Day 34 - 37: Salta, Cachi, Cafayate

September 16 – 19, 2015

The Salta region was our last stop on our Argentinian leg which spanned almost 3 weeks. We initially considered crossing the borders to Chile earlier from Mendoza. Thanks to recommendations from our friends and the details in the various digital guidebooks we had, we headed north on Ruta 40 instead of crossing to Santiago which was hit by a huge earthquake.

WHY SALTA The Salta region and northwards are famed for their gorgeous landscapes and rock formations. It is also on the famed Ruta 40, in northwest Argentina, and is a gateway to both San Pedro de Atacama in Chile and Tupiza in Bolivia: options for our northbound journey towards Salar de Uyuni. The high altitude is also ideal for the vineyards, whom are known for their aromatic white wine known as torrontes. So, we pretty much did what others did, which was to rent a car in Salta and drive to Cachi and Cafayate, staying a day at each town.

3 days of driving through these dramatic landscapes

Day 1 We arrived in Salta after another 18 hour bus ride, this time at a discount (AP$630 for semi-cama) and proceeded to first check in at the hostel since it was still early. Coloria Hostel is a 15 min walk from the bus station but is well located near some great eateries. It's a pretty decent hostel despite the cramped space we got as a double. We dropped our bags and proceeded to settle the important stuff: applying for our Bolivian visa (free!), getting our bus tickets to San Pedro (AR$820), looking for a car rental along Buenos Aires Street, and then exploring the city centre. The MAAM, expensive as it was (AR$70), and rather small, was really worth seeing for the 3 Incan children mummies (although you only get to see 1 at each time). These children are believed to be from respectable families during the Incan empire and sacrificed to the gods to appease them. They were possibly drugged and buried alive with some other artifacts. We also visited the San Francisco Cathedral before heading for lunch at Chirimoya and then checking in.

The super yummy stir fried vegetables with quinoa from Chirimoya

We decided to walk up to San Bernardo hill instead of taking the teleferico (cable car) just to save some money. 1,021 steps later, we were rewarded with a beautiful sunset over the city. However, we did not stay long after the sun went down because dumbass Vik thought there were no lights on our route down, but the entire trail was clearly lit.

Sunset from Cerro San Bernardo

​ Dinner was at a really cool vegetarian restaurant called Vaikunthai, where we finally had some food that reminded us of home.​

​ Day 2 After collecting the car, we went to collect our passports from the Bolivian consulate, and began the long drive to Cachi, stopping at numerous points to take in the views of the gorgeous mountains and valleys.

This also included the Parque Nacional Los Cardones, a 650 sq km sized national park for cactuses. It was our first glimpse at the size and abundance of these 1000+ year old plants, and boy, did they make the mountains and valleys look strangely majestic!

When we finally arrived, Vik dropped in on a restaurant to ask for directions to the hostel, only to realise that the restaurant was part of the hostel. Viracochi Art hostel is a well designed, slightly artsy hostel, that didn't have much people, which suited us fine. We got a pretty spacious room but had weak connection to the WiFi outside. We also had to walk a little through the hallway to reach the shared bathroom. That said, the attached restaurant is pretty good, and we had both lunch and dinner there.

Cachi is a rather small town with nothing much to do really but it's one of the more well built ones in that valley which leads to the more rugged but interesting leg of the famed Ruta 40. In case you forgot, that's the longest highway in Argentina from the northern border down all the way to southern Patagonia. Trust us, you really don't have to bother much with attractions in Cachi town. However, the restaurants seemed reputable. An elderly couple seated beside us (whom we met earlier in the afternoon while we're at Los Cardones National Park) recommended the tenderloin in malbec sauce, and we must say it was one of the best steaks we had. Day 3 We woke up bright and early so as to reach Cafayate in time to explore the wineries in that area. And glad we were to start early as we kept stopping at various miradors (viewpoints) to take photos! Gorgeous rock formations and mountains emerged; every valley looked like a different world!

We were definitely impressed by the impressive landscapes of angled sandstone arrows caused by wind erosion in Quebrada de Las Flechas. But the route wasn't easy, with sharp turns, steep hills, and narrow and sandy roads.

We arrived at Cafayate and checked in to Hostel La Morada. Due to the low season, we got an entire dorm as our private with ensuite bathroom. After a quick orientation by the hostel owner on our surroundings, we wasted no time and went wine tasting again! Unlike Mendoza, most of its wineries were within walking distance, but due to slight time constraints, we only stopped by Bodega Nanni (definitely the best Torrontes) and Domingo Hermanos.

Torrontes from Bodega Nanni is the BEST

Day 4

The next day, we decided to drop by Domingo Molina (also from the Domingo brothers), and liked the Torrontes so much we bought theirs too! And, the tasting cost AR$75 per person, but if we buy something from them, it's free! So, as smart as we are, we paid AR$65 for the bottle of Torrontes instead.

We decided to finish off by indulging one last time on a wine pairing lunch at Piatelli, a gorgeous wine estate 15 mins drive from Cafayate.

Beautiful view at Piatelli

Food was sadly so-so, but what really ruined the day was the slight accident as Vik was driving out. Thankfully no one was hurt, and as there was no way anything could be done out there, Vik paid the man off with whatever he had left in his wallet. We then proceeded to head back to Salta, and stopped at some of the gorgeous sandstone rock formations of the Quebrada de Cafayate, including the Garganta del Diablo, Ampfiteatro, and the less impressive El Sapo.

We finally reached Salta that night, settled the accounts for the damage to the car, and had dinner before retiring early for our morning bus to San Pedro De Atacama!

TIPS

- Shop around before you decide which car rental company to go for. They are all on the same street so its straightforward. Prices range from 500-1000/day.

- Always have your passport and driving license with you when driving around. There are occasional roadblocks and checks

- Exchange rates (US Blue Dollar) in Salta city were the best across Argentina. The men on the street may look dodgy but you will see most people having their money exchanged with them. Just be alert on your surroundings. They also accept 100 dollar bills only (otherwise the rates drop dramatically. Best to start your Argentinian travel from there. Change most of your money there if you can.

- The bolivian consulate in Salta was the best place to get your bolivian visa. Really easy, straightforward, great service from the lady, and all for FREE!

- Vaikunthai is an awesome vegetarian place. We loved the soya sauce fried rice because it reminded us of home the most.

- Hostel La Morada was one of the best hostels because we enjoyed the owner's attitude and service. There's an entire parking lot right in front of the hostel and is a 3-5min walk to the best bodegas in town and the city centre.

- The bodegas close pretty early at around 5pm, so try not to arrive too late. We arrived at 3pm and got to try 2 bodegas. Some others were already closed by then.

#Salta #Cachi #Cafayate #roadtrip #Argentina #Quebrada #Ruta40 #Cactus #wine