La Cumbrecita: Argentina’s German Pioneer Town

If you know me well, you know that I’m a big city girl, with a small town heart so whenever I find myself in a small quaint village or town, it’s likely that I will fall in love and that’s exactly what happened when we arrived in La Cumbrecita. La Cumbrecita is a small mountain town within the Cordoba province in Argentina. It was established 80 years ago by German and Swiss immigrants so there is huge influence from German culture rather than Latin culture even though the only language you will hear spoken there is Spanish. If you love microbrews, alpine hiking, spending a day at the river and eating goulash (among other things), then you may want to consider visiting La Cumbrecita the next time you are in Argentina. The town isn’t necessarily off the beaten path and is a popular spot for Argentine vacationers in the summer looking to cool off on the river, but it doesn’t seem to get too much international tourists because getting there is no straight shot of traveling into the town.

The main reason La Cumbrecita appealed to us is because after doing some searches, we were in awe by the mountains and potential trails we would be hitting that week and as soon as we got there, everything was better than we expected from the trails, the food, the drinks, the environment so much so that I plan to return some day!

Accomodations in La Cumbrecita

The tiny village has about 400 residents who live there year-round and many of the homes look very Germanic or Austrian, right out of the Sound of Music. There are even homes and ranches on top of the alpine ridges and literally, the only way to access them is by horse, donkey or on foot. Many of the homes also have a vacation rental attached or on the same lot and each one is beautiful – designed with the same flair as all of the residential homes. We stayed in an awesome lodge called Suites de Colina, run by 3 brothers who are outdoor enthusiasts and know about every single trail in the area and can give you pointers on more advanced backpacking trips.

We stayed in La Cumbrecita for 6 nights, the entire time at Suites de Colina. Also at Suites de Colina is the number one rated resturant on TripAdvisor which the brothers also run and are the chefs (dinner reservations are a must!) This place is absolutely solid from furnishing, to structure, to design, to location. The owners put so much thought and care into this family-run inn, they even pick up guests with a 4×4 near the bus station and bring them to La Colina.

Eating in La Cumbrecita

The food in the restaurant is amazing, they use fresh ingredients, fresh recipes that are much lighter than typical Argentine dishes fried in oil, and they all have a unique twist such as a homemade ginger-mango sauce for a dressing. The resturuant is closed on Tuesday nights and they do require reservations for dinner. If you just want to have lunch there you don’t need to make one and if you are a guest of the hotel then breakfast is included as part of your stay!

The town’s main area which has 2 markets, microbrews and resturants is only passable by foot and over a bridge. Only residents can drive by so it makes it a very safe place to walk and explore. In the Cordoba province, siesta is practiced religiously, so expect that midday all the shops and restaurants will be closed from 1:30 pm until 5 pm with the exception of Bar Suizo which during siesta time has coffee and possibly cold or ready made snacks to order. Their menu also has german food and amazing submarino which is a steaming hot chocolate drink made with a chocolate bar. In any case, I found siesta time to be a great time to either work on my laptop or go for a hike since there is not much human interaction going on. Where everyone goes, I have no clue (probably napping)!

Hiking in La Cumbrecita

On one of our hiking outings we came across the town’s cemetery which is where the pioneers of La Cumbrecita are also laid to rest. It felt a bit eerie being there, a bit spooky and not because cemeteries make me uncomfortable, but the small cemetery was built within a small forest of overgrown flora and trees that made it seem gloomy and ancient.

The hiking in the area is excellent for anyone looking to get away from people…there is absolutely noone on the trails and the views from the trails are stunning. One thing you’ll notice is that the mountain is basically all rock, with only a thin layer of black soil. With years of erosion, well worn trails have been formed on the giant slab of boulders and following them will bring you to some scenic vistas. At one point we reached a valley and followed the river upstream to find a waterfall. You can definitely swim in some of the pools, but the water was sincerely very cold when we were there. The hike takes about 4 hours to complete if you decide to do the whole loop starting from the center of town up to waterfall and back down from the bridge.

The hike was very successful in that I got a great work out, saw some amazing landscapes, views, waterfalls and I felt amazing afterwards. It would have been much more rewarding if the river was a few degrees warmer so I could jump in, but that just means I will have to return on one summer day.

How to Get to La Cumbrecita

I mentioned earlier that getting to La Cumbrecita can be a little tricky if you are not driving. It’s more populated neighboring towns are Santa Rosa de La Calamuchila and Villa Belgrano which is known for its massive Oktoberfest celebrations, have several major bus companies that come in from Cordoba, Rosario or Buenos Aires, but none of those will take you to La Cumbrecita. Instead, you need to take a bus to Villa Belgrano and purchase a Pajaro Blanco bus ticket to La Cumbrecita. Pajaro Blanco is a local bus service that travels to La Crumbecita several times every day.

Last Bit

I could have easily have spent a month in La Cumbrecita because I appreciated and absolutely loved the tranquil and relaxing lifestyle surrounded by nature. The fact that there are is not a crazy night life or even much shopping really appealed to me because I was able to truly relax when I wanted, work on my writing, drink great wine and hike or run on a new trail every single day. If you’re looking for something less hectic than the main city of Cordoba or Buenos Aires, then I highly recommend visiting La Cumbrecita. There are other small towns in the area like Santa Rosa de Calamuchila which I spent 4 days in and as beautiful as it was I was ready to leave. However, after one week in La Cumbrecita I still wasn’t ready to leave!

 

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