South of Salta

The city of Salta in the northwest of Argentina was my base for a 6 day, 550 km round trip to Valle Lerma, Cafayete, Valles Calchaquies, Cachi and back to Salta over the 3457 m pass Piedra del Molino. Salta itself is full of nice old colonial buildings dating from the mid-1700's, plenty of green spaces, and at 1200 m in altitude it has a pleasant climate at this time of year (mid-April). I've also had my first taste of Inca culture here. In anticipation of a good harvest in the coming year, the Incas would bury children as human sacrifices on the tops of some of the highest mountains in the district. The frozen, mummified remains of 3 Incan children were dug up from the summit of nearby Cerro Llullaillaco and put on display in Salta's Museo de Arqueologia de Alto Montana. It's only a small exhibition but very powerful. 

I headed south on Ruta 68 to Cafayete passing through Valle Lerma. After the town of Alemania (I could see no resemblance with anything German), the valley narrows into a gorge, the Quebrada de las Conchas, with many fascinating red-tinged rock formations. Candelabra cacti started making an appearance, and I felt like I was suddenly riding through the set of a cowboy movie. 

The nice little town of Cafayete was my southernmost point in the loop and from here I headed north towards Cachi on Ruta 40 (incidentally I also rode part of this road some 4500 km south in Patagonia). Ten kilometres outside of Cafayete, I had my first run-in with thorns - while leaving the road to take a photo I managed to get 3 punctures at once, leaving both tyres flat and forcing me to hitchhike back to Cafayete for a visit to the gomeria. Two hours later and much the wiser (stay on the road!) I was on my way again. Leaving the irrigated wine-growing region around Cafayete behind, the rough gravel road passed through the Quebrada de los Flechas, a semi-arid region of rocky outcrops, then followed the braided rivers of the Valles Calchaquies to the village of Seclantas. At Seclantas I made a detour to Laguna Brealito and got my first glimpse of 6720 m Nevado de Cachi. 

Along the way, it was always fun to ask the locals for supplies of water, empanadas, grapes or freshly baked bread and chat to them a little bit in my dodgy Spanish. It was also the season to dry pimientos (ground up to make cayenne pepper) and in many places they were laid out to dry in the sun like big red carpets. 

After a night in Cachi, I set off to climb over the 3457 m pass Piedra del Molino. With the massive Nevado de Cachi at my back, I rode upwards through a barren landscape of high-altitude pampa dotted with thousands of candelabra cacti to the cold, foggy and windswept pass. The seemingly endless 2200 m descent took me into the humid and thickly forested valley on the other side. It started to rain so I called it a day in El Carril, hit the nearest restaurant for a milanesa napolitana and fries and slept like a baby. 

I'm now back in Salta for rest day, making plans for heading north to Humahuaca, Iruya, Paso Jama and San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. 

One of the many nice churches in Salta. 

Salta's Cathedral. 

A view from the inside.  

Monument in Salta's main square, Plaza 9 de Julio. 

Ruta 68 south of Salta passes through numerous small towns in the Valle Lerma. Here are some junior gauchos in Coronel Moldes.  

Beat-up old cars are a common sight - Ford seems to be the most popular. 

Following the Rio de las Conchas into the gorge south of Alemania. 

Intersection fail. 

The amphitheater in the Quebrada de las Conchas.

Intense colours in the Quebrada de las Conchas. 

The best way to see this is to ride through it on a bike!!

On Ruta 40 after Cafayete, the landscape gets noticeably drier, although areas around watercourses remain green. 

Impressive cliffs by Rio Calchaquies. 

Looking back the way I rode through the Quebrada de las Flechas. 

Simple adobe housing is the norm in these parts. 

Shortly before arriving in Seclantas I passed a couple of cacti having an animated chat. 

The way up to Laguna Brealito took me past a kind of semi-arid paradise. 

The laguna is famous locally for its mirror effect. 

Approaching Cachi, the valley is irrigated and fertile. 

Fresh bread from the oven. 

Rush hour in Cachi. 

Flocks of lorikeets were a common sight near the road. 

Drying pimiento in the sun. 

A look back at 6720 m Nevado de Cachi as I headed up to the Piedra del Molino. 

