Although Argentina's smallest province, Tucumán is termed the Garden of the Republic for its diverse and tropical vegetation. Fields of sugarcane and verdant hillsides characterize the rural sector.

San Miguel, the provincial capital and commercial center, is quite advanced despite its distant location from Buenos Aires. With numerous churches and cathedrals built upon Jesuit ruins, the downtown district boasts several significant monuments and cultural landmarks. La Casa de Tucumán is a great historical site, where Argentina declared independence from Spain on July 9, 1816. As the predominant meeting place for local businessmen and friends, Plaza de Independencia is also home to wandering pigeons and trademark orange trees that line the central square. Parque 9 de Julio, designed in 1916, is an immense recreation ground with gardens, lakes and sports clubs. In Tucumán's central region, Tafi del Valle is endowed with a mysterious indigenous past as sacred stone circles and standing dolmens occupy the terrain. The Quilmes ruins of the north provide further evidence of pre-Columbian civilizations. Here, along the southern limits of Calchaqui Valley, you will encounter endless stone fortifications abandoned in 1667 as native tribes surrendered to Spanish forces.