Our next stop coming from the east is Salta. This city offers all the supplies you need as a traveler. For us it’s time to stock up on supplies and do a little sightseeing – although nothing in particular stood out in Salta – before we set off to explore the next beautiful landscape. In Salta, however, we meet up with travel friends with whom we want to drive the famous Ruta 68.

Ruta 68 south of Salta

We take national road 68 south of Salta, as this is also described by the tourist office as an exceptionally beautiful scenic route. We curve along the highway at an appropriate speed and soon enter a valley that gets narrower and narrower. The rock faces to the left and right are characterized by red stone throughout. Connoisseurs would say that this is like Utah in America. The specialists, on the other hand, deny this and say it is Arizona. Be that as it may, we enjoy the scenery and get to enjoy the impressive North American landscape, just in the south of South America.

Many stops, almost too many that it’s not even worth starting the engine in between, bring us closer to the red rock formations. We start with the Garganta del Diablo, the Devil’s Throat. An impressive opening in the canyon wall, which appears hundreds of meters high and endless at the back. Just a few kilometers further on, we visit a natural Anfiteatro, a bulge in the canyon wall that reflects the sound from every corner back to its source almost perfectly, like an amphitheater. During our visit, a local plays his panpipe in the Anfiteatro, allowing us to enjoy the incredible acoustics of the place.
We then come to a magnificent viewpoint called Tres Cruces, the three crosses. From here we have a view of the valley, which has now opened up a little. The river always seems to have some water in it, so we have a beautiful contrast between the blue sky, red rocks and green vegetation along the course of the river. Wonderful!
After months at altitude and therefore often rather stony and barren surroundings, we are really happy about the lush greenery.

We find a spot for the night in the middle of this unique landscape, a little off the road and right on the riverbank. We do a quick weather check so that we are not surprised by a river tsunami – but then we enjoy sleeping in the middle of nature.

Finally, we visit three more special rock formations, Los Stratos – the layers, Los Castillos – the castles, and Los Colorados – the colored ones. The rock formations are accessible on short walks. This brings us into direct contact with this unique nature. We are surprised to find such unique landscapes in Argentina. Sometimes we feel a bit like we are in the Grand Canyon, even though we have never been there ourselves.

After this tour, we make a short lunch stop in Cafayate. A well-kept place in the middle of inhospitable nature and surprisingly touristy. This gives us a boost for the rest of our journey through the northern part of Argentina.