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The Cuesta del Obispo to Cachi, Salta, curve by curve

Summary

The Cuesta del Obispo to Cachi, Salta, is the mountain road that zigzags up the Escoipe gorge to Piedra del Molino at 3,348 m, the gateway to Los Cardones park.

The climb in numbers

  • Zigzags for 60 km1
  • Gravel on the slope itself4
  • Named after a bishop in 16223

Map of 35 stops

Salta, the Bishop's Slope and Cachi, pin by pin

First pick a route, then tap any pin or stop for details and Google Maps.

Map of the Cuesta del Obispo climb from Chicoana through the Escoipe gorge and the Valle Encantado to Piedra del Molino, Cachipampa and Cerro Malcante

  1. The town named after the Chicoana people, deported here from the Calchaquí Valley.

    Google Maps

  2. The green gorge that carries Provincial Route 33 up towards the Calchaquí Valley.

    Google Maps

  3. Eroded rocks, a small lagoon and rock paintings, down a steep side road of 4 km.

    Google Maps

  4. The top of the climb at 3,348 m, with a stone chapel and a broken granite millstone.

    Google Maps

  5. The high plain you see from Route 33 on the way into the park.

    Google Maps

  6. The park's mountain trail, starting at 4,046 m and open from April to November.

    Google Maps

Mapping data © OpenStreetMap contributors

The Cuesta del Obispo to Cachi, Salta, is the climb every valley trip begins with: a green gorge, a hairpin road into the clouds and a stone chapel waiting at the top.

Editorial team, cachitour.click · Updated November 12, 2026 · Reading: 8 min

In brief

  • The climbContinuous zigzags for 60 km, topping out at 3,348 m.1
  • Top stopPiedra del Molino, with a stone chapel and a split millstone.2
  • The nameA bishop who had to sleep halfway up in 1622.3
  • Road surfaceThe slope itself is 20 km of wide, maintained gravel.4
  • On the tourA photo stop of 15 minutes on the slope.

Where the Bishop's Slope begins

Nobody drives the Cuesta del Obispo for its own sake at first. It is simply the road from Salta to Cachi, the classic way over the front range into the high Calchaquí Valley. You leave the city through the farms of the Lerma Valley on national route 68, then turn onto provincial route 33, which the park service gives as the line to Piedra del Molino.5 The tobacco sheds and dairy fields give no hint of what is coming.

The change starts in the Quebrada de Escoipe. The provincial tourism board describes the gorge as a natural corridor lived in by rural families who keep their old customs, and it is route 33 that carries you through it towards the Calchaquí Valley.6 The board also calls it a green, zigzagging paradise that surprises you at every step, and for once the brochure language is not far off.7

Just before the gorge you pass Chicoana, a Lerma Valley town with a darker story in its name. The board records that the slope saw the uprooting of the Chicoana people, moved from the Calchaquí Valley to the place that now carries their name.8 Keep that in mind on the way up: the road you are about to climb was a route of exile long before it was a scenic drive.

Distances and heights

Milestones on the road to Cachi

PlaceDistance from SaltaAltitudeWhat you find
Piedra del Molino93 km (province) or 97 km (park service)3,348 m (also given as 3,800+)Chapel and millstone
Payogasta147 kmNot givenPark offices, pepper farms
Cachi162 km2,210 mColonial town and museum

Road distances and heights per the Salta tourism ministry and Parques Nacionales, which measure from different starting points; for Piedra del Molino the province also states over 3,800 m in one place.18,5,20,16,19

The zigzag climb through the clouds

Once the gorge narrows the road begins to fold back on itself. The board counts 60 km of continuous zigzags before you reach 3,348 m.1 Past an iron bridge the scenery turns properly Andean, with hills striped in reddish, yellow and violet stone and the first cardón cactus standing among them.11 Every bend opens a new angle on the bend you just left, which is why passengers keep switching sides of the bus.

