Hosteria El Penon

a deliberately simple road-side lodge

Set in the remote settlement of El Penon in northwest Argentina, Hosteria El Penon is pleasantly basic but rather cool little property.

The whole point of this place is to serve as a simple stop for extremely adventurous private guided overland expeditions through the fabulous altiplano area of the high Andes.

The lodge is set in a small village of the same name and is a very simple place, contained within a modern brickwork building, with a public area to the front, overlooking the dusty yard where hardy four wheel drive vehicles are lined up.

The lodge is operated by an Italian expat called Fabrizio, who loves nothing more than undertaking expeditions into this harsh terrain. His wife runs the very comfortable Finca Valentina down in Salta.

The staff all come from this remote outpost and offer friendly and honest hospitality, which can swing easily from pleasant and genuine to infuriatingly naive.

Rooms

Guest accommodation is in 8 rooms, all with heating, private bathrooms and views out over the surrounding oasis settlement.

They are accessed by a corridor through the centre of the building, which looks uncannily like an old-fashioned prison building.

The rooms are heated by log-burning stoves, which are tended to by the staff.

Hosteria El Penon features as part of an 8-12 night private-guided overland safari through the Salta region.

When planning a trip to the high Andes areas, it’s essential to take altitude acclimatisation into account. It is really important to spend at least 2-3 nights in mid-altitude areas around Salta before heading up into the mountains.

Hosteria El Penon typically occupies 2-3 nights in the middle of the routing, arriving in from Tolar Grande in the north (from where it’s a full day drive) and then descending south and east to the winelands of Cafayate (around 5 hours).

If you do not have the time of inclination to undertake a full guided safari through the region, then it is possible to charter a flight back from the nearby airstrip at Antofagasta de la Sierra to Salta, or even fly up and back (meaning that it is theoretically possible to spend just three nights in the Salta region and deploy all of them at this magnificent spot.

Seasonality

The best time to visit the Salta region is rather complicated, as the weather conditions vary enormously as the altitude changes.

If you are mostly focused on the high Andes, then Nov-Mar is best. If you are focused on the lower altitude areas further east, then Apr-Oct may be better. If you are interested in spending a good amount of time in both areas, then it may be worth looking at the two shoulder season periods of Oct-Nov and Mar-Apr.

Summer : Nov-Mar

In the high Andes areas to the west, rainfall is very low and sunshine is high year round, so the primary issue is temperatures. The best time is therefore considered to be during the Nov-Mar summer season, when days are hot and nights are comfortable.

However the lower altitude wine-growing and cloud-forest areas further east experience a good deal of rain during Nov-Mar, peaking in Dec-Mar around 150mm (6’) per month, which is pretty high. This rain tends to come in the later afternoons, with big storms rolling in from the east.

Winter : Apr-Oct

During the Apr-Oct winter season, the high Andes experience some pretty extreme low temperatures, especially at night, so expeditions up here can become a lot more challenging (although still feasible).

The lower altitude areas further east are also cooler, still with daytime temperatures reaching 20C/68F, but with nights dropping towards 4C/39F. Rainfall drops dramatically to around 12mm (0.5”) per month. The Jan-Feb period is particularly pleasant, with various colourful festivals.

Getting there

The Salta region is generally accessed via the Martín Miguel de Güemes International Airport (SLA), which lies just to the southwest of the city of Salta.

The airport has direct connections with Buenos Aires, Cordoba and the Iguazú Falls.

Heading the other direction, to the northwest, there are also occasional direct flights to Lima in Peru.

The other option is to continue from here by road, travelling either north to reach the Salar de Uyuni area of Bolivia, or west to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile, making for some really interesting multi-country trips.

volcanic scenery and indigenous cultures