazil, moves at a different pace. And at more than 4 thousand meters above sea level.

Inaugurated in 1948, as a route for the transport of minerals between Chile and Argentina, the General Belgrano railway is the scene of the famous railway journey in Train to the cloudstourist service, active since 1972.




This tour in Salta province highlights the La Polvorilla Viaducta steel bridge over 220 meters long and 63 meters high, at the highest point reached by the train, 4,220 meters above sea level and above the iconic RN 40.

At 5,224 km in length, Ruta Nacional 40 is Argentina’s longest highway and leads to destinations such as Salta, Bariloche and El Calafate.

Originally departing from the city of Salta, the dizzying rail route, in the middle of the Andes mountain range, offers two different routes, combining train and bus or just the rail section.

CLOUDS TRAIN

bus – train – bus

From Salta, passengers take the bus along Ruta Nacional 51 to the town of El Alfarcito, where a rural breakfast is served.

From there, the journey continues along the Quebrada de las Cuevas to San Antonio de los Cobres, a city 167 kilometers from Salta, at 3,776 meters above sea level. Boarding takes place here. Train to the clouds, 1 hour from Viaducto la Polvorilla, where the return journey to San Antonio de los Cobres begins.

The journey back to Salta also includes a stop in Santa Rosa de Tastil, one of those tiny villages, in the Quebrada del Toro, where you can visit the local museum with pieces from the archaeological site of Tastil, one of the largest in Argentina.



Santa Rosa de Tastil

Train only

Another option is to start the journey from the San Antonio de los Cobres train station (transfer not included), where the passenger takes the previous one-hour route to La Polvorilla, considered one of the most impressive engineering works in the world. last century.

The tour is expected to end at 5.40pm, in Santa Rosa de Tastil, from where the tourist will continue independently to the capital Salta.

Whatever service you choose, remember that it is a trip at high altitude, which means sudden changes in temperature, unexpected events along the route and the dreaded “altitude sickness”.

To avoid this illness caused by lack of oxygen at high altitude, try to arrive days early to acclimatise. The day before the train journey, avoid excessive physical exertion, do not drink alcohol and eat lighter foods.

To travel inside Train to the cloudsbring sunglasses, sunscreen and a windproof jacket.



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Train to the clouds

Both itineraries have scheduled departures on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, at 7am (bus – train – bus) and 12pm (train only) and cost from US$68 (R$307, approximately).

Source: Terra

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