Cachi and Cactuses – Northern Argentina

We’re staying in Salta, a pretty colonial city surrounded by mountains. We’ve visited the Museo de Arqueología de Alta Montaña, home to three fascinating Inca mummies who, as human sacrifices to the gods, froze to death on a mountain top and were left undiscovered for 500 years. We’ve toured the main square, and we’ve gone up on the cable car for a bird’s eye view of the city.

After a couple of days we have itchy feet, and decide to take advantage of the nice weather with a trip into the mountains. Salta is bursting with tour operators, but we manage to find a good deal with a girl who works at our hostel (pretty much everyone works for or knows someone in the tourism industry here).

Early the next morning, a chap called Juan Jo is waiting for us in his 4×4. After a bevvy of bad jokes and a sing-along to Phil Collins (Phil is huge in Argentina) the simple homes on the outskirts of the city are becoming less and less frequent. We pass tobacco crops almost ready for harvest, and Juan Jo is waving to all the farmers.

It’s rainy season, so we’re lucky to have a clear day. From December to March, main roads can close due to high rivers and dirt tracks can be washed away. Having missed out on the region’s Tren a las Nubes (Train to the Clouds), which re-opens in April each year, we’re pleased to have a decent run at this.

This is my first glimpse of the Andes, and the blue giants take my breath away. We enter the Enchanted Valley and begin our ascent along the snaking track. The rocks are green in some places and red in others, due to the different minerals in its makeup. Geology enthusiasts should head to Seven Colour Mountain, which can also be visited in a day from Salta.

We pass a little cemetery, and push through a stream that’s trying its best to seal off the road. It seems quite shallow, but we’re told not to underestimate the power of the water here.

The locals are very wary of the elements, and at the little chapel called Capilla San Rafael (at 3457m above sea level, where you can touch the clouds) there’s a little shrine for travellers. A handful of little flames are already flickering amongst the flowers, sweets and pictures, so hopefully the mists and storms will keep at bay.

 

Entrepreneurial locals have set up stalls along the route to Cachi. We are serenaded by two young boys, who bang a drum and sing a local folkloric song. Later, we chat to trinket-sellers about the weather and purchase a few spices.

 

On one of these stops, we see condors drifting high above us. Condors have a wingspan of up to three metres, so from where we’re standing they look like hang gliders. Later, I see one swoop much lower as we pass in the car, but no-one believes me. Apparently you are lucky to see them at all in these parts.

 

 

The landscape is changing all the time and before we know it we’re in Los Cardónes National Park. The cardón cactuses look like an army; spaced out as far as the eye can see. They only grow a couple of centimetres a year, so these towering specimens must be hundreds of years old. Some are punctured with holes where birds have drunk from the water inside them. It’s silent, and it feels like another world.

Cachi itself is a quaint little town with adobe houses and a colonial-style centre. We wander the streets and have a hearty chicken stew for lunch (sadly llama wasn’t on the menu today). After my first taste of the Andes, I can’t wait for more.

A day trip to Cachi from Salta is around $180 pesos and takes about 12 hours in total. Bring sun screen and money for lunch in the town. Trips are easily arranged, weather permitting, until 8pm the night before. We travelled with Alas Nubes Tours http://www.alasnubestours.com.ar/. It’s also possible to hire a car and there are places to stay in Cachi.

Cath Millman