It is a perfect road trip to start in Salta city, stop in Cachi on the way to Cafayate. It is worth going north to La Poma and south to Santa María (Catamarca), passing through Colalao del Valle in Tucumán.

Do not be afraid of the gravel: it is nothing less than the national route 40, the backbone of our country. It is usually in very good condition outside of the rainy season (in summer). Even in January and February, they are not forgotten roads by God's grace: they can be closed for hours, or even days, but sooner or later the National Highway machines pass by.

The national route 68 that connects Salta with Cafayate is all asphalt, 190 km of pavement that were completed in 1979, after a titanic work of modifying the layout to shorten distances. At that time, the attractions closest to Cafayate, such as Los Médanos and Quebrada de las Conchas (with the incredible surroundings of the Amphitheater and it’s amazing natural acoustics), were not a scenic excursion, but rather a true road challenge. A little more gentle may be the Cuesta del Obispo, a splendid road that connects, in mere 160 km, the capital of Salta with Cachi, passing through the TinTin straight. It is about 12 km road framed by the cacti and the mountains, an Inca memory path that the pre-Hispanic man would have traced marking it with torches at night. La Cuesta itself is only 20 km of gravel, and if they never finish being paved it is because it is proven that the pavement would never resist the landslides caused by the summer rains.

So it is advisable to avoid the Cuesta del Obispo when it rains, not only for safety, but also because you would miss the Valle Encantado, Los Cardones National Park, the Quebrada de Escoipe, among other landscapes that the road offers. In total, little more than 500 km to do with various stops and the desire to chat quietly, respecting the siesta, getting out of the car, taking a genuine interest in this region that knew how to live isolated and today maintains that rare atmosphere of silence.