The Northwest

Northwest Argentina is blessed with stunning rock formations, wine areas where you encounter the bizarre spectacle of cacti growing on the hillsides above the grapes and delicious empanadas.  In some ways, going there is a little like visiting Bolivia with things like salt flats, roads with ridiculous descents and people everywhere trying to get you to buy alpaca crap.  The difference is that the roads tend to be paved and the people selling all the knitted alpaca goods are usually wearing jeans and baseball caps.  Even so, towns like Purmamarca and Cafayate are peaceful places after the tourist colectivos have loaded up and begun the long drive back to Salta.  The few stragglers and locals that remain behind get to soak up areas of stunning natural beauty in comfortable hotels charging reasonable rates.

The highlight of a trip to the area is an overnight stay in Iruya.  Iruya was described to me as a magical place and that description is not far off the mark.  In order to get there Double S and I arranged to be dropped off in Humahuaca, the last town before Iruya, where we would get picked up for a ride to Iruya.

We ultimately got dropped off in front of a restaurant where we were told the driver was inside.  He was the cook dealing with the lunch hour rush.  When he finished cooking he loaded us and two other passengers into the car for the drive out.  We got talking with our fellow passengers and found out that it was the manager of the hotel we would be staying at and his young son.

Most of the way down the descent from a 4000 meter mountain pass, all of a sudden as if carved out of the mountainside, a colorful little church appears, signifying that Iruya is near.  It is a spectacularly beautiful sight .

The town itself is inaccessible if it has rained a lot and the river is running too deep.  Our driver told me a story of how a bunch of the kids from Iruya went to HUAA for a party and then found out due to the rains they would have to stay for three extra nights.  Party time in Humahuaca!

When we arrived in Iruya we met our hotel manager’s wife and daughter, who live at the hotel.  When dinner time came around Double S and I were enjoying our llama dishes (mine with white wine sauce, hers with Roquefort), and the son, Bernardo, came to our table to show us his new pet, a two week old lamb, Bianca.  His Mom then proceeded to demonstrate to him how to feed the lamb with a bottle.  Afterwards, Bianca pranced around the house, following the Mom and gnawing on whatever curtain happened to come across her path.  Apparently a neighbor’s sheep had a bunch of lambs and gave one to the family so that Bernardo could have a pet.  Iruya is that kind of place.

Recommendations:
An overnight stay in Purmamarca, home of the magnificent Cerrro de los Siete Colores
The best empanadas in Salta at Doña Salta or El Corredor de las Empanadas
Carpe Diem Bed and Breakfast in Salta.  A lovely building, a welcoming couple who owns the place and a tasty breakfast.
Wine tasting in Cafayate, with Bodega Nanni particularly recommended as a nice place to taste.  It is tough to beat a good Torrontes for 18 pesos.
A visit to see Bianca in Iruya.

Iruya from the distance

Crazy wine mural in Cafayate






Los Castillos rock formation in the Quebrada de las Conchas


(Photos courtesy of Double S)