The vegetation thins as you rise, from wet green slopes to high grassland. Watch the sky as well as the road. The board notes hummingbirds near the verges and condors that often circle over the whole area.12 Condors ride the warm air that rises up the slopes in the late morning, so a mid-morning crossing on a clear day gives you the best chance of seeing one glide past at eye level.

Cloud is the other actor on this stage. On many mornings the gorge fills with it and the bus climbs straight through the grey layer into sunshine, with a white sea spread below. The park service warns that cloud fronts can cut visibility and drop the temperature abruptly, so keep a fleece within reach even on a warm day in Salta.13 When the cloud lifts, it lifts fast, and the whole staircase of hairpins appears beneath you.

Height on the way

How high the road takes you

  • Salta city1,187
  • Lerma Valley1,200
  • Cachi2,210
  • Tin Tin straight3,000
  • Piedra del Molino3,348

Meters above sea level, taken from the Salta tourism ministry and the national park pages; a single sentence on the ministry's site lifts the pass to over 3,800 m.14,15,16,17,18,19

A bishop, a night on the mountain and a name

The name is older than the road. According to the provincial board it goes back to 1622, when Bishop Cortázar, the highest church authority of his day, was travelling from Salta to Cachi and moved so slowly that he had to spend the night halfway up.3 People first called the climb the Slope of the Bishop's Sleep, and only later trimmed it to the name you see on the signs.24

Why would a bishop make that journey at all? Because the valley on the far side mattered. The board explains that the Calchaquí Valley was historically far more populated than the Lerma Valley around Salta.25 Its first peoples were subdued by the Incas and later conquered by the Spanish after a long resistance, so the slope was a frontier between a colonial city and a valley that did not surrender easily.26

Travel stayed slow for centuries. Old valley residents told the board that, in colonial times and until the early 20th century, getting from Salta to Molinos took no less than 3 days.27 You rode a horse-drawn coach to the foot of the slope, slept there and went on by mule or on horseback.28 Stretches of that drovers' trail can still be picked out from the modern road.29 Some valley families even own heavy European furniture carried up this way.30

Which way up?

Match the climb to your trip

Choose by how much time and nerve you have.

  • If I want the views with no driving

    The day tour

    It stops on the slope and in the park on the way to Cachi, from $30.

  • If I want to see the Valle Encantado

    A hire car

    The steep detour of 4 km is easier on your own schedule.9

  • If I travel on a tight budget

    The daily bus

    Daily services run from Salta to Cachi over the same road.21

  • If I worry about the height

    Go slowly and drink water

    Altitude sickness usually appears above about 2,500 m.22,23

How to cross it

Tour, own car or local bus

Guided

Day tour

Guide and driver

  • TimeA long day from Salta
  • StopsSlope, park, Cachi
  • DrivingNone for you
See the Cachi day tour

Self-drive

Hire car

Your own pace

  • TimeAs long as you like
  • StopsValle Encantado too
  • DrivingGravel and bends
See the Cachi day tour

Local bus

Daily bus

Local service

  • TimeSlow but steady
  • StopsNone for photos
  • DrivingNone for you
See the Cachi day tour

The road today: gravel, a fault line and old uranium

Today the slope proper is 20 km of wide gravel road that is maintained all year.4 Its surface is irregular for a geological reason: the road crosses a marked fault that you can spot as a yellowish band in the rock.65 Expect smooth tarmac, then washboard gravel, then tarmac again, and drive the unpaved part slower than the locals do.

If you are planning Route 33 from Salta to Cachi on your own, remember how much height you gain on the way to Cachi, 162 km by that road.66 The park service points out that the road climbs from the Lerma Valley at 1,200 m to more than 3,000 m on its way over the slope.15 The provincial board adds a fair warning about mountain roads in general: distances and travel times here may not match what you are used to, so check road conditions before you set off.62

Rain matters more than snow. The province asks drivers to avoid heavy storms, especially on rural roads, fords and anywhere near rivers.67 It also asks you never to cross a flooded road, however low the water looks.68 Along the way the road passes La Herradura, where uranium was first found in Salta in 1959, a small footnote to the climb.69

Price the trip

Cachi day tours over the slope

Compare day trips from Salta that climb the Cuesta del Obispo.

