After the strenuous tour through the Puna, we long for relaxation and civilization
The National Park Los Cardones scores with countless serpentines and cacti
We discover the impressive gorges around Cafayate
Asado, cheese and wine in Cafayate – an absolute highlight for me after 15 months of abstinence
We are back from our 10 day tour in the Puna, Argentina's high desert. Heavily impressed by the many natural highlights, we long for civilization. Above all, we urgently need a shower. And it's not just us - our Toyota also needs to be washed. It's almost impossible to see any color because of all the red dust. But above all the chassis needs it. We inevitably drove through one or two salt flats. We are also looking forward to sleeping at a lower altitude. That should be way better. Unfortunately, we continue to dream of “sleeping in”; Diego wants to be entertained from 8 a.m. at the latest.
We drive directly to Salta, a fairly large city in the north of Argentina. We first stock up on food. Our supplies are almost empty. We enjoy the selection in the shopping center and really hit it off. And last but not least, we both treat ourselves to a visit to the hairdresser. At the campsite we meet two German couples who have been traveling for a while. We get along really well. The summer temperatures invite to enjoy an asado together. And so we spend a lovely evening in front of our campers with really good Argentinian meat. One night turns into six until we finally leave. We enjoy being able to stay where we like. On Sunday we finally move on. We want to drive to the south, via Cafayate, a well-known wine region. We recently left it behind in favor of the Puna. I'm so looking forward to my first glass of wine after about 15 months of abstinence.
The route takes us through the National Park Los Cardones. A plateau at around 3,000 m with lots of cacti is waiting for us . We camp in a dry riverbed and enjoy the peace and quiet. On the way to Cafayate we follow the Ruta 40 again, about 200 km of gravel road. It leads through impressive gorges, such as the Quebrada de las Flechas, which, as the name suggests, resembles arrows.
Cafayate is a pretty nice town. You can tell that a lot of tourists come here, including locals. The city lives from restaurants and bodegas that sell their own produced wine. Perfect for me. Diego recently started eating three times during the day so I don't have to breastfeed him until 8 p.m. After a few days of “testing” to see if he's not hungry anymore, I treat myself to my first glass of wine at lunchtime. We are at a bodega that also produces goat and cow cheese. In the morning we take a tour of the grounds, followed by a tasting. You can't imagine how I enjoyed my glass of white wine! And Diego his first acquaintance with goats.
On the occasion of Micha’s 40th birthday we want to go out for a nice meal. Claudia and Uwe, our travel acquaintances from Salta, recommended the golf club in Cafayate. A real insider tip. The estancia is just outside the city. You can't just play golf on the huge grounds. It is a complex with holiday homes, rather in the upper price segment. The leisure activities on site are accordingly. From horseback riding, to spa and golf, everything is on offer. On Sundays there is open asado in the club restaurant. We treat ourselves to delicious grilled meat and fish, accompanied by wine of course. And Diego gets a few bites from the vegetable buffet.
We enjoy the sunny days in Cafayate. It's unusually hot here for winter, with temperatures around 30 degrees during the day and mild nights. After a few days we move on. For the way back to Salta we want to take a different route, also through impressive landscapes. Suddenly, however, there is a change in the weather and it cools down by 20 degrees. Not so pleasant. That's why we drive rather quickly through the Quebrada de las Conchas. This time we only stay for one night in Salta; fill up with food and gas, to then continue north. It's time to be back in the nature. We make our way to Chile, towards San Pedro de Atacama.
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