Cuesta del Obispo

The Cuesta del Obispo is the climb that links the humid valleys around Salta with the dry Calchaquí highlands, and it is one of the great roads of northern Argentina. Beginning in the green Quebrada de Escoipe, it winds up steep slopes in a long series of bends, the vegetation thinning from cloud forest to scrub to bare rock as the road gains height, until it reaches the Piedra del Molino pass at around 3,300 metres. On clear mornings the view back down the folded green valleys is enormous; by afternoon cloud often boils up from below and swallows the road entirely, which is its own spectacle. Beyond the pass the land changes utterly, opening into the pale, cactus-studded plain of the Recta del Tin Tin and the road to Cachi.

What you actually see

• The switchbacks - the long climb of bends through changing vegetation.
• Piedra del Molino - the pass at around 3,300 metres with a small chapel.
• The cloud - mist rolling up the valley and swallowing the road most afternoons.
• The valley views - green folded ranges falling away to the east.

When to go

April to November, when the unpaved sections are firmest and views clearest. Morning is far better than afternoon: cloud typically builds after midday and can reduce visibility to a few metres. Snow occasionally closes the pass in winter.

Honest expectations

The road is narrow, partly gravel and has serious drops with no barrier, and it demands a careful driver and a vehicle with decent clearance. Cloud can erase the views completely. It is also a working road with buses and trucks, and passing places are tight.

Nearby

Los Cardones National Park lies just west of the pass; Salta city is east down the valley.