San Lorenzo
Bike Rentals, 4x4 Rental and Horseback Riding
San Lorenzo is a nice little community about 5 kilometers from the edge of Salta. It is right at the foot of the hills and is filled with trees. There is also a nice river, perfect for hiking. It takes about 20 minutes to get there via the city buses. You can get a bus at the bus stop near the teleferico, or along Entre Rios Avenue.
(There are also more hostals and hotels in San Lorenzo which I haven't posted yet.)
The day I was trying to find the tourist info office in San Lorenzo, I only found a private tour operator, which also has some general tourist info. I asked the bus driver, in Spanish, where the tourist office was for San Lorenzo and he kind of shook his head and seemed to say there isn't one, so I decided to look around myself.
I found a private tour operator there called Turismo San Lorenzo. Their office is next to the library (biblioteca). At first I thought it was a public information office, but later found out it was private and was and still am a bit confused. It seems the city of San Lorenzo has contracted with them to give out info about San Lorenzo, but be aware that this is mainly a private tour operator, not a public office, so they are likely to encourage you to take one of their trips, all of which cost money. They also have bike rentals for what seems a reasonable price.
The Castillo (Castle) is a pretty cool old building. It used to be a private family house and now is a restaurant and hotel. It is owned by an American who has renovated it over the last 20 or so years. We had a nice chat the day I went there. He used to be a Spanish teacher so his Spanish is near perfect now, by the way.
Turismo San Lorenzo has mountain bikes for
rent.
Prices as of March 2006
7 pesos per hour
20 per day
4x4 Rentals and Horseback Riding
Tourismo San Lorenzo has guided 4x4 trips for 50-60 pesos per person for one hour. But you can't rent a 4x4 and go off on your own like in Baņos, Ecuador (at least when I was in Ecuador in 2004).
They also offer guided horseback riding.