Discover the Salinas Grandes Salt Fields

Travel to Salinas Grandes, one of the largest depressions in the province where large amounts of salt are extracted and experience the vast Puna ... See more

Travel to Salinas Grandes, one of the largest depressions in the province where large amounts of salt are extracted and experience the vast Puna plateau, the third largest in the world.
First time travelers to the Puna are usually in great awe at the sheer size of this salty, high altitude expanse that serves as host to a unique ecosystem and a number of salt and mineral quarries. you will visit Big Salt Works, one of the largest excavation sites in the Puna which is responsible for supplying the provinces of Salta and Jujuy. Salt is extracted in bricks which are scraped in sinks to produce 95% pure sodium chloride. This desert of salt was once a salty lake but over time all moisture evaporated, leaving only salt. Big Salt Works is located in a depression with an altitude of 8,858 feet which is connected along its northern border with Guayatayoc Lagoon. Above, wide Salar is considered the 3rd largest Plateau in the world at a height of approximately 11,000 feet. See less