A day that moves through several distinct worlds — the red canyon corridor of the Cuesta de Miranda, the mining legacy of Chilecito, the long flat run south through Catamarca, and finally the dunes of Tatón before camp. The road south through Catamarca is long and mostly straight, but the morning and the evening bookend it well.
The 8:00 am departure from Villa Unión heads east on Ruta Nacional 40, leaving the Talampaya basin behind as the road begins to climb into the Sierra de Famatina. The Cuesta de Miranda comes quickly — within half an hour the road is already on the mountain, threading 80 curves across 32 km of corniche through one of the most visually arresting passes on the entire Ruta 40 corridor.
The Cuesta follows the Río Miranda through a narrow canyon where the geology is stripped bare: ochres and crimsons and dusty carmines in the exposed cliff faces, cardón cactus rising from the rock at intervals, and the river far below catching the morning light. The road crests at around 2,020 metres at the Punto Alto, from which the canyon extends in both directions and the distant smudge of the Talampaya formations is just visible to the west on a clear morning. Cóndors are frequently seen riding the thermals above the upper ridgelines — the pass sits within a recognised flight corridor for the species, and early morning is the best time. The descent on the eastern side drops into the Valle de Famatina, a broad agricultural valley of walnut groves and vineyards that announces Chilecito from several kilometres out.
Deleting this waypoint is permanent and cannot be undone.