What is community-based tourism?
It is a type of tourism in which the small producers are the activity’s main characters and the travellers hope to live an authentic cultural exchange, while they take part and share the daily activities of familiar and community life.
It is a way of looking for small communities’ sustainable development, because the aim is achieving an economically viable, socially solidary, culturally enriching and environmentally responsible touristic activity, while deep experiences are being lived.
In Argentina, we find several communities that invite us to visit them.

SALTA

Calchaquíes Valleys
Farmer Tourism Network: In Santa Rosa, La Merced, Payogastilla and El Barrial communities, it is possible to enjoy an experience with farmers that produce its own products and handicrafts. They invite the tourist to join their lives for a few days and know their daily activities, their agricultural and cottage trades, and learn about them or just seat down to talk and generate a cultural exchange.

Del Toro Gorge
Turu Yaco Community-based Tourism Corridor: There, the communities offer walks to know the cultivated fields, invite to join countryside’s duties and meal’s preparation in order to learn local recipes.
To keep in mind: Visiting these communities is possible all year round, although in summer we must take extra precautions due to the rainy season.

Green North

In the Yungas region and Tartagal and Aguaray rainforest, indigenous people that have lived together since ancient times, agree to search for responsible tourists as a path to generate employment and make them able to stay and live in their place. They consider tourism as an activity capable of transmitting their history while respecting the rainforest.
To keep in mind: It is recommended visiting these zones from April to September, when rains are not frequent, and temperatures are not extreme.

JUJUY

Humahuaca Gorge
Ocumazo’s Community: At 18 km from Humahuaca we find a community, which lives off traditional agriculture and is specialized in conserving Andean sees. Once a year, they organize a fair among small producers in which they use the barter as an exchange system. Depending on the day of the trip, you may have the incredible and unique possibility of participating in the carnival or other festivities such as Pachamama’s.

Salinas Grandes Salt Flat
“Espejo de Sal” (Salt’s Mirror) Network proposes a new way of knowing the Puna through its communities such as Susques, Cerro Negro, Barrancas and San Francisco de Alfarcito, with activities as learning about grazing of “llamas”, daily cattle management, sowing and harvesting and, preparing the wool and handloom woven.

MENDOZA

Huarpe “Paula Guaquinchay” Indigenous Community: At 90 km from the city, dedicated to livestock production and leather and wool handicrafts, allows knowing life in this Andean environment: we can share the craftspeople’s knowledge, participate in the craft workshops, graze goats and attend loom workshops.

SAN CARLOS DE BARILOCHE
Patagonian Rural Culture Network includes families located between the steppe and the forest, offering the possibility of making rural duties, agriculture, handicraft, cycling, birdwatching and fishing. And, in order to enjoy the captivating landscapes that our Patagonia has, there are trips by horse or foot in which tourists will be challenged to cross rivers and lengas’ forests.

To keep in mind: November to May.