SALTA AND JUJUY AREA: THE CALCHAQUIES VALLEYS

AROUND THE CALCHAQUIES VALLEYS

Total Journey: 539 km. Duration: 2 days

This traditional touristic circuit offers a lot of attractions, because of the different landscapes as well as the architecture of the small towns. In order to make this travel, we depart from Salta city, taking South direction through N° 68 National Road, passing through the following localities:

Cerrillos: It is a historical place, where was signed the "Pact of los Cerrillos". It is located at only 15 km. from Salta.

La Merced: From this place you get to the historical Sanctuary of "Our Lord of Sumalao", where the heroes of our independence used to pray.

El Carril: It is typical town of the Lerma Valley. From here, you can continue to N° 33 Provincial Road to Cachi or to Cafayate through N° 68 National Road.

Coronel Moldes: It is a town founded a short time after Salta´s foundation. The Church of this town excels because of its antiquity. Along the Juramento river the sport fishing of the pejerrey ( a variety of mackerel) and dorado (gold fish) is practiced in the surrounding hills. From this locality (Cnel. Moldes) you can get to Cabra Corral Dike, a place of imponderable touristic attraction, apt for the developing of nautic sports.

Ampascachi: It is located 5 km. from Coronel Moldes. It is a beautiful and charming locality that used to be the settlement of an ancient Indian tribe.

La Viña: In this place, the Jesuits cultivated the first vineyards of the area. It is the compulsory pass to join Salta and the Calchaquíes Valleys. There can be seen many old houses around the main square and the ancient church. A few kilometres before reaching La Viña you can find "El Carmen" farm, where it is kept a sugar mill, from the last century, perhaps the only sign that remains today of the rich vineyards that little by little started disappearing.

Quebrada de Las Conchas (The Shells Ravine): It has a total run of 83 km. through National Road N° 68, and it is the threshold to the Calchaquíes Valleys. The road goes through old settlements such as the Quitilipi Ruins, Las Curtiembres with some houses made of adobe, "Las Abritas", "El Carrizal", "Buried Houses", etc. The eolic erosion has built a group of natural formations, giving them different shapes like "The Amphitheater", "The Friar", "The house of the Parrots", "The Obelisc" and "The Castles". Six kilometres before getting to Calafate you can see The Sand Dunes, formations of white and soft sands.

Cafayate: It rises at the side of rivers and inside a belt of vineyards. The houses of this town have a special characteristic, being a mixture of colonial and the baroque architecture from the period of the XIX century. The Principal Square limits to the West with the church of the town and the building of the Town Hall. From Cafayate you get to San Isidro, where you can find caves with rupestrian paintings. Ten kilometres from Cafayate is situated the famous "Bodega La Rosa" (The Rose Winery), where the traditional wines of the region are processed.

ALTERNATIVE CIRCUIT
Yacochuya: It is located a few km. from Cafayate. Yacochuya is a place of incomparable beauty, where you can find marvelous gardens and a lake framed with a deep green vegetation.

San Antonio: Before getting to Animaná you can find the road that leads to San Antonio, where are many rupestrian paintings.

Tolombón: Here you can see the ruins of a town of the Pre-Columbian times. It is important because of the elaboration of fine wines and excellent champagnes.

San Carlos: 24 km. to the North of Cafayate, a town with big colonial houses and narrow streets. Here, many "cities" were founded, and later they were destroyed by the Indians. The Jesuits settle here and founded the "San Carlos Mission", giving origin to the actual town. The Church of San Carlos is kept as a Historical Monument, In the neighbourning lands can admire many places, like "The Cascade of Celia" (an artificial waterfall) - in the Channel of the willow trees, surrounded by poplar trees.

Another place that can be visited is Peñas Blancas (Whitw Rocks), where there used to be an indian cemetery and it is located 5 km. from San Carlos. On the banks of the Calchaquí river the lovers of fishing can catch Bagres (South American fish).

Angastaco: The meaning in its primitive tongue is "Águila del algarrobo" (Algarrobal´s eagle), or "Aguada del Alto" (Alto´s water source). This beautiful location at the Calchaquíes valleys, is without no doubt, one of the most picturesque of this travel, as an access door to the mystic "Quebrada de las flechas" (Arrows Ravine). It offers many attractiveness in a few minutes, where the adventure of being part of the landscape plays its roll at every moment.

