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Travel guide · Classic drives

Cuesta del Obispo & Quebrada de las Conchas: Salta's two classic drives

By Pablo Pérez Sancho, tour guide in Salta · Updated November 2026

Two roads leave Salta towards the Calchaquí Valleys. The Cuesta del Obispo, on Provincial Route 33, climbs about 20 km of gravel switchbacks to 3,348 m on the way to Cachi. The Quebrada de las Conchas, on National Route 68, runs through a red-rock ravine protected as a nature reserve on the way to Cafayate. Together they make a loop through the valleys.

Cuesta del Obispo
RP 33, about 20 km, top at 3,348 m, 57 km from Salta
Quebrada de las Conchas
RN 68, nature reserve of 25,784 ha
Salta to Cafayate
197 km, about 3 h 15 min
Salta to Cachi
163 km, about 3 h 20 min
Surface
The Cuesta del Obispo is gravel, wide and maintained
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The switchbacks of the Cuesta del Obispo
The switchbacks of the Cuesta del Obispo

What is the Cuesta del Obispo?

A winding, steep stretch of Provincial Route 33 between Maray, in the Quebrada de Escoipe, and the Piedra del Molino. It rises from about 1,270 m near Chicoana to 3,348 m and is a wide gravel road that is kept in good condition. A viewpoint a few hundred metres below the top shows almost the whole climb. You often see clouds below you and condors overhead.

Why is it called the Bishop's Slope?

In 1622 Bishop Julián de Cortázar, travelling from Salta to Cachi, had to spend an uncomfortable night halfway up. The place was named after that stop. At the top, the Piedra del Molino is a granite millstone that was being hauled to Salta, where the city's first mill worked from 1671. The cart broke here, and the stone stayed.

What comes after the climb?

The Valle Encantado, with multicoloured hills, small lagoons and flowers, and then Los Cardones National Park. The Recta del Tin Tin is a 19 km straight road at nearly 3,000 m that follows an Inca route, among giant cardón cacti and grazing guanacos. Cachi is the next stop.

What is the Quebrada de las Conchas?

A ravine on Route 68 between Salta and Cafayate, declared a managed nature reserve in 1995. The Las Conchas river runs along the road, and the rock walls are red and orange. The roadside stops are the Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat), the Anfiteatro, El Fraile, El Sapo, Las Ventanas and Los Castillos. About 7 km from Cafayate are Los Médanos, dunes of fine sand.

Is there anything besides the scenery?

Yes. The reserve is an important fossil site: fossil frogs near Morales bridge, dinosaur footprints in the limestone, and at La Yesera fossil fish from about 15 million years ago. An Inca road was found a few metres from today's Route 68.

How do I put them together?

Go one way and return the other: out over the Cuesta del Obispo to Cachi, then Route 40 south to Cafayate (156 km, about 4 hours), and back to Salta through the Quebrada de las Conchas. It is a long day by car, so most travellers sleep in Cachi or Cafayate.

Sources: Cuesta del Obispo, Piedra del Molino, Valle Encantado and Recta del Tin Tin: Wikipedia (Cuesta del Obispo). Quebrada de las Conchas, reserve, fossils and stops: Wikipedia (Quebrada de las Conchas). Distances and times: Google Maps. Route 40: see our Cachi guide.

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See it on a private trip

Pablo's Calchaquí Valleys trip is exactly this loop: over the Cuesta del Obispo to Cachi, Route 40 to Cafayate, and back to Salta through the Quebrada de las Conchas.

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