We stayed at Altalaluna, a wonderful boutique hotel just outside of Tolombon, 14km from Cafayate. We watched the moon rise across the road from our hotel.
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We had been warned that Argentina would be a difficult travel destination for vegetarians – it’s the home of the steak after all. After spending two months in Buenos Aires though we didn’t see what the problem was – we ate at lots of amazing vegetarian restaurants and wrote about the top 10 foods we enjoyed that weren’t steak.
Buenos Aires, however, is not the rest of Argentina. After leaving the capital we travelled to Puerto Iguazú before spending a few months in the Salta region in the northwest. After a week of road tripping around the area we were desperate for our own kitchen. Every day we were forced to eat a diet of medialunas, empanadas and either pizza or pasta for dinner. Worst of all, unlike in the capital, the pasta wasn’t even any good. We craved healthy food after consisting on this stodgy diet. Renting an apartment in Salta was wonderful as we were finally able to take advantage of the excellent vegetable market and cook our own meals.
That said, the vegetarian eating options in Argentina are much better than in neighbouring Paraguay. You’ll survive here, as we always do, and if you are lucky enjoy some meals along the way. Here’s what you are likely to be eating:
The Quilmes Ruins are about an hour’s drive from Cafayate. When you climb up the hill of this pre-Incan citadel you will find astonishing views of the cacti fields stretching on for miles.
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We rejoin our heroes and their noble beast as they are preparing to leave the wind-swept plains of Cachi. If you haven’t yet experienced the first part of this thrilling theme park ride of a road trip, you can catch up with our travels around the Valles Calchaquíes to Cafayate, Quilmes and Cachi in Part 1.
The Silver Stag continued on, eating up the miles along strips of desert highway laid down through armies of cacti tens of thousands strong, before eventually reaching the edge of La Cuesta del Obispo.
We turned away from the flat plains and suddenly ominous grey rocks rose up either side of the road, leading our metallic stead and its resolute passengers down the only path that this mighty range had deemed suitable for man and his machine.
We passed these stunning rocky mountains on our drive from Salta to Cafayate. It’s an amazing drive through the gorge – you want to stop every minute to take photos.
View more of our Argentina photos and read about our experiences.