The Calchaquies Valleys
I am sure that you heard of the Calchaquies Valleys if you´re organizing a trip to the area, they are undoubtedly one of the most important attractions in the Argentine Northwest. A place full of multicolored hills and cultural features that make it very attractive. Villages with great charm and unique landscapes.
The valleys cover three provinces, Tucumán, Salta and Catamarca. With an approximate area of 21,000 km² of green valleys, sandy areas and mountains. There are different circuits, with excursions of all kinds, views of the Quilmes Ruins, wineries, artisan workshops, clubs. The natural characteristics of the valleys correspond to the Monte de Sierras and Bolsones ecoregion.
Its sandy soil, its dunes, the color of the surrounding hills, its vegetation, the clear sky, the dry and benign climate have made this region one of the main tourist attractions in Argentina. Ancient populations that maintain their traditions and history, linked to the original settlers and the arrival of the Spanish colonization. Today the gaucho from Salta is an expression of the rural way of life that persists in this area.
There are also archaeological sites, cave paintings and a calchaquí root in handicrafts, especially in ceramics, textiles and leather. As well as the manufacture of musical instruments such as drums, boxes, guitars and Andean wind instruments.
With the arrival of the Spanish came vines and viticulture, one of the most important productive activities, which in recent years has been improved, obtaining international recognition for some high-altitude wines, such as the traditional Torrontés. See: Wine Route in Salta
What are the Calchaquies Valleys?
It is one of the most beautiful and amazing regions of the Province, due to the amount of attractions that it treasures among its colorful mountains. It can be visited on a circular route that leaves and returns to the Capital city, passing through the towns of Molinos, Cachi, Cafayate, San Carlos, Seclantás, Animaná, Angastaco, La Poma and Payogasta. It extends over more than 500 km of spectacular landscapes, very different from each other, which are found above 2,000 meters in height.
Among the most developed tourism modalities are cultural tourism, adventure tourism, wine tourism, rural community tourism, religious tourism, among others.
The “Wine Route” stands out in this region, which is the highest in the world and runs from artisanal wineries to the largest ones, known internationally for its wines and awards, and the “Homemade Wine Route”.
Weather in the Calchaquies Valleys
The Valleys Calchaquies is a dry, arid region, with winds from the Northwest and West and snow blizzards on the hills in winter. It rains in summer between November and March and does not exceed 200 mm per year. The daily temperature range is large, characterized by the high daylight and low relative humidity. Temperatures vary between 20º and 25º with maximums of 35º in summer and minimums of 5º and up to 15º below zero in very harsh winters.
Where are the Calchaquies Valleys located?
The Calchaquíes Valleys make up a system of valleys and mountains of the Argentine Northwest (NOA) that extend for 520 km from north to south through the central region of the province of Salta, the extreme west of the province of Tucumán and the northeast region of the Catamarca province.
The Calchaquies Valleys from Salta
To visit Los Valles Calchaquies from the city of Salta, you must head south, on RN 68, fully paved to Cafayate, visiting the towns of Coronel Moldes, Ampascachi, and La Viña. From Coronel Moldes you can divert 23 km along Provincial Route 47 to access the Cabra Corral Dam, where nautical activities, adventure tourism and fishing are carried out. It is a very attractive place where there are services and accommodation available.
Returning to route 68, you will pass through the access to the rural town of Guachipas, a place well known for its cave paintings, and then you will arrive at the town of Alemanía, an old railway station, and through the Quebrada de las Conchas with its strange geological formations. , like the Amphitheater or the Devil’s Throat.
Then, the road continues winding and descending where you can see the rocky, mineral, desolate landscape, as in Los Castillos, until you reach Los Médanos and then Cafayate where it is convenient to spend the night.
The Calchaquies Valleys: Quebrada del Rio de las Conchas
About 50 km before reaching Cafayate by national route number 68, some of these natural rock formations are called the Amphitheater, the Sapo, the Friar, the Obelisk and the Castles, and they are perfectly identifiable. Before reaching Cafayate, there are the dunes, formations like small mountains of very white and fine sand in a warm landscape.
Ambos son sendos cortes en los farallones creados por la erosión del agua durante milenios. Una de las cosas interesantes es que permiten apreciar los pliegues de los estratos que forman las paredes rocosas.
