Blogs from Cachi, Salta, Argentina, South America

Even though it's a route frequented by tourists, most of the 157 km stretch from Cafayate to Cachi is unpaved and there is no direct bus (see map). Suggestions of how to get between the two ranged from going all the way back to Salta first (see map below) or taking 2 days by making use of the limited, semi-daily transports. I took an 11AM bus to Angostaco via the famous route 40 (think route 66) and the scenery on this leg of the trip- especially the Flechas (rocks that look like arrows) - made the rest worthwhile. I made the mistake of getting off the bus at the town itself rather than at the junction with route 40, which added another km or two to my walk. Once back on the road I started walking ... read more

We went for a huge drive today but the scenery that we saw was so amazing so diverse and so different from any that we had ever seen before it was definitely worth it. The photos can't fully convey the beauty and awe but they are still better than words. The drive was split into several sections, the first of which was up through the Andes to a small town called Cachi. The road started off sealed and flat as it followed the river into the mountains. We passed a couple of locals on their donkeys and headed into Cardon region. Cardon is the cactus you see in every cartoon and cowboy movie. As the road rose the Cardon got bigger and bigger. The road snaked its way up the mountains becoming unsealed and we finally ... read more

Salta was an exciting town, tourists flock here for rafting, repelling, bungee jumping and horseriding. Me and James attempted to make a booking for white water rafting and zip lining (the highest farthest in the world supposedly) but they werent opening for the next day. We ended up booking a horse riding tour (i still dont know why i agreed... something to do), it was supposed to be regional wine and BBQ as well as some amazing views. I was feeling a little better, agreed to go out with two friends for steak and wine (argentina is supposed to have the best steak). The steak was 70 pesos (wowsas) for just the steak, mind you it was the size of a frisbee but thick. I managed to eat 3´/4 of it as i hadnt eaten ... read more

Nous sommes partis de Mendoza il y a quelques jours . Nous avons fait un arret a San Lorenzo(Salta) dans le but de visiter des reserves naturelles. Il s' agit bel et bien de la jungle et la végétation en témoigne bien. J'avais espoir de voir beaucoup d'oiseaux mais malheureusement ils n'étaient pas aussi nombreux que je le croyais. Par contre la randonnée avec le guide argentin fut très intéressante.Nos h0tes au B&B étaient exceptionnels (Casa Hernandez). Le jour même ou nous y étions ils recevaient une distinction comme étant un des dix meilleurs en Amérique du Sud.(et ce malgré le fait que la chambre coûtait 45$ canadien la nuitée!!).Hier nous avons pris le volant pour prendre la route 33,sinueuse à souhait qui mène de Salta à Cachi. Les paysages à couper le souffle se succèdent ... read more

Yesterday we split the group with Gerardo, Leo and David riding directly to Salta, while the rest of us rode via Cachi, which took us up a very fertile valley and over the Cresta del Obispo mountain pass at 3,800m. I am in a bit of a rush to get this blog up, as today we head onto the dark side of the moon and will be out of contact with the rest of the world for three days, while in Bolivia. A picture is worth a thousand words, so here you will see Ripper hitching a ride on the back of the chase truck....Turns out his genuine BMW battery collapsed internaly and could not supply enough power to run his moto. They have now fitted a new battery here in Salta, so maybe he can ... read more