LA POMA

Sinuous ravines, velvety summits, sierras bristling with cacti and an ever-bluer sky, adorn the 190 kms that separate Salta from La Poma. The village itself is guarded by the quaternary Volcanes Gemelos (Twin Volcanoes): two basaltic lava summits with dross that have the blocked the river, creating temporary lakes.

There are some pre-Columbian vestiges in the area, among them some Incan granaries, they were first registered by the Spanish colonizer Manuel Félix de Soltevila, who came to this place two centuries after the discovery of America.

La Poma, which rises at 3015 m.a.s.l., was partially destroyed by an earthquake that hit the area on the 24th of December in 1930. One sector of the adobe village was rebuilt, and the other one built 1 km away, beside the area where the Peña River flows into the Calchaquí River.

A passage framed by two 500 m long adobe walls, protects the old town and gives it a particular charm. At its sides, the flocks of sheep and llamas spattered over the paths, call to take another picture of the place.

WHERE TO LIVE IN THE AREA
2 kms away from La Poma, travellers will find the Puente del Diablo (Devil's Bridge), a structure built solely by nature. The mountains in this place encase the the Calchaquí River. To get here, it is necessary to descend a downward slope leading to the natural crossing over the course of the Calchaquí River.

Other notable items of the La Poma surroundings are the granaries. Inside an enormous cavern there are circular and rectangular silos, which served mostly to store corn. It has been found at the site. Due to the style of the architecture they are presumed to be Inca. The mud installation is complex; it holds modern ventilation principles, and a rodent protection system that still works nowadays.

HOW TO GET THERE
It is 190 kms away from Salta. Driving an SUV the trip takes about five hours; it could take less, but the scenery demands a few minute stops.
It starts taking the Nº 68 Provincial Route, and going through Cerrillos, La Merced and El Carril, up to Chicoana; and then taking the Ruta Provincial Nº 33 that goes through the Escoipe Ravine up to Payogasta.

Between Escoipe and Payogasta, ascends the sinuous Cuesta del Obispo (Bishop's Slope). While going through this area, that embraces a part of the Parque Nacional Los Cardones (The Giant Cacti National Park), the road starts to bristle with cacti.

At Payogasta the road parts in two, the one to the right leads to La Poma after a 43 kms jouney through the Ruta Nacional Nº 40. Another way of arriving to La Poma is by the Nº 51 National Route, crossing through Campo Quijano, Santa Rosa de Tastil, and before reaching San Antonio de los Cobres it deviates towards the south through the Nº 40 Route, and the Abra del Acay pass is crossed before getting to the town. If travellers wish to take this road, they should be careful for during the southern hemisphere winter, the roads and communication systems are interrupted many times due to ice or snow.