El Anfiteatro debe su nombre a su forma y, sobre todo, a las peculiares condiciones acústicas que han permitido que se organicen conciertos importantes en este lugar
The Calchaquies Valleys: Cafayate
Cafayate is the heart of the Calchaquies Valleys. This amazing place is surrounded by rivers and within a belt of high-quality vineyards and wineries, it is a must-see destination for visitors from around the world. Cafayate is the second largest Argentine wine producer after Mendoza. A must-do is to taste the typical torrontes wine, and visit the amazing Quebrada de las Conchas, a place with unique landscapes.
Cafayate is a population of about 15,000 inhabitants that is the main economic and tourist center of the valleys, and that is why it is the best base to visit this part of the province of Salta. Choosing a good hotel here is a great idea. And from there, tour the villages of the valley.
Much of its attractions revolve around wine, so you should not miss a visit to the Museum of Vine and Wine, which is located in a modern building located in the center of the town and offers a tour of the entire city. wine culture in the Calchaquí valleys.
There are several wineries, all located very close to the center of Cafayate. It should be noted that in this area there are vineyards at the highest altitude on the planet, with vines located up to 3,100 meters of altitude. The cultivation of the vine was introduced in Salta by the Jesuits in the 18th century, but over time the winemakers have introduced new strains. Although the best known is torrontés, which creates a very special white wine, there is also malbec, tannat, bonarda, tempranillo, etc.
Cafayate: where to stay?
The Viñas de Cafayate Wine Resort
Well, a great option to stay in Cafatate is the amazing Viñas de Cafayate Wine Resort, a hotel located in the heart of the vineyards overlooking the mountains. An excellent idea is to stop here for a couple of nights, and enjoy the surrounding area, the hotel itself, the swimming pool overlooking the vineyards and the landscape, taste the exquisite gastronomy, visit local wineries…
The amazing landscape of Viñas de Cafayate Wine Resort
From Cafayate to Cachi and Molinos
From Cafayate, you continue to the Route 33 to Chicoana where the journey through the Calchaquí Valley begins, crossing the Lerma Valley, from the green valleys to the Puna you will pass through the Quebrada del Escoipe, then ascending the Cuesta del Obispo, the Enchanted Valley where condors can be seen, at the highest point, Piedra del Molino (3348 mts above sea level)
Once in the Puna, you will go through the Recta del Tin Tin through Los Cardones National Park. Only 12 km are paved, from the beginning of the straight through Payogasta, until just before Cachi; the rest is gravel. You have 20 km are of curvy slope. Cachi (165 km from Cafayate, and 157 km from Salta) is ideal to make a stop on the way until the next morning, it is worth knowing the town and its surroundings; It is the town that has the best services until reaching Cafayate.
The Calchaquies Valleys: Piedra del Molino
On the way to Cachi, one of the obligatory stops is Piedra del Molino, which is 3348 meters above sea level. The zigzagging and ascending path leads us very high to the Piedra del Molino. Piedra del Molino in Cachi is a viewpoint with the most spectacular view of the Cuesta del Obispo. From there you can see how the road becomes tiny bordering the mountains.
In Piedra del Molino there is also a small stone chapel, the San Rafael chapel and a grinding stone carved in granite with several tons that gives the place its name.
The Calchaquies Valleys: Cuesta del Obispo & Recta del Tin Tin
The Cuesta del Obispo corresponds to a zigzagging and steep section of provincial route 33, located between the Maray area of the Escoipe gorge and Piedra del Molino (3348 masl), in the province of Salta, north of the Argentine Republic, connecting the Lerma valley with the upper Calchaquí valley.
The Cuesta del Obispo is about 20 km long and is located 57 km from the city of Salta. The slope ascends from the limits of the town of Chicoana at 1270 meters above sea level until it reaches its top (maximum height of the road) at Piedra del Molino (panoramic point) at 3340 meters above sea level, from where Provincial Route 33 crosses the Los Cardones National Park towards Cachi. Along ravines and cliffs until reaching the top, different formations of suspended clouds can be seen throughout the year and condors flying over the place a few meters above sea level.
The Recta del Tin Tin is traced at almost 3,000 meters above sea level by natives through the current Los Cardones National Park. It is a perfect 19 km5 straight that crosses a reasonably flat pampa between the mountains that surround it. This trace dates from the Inca period (1480-1535), when part of the Inca Trail crossed this territory; it was marked using bonfires as milestones and has the perfection that modern technology gives us today. with their precision devices.
A branch of the same, from the valley of Lerma went deep ascending in the ravine of Escoipe towards the puna where today the slope is. Here you can easily see cardones on both sides of the road and guanacos grazing among the cacti of the national park.
