Cafayate is located south of Salta on route 68. The drive there is also through scenic and fertile farmlands and villages of Valle Lerma as well as mountains covered in jungle. This however changes as we gain elevation and vegetation is sparser and thorny. What is becoming a more desert landscape is eroded by thermal changes and water. Our first stop is by Devil’s Throat, which is steep rocky tube, eroded by water. We also stop by Tre Cruces (Three Crosses) look out which is spectacular with all the deep maroon and red mountains as well as greenery by the small river flowing through the valley. There are many other named and non-named rocky outcrops, one even known as the Titanic- near where our bus driver played the theme song for us so that we can get a hint as to what the name was J.
Just before lunch we stop by a vineyard named Vasija Secreta (Secret Vase) for a tour and wine tasting. The vineyards there are located at 1,600m and are known for their Cab Sav and Torrontes varieties.
We have 2 hours in Cafayate for lunch and a look around, which spend at the wine museum. It is a pretty interactive museum with the first part describing the climatic and soil requirements for good wines, written in poetry and the second part of the museum covering the history of the area.
On our return we stop by the rock formation known as The Amphitheatre, where we have a local musician playing and singing so that we can appreciate the sounds within.
