Be enchanted by the Calchaqui Valleys

By: Virginia Imberti Posted: 30/10/2017

Fall in love with the Calchaqui Valleys

In the Province of Salta, nature formed a master piece with the mountain relief that shows a great diversity of sceneries and many water sources. In the Calchaqui Valleys, visitors are amazed by the rock formations in their typical red colour.

Mankind built wonderful colonial buildings and has been cultivating vineyards of highest international standards in this impressive scenery.

If you are a horse enthusiast who loves riding holidays, then you must visit and discover this region on horseback.

A horse riding tour between desert and history

Villages and small town like Seclantás, Molinos, Cachi and Cafayate are outstanding among the touristic places and beautiful corners that we visit during the riding tour through the Calchaqui Valleys.

The Calchaqui Valleys surprise their visitors with their magnitude and dimension. They extend over more than 500 km and are characterised by mountain chains along both sides, wine growing areas of exclusive vines and their cultural heritage and historical patrimony.

Starting point Seclantás

We would like to present a possible tour through the valleys and start in Seclantás a village in the heart of the Calchaqui Valleys which lays close to various villages and small towns we would like to discover.

Seclantás is known for being the cradle of artistic weavers who produce the famous poncho from Salta. This village is close to the Calchaqui river and the national route Ruta 40. From here, you can ride to various national parks or the extraordinary Brealito lagoon.

Numerous cactus types, among them the typical cardon cactus, multi-coloured rainbow mountains and condors attract many tourists, but also paleontologists visit the area as 70-million-year old dinosaur fossils were found here.

In Molinos, the past is present

In Seclantás we take the mythical Ruta 40 in direction south until we reach our next destination: Molinos, a quiet village with less than 1.000 inhabitants.

When we ride through the few streets bordered by houses built with adobe (mud bricks) and roofs covered with mud tiles, it is like traveling back in time.

In Molinos, the riders can sleep in an old colonial mansion and dive deeper into the history of this village. This building belonged to the last royal Spanish governor, Nicolás Severo Isasmendi; it was converted into a hotel where the past is present.

Cachi in the heart of the Calchaqui Valleys

The riding tour takes us towards our next destination in the middle of the valleys: Cachi, 157 km away from the provincial capital Salta.

The origins of this place root back to the Chicoana tribe from times before the Spanish conquest.

We find houses built in the typical colonial style, Spanish mansions and narrow streets with lanterns at the corners. We visit the church from the 18th century and the Archaeological Museum Pio Pablo Diaz that exposes important findings of the native peoples that used to live in the region.

Exploring Cachi on horseback magnifies the joy of discovering this charming village, the surrounding sceneries and natural diversity.

Cafayate, the wine-growing district

When we reach Cafayate, we will be enchanted by this town and the wine-growing areas in its surroundings. The selected wine production of this region is internationally recognised and we recommend to visit several bodegas (wine cellars).

Among them is the well-known Piatelli Bodega Bodega where we try a selection of delicious wines and enjoy a meal at their restaurant. Not only these culinary experiences are unforgettable for our guests, also the riding trails in the impressive sceneries may leave you speechless.

The Calchaqui Valleys are a must see destination for riding holidays. Travelling on the back of a horse is a special way to discover these places, the almost virgin landscapes and traditions and ways of living of the native peoples in the Salta province.

Would you like Argentina as your next horse riding holiday destination?

We encourage you to download our catalog of our horseback riding tours in Northern, Central and Western Argentina. Discover Argentina on the back of a Peruvian horse and with our team of equestrian tourism experts.

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