Molinos: It is situated 116 km. from Cafayate and 92 km. from San Carlos, it is a highlander town of the Calchaquíes Valleys. It was founded in the middle of the XVII century, in the confluence of the rivers Humanao and Luracatao. The plan of the town is completely irregular, with houses made of adobe and roofs of clay, mud and straw big arcades and porticos. The town excels as a historical monument, because it was built in 1639, here the mummy of the last realist Governor Don Nicolas Severo de Isasmendi is kept, and opposite the Church it can be seen the farm house, today the "Hostal de Molinos)

Brealito: 41 km. from Molinos (28km. along the road and 13 km. of rough road) it can be found the "Brealito Laggon", a place apt for the sport fishing of pejerrey (a variety of mackerel). Here there is also a campsite to stay.

Cachi: It is situated 165 km. from Cafayate and 157 km. from Salta. It is a town that existed before the Spanish domination, it is the place where the Chicoanas Indians used to live. This town rises on the confluence of the rivers Cachi and Calchaquí. Its houses are very big and lined along narrows streets; you can visit the Church of the town and the anthropological museum.
It is possible to make excursions inland Cachi: 6 km. from the town itself, there is a beautiful place called "Las Pailas" where you can admire beautiful sceneries and streams of impetuous current. Here you can also see the ruins of the Pre-Columbian civilizations.

Payogasta: Situated 10 km. from Cachi, on an immense pampa, it rises this ancient town of indian origen. The name "Payogasta" means "Whitish town", and it is surrounded by far highlands.

Recta del Tin-Tin: It is a straight line of 12 km. traced at 3000 metres above sea level, by the natives. It was made with bonfires, and it has the perfection that the modern technology gives today.

Cuesta del obispo (The Bishop Slope): Already on Provincial Road N° 33 you can admire a great variety of different panoramas: the beautiful winding road till Piedra del Molino, at 3348 metres above sea level, the Cachi mountain, etc.

Quebrada de Escoipe (The Escoipe Ravine): Getting into the Ravine of the Escoipe river, it is found the town of the same name, 57 km. from Salta. It is an agricultural valley with multicolor hills, exuberant vegetation and reddish lands.

Chicoana: In the middle of the Lerma Valley surrounded by the beauty of the hills, it is sleeping the dream of centuries: Chicoana, the head of the department of the same name, is found at 35 km. from Salta. Nowadays this town is an important touristic center, which its own restaurants, small hotel and service station.

SAFARI TO THE CLOUDS
Thanks to the technical conditions of our vehicles, the "Safari to the Clouds" gives us the possibility to combine three different circuits in the Northwest of Argentina in one day. The first one, the "Road to the Clouds" follows the famous railway track of the "Train to the Clouds" through the "Quebrada del Toro" (Bull's Gorge) up to San Antonio de los Cobres. The second one goes through the Puna, along route 40, up to "Salinas Grandes" (Salt Lakes) of Jujuy. And the third one, the downhill trip of Lipan to the picturesque

SAFARI TO THE CLOUDS & HUMAHUACA
This 2-day trip combines the circuit "Safari to the Clouds" with the classic trip of the "Quebrada de Humahuaca". To avoid traveling the same way twice (Salta - Purmamarca) we stay the night in Maimará- Posta del Sol. The attractions of the "Safari to the Clouds" on the first day are coupled with three other spectacular points of interest on the second day: The Tilcara´s amazing indigenous ruins, the "Quebrada de Humahuaca" and the picturesque village with the same name. We return by a sinuous mountain road through

SAFARI CACHI COLORADOS
This circuit takes you through the Lerma Valley up to "El Carril", where we then start going west. After Chicoana the trip continues along the "Quebrada de Escoipe" (Escoipe Gorge). You will be delighted with the panoramic views as the truck goes uphill the "Cuesta del Obispo". Following the beautiful road crossing the National Park "Los Cardones" we reach a small ancient town called Cachi. It is a very picturesque village in the Calchaqui Valleys, where traditions and myths abound. After visiting the archeological museums we can stroll around the village and meet the people and their customs. After lunch we go back to Salta through the "Camino de los Colorados" with its unique rock formations.

SAFARI CALCHAQUIES
This is the classic "Tour to the Calchaqui Valleys" with the special touch of our vehicles, including the Ruins of Quilmes in the Province of Tucumán. We go uphill the "Cuesta del Obispo" and across the "Los Cardones National Park" to the ancient town of Cachi. A very small and picturesque path takes us along the fertile valleys of the Calchaqui River and across the extraordinary "Quebrada de Las Flechas" (Arrow's gorge), passing through the little towns of Molinos and San Carlos. We stay the night in Hotel Los Sauces in Cafayate. The following day we walk through the ruins of the ancient settlement of the Quilmes and then we continue our trip towards Cafayate to learn about the main agricultural activity of the Calchaqui Valleys, the vinery. We will visit the vineyards and the vineries where we will have the opportunity to taste the wide variety of wine. The way back to Salta takes us through the marvelous scenery of the Conchas River with its fascinating rock formations.

