Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
222
Cabras,
in La F lor del P ago (
&
387/499-1093
), one of the principal goat farms and
cheese factories in Argentina. Ducks, geese, and hundreds of goats roam the scenic prop-
erty, and you can sample the delicious chiv o in the small dining r oom and cheese shop
in the proprietors' home. A br ead and jam snack costs only $3 (£2); a cheese sandwich
is $5 (£3.40); and a glass of local wine is $3 (£2). ( The kind owners will prepare a mul-
ticourse lunch or dinner with advance reservations.) You can also stay over in one of their
well-appointed rooms for $60 (£41).
Dense vegetation covers the region surrounding El Carril, but the land quickly dries
out as you climb RP 33 toward
Piedra del Molino
(Mill Rock).
The road narrows from
pavement to dirt 10km (6
1
/
4
miles) west of El Carril—watch closely for oncoming cars.
A small shrine to Saint Raphael (a patron saint of travelers) indicates your arrival at Mill
Rock (3,620m/11,874 ft. elevation) and the entrance to
Parque Nacional los Cardones,
a semiarid landscape filled with cacti, sage, and limestone r ock formations.
Ten kilometers (6
1
/
4
miles) before Cachi lies
Payogasta,
an ancient Indian town on the
path of the I nca Road that once connected an empir e stretching from Peru to northern
Argentina.
Cachi
(see belo w) is another pr ecolonial village wor th a visit for its I ndian
ruins. From Cachi, take RN 40 south past B realito to Molinos, a 17th-century town of
adobe homes and dusty streets virtually unchanged from how it must have appeared 350
years ago. Here you will find the increasingly famous winery and wine lodge
Colomé
(see
“Colomé—Cactus & Vineyards,” later in this chapter). Continuing south, consider stop-
ping 9km (5
1
/
2
miles) befor e Angastaco at the
Estancia Carmen
(
&
387/1568-01322
[cell]), which boasts spectacular vie ws of the Calchaquíes Valley and its long mountain
canyon. Between 9am and 6pm, y ou can visit the ranch 's Inca ruins, rent horses, and
peek inside the private church in back, where two 300-year-old mummies rest in peace.
Continue south on RN 40 to
Angastaco,
which may be a good place to spend the
night.
Hostería Angastaco,
Avenida Libertad (
&
3868/497-700
), 1km (about
1
/
2
mile)
west of the village, is popular with E uropean travelers. The simple hotel offers liv e folk-
loric music each ev ening. The staff will help arrange r egional excursions and horseback
riding. F rom Angastaco to S an Carlos, y ou will pass the
Quebrada de las F lechas
(Arrows R avine),
with its stunning r ock formations, which appear ed in
The E mpire
Strikes Back.
People often stop their cars b y the side of the r oad and climb a bit. J esuits
settled in
San Carlos,
and the chur ch is a national historic monument.
Cafayate
(see
below) marks the southern end of this cir cuit.
Return to S alta along RN 68 heading nor th, which takes y ou through the
Río Cal-
chaquíes Valley
and on to the
Quebrada del Río de las Conchas
(Canyon of the River
of S hells).
The most inter esting crimson r ock formations ar e G arganta del D iablo
(Devil's Throat), El Anfiteatro (the Ampitheater), and Los Castillos (the Castles), which
are all indicated by road signs. Salta is 194km (120 miles) from Cafayate, along RN 68,
and it shouldn't take more than a few hours to drive.
8
CACHI
Home of the Chicoanas I ndians before the Spaniards arrived, Cachi is a tiny pueblo of
about 5,000 people, interesting for its Indian ruins, colonial church, and archaeological
museum. The Spanish colonial
church,
built in the 17th century and located next to the
main plaza, has a floor and ceiling made from cactus wood. The
archaeological museum
is the most impressive museum of its kind in the N orthwest, capturing the influence of
the Incas and S paniards on the r egion's indigenous people. N ext to the main plaza, its
courtyard is filled with I nca stone engravings and pr e-Columbian ar tifacts. Wall r ugs,
ponchos, and ceramics are sold at the
Centro Artesanal,
next to the tourist office, on the
