iSalud! On the Wine Route

Bite-sized trip

Itinerary:
Cafayate - Cachi
Duration:
3 days / 2 nights (flexible)
Price:
from £515 per person (excluding flights)

Drive through rusty rock canyons, cycle between sun-kissed grapevines, gaze up at giant cacti and drink a drop (or two) of local wine in the altiplano. Staying in traditional posadas, you’ll explore vineyards, tucked-away villages and surreal valleys with rocks that shift colours in the sunshine. This is a three-day road trip that will take you through the beautiful and bizarre scenery of Argentina’s high plains, scattered with mammoth cacti, tiny communities and remote canyons surrounded with striped rocks. You’ll make your way by road to lively Cafayate, known for its local wines and bodegas, where you’ll hop on a bike and cycle from vineyard to vineyard.

Day 1 – Chicoana – Cafayate

After breakfast, you’ll jump in your rental car and drive over tarmac roads into the vineyards. On the first leg of the journey you’ll drive past the impressive Quadabra de Cafayate; this barren sandstone canyon striped with shifting. In the afternoon, you can rent a bike, explore the local area and try a few fine wines. At the end of the afternoon, you’ll head back to your bodega for the night.

Day 2 – Cafayate – Cachi

Today, you’ll drive to the adobe town of Cachi through some of the most stunning landscapes around Salta, passing rich green valleys and towering mountains. En-route, you can make a stop in the tiny heritage village of Molinos for a cup of coffee or a bite to eat under the shady trees of the central plaza. After a few hours driving, you’ll find that the town of Cachi seems to pop up between the mountains. You’ll have the afternoon free to wander languidly along the cobbled streets and sit back in its peaceful plaza, enjoying the warm, sunny day and crisp, clear evening.

Day 3 – Cachi – Salta

Today you’ll begin the the last leg of driving along bumpy unpaved roads, with seriously beautiful views along the way. You’ll drive through the National Park Cardones, famous for the giant cacti peppered across its plains. Back in Salta you’ll return your hire car and continue your adventure through Argentina.