bhomburg -- Thank you for your information about car rentals in Salta. I have two questions for you: 1. Was a small car, like the Chevy Aveo you rented, good enough for the roads that you encountered? 2. How, in fact, were the roads in this area? I have read reports about hairpin turns, and having to go over rivers. Is that true?
Marambio -- Thank you also for looking at my itinerary, and your suggestions about cars. Regarding the roads, were there big holes that would not be good for the Chevy Aveo that bhomburg drove? Please explain.
Your suggestions about the itinerary intrigue me. Do you think we should cut out one night from Cafayate, thus staying there two nights instead of three (going to Quilmes in the morning, and wineries in the afternoon), and then one more night in Purmamarca? Please explain. It looks like it's about a 1 1/2 hour drive from Purmamarca to Quebrada de Humahuaca. So you would do that as a day trip from Purmamarca? We cannot extend our trip more nights in total, but I could possibly steal a night from Buenos Aires.
So would you do something like this:
Day 10: Salta to Cafayate (Quebrada de las Conchas on the way), sleep in Cafayate
Day 11: Day trip to the Inca Ruins of Quilmes early AM, Cafayate wineries later, then sleep in Cafayate
Day 12: Cafayate to Cachi, sleep in Cachi
Day 13: Cachi to Salta, sleep in Salta
Day 14: Salta to Permamarca, sleep in Permamarca
Day 15: Day trip to Quebrada de Humahuaca, stopping at Tilcara, Humahuaca and Maimará, then sleep in Permamarca
Day 16: Permamarca to Salta, sleep in Salta