Cafayate to Salta Transfer

A private transfer from Cafayate back to Salta through the Quebrada de las Conchas, a scenic way to end a wine weekend, with the option to continue to the airport.

Book your private transfer

This is a private transfer from Cafayate to Salta: about 190 km and around 3 hours 30 minutes, depending on traffic, the state of the road and stops. A driver picks you up at your hotel or winery in Cafayate and takes you to your address in Salta city or to the airport. You travel back through the Quebrada de las Conchas, with the red canyon walls on your side, and no one has to keep an eye on the road.

The road back: distance, stages and timing

Going north from Cafayate, the first stretch takes you into the Quebrada de las Conchas, a canyon of red rock where the viewpoints come one after another. La Garganta del Diablo and El Anfiteatro are the best known, and both sit right on the road. Once you leave the canyon behind, the route climbs through the Lerma Valley and finishes in Salta city, where the airport is also located.

The distance is about 190 km and the trip takes around 3 hours 30 minutes without counting long stops. Photo breaks, a slow lorry on a bend or roadworks can add time, so on the day you fly out we suggest leaving with a comfortable margin before your check-in. Tell us your flight time when you write and we will propose the departure hour.

Why come back to Salta with a private driver

• Time for the canyon in the other direction: the light changes when you see the Quebrada de las Conchas on the way back, and your driver can stop at the viewpoints you missed on the way down.
• No wine and driving: after a weekend of tastings, nobody needs to be behind the wheel on a mountain road.
• Door to door: pickup at your lodging in Cafayate, drop-off in Salta city or at the airport.
• Better than guessing with a taxi or remis: for 190 km with no closed rate, it is better to arrange the trip in advance than to look for a car on the day.
• English-speaking driver: someone who can explain the formations and the valley as you go.

The canyon, seen from the south

The Quebrada de las Conchas is the great attraction of this road. The walls change from deep red to ochre depending on the hour, and the formations have names that locals use: La Garganta del Diablo, a narrow cleft in the rock, and El Anfiteatro, a natural amphitheater with remarkable acoustics. Driving it from south to north gives you a different view from the one you saw on the way in.

After the canyon the landscape opens into the Lerma Valley, greener and flatter, until the road climbs to Salta. It is a good way to end a wine weekend: you leave the vineyards of Cafayate behind and arrive in the city with the whole route fresh in your mind.

How to book

• Write to us on WhatsApp with your date, your pickup address in Cafayate and where in Salta you are going, city address or airport.
• If you fly out, tell us your flight time so we can set the departure.
• We confirm the vehicle and the hour, and your driver picks you up at the door.
• You arrive at your address in Salta, or at the airport, after the drive through the canyon.

Practical tips for the return

A morning departure leaves you afternoon to settle in Salta, and a very early start helps if you have a flight. The canyon is dry and sunny, so bring sunglasses, a hat and water. Keep any bottles of wine you bought in your carry-on or well wrapped in your luggage.

Private vehicles have room for the luggage of the group, but let us know if you are carrying cases of wine or large bags. Children are welcome, and child seats can be arranged with advance notice. If you want to stop at La Garganta del Diablo or El Anfiteatro, just ask the driver.

Planning your last day in Cafayate

Many travelers spend their final morning in Cafayate with one more tasting or a last walk around the plaza, and then set off for Salta in the early afternoon. That works when you have no flight, but if you are flying out the same day, the schedule has to be built backward from the flight time: the drive of around 3 hours 30 minutes, the time you want at the airport, and a margin for photo stops or slow traffic in the canyon.

If you are not flying and simply want to reach Salta for the evening, you have more freedom. A midday departure lets you see the walls of the Quebrada de las Conchas in strong afternoon light, which brings out the reds. If you prefer softer tones, going earlier or later in the day changes the colors. Tell us your priorities and we will suggest a departure time.

Continuing your trip from Salta

Salta is the usual starting point for the rest of the northwest, including the road to Purmamarca and the Quebrada de Humahuaca. If you want to continue straight away from Cafayate to another destination, write to us with the dates and we will help you line up the next transfer.

Ready to book your transfer from Cafayate to Salta?

Send us a message on WhatsApp with your date, pickup address and destination in Salta, and we will reply with the details. If you have a flight, include the time, and we will help you plan the day.