Tafí del Valle

Tafí del Valle is a cool retreat that seems to specialize in tea and cakes for Tucumán's overheated gentry. Its history goes back to the Diaguita people, who arrived around 400 BC. They were follwed by the Incas, and, in 1700, the Jesuits. That said, the area remained isolated from the rest of the country until 1943, when a road was built from Tucumán.

Thanks to the altitude, it's often as much as 20 degrees cooler here than San Miguel de Tucumán. In January and February, during Easter week (when the whole town stages a passion play), and in July it's an overcrowded resort; for the rest of the year, it's peaceful. The town is a great base for hiking, horseback riding, and windsurfing—the last thanks to the artificial lake, Angostura, created to generate electricity but never used for that purpose.