EXPERIENCES

Quebrada de las Conchas (Shell Ravine) is a magical place where the wind and the water have carved, after many centuries, very curious forms. We will see its very diverse geological formation and incredible landscapes. Departure by car from Cafayate towards the Quebrada de las Conchas; during the journey we will stop to contemplate the most relevant forms of the rock, such as the Garganta del Diablo, El Anfiteatro, El Obelisco, El Sapo, Los Castillos and others. Then the trek is about an hour –moderate difficulty. On the way back to Cafayate we will make a last stop to take a short walk to the Calchaquí River.

Early departure towards the town of Jesús María along National Route Nº 9 which nowadays coincides with the ancient route of the ‘Camino Real al Alto Perú’, visiting: Jesus Maria’s National Jesuit Museum, ranch purchased by the Jesuits in 1618. Anfiteatro de Doma y Folklore: the place where every January the ‘Festival Nacional de Doma y Folklore’ is held. Colonia Caroya: Town of Italian immigrants, famous for the production of sausages, canned food and confectionary. Caroya House: The place where the first factory of weapons (knives) in the country was established in 1815 and hosted guests as Gral. Belgrano and Gral. San Martín. Currently, it hosts a museum of handicrafts and colonization objects. Then, the Church and Jesuit Ranch Santa Catalina are visited. 15 kms to the South there is the town of Ascochinga, slightly undulating area with excessive vegetation. Visit to Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Chapel, heading the south we get to the ‘Granja’ where many German style villas can be found. 7 kms to the south we get to Agua de Oro, where a road takes us to the famous Candonga Chapel. It belonged to the Jesuits and dates back to 1730. The ‘Virgen Del Rosario’ is worshiped in its altar and it was decorated by the indigenous, it is a National Historic Monument. Finally, the tourist towns of Manzano, Salsipuedes and Río Ceballos will be visited from where you will return to Córdoba city.

This full day excursion in the steppe zone aims at all people who enjoy outdoor activities and adventure, ready to discover new places. The tour includes approximately 3 hours walking on discontinuous ground where wind and water were responsible for uncovering this place, which remained hidden for millions of years. Departure from El Calafate by Route 40, where we can see Argentino Lake, Santa Cruz and La Leona Rivers, a panoramic view of the majestic Andes mountains and Fitz Roy Mount. We will stop for about 15 minutes in La Leona hotel (historical site) and continue traveling along the southern shore of Viedma Lake to reach Cerro Los Hornos slopes (Estancia Santa Teresita). We will look for the first time the great depression of the land where the petrified logs are situated and will start our trekking exploration of fossils, which lasts about 3 hours, including the time for lunch. Throughout the walk we will see lots of petrified logs lying on the surface, some with a 1.2 meters diameter, testimony that during ancient times the climate was very different from today and allowed the existence of a full forest. There have also been uncovered fossils of different types of dinosaurs. This land is sheltered from the wind because it is a natural depression in the ground. This steppe area, therefore, is very dry and weather conditions are generally very nice. After the walk, we begin the journey back to El Calafate on the same path with another stop at La Leona hotel.