Compare 3 side by side

Cachi day tours over the slope

Compare day trips from Salta that climb the Cuesta del Obispo.

2 people
  1. Cachi and Los Cardones12 hours · per person, from $30

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    View
  2. Scenic day to Cachi13 hours · per person, from $30

    ≈

    View
  3. Cachi and the valleys12 hours · per person, from $26

    ≈

    View

Starting prices on GetYourGuide, exchanged at the ECB reference rate. The booking page gives the exact price.

The drive up

From the valley floor to the pass

  1. Leaving Salta

    Lerma Valley farms

    National route 68 runs south through dairy and tobacco country.5

  2. Chicoana

    A town with a past

    Named after the people deported here from the Calchaquí Valley.8

  3. Escoipe gorge

    Route 33 begins

    The green gorge that leads up towards the Calchaquí Valley.6

  4. The hairpins

    Into the clouds

    Continuous zigzags for 60 km up to 3,348 m.1

  5. Valle Encantado

    Optional detour

    A steep side road of 4 km to rock shelters and a lagoon.9,10

  6. Piedra del Molino

    The top

    Chapel, millstone and the door into Los Cardones park.2,5

Valle Encantado, the detour most cars miss

Near the top of the climb a side track drops into the Valle Encantado, the Enchanted Valley. The board describes wind and rain carving the rock there into strange shapes of striking color, a small lagoon, and paintings left inside caves and rock shelters.70,10 It is also a place where you may see condors, and on a quiet day the silence is almost total.

Getting in takes care. You reach it on a steep side road of 4 km, and a park ranger may be posted on the road towards Tonco.9 The board is clear that you should not drive down if drizzle has wet the track.63 On a dry day take it at walking pace, and turn back if the surface looks slick: a stuck car up here means a long wait.

The valley changes with the seasons. Lagoons form in the rains and freeze over in winter, and in good years the ground is covered with flowers of many colors between the rocks.71,72 The day tour sold here lists no stop there, so the Valle Encantado is a strong reason to drive yourself or to stay a night in the valley and come back for it.

Video

The drive between Cachi and Salta over the slope

rushinroulette on YouTube · Your tap on play is what loads the video.

In the early days the road was called the Slope of the Bishop's Sleep, but the name was later shortened.
Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province24

Before the climb

Cuesta del Obispo checklist

In your bag3

  • A warm layer: cloud can drop the temperature fast13
  • Water, and no alcohol on the day23,61
  • Binoculars for condors over the slope12

If you drive3

  • Check road conditions before you set off62
  • Skip the Valle Encantado track when it is wet63
  • Cross in daylight and on the main open road64

On the tour3

  • About 2 hours by coach before the climb
  • A stop of 15 minutes on the slope
  • Sit near the front if bends upset you

Piedra del Molino, the roof of the climb

The road levels out at Piedra del Molino, the highest point of the gorge, which the provincial board places at 3,348 m and 93 km from Salta; the park service agrees on 3,348 m, and only the introduction of the provincial page claims more than 3,800 m.18,73,19 The park service measures 97 km to the same spot and treats it as the eastern entrance of Los Cardones National Park, so the figures simply count from different points in the city.5 From here the view reaches back down the whole Quebrada de Escoipe.74

A pair of landmarks wait at the top: a small stone chapel and a granite millstone of several tonnes that gives the place its name.2 The story told locally is that the stone was being hauled by cart in 1927 and split apart under its own weight.75 It was meant for an estate in the valley, and its owners never came back to collect it.76 It has stayed exactly where it fell.

Look west from the chapel and the land opens into a high, dry plain. From route 33 you can make out Cachipampa and the El Hervidero lagoon in the distance.45 This is where the green of the Lerma side ends and the Calchaquí side begins, and the air feels noticeably thinner. Take a few slow breaths before you walk up to the chapel, and do not run for photos.

