One Day at the Pintos River

This place is the talk of town. Some people say that this is the most beautiful river in Córdoba, even though this province has plenty of rivers, creeks and lakes all throughout its surface.

The Pintos valley is an exceptional site from all points of view. It is not easy to access because the road leading to it is getting more and more deteriorated everyday and this is due basically to the fact that many tourist operators take it daily to show visitors around. Besides, they do not wish to have it improved. The municipality does not have enough money to get it better and that is the way things are. A beautiful road, hard even for rally cars. Only 4WDs can drive along it without any trouble.

Nevertheless, if the driver relaxes and is really patient, it is possible to reach the river and the effort is completely worth: the site is a real paradise to spend the day and even camp.

After traveling along the kilometers that stand between La Cumbre and Cuchi Corral, we reached the spot where an old sign shows the detour to the Pintos River. Adventure begins as soon as drivers take it.

Bend after bend, slope up and down, the stretches follow one another. Drivers should go up in the first gear, go down watching for the brakes, slow down and be very alert.

At first, the way goes mostly up and some people may suffer from mountain sickness. After half an hour’s driving, the road becomes even and then it starts to go down. This is the best part of this circuit; the river is gradually seen larger and larger.

Overhead, we watched some eagle or, what was even better, some paraglider who took off at Cuchi Corral in search for a thermal current to go up.

In the meantime, now pressing the brake, we went on downwards, taking the last meters of the road up to the riverbank. We were invaded by a spectacular sensation.

Featuring clear sand and large green, brown and black stones, the cyrstal-clear waters of the Pintos clearly display catfish near the river bed and trout swimming here and there.

We had reached a true natural paradise. We looked up and watched a pilot running ready to jump into the sky in order to fly over our heads. A hang-glide was waiting for its turn behind him.

I chose to walk along the Pintos and found a ford where the waters run faster and fall down into a winding thread that gets lost in the horizon.

It was the perfect moment for a good dive at some of the deepest pools in this eye-catching site. The freshness and beauty of the river were worth it, even when many preferred to park the car and go down on foot. Visitors should not miss the chance to enjoy this gorgeous nook in La Cumbre.