Sunday 19thJanuary 2025: San Antonio de los cobres to Valle de Tafi
PICTURES IN WRONG ORDER!
We slept better having now become more accustomed to the thin air. After the same modest breakfast we headed out of town. We were going to fill up at the YPF petrol station but it was still under construction. We had decided to head way south, hopefully to somewhere unaffected by landslides!
Before setting off we had found the Salta local government road website and it listed all the roads closed or passable with caution. It said the Route 40 was closed by rockfalls. However when we reached the junction, there wasn't any sign to say as much. We were glad that the woman in the restaurant had pointed this out or we might have headed up there to have to turn back.
We headed back down the way we came up, via the Lerma valley and the impressive and multicoloured Quebrada del Toro. For about half the journey down the railway runs alongside the road, and you get glimpses of viaducts in the cliffs above. From what we have read, it is a spectacular feat of engineering, From Salta to the Polvorilla viaduct it is 219 km and there are 29 bridges, twelve viaducts, 21 tunnels, two 360 degree loops and two switchbacks. You can see that much of the route has been upgraded so it's a shame that the whole line isn't open as it would be an amazing journey. Let's hope it will all reopen as it would give us a good excuse to return.
Travelling on the Ruta Nacional 51 isn't without its adventures. The rains washes down sand and shingle onto the road and there seems to be endless diggers keeping the carriageway clear. On the way down we spotted a bird of prey with its catch and a fox that fled before we could get our cameras out. At the bottom of the gorge is the town of Campo Quijano, a settlement created to build the railway with a fine steam locomotive, alongside the track.
Now Joan knows how to use Google maps offline, we navigated ourselves easily through the town and onto a road that eventually joined the RN 68, heading south. The road to Cafayate ran along a valley bottom, with lush fields of corn and vines on either side. It could almost be France.
A strange thing we did notice today was men driving with a child on their lap.
Then the road began to climb into the Quebrada de las conchas, signposted as a scenic route that lasts for 70 km. It was spectacular - a deep red sandstone canyon with many strange and wonderful features, winding its way up to Cafayate. We had a long journey to complete today so we didn't stop. We'll be returning this way in a few days and will have more time to stop and take photos.
Heading south of Cafayate, we were pulled over by the police who searched our boot area and under the truck. Not much longer after that we turned eastwards up to the resort of Tafi el Valle.
The road is being resurfaced. It headed up into the mountains, where there was low cloud, making the journey more interesting. Dropping back down, the landscape was green and lush and could almost be the English Lakes. Below we could see a reservoir and the town of Tafi spread out on the hillside. There was a really impressive glacial valley too. (no glacier).
The traffic in Tafi was heavy and we saw many people in bright coloured costumes. We found our lodgings easily. They're what are sometimes called in Argentina "bungalows" - self catering holiday lets. The location was really convenient for the centre of town.
As we walked in, a huge procession of men, women and children on horseback passed us, with banners and some with matching outfits. It seems it was a festival celebrating the guacho traditional lifestyle.
On our way back, we bought some food and wine to cook in our bungalow and had a glass of wine. We had a very friendly neighbour and his fiance who had come up from Tucaman for the festival. He was very keen to talk about rugby and football in England, a subject we know nothing about.
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