Exploring the Surreal Beauty of Salta, Argentina

The first town, on the banks of the Calchaquíes River, is Cachi, a dusty settlement straight out of a Peckinpah western. Don’t miss the restored 18th-century adobe church in Molinos, or an espresso on San Carlos’s sleepy town square. Soon, desert gives way to vineyards set under shimmering blue mountains: Cafayate is the center of high-altitude viticulture in Argentina. Just outside Cafayate, the limestone hills morph into the Quebrada de Cafayate—a spectacular swirl of ocher-colored arches and canyons. The road then levels out as it nears Salta City, founded in 1582 and the most beautifully preserved colonial city in Argentina. Read the article