Sinuous ravines, velvety summits, sierras bristling with cacti and an ever-bluer sky, adorn the 190 kilometres separating Salta from La Poma. And the village itself is guarded by the quaternary Volcanes Gemelos (Twin Volcanoes): two basaltic lava summits with dross that have caused the blocking of the river, creating temporary lakes in the process.
There are some pre-Columbian vestiges in the zone, among them some Incan granaries, the first registered data comes from the Spanish colonizer Manuel Félix de Soltevila, who came to this place two centuries after the discovery of America.

La Poma, which rises at 3015 metres above sea level, was partially destroyed by an earthquake hitting the area on the 24th of December in 1930. One sector of the adobe village was rebuilt, and the other one built a kilometre away, beside the area where the Río Peña River flows into the Calchaquí River.

A passage framed by two 500-meter long adobe walls, protects the old town and gives it a particular enchantment. At its sides, the flocks of sheep and llamas spattered over the paths, call for another postcard of the place.

WHERE TO LIVE IN THE AREA
Two kilometres away from La Poma, travellers will find the Puente del Diablo (Devil's Bridge), a structure built by nature. The mountains in this place encase the waters of the Calchaquí River. To get here, a downward slope leading to the natural crossing over the course of the Calchaquí River must be descended.

Other pearls of the La Poma surroundings are the granaries. Inside an enormous cavern there are circular and rectangular silos, which served mostly to store corn; corn cores have been found at the site. Due to the type of architecture they are presumed to be Inca. The mud installation is complex; it holds modern ventilation principles, and a rodent protection system still in use nowadays.

HOW TO GET THERE
It is 190 kilometres away from Salta. Driving an SUV the trip takes about five hours; it could be less, but the scenery calls for a few minute stops.

It starts taking the Ruta Provincial Nº 68 Provincial Route, and going through Cerrillos, La Merced and El Carril, up to Chicoana; and then taking the Ruta Provincial Nº 33 going through the Escoipe Ravine up to Payogasta.

Between Escoipe and Payogasta, ascends the sinuous Cuesta del Obispo (Bishop's Slope), once passing through this area, that embraces a sector of the Parque Nacional Los Cardones (The Giant Cacti National Park), the road starts to bristle with cacti.

At Payogasta the road parts in two. The one to the right leads to La Poma after a 43-kilometre trip through the Ruta Nacional Nº 40. Another way of arriving to La Poma is by the Ruta Nacional Nº 51 National Route, going through Campo Quijano, Santa Rosa de Tastil, and before reaching San Antonio de los Cobres it deviates towards the south through the Ruta Nacional Nº 40, and the Abra del Acay pass is crossed before getting to the town. If travellers wish to take this road, they should be careful for during the southern hemisphere winter, the roads and communication systems many times are interrupted due to ice or snow.