A 48-hour Road Trip around Valles Calchaquíes in Tucumán
The route is filled to the brim with shades of green, mountains, and amazing panoramic views. A road trip that has it all: the Tucuman’s wine route, Quilmes ruins, and the Ampimpa Astronomical Observatory.
The car and Argentina duet is back to go on doubling down on an iconic route that takes you to the heart of Tucumán. The province that saw the birth of Argentina’s Independence is also home to mountainous landscapes, green valleys, and magical spots steeped in history. The oenology factor is added to this formula, typical of the country with the End of the World. With these ingredients, we’ve got enough to be inspired and draw a strategic route on the map for two days of a road trip with sheer nature, culture, and enjoyment.
1. Tucuman’s Wine Route
This is a must when it comes to making a tour around the northwest of the country. The charms of local grapes can be delighted in several provinces, and Tucumán can’t be left behind. The Malbec and Torrontés vines conquer everyone’s palates along 100 kilometres in the Valles Calchaquí area, with altitudes from 1,750 to 3,000 metres above sea level. The iconic Route 40 joins Route 307 in a route tinged with vineyards, wineries, and local and industrial producers who are devoted to working with one of the most coveted fruits in the country. The end results are tastings that pair perfectly with local cuisine. Moreover, Tucumán is home to the only winery in Argentina (and third in the world) managed and directed by an indigenous community: Los Amaichas Winery.
2. Ciudad Sagrada de Quilmes
On Route 40 (and before the detour to Route 307), there is an archaeological gem of 30 hectares: the remains of the Ciudad Sagrada de Quilmes, the largest pre-Columbian settlement in Argentina. Who were the Quilmes? An indigenous settlement, more precisely, the last bastion of the original peoples’ resistance against the Spanish advance. Among the typical local vegetation and giant cactuses, paths, residential reconstructions, and even a stone-wall fortress account for the development that the town had reached at that time. A walk through the Interpretation Centre is also worth it, since it has four rooms illustrating the town’s customs and it keeps treasures of high historical value, with audiovisual projections, models, and objects of the Quilmes culture.
3. Ampimpa Astronomical Observatory
The last stop on the circuit along Provincial Route 307 lands at an astronomical marvel. Argentina, in addition to good wine and amazing landscapes, also offers some of the clearest skies in the world, allowing visitors to gaze at a night canopy of stars. At 11 kilometres from Amaicha del Valle (another worthwhile stop), there’s a parallel world connecting the sky and the Earth, making it possible to observe the stars from another angle with first-class telescopes. In fact, the door of the observatory welcomes worldwide tourists with a sign that reads: “A window to the universe.”
Declared a site of touristic interest by the Argentinian Ministry of Tourism and Sports, and of educational interest by the Argentinian Ministry of Education, Ampimpa enables the possibility of witnessing lunar eclipses, meteor showers, and all kinds of astronomical phenomena present in the sky.