Cafayate the Beautiful: Add to Your Itinerary NOW!
When it comes down to what to do in Cafayate, three categories of activities come to mind. And these three categories are absolutely wonderful in their own ways. The three best things to experience in Cafayate, hands down, are wine, nature, and food, in no particular order.
While Mendoza is known as Argentina’s wine region, Salta is held in high regard, and has some of the best white wine – Torrontés. The nature in Cafayate rivals that of the southwest United States, with bright red rocks, multi-shaded mountains, and gigantic cacti. Finally, the food in Cafayate and all of Salta is some of the best in Argentina—and that’s saying a lot!
Whatever you’re preferred travel style and hobbies are, we’ll go over it all!
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How to Get to Cafayate
How to Get to Cafayate by Car
We recommend renting a car in Salta and driving to Cafayate. This is so you can visit the Quebrada de las Conchas at your own pace and all of the wineries in the area without relying on a taxi or other transportation. If you’re going to Cachi afterwards, renting a car is a no-brainer.
How to Get to Cafayate by Bus
It’s possible to take the bus for $14 from Salta; you can book your tickets on the Flecha Bus website or in person. They’re the same price so we recommend booking online to reserve a spot in advance. If you buy a return ticket, it only costs $12 each way.
If Flecha bus is sold out, you can take El Indio, which leaves Salta for Cafayate at 7 am and leaves Cafayate for Salta at 8:50 am. This runs every day except Thursday. It’s not very organized and you can’t buy tickets in advance, but it works! El Indio also costs $14. These buses will make a stop for a bathroom break and food, and they also have bathrooms on board!
How to Get to Cafayate by Tour
Using Salta as a home base and taking a tour to Cafayate is a great option if you’re in a time crunch, don’t want to plan everything out, or simply prefer the benefits of having a local guide. We recommend booking this tour for a day trip from Salta.
If you want to cover multiple of Salta and Jujuy’s major attractions on multi-day trips, we recommend the following tours:
- Cafayate and Mountain of 14 Colors in 2 days
- Cafayate and Salinas Grandes in 2 days
- Cafayate and Cachi in 2 days
- Cafayate, Mountain of 14 Colors, and Salinas Grandes in 3 days
- Cafayate, Cachi and Salinas Grandes in 3 days
Cafayate’s Stunning Nature
Cafayate was one of the most beautiful places we’ve been on our never-ending travels. Even the bus ride from Salta was absolutely amazing. Cafayate is surrounded by towering mountains and scattered vineyards, which aren’t even the best part. The best nature activities to do in Cafayate are explore the Quebrada de las Conchas and do the Seven Waterfalls Hike.
Quebrada de las Conchas
The Quebrada de las Conchas is a natural reserve with a scenic route passing through it. You can do this as part of a tour, (like this one), or on your own with a moped, car, or if you’re up for it – bicycle! If you want to focus on hiking in the Quebrada de las Conchas, we recommend going as part of this tour.
There are various rock formations and lookout along this route, a small hike, and various places to stop for water, empanadas, and pictures with llamas! Our favorite stops were the Anfiteatro (Amphitheater), Mirador Tres Cruces (Three Crosses Lookout), Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat) and La Yesera, which involves a quick 30 minute to an hour hike. Check out Tienda de La Yesera for Llamas and Empanadas!
Other popular stops include Las Ventanas (The Windows) , El Barco (The Boat), Los Castillos (The Castles), El Obelisco (The Obelisk), El Sapo (The Frog), and El Fraile (The Friar).
While this isn’t in the Quebrado de las Conchas, Los Medanos are sand dunes that are a sight to see that you’ll pass heading to or from Quebrado de las Conchas! This is also a great place to watch the sunset.
We rented a moped with Vida Moto for $13 a day, but it was manual, so a bit harder to drive than an automatic. If you plan on renting a car, we recommend renting one in Salta and driving to Cafayate as there aren’t many rental opportunities in Cafayate.
The Seven Waterfalls del Rio Colorado Hike
Formally known as Las Cascadas del Rio Colorado, this hike involves mild rock climbing in search of small but beautiful waterfalls contrasting the tannish red rocks. There’s a bit of controversy over paying/not paying for this hike as a group of non-indigenous locals claim to be indigenous and demand payment for entering “their” lands. Four of the waterfalls are not super easy to get to so I think it’s worth hiring a legitimate guide. The whole hike takes around 3-4 hours. If you want to hire a guide you can contact Julio at +54 (0) 3868 15 63 8085.
Wineries in Cafayate
Torrontés, a white grape, is hugely popular in this region and is a interesting switch-up from Mendoza’s Malbecs. There are tons of wineries and tasting rooms in downtown Cafayate as well as the outskirts. There are a few quick tastings you can do downtown if you’re in a rush, or just want to try as much wine as possible! If you want to get around the wineries quickly, you can rent bikes at Rural Bike Cafayate. If you prefer going with a tour, check out this tour of two wineries and do a goat cheese tasting!
Wineries in Downtown Cafayate
Bodega Nanni has a cheap tasting and is super quick. Some people complain Bodega Nanni doesn’t tell you enough about their wines in their ~10 minute tasting. If you prefer in-depth tours and tastings, skip this!
Bodega El Tránsito is across the street from Bodega Nanni and has a cheap, quick tour AND tasting.
El Porvenir has tours at 11 am and 4 pm that need to be booked in advance, or tastings at 10 am, 12 pm, 3 pm and 5 pm.
Wineries 15-30 Minute Walks From Downtown Cafayate
Two great wineries just outside of town, but still within walking distance, are Vasija Secreta and El Esteco. Vasija Secreta has a free 20 min tour and tasting, and super cheap but high quality reserve wines. El Esteco requires a reservation and you can either do a $10 or $13 tasting. Both El Esteco and Vasija Secreta have super nice buildings!
