Amaichá Del Valle offers many reasons to stay: Indigenous culture, crafts, a museum with a sculpture courtyard, a moon-like desert landscape, and time in nature at Dique Los Zazos. There is also a signposted route to workshops and a trail for mountain bikers and gravel cyclists.
Culture, Crafts, and Pachamama
Bodega Comunitaria Los Amaichas is managed by the Indigenous community of Amaicha del Valle. Its design features interconnected circles and pircado, a traditional building technique, and thus references dwellings from pre-Hispanic times.
The Museo Pachamama has a courtyard resembling a stone fortress. It contains sculptures of Pachamama, Inti, Quilla, a two-headed serpent, the Moon Warrior, and the Mesa de los 12 Caciques. This collection gives the courtyard a clear place of prominence in the museum.
The annual Fiesta de la Pachamama in Amaicha del Valle includes dances, coplas, and traditional rituals. The Fiesta Nacional de la Pachamama takes place in February as a week-long celebration of color, music, and tradition; a new representative of Mother Earth is elected from the community.
Landscape and Trails
One of Amaichá Del Valle’s natural attractions is the Desierto de Tiu Punco, whose landscape is reminiscent of the moon. Access is via guided tours in 4×4 vehicles. As access arrangements may change, check the latest details before planning your visit.
At Dique Los Zazos, visitors can enjoy nature over a picnic or asado. There are two distinct options for choosing a route: the Ruta del Artesano leads to the craft workshops of Amaicha del Valle and can be explored in your own vehicle by following the signs to each workshop, or with an agency. The Ruta Tafí del Valle–Infiernillo–Amaicha del Valle is suitable for mountain bikers and gravel cyclists, offers striking views and beautiful landscapes, and ends at Plaza San Martín in Amaicha del Valle.
Practical Planning
The Museo Pachamama is listed as open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Check the hours before your visit, as they may change.
Culture and Nature in the Tafí Del Valle Department
In the Tafí Del Valle Department, the Ciudad Sagrada de Quilmes was restored in the 1970s. Visitors can see reconstructed residential areas, agricultural terraces, a fortress on the hilltop, and defensive structures on the slopes. Next to the archaeological site is the Centro de Interpretación de Quilmes. Its four educational rooms use visual, auditory, and tactile means to present the origins, daily life, customs, and displacement of the Quilmes people.
Also in the Tafí Del Valle Department, the Museo Arqueológico a Cielo Abierto Los Menhires in El Mollar displays around 124 worked, elongated stones. They are up to three meters tall and more than 2,000 years old.
The Parque Provincial Los Ñuñorcos and the Reserva Natural Quebrada del Portugués are also located in the Tafí Del Valle Department. Ñuñorco Grande and Ñuñorco Chico were part of the old Inca road; archaeological sites are located on the hills. The Reserva Quebrada del Portugués was established in 1996 to preserve the area’s natural and cultural heritage.
Discover more destinations: Calimonte.
Go to the main travel overview: Tafí Del Valle Department.
