I shade my eyes and look up to see a llama eying me suspiciously. I skirt around him cautiously and climb higher on the path which is forged into the mountainside. Huge blocks of quartz rock are all around me and sparkle in the sun.
I marvel at their size thinking they should be in a museum and how I wished I had some tools to dig one out! Looking out to the valley below, a singular cactus disrupts my view while low stone walls, remnants of an ancient civilization, the Quilmes, zig zag in a maize below me.
It’s hard to believe I am wandering around a premier archaeological site in Argentina with only a llama and my husband. But no one comes the entire time we are there, and we enjoy the place to ourselves. The Quilmes were a tribe who lived in the Calchaquí Valley in the Salta region and Northwest corner of Argentina. Through sheer ingenuity, they valiantly fought off multiple invasions by both the Incas and the Spanish before succumbing. I am in their home. How did I get here?
This particular trip to Argentina is a follow up from a previous trip to Argentina where I had tasted a deliciously crisp and satisfying white wine called Torrentes that was hard to find when I got back home. My research revealed the wine’s sweet floral aromas, hints of white peach and notes of lemon zest were a favorite among all who taste it.
Apparently, it was discovered by a monk in the 1600s and it is only grown in the Salta region near the northeast border of Bolivia, a rugged, little visited area of the country. The area around Cafayate is now a booming wine region overshadowed by its famous cousin, Mendoza, and nobody I know had ever heard of it. I was determined to visit!
We landed in Salta at 8 pm on a Saturday night. Our friendly driver hustles us into a pick up truck and launches into an animated discussion about where to go to dinner. Apparently, the whole town eats out on the weekends, and they eat late, “maybe midnight, one o’clock is normal”, with restaurants staying open until 3 am. After checking into our boutique hotel on the main square, we walk over to the restaurant she recommends which is mostly empty. Sure enough, as we dug into mouth-watering plates of homemade pasta, empanadas and local lamb, the place started filling up as we were leaving.
Salta has almost a million people living in and around a stunningly beautiful city. It has a Spanish colonial feel with neoclassical architecture. After a delicious breakfast that included homemade pear tarts, we strolled around downtown, watching locals pour out of a stately church on the main square and merchants setting up for the Sunday market.
At the rental car lot, we found ourselves being shown a 4×4 Mazda pickup truck. “A truck?” I asked. The Hertz guy shrugged, handing us the keys. “If you are going to Cafayate, you will need it!” he remarks.
The road to Cafayate is a four-hour stunning two-lane highway full of twists and turns with each view more jaw-dropping than the last. The topography changes moment to moment from farmlands to sandstone formations eventually weaving through the Quebradas de las Conchas National Park. Think Southwest Utah with rugged red clay cliffs combined with Napa valley’s windswept vineyards and ringed by the mighty snow-capped Andes mountains. It is truly one of the most spectacular drives I’ve ever done.
Eventually, we pulled into the stately Patios de Cafayate Resort, a five-star hotel attached to the famous Esteco Winery. This region is truly farm-to-table, and at their signature restaurant (and best in town), we enjoyed delicious grass-fed steaks, inventive salads and a world class wines all served with hot, fresh-baked Italian bread that Argentina is known for.
The next day, we thanked our truck as we had to forge rivers and steer up rocky, unpaved roads to get to the various wineries where most of the time, we were the only visitors. It was on one of these dirt covered roads where we noticed a small hand-painted sign pointing down a winding driveway. Way off in the distance was a vast estate perched high above the valley. Of course we had to explore! This was the famous Piatelli winery, the most well-known in the area and a “must do” experience for most visitors.
It truly is a spectacular place with incredible wines, a tasting room and a gorgeous sun-soaked patio restaurant packed with visitors enjoying lunch and the 360 views. I did a wine tasting in spanish but we were not able to eat there, a reget I have to this day.
The next day, we drove an hour south to the Tucumán valley and explored the Quilmes ruins. Farmers flood their fields which in turn floods the road so driving in a truck is once again a must as we find ourselves suddenly driving on a road that is underwater.
The Quilmes tribe dates back to 1000 AD, and were one of the last the ruins are the most important archeological site in Argentina. We wandered among the remains, a labyrinth of low slung walls where humongous cacti and white quartz rocks the size of small boulders perched among them.
You can’t avoid Buenos Aires, either coming or going and what does it matter, it is one of my favorite cities, so we flew there next. Modeled after Paris, the city’s wide boulevards are made for wandering, window shopping in local boutiques, drinking craft beers and eating delicious meals. If you go, make sure to enjoy daily coffee breaks at the numerous cafes which can be found on every street anchoring the European-styled apartment buildings.
Of course, all good things must come to an end. We said good-bye, leaving a bit of our hearts and vowing to return. There is so much more to explore! If you want a magical vacation, Argentina should be on your list.
Lillian Martin plans individually curated vacations for clients of Reece Worldwide Travel. To plan your next great trip, click here
Where To Wander Next 