Cachi makes for another day trip option from Salta. Instead of towering rock filled mountains, you’ll drive through a canyon that just seems lined with greenery as you work your way toward the tiny town of Cachi. While I believe this day trip has fewer major stops than other day trips from Salta (like Salinas Grandes or Cafayate), the scenery is still breathtaking, even from the van.
Here’s what to expect on a day trip to Cachi.
Day Trip to Cachi from Salta
This is all based on my experience. While there are several companies that offer a tour to Cachi, nearly every tour follows the exact same itinerary. They’ll make the same stops, typically in the exact same order, so it’s not unusual to see several identical looking tour vans at each stop.
Pick Up
Pick up for a Cachi day tour is early. I was told to be ready for pick up between 6:45 and 7:30 am. Unfortunately for me, my pick up was right at the end of that window (since I was the last stop before leaving Salta). I do wish they’d be able to give more accurate pick up times (even a 15 minute window), but that’s just how the tours seem to operate in Salta. At least they didn’t forget me.
Get settled into the van. It’s a two hour drive to the first stop.
A Brief Stop for a Stretch
Like with all day trips from Salta, it’s a lot of driving. Also like with all day trips from Salta, there will be a stop about two hours into the day where you can stretch, go to the bathroom (you’ll need to pay for it), and get some coffee or a snack. What I will say about this stop is compared to the other day trips I did from Salta (Salinas Grandes and Cafayate), this stop on the way to Cachi had the best scenery.
Driving Along Route 33
For me, the highlight of the day was our drive through the canyon as we made our way to and from Cachi. In Salinas Grandes, I saw mountains with colorful mineral deposits. In Cafayate, it was red rocks reminding me of southern Utah. Here, on the way to Cachi, it was so green. The thing that struck me most was how diverse this area of Argentina is because ever single day trip looked so different.
We stopped at a bridge where we could walk across and take photos. After that, there weren’t a lot of major stops. It felt more like pulling over on the side of the road for photos. However, these were definitely planned stops because like every stop on a Salta day trip, there are vendors waiting to sell things to tourists.
When I traveled to Salinas Grandes, it seemed like there were a lot of textiles being sold while in Cafayate, it was rocks and gems to make jewelry. Here, on the route to Cachi, it was spices. If you are looking for a place to load up on spices, these road side stops are it. There’s a huge variety and really good prices.
If I actually had a kitchen to go back to after my travels in South America, I definitely would have picked up a stash of spices and seasonings. But, when I moved out of my apartment, I emptied my spice cabinet and gave it to my mother, meaning her spice cabinet is overflowing and I don’t think she’d be happy if I came home with even more.
We stopped at the highest point along the road and at a small chapel. All of the views were nice and like I said, were so different from the other Salta day trips. The only downside was there didn’t feel like there were as many major stops as we had on my other tours.
But eventually, we made it to Cachi.
Time in Cachi
There is not a lot to see in Cachi. Of all of the small towns I visited on the my day trips from Salta (Purmamacra and Cafayate), Cachi had the least going on. Yet, we had two hours to spend in town. Of course, part of that time went to lunch.
Like with all the Salta day trips, our guide dropped us off at one restaurant, but we didn’t have to eat here. The restaurant didn’t have the best reviews on GoogleMaps, so I took a stroll through town and went to another restaurant with better reviews. I can’t speak for the restaurant most of my group ate at, but I can say that my lunch at a different restaurant was delicious.
I took a stroll through the town of Cachi, but there really wasn’t much here. I saw very few shops and few vendors in the square. I was a bit disappointed by this so instead I headed just outside of town where you can climb up to a viewpoint of the surrounding area. Was it the best viewpoint ever? No. But was it better than sitting around bored in Cachi? Absolutely.
In Which Our Guide Bribed Our Group
Unbeknownst to me, our guide talked with some of our group at lunch. Apparently some tourists had asked if they could stop at the Cachi sign for a photo. Our guide said it wasn’t on the itinerary, but if everyone was at the van on time, we could stop. I’m always on time for group tours because I never want to be the person that we’re waiting for, but I’m willing to take this bribery to make others get to the van on time.
It worked and we made a quick stop at the Cachi sign. Our guide definitely wasn’t in to it (and I didn’t have strong feelings one way or the other), but some people in our group were very happy for that quick photo stop.
A Brief Stop for Cacti
While every tour agency in Salta operates the same tours, this seemed to be the one time where my group deviated from everyone else. I think we ate lunch and then stopped for cacti, but everyone else stopped for their cactus photos and then went for lunch. Compared to the other day trips I did in Salta, I did think we were stopping for lunch quite early (12:30 instead 1:30).
Regardless of when you stop, you’re sure to stop in Parque Los Cardones, which is a national park in Argentina. We took a short, 20 minute walk to see some of the cacti up close. It reminded me of Saguaro National Park in Arizona (and quite frankly I thought Saguaro National Park was better, though I didn’t spent much time at all in Parque Los Cardones so it doesn’t feel like a fair comparison).
It was a nice stop, but it was our last stop of the day.
Back to Salta
After the leaving the cacti, it’s just one long drive all the way back to Salta. We did stop again briefly (at the same spot we did in the morning) and by the time I was dropped off at my hostel, I was completely exhausted.
How Long is a Day Trip to Cachi from Salta?
Like with most day trips from Salta, Argetina, a day trip to Cachi is a full day excursion. You’ll be picked up from your accommodation between 6:30 and 7:30 in the morning and won’t return until after 6:00 pm. While there is some great scenery, a lot of the time is spent in the car driving from one place to the next.
How to Book Your Day Trip
There are numerous tour agencies in town that will be happy to help you book a day trip to Cachi. If you’re planing to book multiple trips, it’s probably worth visiting (or contacting) one of these offices directly. You might be able to work out a deal if you book multiple tours.
These tours are also widely available on GetYourGuide and Viator. I booked my tour on Viator about twelve hours before departure (though I’d recommend booking just a little earlier than me).
Do You Need to Take a Tour to Cachi?
If you have your own vehicle, you could drive yourself to Cachi. Just note that you’ll be driving windy mountain roads. It’s possible and I saw other travelers doing it, but as a solo traveler, it was more cost effective for me to just book the guided tour.
Final Thoughts
I’m glad I took the day trip to Cachi, but I’ll be the first to admit that it was my least favorite of my three day trips from Salta. It wasn’t bad, but in my mind, it just didn’t pack the same punch that Salinas Grandes and Cafayate did. The scenery along the canyon was beautiful and for that reason, I think it can be a worthwhile day trip from Salta.
