Quebrada de las Conchas

The Quebrada de las Conchas, also called the Quebrada de Cafayate, is the gorge the road follows for some fifty kilometres between the Lerma valley and Cafayate, cut by the Río de las Conchas through deep red sandstone laid down over millions of years and then lifted, tilted and eroded into fantastic shapes. The named formations come one after another: the Anfiteatro, a near-circular chamber of rock open to the sky where musicians often play to test the acoustics; the Garganta del Diablo, a deep narrow cleft you can walk into; the Obelisco, the Castillos and the Sapo, all wind-carved. Between them the strata glow rust, terracotta and violet, and the colours deepen late in the day. It is one of the finest drives in northern Argentina and is meant to be taken slowly, with many stops.

What you actually see

• El Anfiteatro - the natural rock chamber with startling acoustics.
• Garganta del Diablo - the narrow cleft you can walk up into the rock.
• The named formations - the Obelisco, Castillos, Sapo and other wind-cut shapes.
• The red strata - tilted sandstone layers glowing along the whole gorge.

When to go

April to November for dry weather and firm side tracks; summer storms cause flash flooding in the gorge and the road can close briefly. Late afternoon light on the drive north from Cafayate is the most spectacular, though it means arriving in Salta after dark.

Honest expectations

Everything is roadside, so this is a driving experience rather than a hiking one, and the walks at each stop are short. Tour buses cluster at the Anfiteatro and Garganta del Diablo around midday. There is little shade and summer heat in the gorge is intense.

Nearby

Cafayate lies at the southern end; Salta city is at the northern end of the drive.