All down from here!

I was careful not to take the shortcut!

A lot more rainfall on this side with alpine pastures up high...

...and densely forested valleys lower down. 

My route. I started in Salta at top right and travelled around clock-wise. Seclantas in the west was the starting point for the detour to Laguna Brealito. 

Over the Andes to Mendoza

Not wanting to hang around longer in Valparaiso, my last remaining option to get further north was to ride over Paso Uspallata (aka Paso Bermejo, Paso Cumbre) between Santiago in Chile and Mendoza in Argentina. The road to the pass carries a lot of traffic between the two countries so was never going to be my first choice. At least nearly all vehicles travel through the Cristo Redentor tunnel (Paso Internacional Los Libertadores) at 3200 m, leaving the last 600 m up to Paso Uspallata largely free of traffic. Added bonus: seeing Cerro Anconcagua up close!

The ride up and over the 3832 m pass took me 3 days and turned out to be a highlight of the trip so far - despite the traffic. The scenery was spectacular and it was fascinating to observe the route of the old Transandino railway line, which used to form part of a rail link between Buenos Aires and Santiago, but was abandoned after an avalanche in 1984. If the train was still running, it would surely be one of the world's great railway journeys. 

I'm now enjoying the relaxed, leafy city of Mendoza and waiting for my bus ride to Salta on Tuesday. 

Heading up to the pass, with a whole afternoon of climbing ahead of me. 

Laguna del Inca, high up in the mountains. 

I struggled to get to the entrance of Tunel del Cristo Redentor before nightfall and ended up needing my lights for the first time on this trip. I camped in the ruins of the old Chilean customs building, destroyed by an avalanche in 1984. 

The ominous-looking entrance of Tunel del Cristo Redentor. But I was taking the high road, up and over the top...

Nothing like a few early-morning curvas to work up an appetite. 

In front of the Christ the Redeemer statue on Paso Uspallata at 3832 m. It marks the border between Chile and Argentina. 

The way down on the Argentinian side. 

Passing by Anconcagua, 6961 m. 

Puente del Inca, created by a build-up of minerals over thousands of years. 

An station converted to a museum on the old Transandino railway line. Autumn has arrived up here. 

Riding the Pan-American. Hard to top it. 

Looking back up the valley of the Rio Mendoza. 

Further down the valley, an old rail bridge on the abandoned line spans the river. 

Early morning of the third day, still 1800 m asl and freezing cold. Rio Mendoza with the Andes in the background.

Made it to Mendoza!

To the Elqui Valley and Back Again

While soaking up the atmosphere of Valparaiso, I have also been making plans for my onward journey. My plan is to head further north, hopefully riding some big passes across the Andes between Chile and Argentina, then on into Bolivia and Peru. Unfortunately, recent storms in the Atacama desert in northern Chile have claimed lives and created a state of emergency in exactly the area I want to pass through (Atacama province). 

With surprisingly little information available about the state of the roads and passes, I decided to take a bus as far as La Serena (still over 1000 km south of Atacama) and see first hand if it would be possible to cycle the Paso Agua Negra to Argentina. This is the first of the 4000 m passes between the two countries when heading north. 

The streets of the seaside town of La Serena were eerily deserted when I arrived early in the morning. I ate a quick breakfast then headed up the Elqui Valley, which is on the way to Paso Agua Negra. The town of Pisco Elqui in the valley's upper reaches is famous for its Pisco distilleries. The distilleries use wine made from the grapes grown in the valley, which are known for their high quality. The landscape is beautiful: At lower altitudes, an irrigation system keeps the valley green, while the barren and arid snow-capped mountains stand in stark contrast. 

I met Pierre, a fellow cyclist, and we spent a couple of fun days exploring the valley together. However, Paso Agua Negra turned out to be closed for the foreseeable future. No option but to return to Valparaiso and look for another way across the Andes...

La Serena's deserted streets. 

Pisco Elqui's little church. 

Heading up the valley towards the village of Horcon. 

Harvested grapes drying in the sun. 

Our desert camp. 

Riding out of the valley the next morning. Pumps are used to irrigate the grapes growing high up on the slopes.