As usual, an early morning start to go to Cachi. From Salta it's a 4-5 hour drive with a couple of brief photo stops.
We pass through the Valle de Lerma first where the minerals in the soil create a rainbow of colours through the hills.
And pitstop at the only cafe on route for the last bathroom break before lunch.
The road that snakes up through the Quebrada to ---- metres above sea level is ripio, or gravel and the curves must be taken with care.
After the highpoint,we pass into the parque de cardones, a National Park to protect the cacti, some of which are 500 years old.
To show how this paisaje is so like the American Wild West, imagine it in sepia tone.
There is a brief stop in the National Park to purchase spices and locally produced jams from the people
Then we hit the mythical Ruta 40, the road that travels 5000km along the spine of the Andes from the Bolivian Border to the tip of South America in Tierra del Fuego before finally arriving in the remote village of Cachi
Cachi is a tiny place surrounded by mountains at ---above sea level. The people are lovely with simple lives that can induce a strong wake-up call in some Westerners who visit - It can be like travelling back in time a couple of centuries.
We leave Cachi and return to Payogasta for lunch at our favourite hotel,the Sala de Payogasta. The view from the rooms is heavenly and there is the option to stay overnight, maybe hike the next day and continue on to Cafayate a day or two later.
The outdoor parilla serves delicious grilled local kid- the four-legged kind and homemade goat cheese.
The change in the landscape is very noticeable when we come back down into the valley from the puna.
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