Valles Calchaquíes

The sprawling village of CAFAYATE is nearly 190km south of Salta, via the RN-68 at its junction with the RN-40; the latter is called Avenida Güemes within the village limits, the Río Chuschas in the north and the Río Loro Huasi in the south. The self-appointed capital of the Valles Calchaquíes and the main settlement hereabouts, it’s also the centre of the province’s wine industry and the main tourist base for the valleys, thanks to its plentiful, high-quality accommodation, and convenient location at a crossroads between Salta, Cachi and Amaicha. Though not that big, it’s nonetheless a lively, modern place, originally founded by Franciscan missionaries who set up encomiendas, or Indian reservations with farms attached, in the region. However, apart from exploring the surroundings on foot, by bike or on horseback, or tasting wine at the bodegas, there’s not actually a lot to do here. The late nineteenth-century Iglesia Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Rosario dominates the main plaza but is disappointingly nondescript inside, while the Museo de Arqueología Calchaquí, one block southwest, at Calchaquí and Colón, comprises one room piled with ceramics of the Candelaria and Santamaría cultures, including some massive urns, followed by another room cluttered with criollo antiques and curios. Two blocks south of the plaza, at avenidas Güemes and Chacabuco, is the feeble Museo de la Vid y del Vino, a motley collection of wine-related relics and photographs, in a defunct winery. About 2km south, on the RN-40 to Santa María, you’ll find the workshop and salesroom of one of the region’s finest artisans, Oscar Hipaucha. He sells wonderfully intricate wood and metal boxes, made of quebracho, algarrobo and copper, at justifiably high prices. Way up to the north of the town, the Cristofani ceramic workshop makes elegant urns but most tend to be too big to make practical souvenirs.

The RN-68 forks off the RN-40 only 2km north of Cafayate, north of the Río Chuschas, before heading across fertile land, some of it given over to vineyards. It soon begins its winding descent, following the Río de las Conchas through the QUEBRADA DE CAFAYATE north to the Valle de Lerma and onwards to Salta. The gorge is seen at its best on the way down, in the mellow late afternoon or early evening light; organized tours aim to take you down this way and you should follow suit if travelling under your own steam. Leave plenty of time, as once in the gorge you’ll be tempted to make several stops, to admire the views and take pictures. At the northernmost part of the gorge you enter an invariably windy stretch, where you’re better off inside your vehicle unless you want to be sandblasted. One positive result of frequent sandstorms, though, is the formation of wonderful sand dunes, Los Médanos, like gigantic piles of sawdust by the road. This is where the canyon proper begins, and the road snakes its way down alongside the riverbed. The majestic Sierras de Carahuasi – the northernmost range of the Cumbres Calchaquíes – loom behind as a magnificent backdrop, while in the foreground rock formations have been eroded and blasted by wind and rain to form buttresses, known as Los Castillos, or “the castles”, and a huge monolith dubbed El Obelisco. The reds, ochres and pinks of the sandstone make it all look staggeringly beautiful. Further on, La Yesera, or “chalk quarry”, is actually a strange group of eerily grey and yellow rocks exposed by millions of years of erosion, while a monk-like figure, skulking in the cliff-side, has earned the name El Fraile. Just off the road, about 50km from Cafayate, two semicircular ravines carved in the mountainside are called La Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat) and El Anfiteatro, while the animal-like figure nearby is El Sapo (Toad). Still passing through delightful scenery, you leave the stupendous canyon, spiked with cacti, behind you to enter the forested valley bottom. Halfway between Cafayate and Salta, a convenient stopoff is provided by the excellent Posta de Las Cabras, where in addition to the goat’s cheese suggested by its name, you can sample all kinds of local delicacies, buy fine crafts, or just have a cup of coffee. From La Viña, 100km northeast of Cafayate and just south of Embalse Cabra Corral, the enormous reservoir serving Salta, it’s another 90km or so to the city, along the relatively busy RN-68.