Los Cardones National Park
To arrive to Los Cardones National Park, from the city of Salta, drive along national routes 68 and provincial 33 (97 km to Piedra del Molino – east entrance of the park – and 147 to Payogasta, its administrative headquarters). Bear in mind that you ascend in height from the Lerma valley (1200 m.a.s.l.) to more than 3.000 m.s.n.m, traveling along a route from Cuesta.
General facts
Province: Salta
Ecoregion: Altos Andes, Monte de Sierras and Bolsones and a small sector of Selva de las Yungas
Surface: 64,117 ha
Creation: 1996
The sector that corresponds to the Monte ecoregion is the site with the greatest diversity of cacti in the country and one of the highest in the world. In addition to the important and emblematic concentrations of cardón or pasacana, there are endemisms that develop exclusively in this park.
Churqui forests grow in areas with a certain humidity and, higher up, high plains develop, small oases for the local fauna, surrounded by misty grasslands.
As for the fauna, there are threatened species such as the cat of the pajonal, the mountain monterita or the red fox. Other inhabitants are the tuco tuco puneño, the yasto, the Andean snake and the little stone frog. Mammals are represented by species such as the guanaco, the gray fox and the chinchillón, while birds such as the Andean condor and the guaipo also stand out. Abundant archaeological remains give an idea of the historical importance of these environments for man.
The Calchaquies Valleys: Cachi
Surrounded by snow-capped peaks and cardones and at 3,000 meters above sea level, Cachi is a special town where rich archaeological remains, witnesses of ancient civilizations, are combined with an incredible natural landscape. Its old Church, its perfectly preserved houses and its stone streets give a special charm to this magical town of Calchaquí.
What to see in Cachi?
In front of the Central Plaza is the old Church of Cachi. The construction began in the 16th century and has been declared a National Historic Landmark. It stands out for its admirable architecture and its ceilings made of cardón wood.
If you are interested in the past and history, the Archaeological Museum Pio Pablo Diaz is something you have to know. It has an archaeological heritage that reflects all the stages of the pre-Hispanic history of the Calchaquí Valley. You can take a journey of approximately 10,000 years, where you will understand the rich history of this region.
The Route 40 is one of the most impressive routes in the world and along more than 5,200 kilometers it runs through Argentina from south to north parallel to the Andes Mountains. Through it, in our province you know the incredible Calchaquíes Valleys, its renowned high altitude wine and the most spectacular landscapes of the Puna. At the Abra del Acay, its highest point, it rises to 4895 meters above sea level. It´s a wonderful unique experience.
The Nevado de Cachi invites you to adventure and the challenge of ascending its almost 6400 meters above sea level. It is the highest mountain in the Calchaquí Valleys region and is one of the most popular peaks in our province for mountaineering.
From Cachi to Molinos
Molinos is located 45 km from Cachi. It´s a beautiful small town with an an old church, and a house from the XIX Century, transformed into an elegant inn. The Church of Molinos, consecrated to San Pedro de Nolasco, houses the mummified remains of the last royal governor of Salta, Nicolás Severo de Isasmendi, who ordered it to be built at the end of the s. XVIII. The church belonged to the encomienda before it passed to the ecclesiastical curia in 1760. In 1826 Molinos was named a parish. It has a single nave with two side chapels as a transept and a choir. It has rich and ancient imagery. In 1942 it was declared a National Historic Monument. It is preserved restored, although it is in danger of disappearance given its proximity to the river and the large amount of saltpeter on its walls.
Calchaquies Valleys: Quebrada de las Flechas
The Quebrada de las Flechas is an imposing natural formation in the Calchaquíes Valleys: they are eroded rocky rocks of brown, gray and whitish color, which protrude from the ground in superimposed layers that look like “arrows”.
On Route 40 in the heart of the Calchaquíes Valleys, there is a spectacular ravine that is part of the Provincial Natural Monument of Angastaco, rocks with inclined shapes of lunar appearance.
Route 40 winds between the rocks of the Quebrada de las Flechas. In the heart of the Calchaquí Valleys, Route 40 crosses a lunar landscape with Strange-looking rock formations that protrude up to 50 m above the ground. The color of the sandstone ranges from an ash color to an ocher – reddish. Its appearance is that of a rocky puff pastry, with sharp arrows arranged in sloping layers, overlapping and twisted layers. The Natural Monument has an infinite number of ravines with gorges and vertical walls. Light and shadows give it a different look depending on the time of day
They are protected under the name of Monumento Natural Angastaco
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Other amazing activities and excursions in Salta
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