Wonders of the Calchaquí Valleys

Salta city, located in the Argentina Northwest lies in the irrigated Andes Mountains valley of Lerma. Despite earthquakes, many of the city's colonial buildings have been preserved. It is a tourist centre and has grown in importance as a centre of archaeological investigations of Indian cultures. Heading out to Cachi you climb in altitude, the land becomes arid with the cacti and surreal rock formations at Parque Nacional Los Cardones. To Cafayate we drive south on route 40, the longest in Argentina. Arriving in the land of torrontes we will be surrounded by vineyards. Drive back to salta through stunning landscape named Quebrada de las Conchas also known as the "Gorge of the Shells" due to the marine fossils it contains.