San Antonio de los Cobres

Mining town in Northern Argentina

 

November 2022

 

by Ravi Chandra Gundakaram

 

San Antonio de los Cobres (literally, ‘Saint Anthony of the Coppers’) is a small town in north-western Argentina located at an altitude of over 3700 m above mean sea level. The mountains surrounding the town are rich in minerals containing copper (cobre in Spanish), and mining the metal is an important economic activity in the area. The other thing you would like about this town is the railway station, which is along the line through which the Tren a las Nubes (train to the clouds) passes.


View of the town and the surrounding mountains.


The train, parked for its next trip, and the station at the back.


The station, which looks straight out of the sets of a Spaghetti Western! Who knows? Clinto Eastwoodo might be lurking somewhere, ready to pull a gun on you!!


A signboard in the station shows the distances to several towns and cities. Not that the Tren a las Nubes runs to all of them today!


The Train to the Clouds!


The plush interiors of the Tren a las Nubes!


Street view.


A llama statue in town. These animals are an important part of the lives of the locals.


Get ready for some salt making in the next blog, Friends!
Location: San Antonio de los Cobres, Salta Province, Argentina

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  From winter to Spring and back in a few days My trip to Peninsular Antarctica   November 2022     by Ravi Chandra Gundakaram I hope you have read the ‘Introduction’ before coming to this post! The ship ‘Ocean Endeavour’ that took us to Antarctica and back. It is seen here docked at the pier in Ushuaia. This photograph was clicked while waiting to board the ship. Zodiacs (more about them in a while) in black are to the right (and slightly below) the funnel, whereas the lifeboats (with orange tops) can be seen on the left. The cabin on the ship 'Ocean Endeavour' that was home to me for the duration of the trip. This is an 'inside' cabin, meaning there is no porthole or window. Inside cabins are less expensive than other cabin types. Moving away from the pier, at the start of the voyage! The city of Ushuaia can be seen touching the water, and the Martial glacier is at the back. On the first evening of the voyage, the ship sails through the calm waters of the Beagle Ch...
Read more
Image
  Tierra del Fuego National Park   November 2022   by Ravi Chandra Gundakaram The Tierra del Fuego (literally, the Land of Fire), National Park, ‘ Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego’ is the southernmost national park in Argentina. It is a short distance from Ushuaia and can be easily reached by private vehicle or bus. Pretty much every travel agency and hotel in town will be able to arrange half day and full day trips to the park. The park is very beautiful, and is rich in flora and fauna. There are also several hiking trails, but if you go as part of a tour group, you most probably will not be able to go hiking. Lago Roca (lake Roca) is partly in Chile and Argentina, and a part of this lake is in the park and is known as lake Acigami, which means ‘ basket or elongated bag’ in the now-extinct Yámana (Yagán) language that was spoken by the indigenous people of the region. Inside the park is also the end point of Ruta no. 3 (Argentinian Route no. 3) that starts in Bue...
Read more
Image
  From winter to Spring and back in a few days My trip to Peninsular Antarctica - Introduction   November 2022     by Ravi Chandra Gundakaram   “You went to Antarctica?” “Yes!” “Was it part of some research project?” “No.” “You are not kidding?” “Yes!” A few years ago, I too thought that you could go to Antarctica only for research. Or else, you were a porter or a cook or something like that, supporting serious-looking Scientists. But there is tourist access to Antarctica – to the peninsular part at least. Now, if you were to stand high in the sky right over the South Pole and look downwards, Antarctica would look like a circle – well, kind of. However, there is a peninsular portion sticking out, and the closest landmass to this is the southernmost part of Argentina, and of Chile. It is to this ‘Peninsular Antarctica’ that many if not most tourists go to. Most expedition ships start from Ushuaia in Argentina, or Punta Arenas in Chile and fli...
Read more