Travel Guide Tafí Del Valle

The village of Tafi (whose name, Taktillakta in diaguita, means "village with a splendid entrance"), surrounded by mountains with green or yellow colors depending on the season, looks like a prosperous colony set in a paradisiacal basin where the sun is generous. The road from Tucumán to Cafayate is initially insignificant: one follows the national road 38, dotted with sugar factories, until Acheral. There, the provincial road 307 begins, much more spectacular, which climbs through the gorge of the Río de las Sosas and leads you to the height of the village, at 2,000 m. It is as if you are passing through a tropical forest with exuberant nature. Tafi is often inaccessible because of the road drowned in water, so its nature is explained by the heavy rains. If you are in Tucumán, and hope to cross the valley, find out about the situation, as it is not worth waiting for the road to be passable.Tafi and the lake of El Mollar have become the resort of the province's inhabitants. But you have also entered the valley of the Jesuits and of the cheese, the latter being honored every year on its national holiday. From Tafi, you can continue on the road to Cafayate, crossing the pass of El Infernillo (Hell), via the village of Santa María.The village does not have a huge charm, but you will find beautiful houses, built for weekends by rich families from Tucumán. The city looks like a vast tourist market, but it is true that the surrounding landscapes leave you dreaming. The centro cívico stands in the main square (park, tourist office, municipality, bank) from where a nice little pedestrian street starts. Presidente Perón Street is the most commercial street with a long succession of stands and souvenir and handicraft stores. For the historical aspect, it is necessary to know that the Jesuits left many traces of the evangelization undertaken in the region during the XVIIIth century.You can also visit the estancias of the surroundings, specialized in the manufacture of cow cheese. The most important one is located 2 km north of the village, the estancia El Churqui, in the neighborhood of the same name. At the end of February, the tomatoes of Tafi, whose artisanal production was introduced by the Jesuits in the 18th century, are celebrated during the Fiesta nacional del Queso