CAMPO QUIJANO

Campo Quijano is a little traditional town, with little more than 5,000 inhabitants, sitting in the Valle de Lerma Valley. It is known as the gateway to the Andes and is the access gate to the Ruta Nacional Nº 51 National Route, bound to the Puna highlands.

The place came into being in 1921, when the construction of the railroad to Socopampa began. It is 3 kms away from the del Toro Ravine's river mouth, at 1520 m.a.s.l..

Travellers arriving at this small town should not fear accommodations may be lacking. If you cross the town in a westerly direction, for instance, you will find a camping area with a very good infrastructure.

1 km ahead, right after the asphalt road ends, travellers can take off to the left and arrive to a place named Finca Río Blanco through a steep road. It is a little village holding ten houses and standing at only 3 kms from the town's plaza: a place with an idyllic landscape running through a very thick Ceibo tree lined avenue.

Standing in an opening, by a thicket with hydrangeas and grass, stands a group of four summerhouses with architectural styles ranging from neo-colonial to modern, and a lovely neo-gothic church dating back to 1914. Finally, after a difficult fording of the Río Blanco riverbed one may see the beautiful ranch bearing the name of the locality.

The Tren a las Nubes' (Cloud-Bound Train) railway runs crossing Campo Quijano. Its main attraction, besides the camping area and the Río Blanco River, is the Dique Las Lomitas Dam.

HOW TO GET THERE
It is 30 kms west from the City of Salta, going down the Ruta Nacional Nº 51. You can also go down the Ruta Nacional Nº 68, up to Cerrillos and then take the Ruta Provincial Nº 24 (road to Colón); or continue up to Rosario de Lerma, and then take the Ruta Nacional Nº 34. All these roads are asphalted and in prime condition.

In addition, travellers can arrive by train (the Ramal C-14 railway, carrying the Tren a las Nubes train, runs through 70% of the municipality's jurisdictional surface) which as the Ruta Nacional Nº 51, goes all the way up to Chile.