Established in 1935, Ruta 40 (also know as RN40) crosses Argentina from North to South, running along the eastern slopes of the Andes. The 3,100 mi (5,000 km) long Route (Ruta) traverses through eleven of Argentina’s provinces. Ruta 40 is considered to be one of the Ten Best Road Trips in the World. The magnificent sceneries, its length, the height it reaches (16,050 feet - 4.895 meters- above sea level) and the variety of regions that it crosses make it a destination in itself. My time spent on Ruta 40 - short but spectacular. My connection with the Gaucho lifestyle also too short. But today's gauchos are an essential element to the success of maintaining farms in Argentina. Their exceptional horsemanship, is critical for rounding, herding and branding cattle perhaps more so in the Patagonia area then in the arid northern provinces.
As we left Molinos to start on our first section of Ruta 40, the scenery quickly changed from the multicoloured mountains to a remote/beautiful landscape of uninhabited land. You can only imagine the force behind the formation of this barren landscape.
Coming out of this barren landscape you come to a beautiful fertile valley - Calchaquies. This popular wine producing area was made famous by its high altitude white wine - Torrentes. Now the valley produces many different varietals. The town of Cafayata & the valley are very popular tourist destinations.
