Alemania is a small, sun-baked place at the entrance to the Quebrada de las Conchas, on the road from Salta to Cafayate, and it looks like the setting for a western. The village lies in a dry valley of the Calchaquí country, surrounded by red hills, with a river bed that is dry for much of the year and a few low houses of adobe and brick. It is quiet to the point of stillness, a place where a dog sleeping in the road is a major event, and a ghostly air hangs over the old railway station.
The route here comes from Salta, passing through green farmland and the reservoir of Cabra Corral, a large artificial lake popular with sailors and fishermen. After the dam, the road enters a dry, rocky land, with cactuses, thorn scrub and pale hills, and the colours begin to deepen. Alemania is the point where the red rock walls start to close in, announcing the gorge to come. Look for the sandstone cliffs, striped in pink, orange and yellow, and for the cardón cactuses standing like candelabra on the slopes.
The road, Route 68, is tarmac all the way, and well maintained, with broad curves and generous visibility. The corners are fairly easy, so it is a ride for enjoying scenery rather than for pushing the pace. Watch for livestock on the road, and for dust in dry weather, and be prepared for sudden crosswinds in the open stretches. In summer, thunderstorms can bring flash floods, with water and mud flowing across the road, so check the sky and the forecast. In the cool, dry season, from April to October, the days are warm and the air is clear.
The region has its own flavour. Salta province is known for its empanadas, filled with beef, cheese or chicken and baked in a clay oven, and for locro, a thick stew of maize, beans and meat. Wine from the high valleys, notably Torrontés, a fragrant white grape grown mainly around Cafayate, is the local pride.
Services are almost absent. Carry water, sunscreen and some cash, and keep your phone charged, as signal can be unreliable.