Sitting pretty much in the north centre of Argentina, Cordoba is the country’s second-largest city and one that, compared to Buenos Aires, feels safer, quieter and more relaxed.
Without getting into the city’s merits (let’s leave them for another story), I’ll say that Cordoba sits in an enviable position amid a pack of valleys extending in all directions from the city.
To the west, the Altas Cumbres separate the provincial capital from Traslasierras, a string of towns that still belong to Cordoba Province and slowly thaw into neighbouring San Luis.
Alta Gracia
Whatever your view of his politics, Alta Gracia, the main town in the Paravachasca Valley, demands a visit to Villa Nydia, a 1911 house that’s now the Casa de Ernesto Che Guevara Museum.
Born in Rosario, the legendary revolutionary moved to Alta Gracia with his family from 1935 to 1943 because the dry climate there was soothing for his severe asthma.
Each room is filled with young Che’s personal objects, among which the best is arguably a replica of Che’s “Poderosa” motorcycle, with which he rode the trails that make up his Motorcycle Diaries, set under a map of his life’s journeys.
Guided tours start at 9.30am, 11am, 3.30pm and 5pm on weekdays, and at 12pm and 4pm on weekends.
Capilla del Monte
Set high in the north of the Punilla Valley, north-west of Cordoba capital, Capilla del Monte is Argentina’s UFO capital thanks to decades of sightings around its guardian peak, the 1949m-high Cerro Uritorco.
The UFO Reporting Centre Colombo Argentina hosts talks on the topic, but most visitors come to relax by the Dyke El Cajon, hike Uritorco, see the red-rock formations of Los Terrones or stroll along Diagonal Buenos Aires, the main road flanked with bars, shops and cafes.
Uritorco is cool even without summiting: follow locals up the dramatic river creek around its southern half to three water pools great for swimming. With at least half a day, strike out on the 13.4km trail to Dyke Los Alazanes along the Calabalumba River.
La Cumbrecita
Set 40km west of Villa General Belgrano, home to the world’s third most important Oktoberfest, pedestrian-only La Cumbrecita was founded in 1934 by German settlers who planted pines and reshaped barren sierras into an alpine enclave of European mountain chalets.
See it to believe it: buses stop at a swimming spot on Rio del Medio, from where a metal bridge leads into the village. One of the main attractions is La Olla, a rock-encased swimming hole with a small waterfall. Another 15-minute trail leads to Cascada Grande (Big Waterfall), weaving through tangled greenery to a stunning cascade.
Don’t miss Bosquecito Bajo, an immersive forest with seating benches, and the nearby church Capilla Ecumenica from 1962. The hike to the top of Cerro Wank, set above town, is the easiest among several outdoor pursuits, with incredible views stretching for kilometres — but set off early or in the late afternoon, as it gets fiercely hot.
Salsipuedes
Small-town Salsipuedes, meaning “leave if you can”, may have one of Argentina’s funniest names, but locals clarify it’s because nature there is too beautiful to miss.
This welcoming one-horse town lies close to the stunning Reserva Hidrica Natural Parque La Quebrada and its own navigable dyke.
La Lomita (lalomita.ar) is an experiential hostel organising guided hikes and kayaking expeditions in both reserves, often ending with asado dinners under the stars in the hostel’s large garden. Volunteer programs are also available.
Cura Brochero
The small town of Villa Cura Brochero, practically a north-western extension of the tourist magnet, riverside Mina Clavero, is a major centre of pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero, a national hero to the Cordobeses. Nicknamed the Gaucho Priest, Brochero rode muleback across the remote sierras in poncho and sombrero, helping some of Argentina’s most isolated communities.
The town’s focus is Plaza Centenario, home to the adobe church Iglesia Nuestra Senora del Transito, where the saint’s remains lie behind glass. Look at the hundreds of plaques on the wall, some shaped like limbs and lungs, that believers left to repay bestowed graces.
Next door, the Museo Brocheriano (facebook.com/museobrocheriano; $4), founded in 1957, offers guided visits daily at noon and from Friday to Sunday at 8pm, which get you inside the chapel where Brochero lies. About a kilometre’s walk south-east, the Parque Tematico Brochero Santo (adult $6, child $4) offers 10 stations recounting the saint’s life through period furniture and statues.
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