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Leaving Salta and heading south again, we ran along the Valley of the Río las Conchas (Quebrada de Cafayate) and saw again the impressive rock formations right on the 183-kilometres-long National Route 68 that goes from Salta to Cafayate.
Click on any of the thumbnails below to get a larger photo
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The town of Cafayate is laid-back with a colonial style feel, and a number of wine cellars open to the public.We skipped the wine cellars this time as we were only passing through. However our attention was caught by the noise of a band and the clatter of horses' hooves. Once the gaucho display was over, we wandered over to the church, and discovered that the local priest was being elevated to a bishop, and that to help him with this transformation, 3 other bishops were in attendance. I have never seen, and I am sure never will see again, 4 bishops in the same place at the same time.
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We needed a drink after all the excitement, and headed for the cafes around the town square
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We decided on El Cardon for a lunch on the town square at Cafayate. You would not call the food gourmet, nor is the service top notch, but it is a popular place to sit and enjoy lunch. Their set lunch is around $8 US a head so you cannot really complain. Wash that down with a decent bottle of local wine, which are very reasonably priced, and lunch is remarkable value for money.
There is not a great choice of lunch spots here, and this is at the top end of what there is on offer. We chose lunch here because it offered shaded seats on the square, and seemed popular with locals.
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We had trouble finding this accommodation, as the literature on Booking.com said it was 20 km from Tafi: it turned out to be 2 km, but that was enough to cause us problems as we thought we must have missed it by the time we got to Tafi..
Roberto Hughes, the owner, meets you, greets you, and makes you feel very much at home. His welsh ancestors came to Argentina so long ago that he speaks little English, but is happy to give his English a go if you do not speak Spanish. He does however have a Welsh rugby scarf!
There are three smallish rooms, each well fitted out, and comfortable. The heating did struggle a bit in May, so I am not sure how it would cope in June.
Roberto gives you a number of suggestions as to what to see and what to eat. We settled for a restaurant meal out at lunchtime, and snacked in the room at night.
We had a nice breakfast with homemade jams and breads, but nothing cooked was offered.
Great view over the local lake. The accommodation is high up above the town, so you get a panoramic view all round.
My own feeling was two nights here was about right. Tafi does not have a lot to offer, once you have had a stroll down the Main Street. And local scenery is spectacular, but again limited.
Overall I liked this place and would recommend it if you are in Tafi - good, but basic, accommodation, wonderful host, and very good value for money
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Tafi del Valle is a small town of 5000 inhabitants. Very little in the town in the way of things to see. A small main street with a few cafes, and that is about it. We decided that it was not worth the trouble of going into the town to eat at night, and settled for lunch at the Estancia Las Carreras Jesuitica (about 20km from Tafi) where we had stayed, and had problems, last time we passed through Tafi. It was actually a very good lunch this time, in a region not rich in restaurants.
After Tafi we followed the road south again to the over-elaborately names Chanarmuyo Estate Vineyard, Winery & Lodge