The 2,000m Climb of Cuesta del Obispo and a Taste of Payogasta
With less than a week remaining until my parents flew back to England, we still had a few key highlights to tick off. The last of our big, day-long road trips was a drive across the mountains to the tiny village of Payogasta. We’d decided to visit one of the vineyards Maria had recommended, having booked a tour for mid-afternoon.
It’s a fair drive from Salta: you first head south towards El Carril before turning west to begin a steep, 2,000-metre climb up the breathtaking Cuesta del Obispo. The road winds steadily up through a dramatic red-rock valley dotted with giant cacti.
As you climb higher, the red rocks give way to grey slate, the cacti vanish, and that characteristic high-altitude, scrubby yellow grass appears. Panoramic vistas open up over the valley below, letting you appreciate just how truly epic this road is.
It’s a popular route for tour operators, so we passed several minibuses packed with tourists, with locals selling handicrafts at almost every viewpoint along the way.
Near the top of the pass, we turned onto a small dirt track leading down into Valle Encantado (Enchanted Valley). Here, my parents and I set off for a walk while Lee opted to stay in the car to edit videos. We planned to hike a circular loop out to a viewpoint, but it soon became clear that the marked trails on our map bore very little resemblance to reality! Fortunately, the ground was dry and easy to walk on wherever we chose to step. I attempted to stick to the mapped trail with mixed success, but it didn't really matter—the weather was perfect for a walk, with a cooling breeze and warm sun providing ideal conditions for meandering through the yellow valley.
After an hour or so, we realised we wouldn't have time to complete the full loop. Spotting an actual waymarked trail branching off from a sheep track, we turned and made our way back to the car.
We quickly ate our packed lunch at a nearby picnic bench before heading back out onto the main highway. We had only an hour left to reach our tour in Payogasta — though, in true Argentine fashion, we probably could have arrived two hours late and no one would have minded! To ensure we made it on time, we drove past most of the roadside lookouts, planning to stop on the return journey instead.
We arrived at the vineyard right on schedule. Fortunately, my instinct had proved correct when I opted not to buy cheese from a roadside stall earlier: the winery certainly didn't have a card machine, and we were going to need every last peso of cash we had left!
Since the local police were actively breathalysing drivers in the region, Lee had valiantly volunteered to be designated driver. He waited in the car while the three of us headed inside. This was a small, family-run artisanal winery, and our tour was led by the owner's son. He was immensely passionate about his craft, and we got the distinct impression he was the driving force behind the entire operation.
He walked us out among the vines, explaining how they are pruned, watered, and maintained. Apparently, some vines can live for up to 100 years if properly cared for — though as they age, their grape yield drops, so commercial growers usually replace them after about 30 years. My dad was taking detailed notes on the pruning techniques for his own vines back home!
Back inside the main building, our host explained the winemaking process. He showed us the stainless-steel bins where the grapes are crushed and the large plastic tanks where the juice ferments. It was a charmingly low-tech operation: he explained how they use ice blocks to cool the fermenting juice and halt the process, as they don't own fancy temperature-controlled aluminium tanks.
We sampled several wines, all of which were fantastic. Our absolute favourite was the white made from the Torrontés grape — a variety grown almost exclusively in Argentina. I couldn't believe we’d spent so long in the country without trying it! I usually find white wine a bit hit-or-miss and tend to stick to reds, but this Torrontés was something else entirely: not overly sweet, not vinegary, but beautifully balanced with incredible depth. It was truly delicious. We were even happier when he knocked a bit off the bottle price so we could buy one to take away, officially clearing out the very last of our cash!
With the tour wrapped up, we began our journey back to Salta. We stopped off at a spice shop to pick up some of the local paprika that Maria had cooked with and recommended we buy in this area. The region is famous for spice production, and the large shop featured an enormous central table piled high with all kinds of dried herbs and spices, alongside llama salami, local cheeses, wines, and souvenirs. Everything was remarkably well-priced, so we picked up several bags of the local ground red pepper.
There were several great stops along the drive back. First was Los Cardones National Park, where thousands of ancient, towering cardón cacti dominate the landscape in waves. We stopped at a short interpretive walking trail to get a closer look at them up close.
Next, we climbed back towards the top of the pass, stopping at Piedra de Molino. This historic milling stone marks the highest point of the pass alongside a tiny chapel, offering sweeping views across the mountains.
From there, we wound our way back down towards Salta, arriving home after dark.
For the remaining three days of my parents' visit, we mostly relaxed around the house. We tried going for a hike about an hour away, but the entire gorge had been closed off to visitors. On the way back, we tried finding a trail around the reservoir, but that turned out to be a bit of a disaster: the shoreline was covered in litter, and the small track we followed eventually crossed onto private property guarded by an aggressive dog, forcing us to turn back.
While the hike was a bust, our dinner that evening was anything but! We headed to an Arabic restaurant called Dubai, which boasted an incredible selection of vegetarian options. It was so good that we ended up returning on our final night. In fact, Lee’s kebab was so massive he was still eating leftovers for three days afterwards!
After dinner, we went to experience a local peña — a traditional restaurant featuring live folk music and regional food. We enjoyed a bottle of wine while waiting for the performance to start, but being Argentina, it was 11:00 pm and the show still hadn't really kicked off, so we decided to head home before it truly got underway.
On our final day with the hire car, we drove into the city to pick up a new battery and air filter for Ruby. We were extremely fortunate to find an air filter that fit inside my custom intake housing, making it a quick five-minute job to swap out the filthy, dust-clogged filter from our desert crossing. With the new battery installed as well, Ruby was mechanically ready for the road again.
I took advantage of having unlimited running water and proper kitchen space to make a batch of marmalade for our upcoming drives, while the washing machine ran constantly. Sorting through clothes, food supplies, and tools got underway in earnest.
That evening, Mum cooked us a feast: she had brought an Iranian cookbook with her, and over the course of the week, we had managed to source most of the specialty ingredients required. An entire roasted cauliflower with a vibrant side salad was on the menu. She had spent practically all day in the kitchen preparing marinades, dips, and toppings, and it was a spectacular meal.
After another day spent packing and preparing, the trip drew to a close. We headed out for one last meal at Dubai, which felt like the perfect way to wrap up their holiday. The next morning would be all about logistics — flight check-ins, returning the hire car, and saying goodbye. We thoroughly enjoyed our final evening together over two delicious bottles of wine and a fantastic dinner to match.
Comments