A gem in the mountains: Tilcara

Salta, along the main square

Salta 'la linda' – 'the beautiful' – was only a stop on the way, a means to break up bus rides into smaller increments. We wondered, afterwards, if it had been worth it to exchange serene, relaxed Cafayate with its wonderful hostel for what now seemed a small price to pay. The beauty of Salta – its well preserved colonial buildings – remained at least in part hidden for us behind bustling crowds, noisy traffic and Salta's own 'Black Friday', with advertisements booming out over the whole centre of town through massive loudspeakers. The hostel we found was nice, however, its beautiful courtyard with roses, a big avocado tree and a plum tree heavy with almost-ripe fruit inviting to just sit and enjoy.

We boarded the bus to the little town of Tilcara, about 3 1/2 hours away, in the middle of the afternoon on Friday, our clothes clinging to our bodies in the 30+ degrees Celsius. The buses, this year, have been well climatized so far, not too hot and not too cold, nothing like the 'open-window air condition' we experienced on the trip through the Paraguayan chaco last year.

The road soon started to climb through lush forests where they eyes could feast on all shades of green. Clouds, threatening rain all morning in Salta, drew ever closer together, however, and the windows were fogged with mist that turned to light rain. After a while it became so foggy that it was impossible to see anything to the left or right of the road, and still we climbed higher and higher. Was this the kind of weather that expected us in Tilcara, a small mountain town where we were hoping to hike? Our hearts sank. 

Eventually, however, the sky brightened again, the clouds lifted, and here and there even a hint of blue showed. The landscape had once again changed: the forest had disappeared, fields turned to pasture with sheep and a few cattle, and colourful rocks rose to both sides of the narrow valley. We arrived at Tilcara shortly after seven, entering on a dusty, unpaved road that seemed to contradict what we had read about the town: charming, it had said, an interesting mix of native community and art scene. This first impression was definitely not very encouraging. One can't forget, however, that bus stations are not usually the most representative part of a town, and as soon as we headed towards the centre the picture changed. 

The hostel we had tentatively decided on was full, and the hostel owner sent us on to another one around the corner. Here, we were welcomed by friendly Ricardo, the manager, who had a very adequate room with private bathroom for us in one of the thick-walled, ochre adobe buildings. The large, treed courtyard looked very inviting, too, as did the separate building with the communal kitchen where we would be served breakfast the next morning. Soon we decided to stay two nights: with the weather improved we could look forward to a nice hike the next day. 

We awoke to sunshine yesterday morning, but it was much cooler than it had been in the last little while: at 2,400m Tilcara is situated in the 'pre-Andes' mountains. Around nine-thirty we shouldered our day pack and started climbing the road behind the hostel, soon reaching the outskirts of town. Already the view was spectacular: Tilcara is nestled in a valley surrounded by coloured rocks dramatically set off against massive, rugged mountains. The vegetation is sparse where no water is readily available, which was most of the way up towards our destination, the 'Garganta del Diablo' (yes, another one; it seems the devil has many throats). Soon after we left the last buildings behind a rocky path veered off the narrow dirt road still accessible by car. Slowly making our way up the switchbacks we gained better and better views of the valley below. Cacti – especially the 'cardones' which must be closely related to the saguaros we knew from Arizona – lined the path, many of them full of buds, a few with beautiful white blossoms already fully opened. 

After a one-and-a-half hour hike on the winding foot path we reached a little hut. A sign beside it told us we had arrived at the entrance to the 'Garganta del Diablo'. For 10 pesos each we received a pamphlet with some information about the place and gained the right to descend into the depths. An even narrower, steep path led down to the creek whose waters were directed into a narrow channel a little bit downstream likely to be used to generate electricity for the town. 

We walked upstream through a narrowing canyon, the path crossing the shallow water from time to time. Here, a different variety of plants were growing along the water's edge, with soft leaves and no thorns, among others a kind of lupine, while the walls were covered with succulents like in the photo above. After a while the water showed algae growth – strange. When I stuck my hand in I was not surprised to find the water relatively warm. Swallows were darting back and forth, and a big hummingbird hunted for insects, its flight pattern familiar yet not even approaching a plant once. After maybe fifteen minutes we reached the little waterfall that poured down into the canyon. 

The Garganta del Diablo itself was hard to see (and even more difficult to photograph) even after we climbed down a short ladder at the point where the water was directed into the channel. A narrow path led to a couple of view points, but the hole was so deep and the walls so twisted that we couldn't see all the way to the bottom. Yet it was impressive, as was the view out towards the valley through the rock walls. 

 The way back took a lot less time, as always when on a downhill path, all the while with the panoramic view of the valley.

This morning we walked to the (re-built) fort of Pucara at the edge of town, a pre-Hispanic settlement that had its most important period between about 1,000 and 1,400 A.D.

Soon it will be time to shoulder our backpacks again and head for the bus station: the bus to La Quiaca right next to the Bolivian border leaves in 45 minutes. This time the ride is short, only about two hours, and we have almost reached the end of our travels in Argentina. Tomorrow we will cross into Bolivia.