Classic Wine Route

We head south through the tobacco fields of the Valle de Lerma, and take the winding mountain road up the Cuesta del Obispo, rising to a peak of 3,500m to cross into the Parque Nacional de Los Cardones, where candelabra cacti pepper the landscape as far as the eye can see. We will visit the picturesque towns of Payogasta and Cachi, and may also make a trip to see rarely-visited Inca ruins at Potrero. In Cachi, as in most small towns of the Andean northwest, you'll see typical buildings of adobe and cactus wood, including the beautifully preserved church: this is also our first chance to visit a boutique vineyard.

We continue our trip south through Salta's Argentine wine country via the historic town of Molinos, home of the last ever Spanish Royalist governor, and the picturesque villages of Seclantas and Angastaco: all set in outstanding and constantly-changing scenery. The Quebrada de las Flechas is a breath-taking lunar landscape. I hope we can find time to visit the wine resort of Colomé, which boasts the highest altitude vineyards in the world, and an excellent museum dedicated to the Californian artist James Turrell.

We arrive in Cafayate, the hub of Salta's wine region, and home to some of the best boutique vineyards in the New World. We will take you to family wineries where you can try Argentina's classic Malbec, Salta province's trademark white Torrontes (even in a sparkling version), and some more unusual varieties you may not have tried before. And don’t miss the delicious wine ice cream!

Just south of Cafayate, at the pre-Inca ruins of Quilmes, you’ll discover the extraordinary story of this Diaguita tribe who lived an independent life for centuries, until the Spanish invaders cruelly broke their resistance. Nearby, at Amaicha del Valle, is one of the most impressive museums in Argentina, a work of art in itself: Pachamama Museum, dedicated to the pre-Hispanic indigenous culture.

We return to Salta via the stunning ochre landscape of the Quebrada de las Conchas, a former river bed thought to be 60 million years old. It's not hard to imagine dinosaurs stalking this prehistoric-looking landscape.