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Fran and Nacho made our trip with them an absolute pleasure. It was the best thing we did in Argentina. Mostly unsealed roads, some tarseal, great locations, fun company, good food, plenty of water, and most of all two gentlemen who used all their resources to make us comfortable.
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We did the four day "Round to the Calchaqui Valleys" trip with MTB. The owner, Francisco Castellanos, is a very nice young man, as is his buddy and guide "Nacho". They both speak very respectable English too. We had a blast. Francisco probably spend countless hours by e-mail prior to the trip answering every question that I had. He even helped me with arranges for lodging unrelated to my tour with him. And, I asked him to call a subsequent tour to help with an arrangement since he could talk with them in Spanish. He well above and beyond what one would expect.
The tour itself was a lot of fun. The Calchaqui Valley is way off-the-beaten path which makes it that much more appealing. The scenery is beautiful. It changes each day from cactus to painted canyons to locals making colorful ponchos to cute little traditional villages to wineries. The whole thing was a kaleidoscope of colors. The trip is very flexible. You can ride as little or much as you feel like. If you want to stop to see something, you stop. You eat when you are ready. Francisco drove the van behind us and Nacho road with us. The hotels for the trip were pretty decent too. The four of us would usually get have beer at one of the sidewalk cafes in the villages each day after the ride, then we'd also meet for dinner. Besides being excellent tour guides, Francisco and Nacho were very pleasant gentlemen to hang out with.
As an example of their service, I mentioned that I really like microbrew beer (I live in Seattle). There was a private small microbrew along the route that isn't normally open to the public. Nacho's uncle happens to know the owner. Knowing that I like microbrew beer, Nacho called his uncle to arrange a visit and beer tasting for us. Likewise, we were able to visit a few wineries in the morning in Cafayate before beginning that last day's ride.
Francisco told me that he only does the four-day Calchaqui Valley tour once or twice a year due to its length. Most people just fit in time for him many day or half-day tours. That's unfortunate, because people are missing out on an incredible experience in a fascinating place.
I have to search really hard to think of anything negative to say. Sometimes I'd have preferred not to have seen Francisco's van so close behind me while riding, but of course that's just his intention to take excellent care of his guests.
Trust me on this one. Make time in your Argentina itinerary for the four-day "Round to the Calchaqui Valley" bike tour with Francisco and MTB Salta. You'll be glad that you did. |
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On our trip to Salta, the owners of our hostel recommended that we take a mountain bike tour with the company MTB Salta. My sister and I took a 5-hour tour with our guide Francisco, who picked us up at our hostel in Salta, then took us to San Lorenzo (just outside of Salta) to begin the ride. We rode through a very pretty valley, then up the tracks of the Train to the Clouds (Tren a los Nubes). We saw a waterfall, crossed a river, and then concluded the trip by biking down a local road. The entire circuit was about 30 easy kilometers. Francisco was an excellent guide, very knowledgable about the area, and happy to go at whatever pace we wanted. He brought the bikes, water, and snacks, so there was no preparation required on our part. We liked him so much that we also went on a canoeing trip with him later in the week that was equally excellent. He is fluent in English and Portuguese, if you haven't brushed up on your Spanish in a while. I definitely recommend these trips as a more adventuresome way to get to know the area around Salta, and travel a less-touristed circuit. |
Very good! I have spent 2 days with them on the MTB. An amazing tour through Cardones (cactus), flowers, llamas, the village of cachi,...
The 2 guides (francisco & nacho) are very friendly, I learnt a lot of things: from the history of the region, thrue spanish expression (despite the fact that they speak very good english) and how to prepare Mate tea!
Next time I will spend more days with them!