TRAVESIAS

TRAVESIA CAFAYATE - QUILMES
Crossing the Valle de Lerma a farming area, through the N.R. 68, we reach Cafayate. Along this road we can see different towns like Cerrillos, la Merced, Carril and Coronel Moldes where many farming activities are developed, being tobacco the most important one.
Afterwards, we get into the valley of the river "las Conchas" or the Cafayate valley, a place of fantastic shapes and colors where we can see natural formations, gorges, amphitheatres, huge chimneys of many colors that highlight shapes which are known as "the monk", "the mushroom", "the amphitheatre", "the devil's throat" and "the castles", all of them with predominant reddish colors.
The Dunes tell us that Cafayate is near, the most important city in the Calchaquies valleys, where the climate and the geography of the Cafayate valley gives peculiar and unique taste to its grapes.
Continuing our trip, we reach the ancient city of Quilmes in the Yokavil Valley, strolling through the ruins of the old Diaguitas civilization we marvel at the communitary squares, the houses and the pucaras leading to an encounter with this culture, still present among the people of this area.

TRAVESIA HUMAHUACA
We leave Salta passing through the city of General Guemes heading to the picturesque Humahuaca valley, an encounter with rivers, hills, willows, cactuses and wild flowers. An amazing chance to know and share the music, and the people´s customs, the excitement and happiness when carnival time arrives, the mixture of cultures, the religious with the pagan, the beliefs, the folklore…
On our way we pass by towns of great importance during the pre-Spaniards and colonial time and have prevailed but remain as small and quiet towns, such as Vulcan, Tumbaya, Maimará with its "Paleta del Pintor" (Painter's palette), and Purmamarca, frozen in time at the base of the wonderful hill " Cerro de los Siete Colores" (Mountain of the Seven Colors). We continue to Tilcara where we visit the archeological museum and the Pucará ruins, age-old aboriginal fortress strategically located and surrounded by colorful hills and cactuses. We leave behind the little villages of Huacalera and Uquia and finally arriving to Humahuaca, the biggest and most important city of this gorge…
We return to Salta in the afternoon through the sinuous mountain road, where we can appreciate the wonderful rain forest of the area of Las Yungas, a contrasting landscape with the puna seen during the trip that for sure will amaze you.

TRAVESIA SALTA
From the MoviTrack office we take a walk around the downtown of Salta and then we drive to the summer villages located at 30 km from the center of the city.
Surrounded by a chain of mountains and a notorious difference in the humidity and vegetation, we arrive to Vaqueros, where we visit the traditional Handicraftsman Road, visiting pottery and silver smith workshops, which will teach us all the process of their products from the extraction of the raw material to the final product. The following summer village we visit is San Lorenzo that is 20 years old of particular beauty, characterized by the green vegetation of the San Lorenzo valley. Back in Salta we visit the Handicraft Market that guarantees and certifies the quality of the products. By the evening from San Bernardo Hill we gaze at the city, the perfect square pattern designed by the Spaniards in the foundation times, and the lights of the city that is just about to go to sleep. And just to finish our great tour, we go to a Peña, where all saltenians gather, to try some empanadas, excellent wine and to listen to the typical music.

YACU TOUR
We go to Cabra Corral dam through the Lerma valle, leaving behind picturesque small farming towns to arrive to the dam, the biggest first artificial lake in Argentina. Clear water surrounded by chains of mountains makes this a wonderful tour for everybody.
Thus, we arrive to the Juramento river where we walk along a hill path where birds, plants, rocks, cactuses, colors and sounds will be watched and analyzed in context, so our guests understand our deep respect for the mother earth.
It includes rafting in one of the safest and most exciting rivers of the country with great amount of water, no matter the season (take extra clothes) or to climb hill walls using ropes (rappel), bike tours, exciting horse riding or a longer trekking to some aboriginal ruins.
Tea time will be in Finca Santa Anita where we are going to try the homemade lemonade and goat cheese, offered by the owners of the place. They will also teach us about the tobacco process in the only tobacco museum in Argentina. Finally going back to Salta.

More Touristic Circuits From Salta...

DAY 1 - Arrival to Salta Airport and transfer to hotel. 03 nts of accommodation with breakfast

DAY 2 - Excursion to enjoy the incredible Train to the Clouds (check departures and seasons)

DAY 3 - Excursion to visit Humahuaca Canyon (Unesco World Heritage)

DAY 4 - Transfer to airport

This is a basic program to visit Salta and Jujuy Area. Please visit our tour list to see more tours combining this area and others place in Argentina and Chile

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Salta City Interactive Map	Calchaquies Valleys	South East Circuit

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