Riding the slope on the Cachi day tour

On the classic Cachi day tour from Salta, the drive to the start of the slope takes about 2 hours by coach. The listing then gives the Cuesta del Obispo a photo stop and short walk of 15 minutes before the bus carries on into the park. The full outing runs 12 hours and the guiding is bilingual, English and Spanish, from $30.

Altitude deserves respect even on a day trip. The NHS notes that altitude sickness usually appears above about 2,500 m, and that you are more likely to get it if you go up quickly.22,77 It adds that trouble tends to begin 6 to 10 hours after you arrive up high, which is why many people feel fine at the top and tired on the drive home.78 Drink plenty of water and skip alcohol on the day.23,61

The hairpins are harder on queasy stomachs than the height. Sit near the front, keep your eyes on the far ridges instead of a screen, and eat a light breakfast instead of none at all. The tour runs whatever the weather, so pack a rain shell in summer and accept that the view can vanish into cloud for a while.

FAQ

Questions answered quickly.

How long is the Cuesta del Obispo climb?
About 60 km of bends.

The provincial board counts 60 km of continuous zigzags up to 3,348 m, of which the slope proper is 20 km of gravel.1,4

How high is Piedra del Molino?
3,348 m; one source says over 3,800 m.

Salta tourism and the park service give 3,348 m for Piedra del Molino, the highest point of the gorge (the provincial introduction says over 3,800 m); a small stone chapel and a broken millstone stand there.18,73,19,2

Why is it called the Bishop's Slope?
A bishop slept halfway up.

In 1622 Bishop Cortázar travelled so slowly from Salta to Cachi that he spent the night on the climb, and the road kept his name.3

Is the road to Cachi paved all the way?
Not on the slope itself.

The slope is a wide gravel road kept in repair, and the paving around it is irregular because the road crosses a geological fault.4,65

Can I visit the Valle Encantado by car?
Yes, on a dry day.

A steep detour of 4 km leads down to it, and the board advises against driving in if drizzle has wet the track.9,63

Will I get altitude sickness on the climb?
It is possible.

The NHS notes it usually appears above about 2,500 m and that fast ascents raise the risk; drink water and avoid alcohol.22,77,23

Does the Cachi tour run in the rain?
Yes.

Rain does not cancel the day tour from Salta, so bring a waterproof layer in the summer months.

