Cafayate

Cafayate-Land of Unique Wines *

Overview

Cafayate, one of our favorite places not only in Argentina but all of South America.  If you like wine, great weather, red meat (and all types of other delicious food), wine, friendly people, beautiful surrounding areas, and more wine, then chances are you’ll be a fan of Cafayate, too.  Many travelers take day trips or tours from Salta to Cafayate and through the surrounding area known as the Quebrada de Cafayate.  While this is a good option if you’re really short on time, I HIGHLY recommend either taking the bus or renting a car and staying in Cafayate for a while.  It’s definitely worth at least a few days.

Getting There/Arriving

Bus- Cafayate is only a 3.5-4 bus ride from Salta, and it’s a beautiful ride through the Quebrada de Cafayate.  The bus station is right in the middle of town, only a few blocks off the main plaza.  Cost is only about $7US.

Car Rental- You can rent a car and drive from Salta if you’re interested in driving yourself.  It would be a great road trip to drive from Salta to Cafayate and then make a loop back to Salta.  In hindsight, I wish we would have given this option more thought as the area is simply gorgeous.

Getting Around

Your Feet- You really only need what God gave you as Cafayate is the perfect town for wandering.  It’s very small, and the entire town can be covered on foot.  I’m not sure I even saw a taxi while there.

Bicycle- Another great option, and one that most locals take advantage of, is bicycles.  They can be rented all over town, particularly right around the plaza.  One of our favorite parts of visiting Cafayate was renting bikes and riding to the various wineries in and around town.  It may sound dangerous, but you won’t care!

Tours- There are various tours that can be booked for visiting the Quebrada de Cafayate and other surrounding areas.  Most are done by large jeep or small bus, and it’s a great day trip.

Where to Stay

As stated, the town is really small, so there’s no one area that has a large number of hostels and hotels.  Turning up and wandering is certainly possible here.  There are a wide variety of accommodations for a variety of prices, so do your homework and check out various places.  Some even have a pool, which was very welcome with the nice weather.  Nothing like a day of wine drinking then some unwinding at the pool, with more wine that you bought from the wineries.

Where we stayed- We stayed in a few different places while in Cafayate.  Typically when we switched accommodations in the same city, it was because we didn’t like where we were staying.  That was not the case here as we enjoyed both places immensely.  The second place had a pool, and that was the sole reason we moved.

Hostel Ruta 40- This was a great place to stay in Cafayate and carried the vibe of the town with it, meaning laid back and chill.  There is a very nice courtyard just beyond the kitchen, complete with bar and plenty of tables, seating, and free space.  A wonderful place to cook yourself some lunch or dinner to save a few bucks and just hang out and meet people.  A private double, with private bath, is $19, breakfast included.  Rooms were simple but very clean, and some had some great views.  Located just a half block off the square.

El Hospedaje- Located a block off the square in the opposite direction of Hostel Ruta 40, El Hospedaje was a great place with rooms that opened to courtyards, plus a very nice pool.  The owners were very nice, and breakfast was also included here.  Price was only $25US as well, making this place a steal.  Our room was pretty small and dark, but it was very clean and nice enough.

Food and Drink

You may get sick of hearing about the great food and wine in certain parts of Argentina, and if so, I apologize.  But once you make a visit here (provided you’re not vegetarian, a recovering alcoholic, or don’t drink–which in that case, I’m not sure you’d be frequenting this site anyway), you’ll understand why.  Keeping with my love of the lomito (see the Salta page or Eating your Way Around Argentina post for an explanation), I ate several more while here, but we also had quite possibly our best dish in all of Argentina while in Cafayate.  Add in the awesome, unique, and cheap wine, and the chocolate, my God, the chocolate, and you have all the makings of multiple foodgasms.

Food

Resto Bar Baco- We ate here our last day in Cafayate, and we had one of our most favorite dishes in Argentina while here.  For real, we still talk about the gnocchi in a creamy mushroom sauce to this day, nearly two years later.  Megan was lucky enough to order the gnocchi, and it was so good that I honestly can’t remember what I had to eat.  And what would an Argentine meal be without wine?  Well, it would just be lunch in some other country.  They served many of the local wines, and they were all pretty cheap, another massive plus to this country.

La Casa de las Empanadas- Translation:  House of Empanadas.  While empanadas are everywhere in S. America, they differ from country to country, and we found Argentina’s to be the best, mainly because they’re baked.  I obviously have nothing against fried foods, but baked empanadas are simply better, in my opinion, and this place had all different types for a super cheap price.  The interior was very cool and funky, the atmosphere was fun, and it was a great place to order a few here and there while drinking wine.  A fun, cheap place for a meal.

Plaza San Martin- This plaza is in the center of town and always active.  It’s surrounded by tour offices and restaurants.  While we had better luck in the surrounding blocks, we did have a few decent meals here.  The ambiance couldn’t be better, even while sitting outside as a thunderstorm rolled through (during our first “expensive” meal of the trip, but they did a great job accommodating everyone).    We also ate lunch at another restaurant on the plaza and had lomitos, which were good, but nothing to write home about.  Honestly, I would steer clear of plaza restaurants (unless you have the funds to eat at one of the more upscale places) and check out the surrounding areas instead.

Chocolate- There are some incredible chocolate shops around town if you’re a choco-holic like we are.  Very tasty truffles of all kinds that go perfect with all the wine you just bought.  Don’t forget to try to the creme brulee truffles.  Mmmmmm, my mouth is watering just thinking of them.

Grocery Stores- There are several grocery stores, and many hostels in Cafayate have kitchens, so if you want to save a few bucks on food, this is the way to go.  They are fairly priced and have a good variety of food, including some great smoked meats and good cheeses.

Things to Do

Winery tours are tops on the list for most travelers to Cafayate, and riding a bike around from one to the other gives you a great chance to explore the town.  There are a few museums in town if that’s your thing, including the a wine museum, which gives a history of wine and the equipment used.  If you’re looking to get out of town, the surrounding area is absolutely stunning, and a trip to explore it is highly recommended.

Wine

Cafayate is known for their many wineries, and the region is known for making a fruity white wine, Torrontes, unique to this area.  I’m not a fan of sweet wines, and I tend to prefer dryer types, but Torrontes has a perfect blend of dry and sweet, in my opinion.  One of our favorite days was renting bikes and riding around to various wineries in and around the town.  Many offer tastings for free or a nominal fee, and the bottles can be had for a cheap price as well.  We only did tastings at two, but there are six in and around town.

El Esteco- El Esteco is a very nice winery just outside of town to the north with a helpful staff who spoke very good English.  There was an awesome outside area you could take your bottle to sit, relax, and consume if you choose to buy one.  The grounds of this bodega were immaculate as well, and it’s definitely worth a visit.

Bodego La Banda- Another one on the north side of town, Bodega La Banda had free tastings and bottles of wine available for purchase for around $5US.  A little museum, with old wine-making apparatuses, are also housed here, with tours available.

Quebrada de Cafayate- A tour through the area just north of Cafayate, called the Quebrada de Cafayate, is one that is highly recommended.  Dunes, colorful and interesting rock formations, arid landscapes, gorges, and rivers can all be seen in the half day jeep trip.  Be sure to check out the Quebrada de Cafayate picture post that will also have more detailed information for visiting this remarkable area.

*Creative Commons from Tanenhaus