THIS IS ONE of THE great bus journeys of South America. (And as a graduate of several epic journeys across the northern Andes of Peru and Colombia, you’ll have to trust me on this). Why anyone would choose to do it cramped in the back of a minibus with a load of other tourists at ten times the price is beyond me. (In Salta, your hotel will try to persuade you take take one of its tours that takes in Cachi and Cafayate). Marcos Rueda operates the only public bus service, with departures at 0700 and 1330 Monday to Saturday(37 pesos). The journey is only 100 miles, but rises from 1,100 to 3,400 metres before swooping across the stunning antiplano – look out for llamas – and down into Cachi at 2,400 metres. It takes four-and-a-half hours, and for the best, heart-stopping views on the way up, try to get a seat on the left.
As if that isn’t good enough, you then arrive in one of the most charming Andean villages on the continent, dramatically situated in a fertile valley in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada de Cachi(6,500 metres and snowcapped even in summer). I’m loath to go into too much detail about Cachi as I don’t want it to become overrun with clueless Aussies, chinless Brits or loud North Americans. While not on the scale of a Cuzco, Cartagena de Indias, Granada(Nicaragua), Havana or any centro historico in Spain(stop namedropping – Ed), it’s a little colonial gem. Most tourists stay a couple of hours. We stayed three nights. Most of that time was spent eating and drinking outside Café Oliver(see right) in the main plaza. Or eating and drinking outside the Cachi Vinoteca, just off the plaza near the church, which does simple food and great wines. Or walking up to the cemetery which, with its mountainous backdrop, scuttling lizards and snakes, wooden crosses and brightly-coloured (fabric) flowers, was like something out of a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel. And if you don’t know who GGM is, may I humbly suggest you don’t bother making the journey to Cachi. You won’t appreciate it. You’ll think it’s shit. Honest.
As if that isn’t good enough, you then arrive in one of the most charming Andean villages on the continent, dramatically situated in a fertile valley in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada de Cachi(6,500 metres and snowcapped even in summer). I’m loath to go into too much detail about Cachi as I don’t want it to become overrun with clueless Aussies, chinless Brits or loud North Americans. While not on the scale of a Cuzco, Cartagena de Indias, Granada(Nicaragua), Havana or any centro historico in Spain(stop namedropping – Ed), it’s a little colonial gem. Most tourists stay a couple of hours. We stayed three nights. Most of that time was spent eating and drinking outside Café Oliver(see right) in the main plaza. Or eating and drinking outside the Cachi Vinoteca, just off the plaza near the church, which does simple food and great wines. Or walking up to the cemetery which, with its mountainous backdrop, scuttling lizards and snakes, wooden crosses and brightly-coloured (fabric) flowers, was like something out of a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel. And if you don’t know who GGM is, may I humbly suggest you don’t bother making the journey to Cachi. You won’t appreciate it. You’ll think it’s shit. Honest.
BIKE RIDE IN THE ANDES
Though not noted in any guidebook, Edgar at the Bicicleteria Reyes just up from the main square will rent you a battered mountainbike for 6 pesos an hour or 40 for the day. My first target was the ruins at Las Pailas, allegedly 16 km away(though you’ll quickly learn to take the distances given on the signposts around Cachi with a huge dose of salt). I had no particular interest in seeing a load of rubble in the dust(file Ruins next to Museums and Churches), but it provided a goal for my bike ride….
Take the bridge out of town towards the cemetery and bear left(it’s signposted). The road is a very rough track which gets even worse after about three km when you have to take the right hand fork. From here on, it’s also relentlessly – though gradually – uphill. Compensating for the effort, the valley opens up and you get great views of the Sierra. I continued for about an hour until I reached what appeared to be the highest point of the road. I could see for miles ahead, but there was no sign of anything remotely resembling “the biggest and most important archaeological site of Cachi”. So I turned around and headed back to the fork in the road. The descent wasn’t quite the relaxing freewheel I’d envisaged. I was out of the saddle and had the brakes applied for most of it, so rutted and littered with loose rock and boulders was the road surface.
Back at the fork, I turned right to the village of Cachi Adentro. Here, on the right, was a shop where I bought some water. The rough map from Cachi’s tourist office indicated it might be possible to complete a circuit back into Cachi. I checked with the shopowner and he confirmed that if I continued for about a kilometer and then took the first left across a stream, the road would eventually take me back down to Cachi.
It was a superb circuit, taking me past fields of peppers, across dried up river beds and past towering mountain peaks. Again, it was mostly a gradual ascent, culminating in the settlement of Los Trancos. From here, the road disappeared into a dried up river bed and I had to dismount and push for a while. I eventually found the continuation of the track and, after about another kilometer of gentle ascent, found myself staring down at the valley floor. I’d climbed a lot higher than I’d realized, and cycled maybe about 26 km.
It was at that point I got a puncture. I managed to coast quite a few kms downhill out of the saddle, but eventually had to give up and wait for a truck. The truckride down into Cachi took a good 15 mins(and cost two pesos), and a beer has never tasted so good as the one I had at Café Oliver on my return….
Take the bridge out of town towards the cemetery and bear left(it’s signposted). The road is a very rough track which gets even worse after about three km when you have to take the right hand fork. From here on, it’s also relentlessly – though gradually – uphill. Compensating for the effort, the valley opens up and you get great views of the Sierra. I continued for about an hour until I reached what appeared to be the highest point of the road. I could see for miles ahead, but there was no sign of anything remotely resembling “the biggest and most important archaeological site of Cachi”. So I turned around and headed back to the fork in the road. The descent wasn’t quite the relaxing freewheel I’d envisaged. I was out of the saddle and had the brakes applied for most of it, so rutted and littered with loose rock and boulders was the road surface.
Back at the fork, I turned right to the village of Cachi Adentro. Here, on the right, was a shop where I bought some water. The rough map from Cachi’s tourist office indicated it might be possible to complete a circuit back into Cachi. I checked with the shopowner and he confirmed that if I continued for about a kilometer and then took the first left across a stream, the road would eventually take me back down to Cachi.
It was a superb circuit, taking me past fields of peppers, across dried up river beds and past towering mountain peaks. Again, it was mostly a gradual ascent, culminating in the settlement of Los Trancos. From here, the road disappeared into a dried up river bed and I had to dismount and push for a while. I eventually found the continuation of the track and, after about another kilometer of gentle ascent, found myself staring down at the valley floor. I’d climbed a lot higher than I’d realized, and cycled maybe about 26 km.
It was at that point I got a puncture. I managed to coast quite a few kms downhill out of the saddle, but eventually had to give up and wait for a truck. The truckride down into Cachi took a good 15 mins(and cost two pesos), and a beer has never tasted so good as the one I had at Café Oliver on my return….
We stayed at the lovely Hostal Llaqta Mawka(see right). Return buses to Salta leave at 0900 and 1530.
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