If food and wine is culture, at least so is astronomy. Food and wine tourism is very popular, but also astronomical tourism, although it is much more niche, has its fans. The Atacama region, in Chile, is probably the most famous in the world for this specialty, and now another location is trying to compete with it, also in the Andes area but in the North of Argentina: Pristine Camps, in the Salinas Grandes (Puna Jujuy), at more than 3200 meters above sea level, which National Geographic has defined “one of the wildest and most beautiful places in the world“, also with pure and rarefied air, ideal for stargazing, and well far from those sources of terrestrial light that almost everywhere “dirty” the night.
The Pristine Camps Salinas Grandes resort will open in November. And from here you will not only look up, towards the sky, but also around, the surrounding landscape and the communities that populate it. One of the project managers defines its philosophy as follows: “We wanted to do something different from what exists, with parameters of excellence. The first pillar is the luxury hotel; the second, being in an almost uncontaminated place, with minimal human intervention; and the third, the link with the local culture. At Salinas Grandes we train and employ people from the community to be integrated into the project ”.
In line with these premises, the activities will include astronomical observations but also visits to the surrounding towns, to the salt pans that give Salinas its name, and to an area rich in rock paintings.
Among other virtues, Pristine Camps is built nearly 10 kilometers from the nearest road; a place of profound silence.