Shell's Gully "Quebrada de Las Conchas"
The gully travels one of the most impressive landscapes where the amazing figures of mountains are the main characters on this picture, permanently changing during the day by its light variation. With 84 Km of concrete by Route Nº 68, devious and slope, is important to fill the fuel tank and carry a picnic bag before traveling to Cafayate during the day.
One kilometer north from Cafayate (Km. 0), Route N º40 joins Route N º 68, from where turning right, you can travel the Alameda, 2 Km. of route bordered by huge poplars that extend beyond the vine fields. The route goes through the valley, deep inside by carob woodland. In the Km. 6, the entrance through gravel path to the dunes is signposted, and finally, the unexpected landscape, where the white sand creates enormous dunes.
Blow by the wind, the sand travels until reaching the coasts of Santa Maria River, where a few miles down waters, joins the Calchaquí from the north, both creating Las Conchas river, that travels down the Lerma valley through the ravine in which the route still goes along. Returning Route N º 68; in Km. 19 an irregular path begins, leaving behind the Calchaquí valleys and the eroded figures, which characterized the first part of the trip to Las Conchas gully “shell’s gully”, all of them named after their curious forms and figures.
From this point, the landscape is almost exclusively mineral and it’s almost impossible to find a human leaving, an animal or even a tree. From the Km. 20, on the other side of the river is possible to watch Los Castillos, red rock figures, and following 6 Km until arriving to Km. 31, the road crosses “La Yesera”; light colored sand mountains in which white and grey predominate, eroded millions of years ago.
Moving forward 3 Km, the “Fraile” figure rises above the river’s left side.
This trip is quite special and attractive, characterized by its irregular road, where sights are constantly changing, surprising with its color contrasts, lights and shadows. At Km. 48 to the right, the entrance to the Amphitheatre in Spanish "Anfiteatro" is signposted, and 500 meters ahead, finally, the famous dabble throat “Garganta del Diablo”, both formations created by eroded water which have vertically cut the sedimentary rocks, creating amazing almost circular precincts of over 50 meters tall, worth to admire from a narrow path on the route, from where it is possible to enter.
Continuing north, the spectacular formations are left behind, but the charms on the colored hills continue the journey, little by little deep inside the gully, some trees and small bushes appear. By Km. 64 the trip crosses Las Conchas River, where at that height turns into a stream, abundant only in summer.
Going down into the hills, which seem to be wide curtains, opening and closing demonstrating lightened colored landscapes, signposts appear showing the way to each of the next points: “Peña de Testa”, “Las Almitas”, “Las Curtiembres” and “La Salamanca”. At Km. 84 the gully comes out in Lerma; having already descends 500 meters from Cafayate. The next hillsides are covered by natural temporary woodland, and one kilometer ahead is the German population, last station on the railway from Salta, that travels from Lerma valley towards south.
Must go back through the same road, the constant light changes will definitely turn it into a different trip. Another option is to go north by Route N º 68 to Salta.
