Valle Encantado: Salta Travel Guide (4.8★)

A detour above the switchbacks

Valle Encantado sits at the top of a very long climb. RP33 leaves the green tobacco country around Chicoana, follows the river up the Quebrada de Escoipe, then zigzags up the Cuesta del Obispo in a stack of hairpins. Near the top, a signposted dirt track drops off the paved road into a quieter fold of the hills.

That fold is the “enchanted valley”. It’s open high ground at around 3,000 metres, with rock outcrops worn into odd shapes, patches of grass and a sky that seems close. Most traffic on RP33 drives straight past it on the way to Piedra del Molino and Cachi. That’s a big part of why it’s worth turning off.

What the valley looks like

The landscape is mostly rock and space. Outcrops of reddish and ochre stone rise from the valley floor, eroded into forms people like to read as faces and animals. Between them you’ll find tough high-Andean grasses, low shrubs and, after the rains, standing water and soft green ground.

The pull here is the scale, not any single sight. It’s quiet apart from the wind, and you can walk out among the rocks in any direction. Guanacos and condors live in this part of the province, so it’s worth scanning the ridgelines, but sightings are never guaranteed.

Getting up RP33

You’ll need a car, a tour or a remise. Nothing here runs to a timetable you can rely on. From Salta city the route goes like this:

• South through Cerrillos and El Carril to Chicoana
• West into the Quebrada de Escoipe
• Up the Cuesta del Obispo switchbacks
• Turn off at the Valle Encantado sign near the top of the climb

Allow roughly two hours from Salta, more if clouds sit on the Cuesta. The side track is unpaved, and an ordinary car manages it in dry weather if you go slowly. After heavy rain, ask in Chicoana or at your hotel before trying it.

Turning off the paved road

There’s no ticket booth or visitor centre to tell you what to do, so the etiquette is yours to keep. These are the habits that matter here:

• Park well off the track. Pull fully onto firm ground so other cars and the occasional local vehicle can pass.
• Walk, don’t drive, onto the grass. Wet valley floors scar easily, and tyre ruts last for years at this altitude.
• Leave the rocks as they are. Don’t build cairns and don’t climb fragile formations.
• Take every scrap of rubbish out with you. There are no bins you can count on.
• Go slowly at altitude. Many Salteños chew coca leaves (coqueo) or drink mate de coca for the height. Leaves are sold legally in shops and markets in Salta city.

If a driver or guide passes the mate round, the custom is to drink the whole gourd and hand it back to the person who served it. Say “gracias” only when you’ve had enough, because it means you’re finished.

When the valley is at its best

The dry season, roughly April to November, gives you the clearest skies and firm tracks. Winter mornings are very cold up here, so pack a proper layer even when Salta city feels mild. The light on the red rock is softest in the early morning and late afternoon.

Summer, December to March, is the rainy season. Clouds often fill the Cuesta del Obispo, and afternoon storms can turn the dirt track to mud. The upside is greener ground and more water in the valley. Try to get up in the morning, before the weather builds.

Linking it with Piedra del Molino and Cachi

Valle Encantado fits neatly into the classic Salta–Cachi drive. A few minutes further up RP33 is Piedra del Molino, the pass at about 3,348 metres. It has a small chapel and an old millstone that gives the place its name.

Beyond the pass, the road crosses into Parque Nacional Los Cardones. The Recta del Tin Tin runs dead straight through forests of giant candelabra cacti. The road then drops to Cachi, a whitewashed Calchaquí Valley town with a plaza and church worth an unhurried hour.

If you’re coming back the same day, stop in the valley on the way up. Your energy is higher, and the light on the return is unpredictable.