Road Trip Northwest Argentina

Casa de Gobierno, Tucumán

We said "adios" to Jeremy after spending seventeen action-packed days together in Chile and elected to return to Argentina to explore the northwest. Our first step was taking a night bus from Santiago to Mendoza. I was pulled off the bus at the border to pay the surprise fee of $75 to enter the country. Having a credit card allowed me the convenience of not being sent back to Chile. We arrived in Mendoza in the early morning and boarded a second bus to San Miguel de Tucumán. The bus broke down somewhere in between Mendoza and La Rioja, which extended our journey to about twenty-six hours and eventually resulted in a midnight arrival. A la Gurda hostel in Tucumán served as our headquarters for the next three days as we prepared our gear and planned a route. The city itself is pleasant and the downtown is vibrant, but only after 9 p.m. when it cools down enough to allow people to exit their sweat boxes.

  

Cardones y Montañas

We decided that the best way to see the remote areas that interested us the most was to rent a car. We guessed our way out of most of the city and managed to exit Tucumán unscathed. The infrequent signs are frequently incorrect.      

Llamas de Tafí del Valle

Once outside the city, we exited onto route 307 and began winding through dense jungle at low speeds. We finally emerged from the thick vegetation and passed through the small town of Tafi del Valle shortly after. Tafi seems like timezones away from jungle country, but lies just a few kilometers down the road.     

Museo de la Pachamama

After numerous gentle switchbacks along the green slopes that took us up from Tafi to an elevation of 3040 metres we descended into Amaicha del Valle. The doors to the Pachamama Museum were open, so we stopped to look at the exhibits which include a large model of the Calchaguies Valleys and many interesting artifacts. After touring the museum we headed into town in search of lodging.   

Iconografía Calchaquí

We quickly discovered that the festival of the Pachamama was kicking off and Amaicha was playing host. The town centre was barricaded and  "hospedaje" availability was scarce. However, we did find an interesting little place near the plaza that offered a place to park behind a gate and a simple room. Our "rustic" accommodations meant brandishing the silk sheet and tropical sleeping bag. In turn, our meal at the festival was barely edible but it filled the void. 

Ruinas de Quilmes

The following day started early with a trip up the road to the nearby "Ruinas de Quilmes". The sprawling ruins and overall setting is quite amazing. We spent a few hours hiking up to the various look-outs and chatting with a fellow Canadian who happened along on a motorcycle.