The Quebrada de las Conchas lies in the Calchaquí Valley, a valley famous for its remarkable red rock formations and stunning landscapes, and runs for 50 kilometres along Ruta 68. It’s perfect road trip material!
However since I didn’t have a car, road tripping was quickly ruled out. My two other options for exploring the Quebrada were by tour or by bike.
Note: if you want to explore by car, your best bet is to rent a car in Salta. I haven’t seen a single car rental here in Cafayate.
You might have picked up from my previous blog posts that I’m not a huge fan of tours, particularly day ones. I feel they are too rushed so I wasn’t going to do a tour if I could help it.
That left hiring a bike for the day and cycling 50km which I was really keen to do! A biking adventure!
I wasn’t however so keen on cycling it alone, but once again solo travel proved that rarely do I have to do things alone. I met a Dutch girl at the bus station, and after going to our different hostels, we bumped into each other later and decided to team up for the cycle.
Where to rent bikes from
There are multiple bike rentals and agencies in and around the main plaza where you can get bikes. A lot of hostels also have bikes too. I’d read a few blogs recommending getting bikes from an agency over a hostel (flat tyre and poor brake experiences).
With that in mind, we rented bikes for the whole day for $700ARG (£13 approx) from one of the agencies in the main plaza.
The next morning when I went to my bike I found it already with a flat tyre! What a wonderful start! Thankfully my hostel had bikes too and saved the day; I was able to take one of theirs.
They even gave me a small kit for punctures which the agency hadn’t and didn’t even seem bothered about when I asked about flat tyre scenarios.
In my case I had a positive bike experience with my hostel and a more negative one with the actual bike rental agency (they did give me my money back!). It’s hard to really know where to go. My friend’s bike from the agency was fine. I think you do just get lucky with the bikes!
Getting to the start point, La Garganta Del Diablo
On a bike, you’ll be looking at starting at the Garganta del Diablo which is 50km from Cafayate. You, in theory, could cycle both ways but I would seriously question your sanity!
The most recommended way and what we did is to take the Flecha Bus going to Salta and hop off at the Garganta del Diablo. You put your bikes in the luggage hold under the bus.
When we got to the bus, there was one other couple doing the same as us. With four bikes to put in the hold and as mine was last, the guy took the front wheel off mine!
I wasn’t sure how to react. All I could think about was how was I going to put the wheel back on!! I could just picture myself stranded at the start point with a one wheeled bike.
Luckily my friend has a road bike back in the Netherlands and seemed pretty confident about putting the wheel back on. I was really counting on her!
There’s a bus at 8.30am or 10.30am.It’s a long day of cycling, I’d recommend starting early and getting the 8.30am one as it really gets hot!! Tickets to the start point cost $85ARG, plus $25ARG for the guy putting your bike in the luggage hold. The ride takes around 45mins.
Cycling the Quebrada de las Conchas
We got dropped off at the Garganta del Diablo at 9.20ish, me with a wheel and bike in hand. Renske made quick work of putting the wheel back on and I was good to go. It was then her bike’s turn to halt our progress.
The front wheel had locked and she had to do something to the brakes to get the wheel moving again. Since we’d had bike problems at the start, I was really hoping it meant we had a smooth cycle to come!
After a short climb in the Garganta del Diablo, we set off on the bikes stopping off on the way at El Anfiteatro, another cool rock formation that you can walk inside.
Next up was the Tres Cruces viewpoint for some fab panoramic views!
Then came El Sapo, the frog rock formation which I really could see!
Shortly after was the El Fraile rock formation across the river which was meant to look like a friar. I honestly couldn’t see this one at all and skipped the photo!
We then reached La Yesera where we decided to do the half an hour walk to the Los Estratos viewpoint. We almost didn’t but I’m so glad we did. The views were great and we got closer to coloured rocks!
At this point we were into the second half of the cycle and had several more rock formations to see before the final stretch of road back to Cafayate. We still had a while to go!
Over a short stretch of road, we saw El Obelisco, Las Ventanas and Los Castillos. All were pretty cool! Personally I would have named El Oblesico rock formation the sorting hat – I got serious Harry Potter vibes from it!
After Los Castillos we stopped once more at Los Colorados viewpoint. The views and scenery were great, although at this point I was getting pretty tired and was mainly thinking about getting back to Cafayate.
We got back to Cafayate at 4.45pm, just over 6 hours after we’d started cycling. It was a long day; the final 5km felt like forever and my bum was really feeling it from the saddle. It felt so good to lie in a hammock back in the hostel!
Final thoughts
I had a great day cycling the Quebrada de las Conchas. The weather was good with light cloud providing nice cover from the sun throughout the day. The cycle itself was long, mostly downhill or flat with a couple of slow and tough uphills.
I do really recommend as it’s a great physical achievement and and a really nice way to do it in your own time. I loved having the freedom to stop where and whenever we fancied.
I was sweaty, dirty, hot, tired and sore but I felt really accomplished! The shower and the wine afterwards was wonderful. I also honestly have no idea how my sister cycled 100 miles – you’re incredible Em!
If you’re in Cafayate, don’t miss the Quebrada de las Conchas! By bike, by car, by tour, the landscapes are worth it!
