Cosquín

Cosquín is a modest town on the Río Cosquín in the Punilla valley, and for most of the year it is a quiet place of river beaches, a chairlift up Cerro Pan de Azúcar and hotels serving families from Córdoba. For nine nights each January it becomes the centre of Argentine folk music: the Festival Nacional de Folklore, running since 1961, fills the Próspero Molina amphitheatre with performers of zamba, chacarera and chamamé, launches new careers and draws audiences from across the country, while the separate Cosquin Rock festival, born on the same stage in 2001, later moved down the valley but kept the town's name. Around the main stage the streets fill with peñas, informal music venues where musicians play and dance until dawn, and craft stalls line the plaza.

What you actually see

• The Próspero Molina amphitheatre - the main stage of the national folklore festival.
• The peñas - informal all-night music venues around the town.
• The river beaches - swimming spots on the Cosquín river.
• The chairlift - the ride up Cerro Pan de Azúcar for valley views.

When to go

January for the festival, when the town is transformed and rooms must be booked far ahead; the rest of summer is busy with families. Spring and autumn are quiet and mild, and winter is very low season.

Honest expectations

Outside the festival Cosquín is unremarkable, and travellers arriving expecting a music town year-round will be disappointed. During the festival, prices rise steeply, the town is packed and nights are loud until sunrise. Tickets for the main stage sell out.

Nearby

La Falda is north up the valley; Villa Carlos Paz and the lake lie south.