Dakar – Multi-coloured mountains, fine wine and awesome canyons: 7 Argentina towns set to feature

This seaside resort located in the province of Cordoba welcomed the first two stages of Dakar 2016. The town, which attracts 800,000 visitors per year, is littered with appeal: a pleasant climate (25 degrees), its “cuckoo” – a large, German-style clock – and, above all, perfect areas for basking in the sun: its lakes and rivers. This green setting also offers a wealth of water activities. Visitors also adore taking a ride on the continent’s first chairlift, which takes them up to Cerro de la Cruz, located at an altitude of 960 metres.

Dakar competitors will stopped off at San Salvador de Jujuy for the third and fourth stages of the competition. This town, with its population of 200,000, is nicknamed “la tacita de plata”, or “the little silver cup”, as it formed part of the silver route leading to the Potosi mines (in Bolivia, which is known for its silver mines). In this peaceful town located at the foot of the Andean Mountains, tourists can visit the Spanish colonial style cathedral, the basilica, the chapel and the theatre, which was the country’s first and dates back to 1901.

The Dakar Rally will pass by this picturesque village in the province of Jujuy for the fifth stage of the race. Purmamarca is located in the heart of the Humahuac valley, an arid region known for is unique geology. Among other noteworthy attractions, there is a 17th century church in the centre of the village. The small stone houses and hilly backstreets adds to the town’s welcoming nature. A must see is the “cerro de los siete colores”, a mountainside which boasts a spectrum of seven colours, from beige to purple and even green. Truly incredible!

Salta is the biggest city in Northern Argentina. It is situated at the foot of the Andes and racers will rest there following stage 7. If they have the time, they will be able to visit the cathedral, a historic national monument, and, the oldest colonial building in the city, the Cabildo. On slightly higher ground, there is the cable car to Cerro San Bernardo, which offers panoramic views over the city and the region. Finally, it is from Salta that the famous cloud train departs, passing over 29 bridges and 13 viaducts and through 21 tunnels, all against the backdrop of the Andean mountains.

Situated at an altitude of 1683 metres, Cafayate is located in the heart of the Calchaquies valleys, a region of astonishing beauty. The town, with its 12,000 inhabitants, is known for its tranquillity, colonial architecture and, above all, its good wine. The local speciality is Torrontes, a high quality variety of white grape that thrives at altitude. The Dakar rally will not be too away far from this town when it passes by during stage 8.

This national park is an area of rare untouched beauty, declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. Lovers of geology, nature and history delight at the park’s 215,000 hectares. The red rock faces of its canyons can reach heights of 145 metres, and evidence of the mark left by aboriginal peoples as they passed through this region can be seen in the form of petroglyphs carved into the stone. Furthermore, scientists are certain that dinosaurs inhabited the river Talampaya canyon millions of years ago. Racers pass by the park at the start of stage 11 of the Dakar.

Right at the end of stage 11 of Dakar 2016 and before arriving in the town of San Juan, racers will pass in front of the sanctuary of the “difunta correa” (the Deceased Correa). The difunta correa was a woman who decided to cross the San Juan desert with her new born baby, setting out with very little food and water, to be with her husband who was on the frontline of battle. On the way, she died from thirst and exhaustion, but before doing so she had already started to breastfeed her son. When mule-drivers found her body, her son was still alive. This sanctuary, which is visited by one million people each year, is home to around twenty chapels. The legend of the Deceased Correa is widespread amongst truck drivers, who have adopted the habit of setting up small, simple sanctuaries alongside Argentine roads and leaving bottles of water by them, so as to quench the thirst of the defunct woman, they believe.