Cuevas de Acsibi & Cráter de los Cóndores

Exploring the immensity of Seclantás landscape

We arrived in Seclantás at sunset on a Friday, which allowed us to visit the Artisans' Road, to acquire beautiful ruanas and pashminas; all textiles made by local producers on looms, either with sheep or llama wool.

Once in town, it was time for a date with authentic regional flavors at Casa Diaz. A restaurant that honors colonial recipes and highlights the seasonings and products of the area like no other in the province. Empanadas de carne, humitas or the emblem of the house: the chuchoca, a thick soup based on chuchoca corn, pumpkin and meat, with green onion and red fat; a well seasoned, colorful and tasty dish, homemade and of long, very long, cooking, all well accompanied by a high quality wine from Molinos, the neighboring terroir that prides itself for its excellent production. In addition, Casa Díaz offers the vegetarian variant of homemade noodles with tuco or salads from the garden. For dessert, a dish of homemade sweet cayote with walnuts and a walnut bonbon accompanied by mistela wine.

Before leaving, we made an unpostponable visit to the shop to get the house wine, Alejo Díaz's mistela wine, and the unbeatable tomato jam; it is a pleasure to listen to him tell us about the process to obtain that sweet texture (first the tomatoes are peeled, the seeds are removed and then they are cooked for seven hours in the pot).

@tripticity_ is always grateful to Pío and Alejo Díaz for the warmth of their service and for preserving ancestral recipes in their gastronomic offer.

When the saying "a full belly, a happy heart" applied, we headed to Finca Montenieva, about five kilometers from the town square.

There Fido Abán was waiting for us, who welcomed us with absolute warmth and placed us in his lodge. Simple rooms for four or five people are ideal for those who want to make the most of the day's visit the attractions of the area, as long as they are willing to spend a night in an old house of the valleys, without major expectations.

The next morning, we enjoy a rural breakfast, with tortillas and sweets, before leaving in a 4x4 truck for a trip along the river bank of about an hour, where we stop in a dense cardon area for the inevitable photos and then continue to the point where it becomes impassable for any vehicle. Then the challenge of a demanding hike begins.

The scenery during the almost eight hours was truly beautiful.

At the beginning, the trail is clear, but as you advance, the tracks disappear and the guide's knowledge of the area becomes crucial.

The first objective was to reach the Condor Crater, a gigantic and multicolored intact and natural cavity of the earth. Daniel Liendro, our guide, a native of Seclantás, told us that it was essential to crawl along, body to earth, because there, in that immensity, extreme nature has no defense and the precipice that unfolds is terrifying. The colors of the walls are clear traces of the millenary erosion, impressive! The depth of the sinkhole and the beauty of its shape are impossible to define in words.

After being amazed and after thanking life for the opportunity to know this hidden treasure, and also to the Mother Earth (Pacha) for taking care of us during the tour, we started the arduous return to the bifurcation point, this time to take the faint path to the left towards the Cuevas de Acsibi.

During this journey, we were blessed with the visit of a pair of condors that allowed us to admire the grace of their gentle flight.

The name of the caves means "valley of fire" in Cacán, the language of the pre-Inca civilization.

First, you must descend down the hill, which requires - at times - the assistance of ropes to avoid the continuous slipping that occurs on the steep descent.

Once you reach the river bank, another long walk begins under the impassive sun of the Calchaquí Valleys. Throughout the journey the scenery is extraordinary. The colors change from a bluish gray to a light amber, then the orange of the high walls becomes more and more intense until the red imposes itself: the caves are approaching. Indeed, they are arbitrary formations of an intense vermilion. The first sensation is one of pride, after having discovered the longed-for Acsibi Caves, then comes astonishment, because as you walk through this fabulous creation of red sediments, you discover the capricious and unique appearances that they have acquired over the millennia.

There, once again, the friendly condors visited us and gave us the gift of their dance in the pristine blue sky. It felt like a new sign of good fortune, like a gift from nature. We continued to the end, where a perfect cave is formed among rocks that are suspended almost miraculously and molded by the wind and water.

The physical demand to reach the Crater and Acsibi is high, very high; but the sensation to discover these caves is unique. The geomorphology is prodigious, its colors vibrant and the whole experience is perhaps a proof of joy and grace of life itself, especially if it is done accompanied by great friends, companions of life that made the tour happy, encouraging and cheering at every moment.

After returning by the same route, we tried to stretch our muscles as much as we could and took the vehicle to the point where Daniel told us it was ideal for our well-deserved banquet. Under an old carob tree, which offered us its shade, we set up the table and had a fabulous picnic that we enjoyed with the hunger of tiredness, laughter and the joy of having fulfilled this great adventure.

After this celebration, we headed back to Cachi at dusk, where we stayed at the Automóvil Club Argentino's Inn for a well-deserved rest.