Welcome to Cafayate
Argentina’s second center for quality wine production, Cafayate is a popular tourist destination but still has a tranquil small-town feel. It’s good-looking territory, with the green of the vines backed by soaring mountains beyond, and is one of northwest Argentina’s most seductive destinations. With a selection of excellent accommodations for every budget, and several wineries – from boutique upstarts to burly behemoths – to visit in and around town, it invites an extended stay.
Top experiences in Cafayate
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Cafayate activities
Full-day Cafayate, Lerma Valley, and Wine Tasting from Salta
Following pickup at your hotel in Salta, begin this 12-hour tour by traveling in a minibus south along Provincial Route 68 through the Valley of Lerma including Cerrillos, La Merced, El Carril, Coronel Moldes, and La Viña. As the agricultural landscape unfolds, enjoy views of tobacco fields and stop to watch the traditional processing of this important crop using modern facilities and traditional clay chimneys. The tour continues through Alemania town with its distinctive red mountains and natural rock formations including The Devil´s Throat, The Amphitheater, House of the Parrots, Castles, Titanic, The Windows, The Obelisk, and The Friar. Finally, in Cafayate town, visit wineries to taste wine and learn some of the secrets of Salta´s wine making legacy including the world-famous torrontes grape variety.After lunch (additional cost), head back to your hotel in Salta via Route 68 as evening light transforms the landscape you enjoyed in the morning.
Cafayate and Calchaqui Winery Tour from Salta
After hotel pickup by your local guide, your day trip begins by heading out of town on Route 68 toward Cafayate, about 120 miles (190 km) south of Salta. Drive through the Lerma Valley, stopping after about 90 minutes for a coffee break in Posta de las Cabras or La Viña. Continue your drive all the way down into the Calchaquí Valley (Valles Calchaquíes), a series of striking valleys, rivers and gorges spread across Salta and its neighboring provinces that’s on UNESCO’s tentative list to become a World Heritage site. Reach the villages of Talapampa and Alemania at the entrance to Quebrada de las Conchas (Gorge of the Shells), which you’ll drive through, stopping four times to admire its various rock formations and canyons, such as Devil’s Throat (Garganta del Diablo) and the Amphitheater (Amfiteatro).Finally, arrive in Cafayate, where you have a 1-hour break to enjoy lunch. You may eat with your guide at a local restaurant reserved for the tour (restaurants vary by day), find your own restaurant on the town square or, if you brought a packed lunch with you, find a nice spot to enjoy a picnic (lunch is at your own expense). After lunch, meet back up with your guide and group to head to a local winery.The exact winery visited on your tour varies by day; you may visit a vineyard such as Domingo Hermanos, El Tránsito or Vasija Secreta. Take a 15- to 25-minute tour of the winery, perhaps seeing the vineyards or barreling facilities, and learn about the winemaking process in Cafayate. Then enjoy a tasting of three to four wines including varietals such as torrontés (the region’s signature white varietal), malbec, cabernet or mistela (a dessert wine). After your tasting, head back to Salta the way you came. Your day trip ends with hotel drop-off.Note: If there is time, you may visit a second winery before returning to Salta.
Cafayate: Lerma Valley, Quebrada de las Conchas, Wine Tasting
Your day trip starts in the early morning as you leave Salta and head through the Lerma Valley, passing by historical towns along the way. Stop at Quebrada de las Conchas (the Shell's Gorge), where natural erosion over many years has carved out curious shapes in the rocks, including named rock features like the Amphitheater, Devil's Throat, the Toad, and the Castles.When you arrive in the small town of Cafayate, known for its wine production, take in the views of vineyards and mountains that create a majestic backdrop. Visit a local winery for a tasting and to learn about the production of torrontes, an Argentine white wine with distinctive peach and apricot aromas.Your day trip ends when you return to Salta in the evening.
4-Day Tour of Salta Cafayate and Humahuaca
Day 1: SaltaArrival in Salta. Transfer from the airport to the hotel. Free city tour. Day 2: Salta - Cafayate (B) Driving along the fertile Lerma Valley, you will pass different towns like Cerrillos, La Merced, El Carril and Coronel Moldes. This is an important area for tobacco plantations, as you will see along the road. Arrive at Cafayate, a picturesque village famous for its vineyards. Visit to a winery with wine tasting included. Time for lunch in Cafayate. Tour around the city and markets. In the afternoon, return to Salta through Las Conchas Gorge, stopping in “Posta de las Cabras”, famous producer of goat cheese. Day 3: Salta - Humahuaca (B) Depart at 6:45am from your hotel. On the way to Humahuaca, go through different villages like Volcán, Tumbaya and Maimará. Once in Purmamarca, a village famous for the "Cerro de los Siete Colores” (Seven Colors Hill), you will have time to visit the handicraft market and take a walk around the village. After a short bus ride you'll get Tilcara, where you visit the Archeological Museum and the Pucará, the amazing indigenous ruins. After leaving Tilcara, you will get to Humahuaca. Take some free time to walk around and have lunch. In the afternoon, return to Salta through San Salvador de Jujuy, where you will get to see the main attractions of the city. Day 4: Salta (B) Transfer form your Salta hotel to the airport.
Cafayate: 2-Day-Trip from Salta City
On this tour you will discover one of the most breathtaking landscapes that Salta offers, “La Quebrada de las Conchas”. Fist you head south through the Provincial Route Number 68, where you will see Cerrillos, La Merced, El Carril, Coronel Moldes and La Viña, all of which make up the Valley of Lerma, an agricultural and farming area whose main production is tobacco. Afterwards you will pass Alemania Town, and in this part of the tour you will witness different colors, red mountains and rocks natural formations. In Cafayate Tow you will visit one or two Wineries, to learn and discover the secrets of Salta's wines, mainly the well-known Torrontes variety. After the visit to the winery you will be taken to your hotel where you will be spending the night. Here you can enjoy some free time until the activities of the next day start. On the following day you will be picked up from your hotel in Cafayate (Close to 3:30 PM). On the way back to Salta City, through Route Number 68 you will experience a completely different landscape from the one you saw on the first day.
Full Day Tour to Cafayate and Half Day Horseback Ride
• DAY 1°: FULL DAY TOUR TO CAFAYATE: Following pickup at your hotel in Salta, begin this 12-hour tour by traveling in a minibus south along Provincial Route 68 through the Valley of Lerma including Cerrillos, La Merced, El Carril, Coronel Moldes, and La Viña. As the agricultural landscape unfolds, enjoy views of tobacco fields and stop to watch the traditional processing of this important crop using modern facilities and traditional clay chimneys. The tour continues through Alemania town with its distinctive red mountains and natural rock formations including The Devil´s Throat, The Amphitheater, House of the Parrots, Castles, Titanic, The Windows, The Obelisk, and The Friar. Finally, in Cafayate town, visit wineries to taste wine and learn some of the secrets of Salta´s wine making legacy including the world-famous torrontes grape variety.After lunch (additional cost), head back to your hotel in Salta via Route 68 as evening light transforms the landscape you enjoyed in the morning. • DAY 2°: HALF DAY HORSEBACK RIDE WITH LUNCH: Half Day Horseback Riding (approximately 3 Hs). This is the best option for beginners. Safe routes Visit the traditional village of Chicoana, you can cross rivers and tobacco plantations where you can see the process of cultivation.Generally the lunch consists of roast (roasted meats) and a great variety of salads. Regional red wine (recommended). Ask us about alternative menus, for example the vegetarian that includes roasted vegetables, a wide variety of salads, pastas, etc.