Salta Travel Guide: Geography & Climate

Salta Geography

Also the capital of Salta Province, the city itself lies at a height of 3984 feet (1187 meters) above sea level, at the foothills of the snowy Andean mountains in the heart of Argentina’s incredibly diverse north-western corner.  To the west are high arid planes and Salta’s famous salt flats- Las Salinas Grandes. This is a land of sparse vegetation, huts that blend into the earth and where tiny communities of only a few inhabitants line the single lane road through the desert; their cemeteries outnumbering residents at least 3 to 1. 

To the east, in the Gran Chaco region lays an entirely different landscape: here in this subtropical climate the ground is far more fertile and the air is always humid; the region is home to both the Yungas Jungle (home to South America’s biggest wildcat) and El Rey National Park.

The valley’s location is a geologically active hotbed of moving plates, making the city susceptible to occasional earthquakes, such as the two most recent devastating events in 1948 and in 1962.

Salta Climate

Hot summers of between 73 – 104° F (23- 40° C) and cold winters where the temperature drops near freezing (around 10° C/ 50° F) characterize the city of Salta proper.  At times during the summer, severe sand storms can last for days and paralyze outdoor activities and evening socializing in the parks that the layout of this city is so keen to encourage.   The average summer temperature is about 70° F (21° C), which can be misleading because temperatures can reach over 90° F (32° C) about 14 days a year.

Due to the city’s subtropical location, the wet season unfortunately corresponds to summer, reaching its wettest during the months of January, February and December, when precipitation levels range between 5.5 - 7” (140-180 mm) a month. Average annual rainfall is recorded to be 29” (756 mm ).