Sources

  1. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cuesta del Obispo ↩
  2. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cuesta del Obispo ↩
  3. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cuesta del Obispo ↩
  4. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cuesta del Obispo ↩
  5. Parques Nacionales, National Parks Administration of Argentina · Parque Nacional Los Cardones: Horarios y cómo llegar ↩
  6. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Valle Encantado, Cuesta del Obispo y Recta del Tin Tin ↩
  7. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Valle Encantado, Cuesta del Obispo y Recta del Tin Tin ↩
  8. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cuesta del Obispo ↩
  9. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Valle Encantado, Cuesta del Obispo y Recta del Tin Tin ↩
  10. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Valle Encantado, Cuesta del Obispo y Recta del Tin Tin ↩
  11. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cuesta del Obispo ↩
  12. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cuesta del Obispo ↩
  13. Parques Nacionales, National Parks Administration of Argentina · Parque Nacional Los Cardones: Actividades ↩
  14. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Ciudad de Salta ↩
  15. Parques Nacionales, National Parks Administration of Argentina · Parque Nacional Los Cardones: Horarios y cómo llegar ↩
  16. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cachi representará a la Argentina en el certamen mundial Best Tourism Villages 2026 ↩
  17. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Valle Encantado, Cuesta del Obispo y Recta del Tin Tin ↩
  18. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cuesta del Obispo ↩
  19. Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province (visitsalta.ar, where turismosalta.gov.ar redirects) · Cuesta del Obispo ↩
  20. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Payogasta ↩
  21. Parques Nacionales, National Parks Administration of Argentina · Parque Nacional Los Cardones: Horarios y cómo llegar ↩
  22. NHS, UK National Health Service · Altitude sickness ↩
  23. NHS, UK National Health Service · Altitude sickness ↩
  24. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cuesta del Obispo ↩
  25. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cuesta del Obispo ↩
  26. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cuesta del Obispo ↩
  27. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cuesta del Obispo ↩
  28. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cuesta del Obispo ↩
  29. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cuesta del Obispo ↩
  30. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cuesta del Obispo ↩
  31. Argentina.travel, National Institute of Tourism Promotion (INPROTUR) · Ciudad de Salta
  32. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Ciudad de Salta
  33. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Arquitectura
  34. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Arquitectura religiosa
  35. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Ciudad de Salta
  36. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Arquitectura
  37. Museo de Arqueología de Alta Montaña (MAAM), Government of Salta · El Museo
  38. Teleférico San Bernardo, Complejo Teleférico Salta (provincial state company) · Teleférico
  39. Teleférico San Bernardo, Complejo Teleférico Salta (provincial state company) · Teleférico
  40. Teleférico San Bernardo, Complejo Teleférico Salta (provincial state company) · Teleférico
  41. Teleférico San Bernardo, Complejo Teleférico Salta (provincial state company) · Teleférico
  42. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Polos y corredores gastronómicos en la ciudad
  43. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Ciudad de Salta
  44. Argentina.travel, National Institute of Tourism Promotion (INPROTUR) · Ciudad de Salta
  45. Parques Nacionales, National Parks Administration of Argentina · Parque Nacional Los Cardones: Actividades ↩
  46. Parques Nacionales, National Parks Administration of Argentina · Parque Nacional Los Cardones: Actividades
  47. Parques Nacionales, National Parks Administration of Argentina · Parque Nacional Los Cardones: Actividades
  48. Parques Nacionales, National Parks Administration of Argentina · Parque Nacional Los Cardones: Actividades
  49. Parques Nacionales, National Parks Administration of Argentina · Parque Nacional Los Cardones: Actividades
  50. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Payogasta
  51. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Payogasta
  52. Secretariat of Culture, Government of Salta Province · Vacaciones en Cultura: el Museo Arqueológico de Cachi propone un verano para descubrir el pasado
  53. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cachi
  54. Parques Nacionales, National Parks Administration of Argentina · Parque Nacional Los Cardones: Actividades
  55. Parques Nacionales, National Parks Administration of Argentina · Parque Nacional Los Cardones: Actividades
  56. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cachi
  57. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cachi
  58. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cachi
  59. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Del 10 al 12 de abril, Cachi se viste de fiesta: Vendimia del Alto Valle Calchaquí
  60. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Valle Encantado, Cuesta del Obispo y Recta del Tin Tin
  61. NHS, UK National Health Service · Altitude sickness ↩
  62. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · ¿Cómo Llegar? ↩
  63. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Valle Encantado, Cuesta del Obispo y Recta del Tin Tin ↩
  64. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Recomendaciones para viajeros ante condiciones climáticas adversas en Salta ↩
  65. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cuesta del Obispo ↩
  66. Argentina.travel, National Institute of Tourism Promotion (INPROTUR) · Cachi ↩
  67. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Recomendaciones para viajeros ante condiciones climáticas adversas en Salta ↩
  68. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Recomendaciones para viajeros ante condiciones climáticas adversas en Salta ↩
  69. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cuesta del Obispo ↩
  70. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Valle Encantado, Cuesta del Obispo y Recta del Tin Tin ↩
  71. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Valle Encantado, Cuesta del Obispo y Recta del Tin Tin ↩
  72. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Valle Encantado, Cuesta del Obispo y Recta del Tin Tin ↩
  73. Administración de Parques Nacionales · Parque Nacional Los Cardones: actividades ↩
  74. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cuesta del Obispo ↩
  75. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cuesta del Obispo ↩
  76. Visit Salta, Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Salta Province · Cuesta del Obispo ↩
  77. NHS, UK National Health Service · Altitude sickness ↩
  78. NHS, UK National Health Service · Altitude sickness ↩

Further reading

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