Marco |
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I went 2 days mountain biking with Francisco / Federico last week in Salta. Great trip and highlight of the holiday in Argentina. Guys collected me from the hotel, drove for a few hours before arriving at the Piedra Mollina before getting on our bikes and cycling the 50ks or so to Cachi across quite stunning landcape - the Recta de Tintin jampacked with cactuses comes straight out of a spaghetti western. The guys prepared a great lunch along the way and were very knowledgeable and personable.. Spent the night in Cachi getting in some local music before doing a bike tour of the pueblo the following moring - historical buildings, the cemetry, the airport before heading off for the highlight which is the descent of the Cuesta del Obispo - unpaved, has to be seen to be believed! All in all a superb two days and will definitely be going back for more sometime soon. |
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This has been without doubt a highlight of our trip so far. Both Francisco and Nacho were friendly and helpful and Nacho was an excellent guide and really passionate about the local area and environment.
The trip was really well suited to us both as beginners and gave us the opportunity to experience things we otherwise would not have had the opportunity to do. I would recommend this to anyone visiting Salta.
Thanks for a great day! Original Link |
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I love bike-touring and used to be a professional guide working all over the world. I was in Argentina for a professional conference and though I had no equipment with me, I wanted to get out and ride through the countryside for a few days. I contacted MTB Salta and Francisco gave me invaluable advice, knowledge, a hand-drawn map with notes and tips plus he supplied me with a great bike, tools, bags, a helmet and all I needed to ride for 5 days through the mountains. He's good for day rentals or guided trips, for expert mountain bikers or casual city rides. He was more than fair and understanding when I damaged a bit of his equipment. I've ridden all over the world and this was probably the best trip I ever took - and I could not have done it with out Francisco at MTB Salta. Original Link |
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Realmente fue una experiencia excelente, hicimos el circuito de Yungas el 25 de marzo y la verdad es que tanto a mi como a mi esposa nos encantó, pasamos un dia espectacular, hicimos mountain bike, caminamos, tomamos mate y nos refrescamos en un lugar muy lindo con una vista alucinante, y tanto Francisco como Ignacio hicieron del paseo una verdadera experiencia. Enlace Original |
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We took a canoe/trekking/biking trip with Francisco. It was a great half-day trip which allowed us to see some of the beautiful area north of Salta. Francisco was very friendly and helpful, and also spoke english very well. More importantly, however, he let us tailor the trip to our level. Highly recommended guide with very reasonable prices. Link |
Riding bike in Quebrada del Toro was a great experience, it was a nice place, quiet and surrounded by beautiful mountains.
I liked crossing bridges and the slopes were also incredible.
we spent the whole morning and part of the afternoon.
It was a good team and the bikes were excellent.
I hope I can do it again |
Per chi avesse voglia di fare una bella gita fuori porta consiglio vivamente la compagnia MTB, le guide "Francisco" e "Ignacio" sono molto preparati e disponibili.
L'escursione e' abbordabile a tutti, ricordatevi di indossare scarpe vecchie perche' alcuni punti sono particolarmente impegnativi:-)
Daniele |
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It was a great trip. Fran and Nacho (the tour guides) are very warm and inviting people and made it a lot of fun. We saw a lot of interesting sites, the rainforest, river, some great views of the city, etc. The course is not too difficult but there is some streams to cross either on foot or by riding through. I'd recommend some rubber sandals rather than tennis shoes because you will probably get wet. |
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Francisco our guide was great an we really enjoyed the afternoon highly recommend |
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We did the half day trip which is great if you want to escape from the city for a while and enjoy the beautiful country landscape near Salta. Nacho, our guide, was great fun and really information about Argentine culture & way of life. Would definintely recommend this tour & company. Original Link |
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Francisco was great! Enthusiastic, and very knowledgeable. The bikes are of great quality and it is a wonderful way to experience the countryside in Argentina. Enlace Original |
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Con Francisco, nuestro guìa, pasamos un dìa espectacular. Nos sentimos muy còmodos y en ningùn momento dejamos de disfrutar la travesìa. El paseo es muy recomendable. La bici te permite acceder a lugares que de otra forma no podrias conocer . Andar en bici siguiendo el recorrido del tren a las nubes resultò maravilloso. Los paisajes son alucinantes y la excelente predisposiciòn del guìa ayuda a que se disfrute muchìsimo màs .
Ah ! agregar que las empanadas salteñas que comimos al final tambièn se disfrutaron mucho ! Enlace Original |
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