A journey into the clouds

Argentina's Tren a las Nubes (Train to the Clouds) takes you on a "magical journey", says Michelle Jana Chan in the Daily Telegraph. Departing from the "pretty" northern city of Salta, it climbs 10,000ft to the heart of the altiplano, the arid plateau of the central Andes, a "spectacular", corkscrewing ascent during which "lush tobacco fields" give way to "giant, candelabra-like cacti" and finally to the awesome "lunar

landscape" of the high plateau itself.

The region is crisscrossed with Inca trails but uninhabited these days: there is little to do upon arrival but admire the view, so most passengers return with the train to Salta, a 16-hour round trip.

Last Frontiers (01296 653 000) offers a ten-day Argentina trip from £2,550pp incl. flights and accom.