Cafayate  

Along National Route 68 which goes across the fertile Lerma Valley, we will find several villages such as Cerrillos, La Merced and El Carril, all devoted to agricultural and livestock activities. An 83-kilometer drive journey will take us along the solitary and deserted town of Alemania and the Quebrada de las Conchas which immediately precedes the Calchaqui valleys.

Wind erosion was responsible for forming a succession of capricious natural phenomena such as the Garganta del Diablo (The Devil's Throat), a deep and narrow canyon which resembles a trachea and invites visitors to climb up.

Next, we will find the Amphitheater (mountain formation with excellent acoustics favoring even the most out-of-tune singers), El Sapo (The Frog), El Fraile (The Friar), El Obelisco (The Obelisk), Los Castillos (The Castles), which resemble what they were named after.

Los Medanos (or Dunes) can be found 6 km before reaching the village of Cafayate and is a small white sandy area containing calcareous mica, which seduces visitors for its whimsical shapes modeled by the wind, particularly attractive when walking under the moon.

The Quebrada de las Conchas originated in the Tertiary Age, 70 million years ago and divide the Lerma Valley and the Calchaqui Valley. The arid landscape will gradually morph into vineyard areas until we finally arrive in Cafayate.

Skirted by rivers and mountains and guarded by vineyards, this town of colonial and baroque-style houses dating back to the late 19th Century is one of the most popular regions within the Calchaqui Valleys. Its Church is one of the few churches of 5 naves in the country and has a sculpture of the Virgen del Carmen (Virgin of Carmen) from Cuzco.