Utama is a 30 minute walk outside of town and is unique and as local as it gets! This is a family-run winery with 100% natural wines and an art gallery with various pottery pieces! Make a reservation by contacting +5493868467552.
Wineries 1+ Hour Walks From Downtown Cafayate
Piatelli is a 1+ hour walk from downtown, so most people drive or take a taxi (called “Remis”). It is the most popular winery in Cafayate, and boasts delicious food, thus reservations are required. Call them at +54 261 405-8333 to make a reservation!
Finca las Nubes is another winery with amazing food, views, and of course, wine. The tour and tasting only costs $5 USD, and reservations are required, which you can make here.
Enjoying the Food in Cafayate
There are SO MANY food options in Cafayate proportionate to how small it is. In addition to the delicious meals you can get at wineries like Finca las Nubes and Piatelli, there are many other gems in Cafayate. Definitely make time to explore other restaurants, as we didn’t have time to visit them all! However, you can’t go wrong with our recommendations!
The Best Tasting in Cafayate…
First, we have to talk about the best tasting in Cafayate, and it’s not wine! Cafayate Goats has a goat cheese tasting for just $3 for five delicious cheeses and a glass of wine or water! Good cheese is hard to come by in Latin America, so don’t miss out! As an added bonus, there are loads of cute animals around here! If you want to play with the goats, avoid going during lunch time as that is when they are fed in the stables. Cafayate Goats is a ~30 minute walk from downtown, but most people drive.
Empanadas – Duh!
Obviously if you’re in Argentina, you NEED to try empanadas. But if you’ve been in Argentina awhile, you may be bored of the same 3-5 flavors that you can get at any old restaurant. La Casa de Empanadas in Cafayate smashes this stereotype. They have fun combinations of ingredients like goat and other cheeses, corn, zucchini, black olives, egg plant, and the stuffings even include ingredients doused in Torrontés wine! Make sure to try their Greek, Calchaquí, and Valley Vegetarian empanadas.
Phenomenal Main Courses
As I mentioned before, Salta has the best cuisine in Argentina. Cafayate showcases some of this amazing Salteña cuisine.
In addition to having an amazing 50s-style interior, Baco Resto Bar is a great place to try some regional cuisine. They have all sorts of stews, including the famous Locro, which is delicious. They also have rabbit, shrimp, and duck empanadas, which are unique and tasty! While most restaurants in Cafayate close in the afternoon and reopen at night, Baco stays open throughout the day.
Il Cavallino has an amazing goat stew, but be prepared to wait awhile for your food. The food is super cheap: you can get an empanada, main course, and dessert for $7. Like many restaurants in the area, they offer many of the local wines. If you didn’t already know, getting a bottle of wine in Argentina is not like getting a bottle of wine in the United States or Europe. It is much cheaper, and therefore more common!
Peña El Antigal should be on your radar while in Cafayate. Peña Fokloricos are restaurants that have live shows, involving bands singing gaucho (“cowboy”) songs and sometimes dancing. Oh, and I can’t forget the lots of wine and delicious food! Peña El Antigal is hit or miss. Sometimes they’ll have a crowd and the band is having the best time of their lives, and other times you hear crickets, even on a Saturday night. Definitely walk by here before deciding to go elsewhere, as going to a Peña is a bucket list item while in Salta.
Delicious Desserts!
Calcachitos is a Alfajores and wine vendor that has loads of different varieties of each. They even have wine-flavored Alfajores! They also have other small desserts and chocolates, also worth indulging in!
Heladería Miranda is the most unique ice cream shop you’ll ever visit. Keeping up with the theme of the region, they serve wine ice cream! It’s sounds crazy, and a little gross, but it’s actually delicious and perfect for a hot day. They have a Torrontés and a Malbec flavor – pick your poison!
Other Things to do in Cafayate
The Rodolfo Bravo Archaeological Museum houses pre-Colombian artifacts, and is definitely worth the quick visit!
The Museum of the Vine and Wine of Cafayate tells you about the history of the wine in this region and details the wine-making process.
The Cafayate Cathedral isn’t as impressive as the cathedrals in Salta, but still worth entering!
Best Time to Visit Cafayate
The best time to visit Cafayate is between April and November, when you’ll have the best weather for exploring the outdoors and enjoying wineries! Though it can be visited any time with generally pleasant weather year round, we recommend avoiding December and January, as those are the hottest and wettest months.
If you’re into fun cultural festivals, consider visiting in February during the “Serenade to Cafayate” (Serenata a Cafayate). This festival is a big event filled with folklore music, art, poetry, and wine. Read more about the festival here!
Where to Stay in Cafayate
For those renting a car, it makes sense to take advantage of it and stay just a little outside of town. You’ll have much more beautiful views and a super relaxing experience!
Where to Stay Around Cafayate
Greater Cafayate Accommodations
Where to Stay in Downtown Cafayate
Downtown Cafayate Accommodations
Keep Exploring the Salta Province…
Our Favorite Travel Resources
Accommodations: We use Booking.com for hotels and HostelWorld for hostels. We also use VRBO or TrustedHousesitters for longer stays.
Flights: We recommend using Skyscanner to find the cheapest and best flights.
Ground Transport: We use 12Go and Omio for buses and private transfers, and rentalcars.com and Discover Cars for rental cars.
Activities: GetYourGuide and Viator are the best websites for booking organized tours.
International Medical Insurance: We highly recommend SafetyWing for Digital Nomads and HeyMondo for those not traveling full-time, or who frequently engage in higher-risk adventure activities.
eSIM: We recommend Airalo or Holafly for getting data internationally.
Check out our Travel Resources Page for more of our favorite travel-related products and services!
