Rock spikes
Start of Las Flechas.
Claudio Elias — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Claudio Elias — CC BY-SA 3.0 · CarlosA.Barrio — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Preiva — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Claudio Elias — CC BY-SA 3.0
Angastaco is a small village in the Calchaquí valleys south of Cachi, on National Route 40, gravel along this stretch, home to some eight hundred people, in a valley cut by a river of the same name before it joins the Calchaquí. It stands out for the contrast between its green irrigated fields and the dry, sandy valley around them. Around it rise striking rock formations: sharp, tilted spikes of pale sandstone carved by the wind, the start of the famous Quebrada de las Flechas running south. Where the Angastaco and Calchaquí rivers meet lie the remains of an Inca-era pucará fort, the widest archaeological site in the small valley. The village has an inn, simple restaurants, a small archaeological museum in the civic centre and local crafts. Wandering is free; it is a comfortable overnight or rest stop on the road between Cachi and Cafayate, loveliest early in the morning and at sunset when the rocks glow.
Start of Las Flechas.
In a dry valley.
Inca ruins.
National Route 40, San Carlos department, Calchaquí valleys, Salta
On National Route 40 between Cachi and Cafayate, at the start of the Quebrada de las Flechas.