Tucumán is one of the best bases for exploring the cloud-forested foothills and high valleys of the northwest. Tafí del Valle, a cool mountain town set in a green valley at 2,000 metres, is the standard day trip — the drive itself, climbing through subtropical jungle into pine-clad highlands, is the attraction. Another two hours beyond Tafí, the pre-Incan ruins of Quilmes sit on a hillside in the dry Calchaquí Valley, and the wine town of Cafayate is reachable as a long day from the city.
Closer in, the small town of Famaillá is the centre of the empanada world — its annual Fiesta Nacional de la Empanada in September draws cooks from across the province competing for the best filling.