Around Catamarca city

Some 25 km north of Catamarca, the Dique Las Pirquitaslake has good fishing and water sports, as well as trekking and mountain biking.

However, the best place to head to escape from the city is the pretty weekend retreat of El Rodeo, in lovely mountain setting with a cool microclimate and lots of good walks and horse riding. There's a great two-day hike to Cerro el Manchao, 4550 m above sea level, and trout fishing in the Río Ambato. It's easy to get here by bus or hire car, and there are plenty of delightful hosterías, which make this a pleasant alternative to staying in the city.

Las Juntas, a further 20 km away on the same road, is another rural retreat from the city, also in attractive mountainous countryside.

Northeast of Catamarca, there are fine panoramic views over the Valle de Catamarca at the Cuesta del Portezuelo, along the road snaking up the Sierra de Ancasti.

Belén and around

There are good views from the Cerro de Nuestra Señora de Belén, a hill above the town, where a newly constructed Virgen (the last one was struck by lightning) watches over the place.

Londres 

Londres is a pretty and quiet village, with a remote feel. Founded in 1558, it is the second oldest town in Argentina, though its site was moved several times. It was named in honour of the marriage of Mary Tudor and Philip II. The municipalidad displays a glass coat-of-arms of the city of London and a copy of the marriage proposal. There are important Inca ruins at El Shincal. Londres celebrates its walnut festival in January.

El Shincal

This ruined town is one of the most astonishing remains of the Inca occupation of Argentina, from the 1470s to their demise in 1532. The setting is superb, in a flat area between a crown of mountains and the river - a place the Incas clearly recognized as having sacred significance. Their religious beliefs were deeply entwined with their worship of mountains and their modification of natural forms - the most extreme example of which is Machu Picchu in Peru. Cuzco, too, follows strict conventions, siting the town to line up auspiciously with sacred hills, water sources and the home of the ancestors. According to expert Ian Farrington, El Shincal is a 'little Cuzco', following precisely the same rules of orientation to mountains and water sources. There are large kallankas (thought to be either grain stores or military barracks), sleeping areas and a central plaza, lined up between two artificially shaped hills and perfectly aligned with the rising and setting sun at the solstice. In the middle of the plaza is a sacred platform with a specially designed trough for sacrifices. It's best to visit El Shincal with a guide, but you'll be lucky to find one in Londres so take a tour from Belén. It's a remarkable site, well worth visiting.