Everything you need to know about the train to the clouds.

Tren a las Nubes in the province of Salta (Argentina) translated from Spanish - train to the clouds. This tourist route attracts travelers from all over the world, passes through the Andean landscape to the La Pylvorilla viaduct, an amazing engineering work in the heart of Pune.

Today, the experience is very different from the one that has been known for many years, when the journey was all day on board, and the train returned late at night. A real adventure between the mountains and the zigzags that characterize the tour, laid out in the 1920s under the guidance of engineer Richard Morey.

Currently, most of the route is carried out by bus, starting from Salta Capital. Only the last section is on board the formation that made the C-14 branch of the General Belgrano Railroad famous.

The mysticism is strange, and the result is not the same: to console yourself, we can say that traveling by bus allows you to make stops at some panoramic points and better interact with the locals who are looking forward to the arrival of visitors. The Salten landscape, for its part, remains untouched and majestic there, no matter how you get to know and love it.

Passengers meet early, at 6:30 at the railway station of the capital Salta. This is the time for verification, when travelers receive an identification bracelet and get acquainted with a guide who will accompany them throughout the day. It will be a person who will help unravel the secrets of the dramatically changing landscape of Punia. From the first Jung to the Kardon Desert.

Already by bus, the initial stop arrives a little later, in Campo Quijano, when it's still night. There is a monument in honor of Mori and a German steam locomotive, which was imported in the 20s, but was not used.

Then it crosses the El Toro viaduct, where the mountain is already beginning to offer the magic of its many mineral shades, with rocky profiles of all shapes. The morning appears strongly and is ideal for going out and testing the first postcards of the tour. A little later, the guide will indicate which of the vigilant silhouettes of the landscape is an impressive snowfall of Asei, with a height of more than 5700 meters.

When travelers are already beginning to get to know each other and gain trust, this is one of the sweetest moments in the whole trip, because here the Father Chifri Foundation offers tourists a "country breakfast", which includes hot infusions in the open air, homemade bread, Alfajores and cayote dumplings. Usually there are artisans and small producers who offer Andean products - this is a mandatory situation.

At noon, the bus arrives at the San Antonio de los Cobres station. The authentic experience of Tren a las Nubes is getting closer and closer when the first village houses and the hilly slope where his name is written in giant letters appear. At the moment, the route is at an altitude of 3800 meters, and the altitude can feel. In order not to suffer from this, you should slowly walk along the platform before boarding the cars and start the last leg of the adventure.

Now yes, the train is in motion and will not stop idling for 50 minutes until it reaches the La Pollen viaduct. Or yes: brake once, at the height where the abandoned Concordia mine is located, so that the Locomotive is located behind and pushes the train to the end (it is impossible to get off). This is a short section, but impressive in scenery and height, until finally the famous viaduct appears before your eyes and dazzles with its 63-meter beams, extending 223 meters and at an altitude of 4200 meters above sea level.

A masterpiece completed in 1932, where travelers are greeted by a group of guys playing Andean songs. They also intone the radiance along with the wavy flag against the sky.

The rite of the traveler invites you to buy souvenirs made of wool and take pictures, helping the boys who come with their flames and sheep and inhabit these lands as beautifully as the desert ones. Then you will have to return to the train and to San Antonio de los Cobres, but the magic coming from the mountains will remain untouched forever.

When the clock strikes four and a half o'clock in the afternoon, it's time to return. The same one-way tour is unleashed, but with a stop halfway to Santa Rosa de Tastil. There you can visit the Pueblito and the Site Museum, which tells about the local ruins and the role of the ancient village on the Camino del Inca route.