With a reddish landscape due to its peppers that contrast with the blue sky, Payogasta allows you to enjoy its traditions and landscape.

Town of Payogasta
It is a beautiful town 147km (2hs 45min) from Salta, in the Calchaquí Valley; it stands out for its beauty and for being a quiet town, with its narrow dirt streets and some adobe buildings, witnesses of the passage of time.

Potrero de Payogasta
Near Payogasta is this archaeological site declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO, along with Los Graneros Incaicos and the site of Tastil, which were part of the Qhapaq Ñan or Inca Trail. It has Andean shrines, "tambos" and cemeteries, built between 1,450 and 1,530. They are among the few Inca ruins that are known in good condition in the region. Their presence indicates the influence of the powerful empire in the territory of Salta.

Rural landscape
The town and its surroundings are surrounded by fields where onions, carrots, peas and cumin of excellent quality are harvested.

Peppers, an ancestral production
There are large sectors located in the nearby farms and even in the middle of the town itself, where tons of red peppers are spread out, contrasting with the blue of the sky, in order to dry them in the sun and transform them into the famous and always coveted paprika, so characteristic of the place.

Provincial Pepper Festival
As a way of paying homage to this ancient rural tradition, it is held in July, where the Provincial Queen of the Pepper is elected, exquisite regional food is prepared, ending with an unmissable popular dance.

Los Cardones National Park
It is one of the three national parks in Salta, and protects this beautiful species, the most characteristic of the region. In 1996 this reserve was created in order to protect an admirable area that covers four different natural environments, mainly the sierras and dry ravines, between 2,700 and 5,000 meters above sea level. There is a predominance of shrub formation typical of the pre-Puna, as well as communities typical of the mountain and, on the summits, of the Puna and the high Andes. The cardon trees that rise on the slopes of the hills were the guardians of the ancient routes of the Inca Empire and the magical Enchanted Valley.

The Cardon
The Cardon can reach up to 10 meters high and live 250 years, its trunk is covered with yellow thorns about 30 cm long, reaches reproductive maturity between 40 and 50 years approximately when it first generates its beautiful white flowers, they die a few days after appearing to give way to the fruit, the pasacana.

Local gastronomy
In Payogasta you must try the roast lamb, kid casserole, locro, guaschalocro, dried tomatoes, peppers, sweet paprika or goat cheese with sweet cayote. It is worth tasting these delicacies prepared with local products and accompanied with a delicious high altitude wine.

Trekking and flora and fauna observation
Endless hills and mountains invite you to make an interesting trekking, sometimes combined with other activities such as overlanding, archaeological tourism, flora and fauna observation, which have different durations and degrees of difficulty.

Mountain biking along National Route 40
Like trekking, the geography of the region challenges bicycle lovers to demonstrate their skills and strength in the mountains. Different options with varying degrees of difficulty await adventurers and lovers of this activity.

Quad biking and 4x4 tours
Due to the diversity of the landscape, Payogasta offers the possibility of enjoying 4x4 vehicle tours. There are several routes ideal to test the most experienced driver.

Lodging and services
In Payogasta there are very good category inns, with gourmet gastronomy and with the possibility of carrying out activities from the farms. There are also camping sites and inns that expand the lodging offer in the area.

Historical room of Palermo Oeste
This construction dates back to the end of the 19th century and is made of carved stone. It currently houses a thematic-cultural center.

Festivities
Its patron saint's day is held in honor of the Immaculate Conception, whose congregation of gauchos is the most important in the Alto Calchaquí Valley: more than fifty forts from across the province come to honor the Virgin.

Other popular celebrations are the Goat Festival, the Provincial Goat Cheese Contest, the Regional Tomato Festival, the Humita Vallista Contest, the Old Fashioned Carnival and the Pea Festival.

Calchaquí River Walk
It is a campsite with grills, artificial pools, a children's play area, an outdoor gym, beach volleyball and soccer tennis courts.

• Payogasta has artisanal and industrial wineries, whose vineyards are among the highest in the world, giving unique characteristics to its outstanding high-altitude wines.
• Another attraction available on the site is the so-called “Goat Cheese Route”, because this municipality produces this variety in large quantities and of outstanding quality.