2022/18: Las Conchas - Alemania

  Etappe 2022/18 [SA018]

Las Conchas - Alemania
66 km 41 mi
490 Hm (garmin edge 1000)    max. Altitude:  1570 m

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Cycling the Quebrada de las Conchas from Cafayate to Alemania.
 
 
By bicycle through the Quebrada de las Conchas from Cafayate to Alemania. To get back onto Ruta 68, which will bring us to the north, we first have to take the bumpy track again. It's hard to believe, but the busy asphalt road is only a few miles away from us. 
 
By bicycle through the Quebrada de las Conchas from Cafayate to Alemania. Ruta 68 follows the Quebrada da las Conchas, a north-south gorge that connects the Valles Calchaquíes with the more northern Valle de la Lerma. The rocks along the road are spectacular, with some objects carved out of the mountain by the wind over the centuries are given names such as Obelisco (obelisk), Sapo (toad), Hongo (mushroom) and Fraile (monk).
 
By bicycle through the Quebrada de las Conchas from Cafayate to Alemania. There are also individual dune fields along the way, but thanks to the constant wind, they have no chance of taking over the asphalt road.       
 
By bicycle through the Quebrada de las Conchas from Cafayate to Alemania. The gorge remains barren, dry and windy. Along the route there are often smaller gorges between two mountains that branch off vertically from the road and offer fascinating views of the landscape behind the rock formations or lead to a dead end surrounded by rock walls.  
 
By bicycle through the Quebrada de las Conchas from Cafayate to Alemania. One of the most famous attractions of the Quebrada de las Conchas gorge is called amphitheater (el Anfiteatro). A short path between two rock walls leads to a circular room enclosed by towering rocks. The entrance to the amphitheater can be recognized by the large number of cars and minibuses parked at the entrance.    
 
By bicycle through the Quebrada de las Conchas from Cafayate to Alemania. In the northern section of the Quebrade de los Conchas there is another sight to visit: the Puente Morales, an old steel bridge over the Rio Conchas that has long since been out of service and has been replaced by a concrete bridge 100m away. We took the small detour to cycle over the old bridge that it is known from the film "Relatos Salvajes" (https://youtu.be/ASzg2BO_tJk) by Damián Szifron. The film seems a bit strange; it is about the fine line between civilization and barbarism. Not really a purely Argentinian topic. But we discovered one big mistake in the film: the actors act as if there was cell phone reception here. What nonsense.
Edit: In 2023 the concrete bridge was destroyed by flooding and traffic was diverted back over the old steel bridge. Good old engineering is essential in Argentina too.       
 
By bicycle through the Quebrada de las Conchas from Cafayate to Alemania. Ruta 68 winds its way through the gorge further and further north and I am amazed at how strong the wind can blow between the high rocks to the left and right of the road.     
 
By bicycle through the Quebrada de las Conchas from Cafayate to Alemania (Salta). Our destination today is the abandoned railway station named Alemania. At the beginning of the 19th century, a railway line was built from Salta to Alemania to open up the region, but further construction failed due to the inaccessibility of the area. The up-and-coming town quickly attracted workers, traders and miners, all looking for big business. All that remains is the train station, a steel bridge over the river and tracks on which trees have been growing between the rails for decades.       
 
By bicycle through the Quebrada de las Conchas from Cafayate to Alemania (Salta). There is a small restaurant in the station building, and you can eat either on the platform or at tables and chairs on the former railway tracks. We spend the night next to the station and once again enjoy the silence that falls over the landscape after dark.