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La Cumbrecita, at about 1,500 metres elevation, sits on the bank of a river as the rising Córdoban hills become the Andes mountains.
It´s a small, pedestrian town with a German heritage. Surrounded by lush green mountains in the summer that turn snow-capped in the winter, the town’s charm makes it a worthy weekend escape — and a must-visit for hikers.
In a country rich with remarkable landscapes from Patagonia to Jujuy, La Cumbrecita has rightfully earned a spot amongst Argentina’s most charming and picturesque towns.
What to do in La Cumbrecita
Translated to English, La Cumbrecita would be something like “The Little Mountaintop”. So when it comes to things to do in this little mountain town, it’s all about nature.
Walking through town is charming, but as the township only really consists of one main road, which is closed to automobiles, it’s like writing ‘eat breakfast’ on your Saturday to-do list, so we’ll leave it off the list but please do enjoy.
1. La Olla
Of everything to do in the town, La Olla is the most easily accessed. Just a 15-minute walk from the main road in town you’ll find a pleasant pool of water beneath a waterfall, surrounded by trees and greenery.
If you aren’t interested or fit for some of the other hiking in the area, drag your butt down to La Olla. It’s a beautiful spot that makes La Cumbrecita worth the visit on its own. Everything else is the icing on the cake.
2. Cascada Escondida
If you want the most beautiful views of the area (and aren’t afraid to earn it), put the hike to the hidden waterfall on your list. Without rushing, you’re looking at about 5 hours of hiking in total.
The Cascada Escondida has definitely earned its name. The trail is not marked well, so if it’s your first time in the area please take some form of map with you.
Personally, I think AllTrails is the best app there is for hiking. It lays out the route for you, marking elevation changes and other hiking paths in the area, and you can follow the path with your little blue dot on the screen. Without AllTrails, I’m not sure we ever would have made it to the waterfall.
If you do get lost, however, it’s pretty easy to know which way you need to go to get back to town. It’s not like the Izhcayluma Loop in Ecuador when I thought I was going to spend the night without any supplies in the mountains.
What did remind me of that Ecuadorian hike was walking along the crest of a mountain range, with the mountains below you on both sides. Seriously phenomenal views.
3. Puente Colgante
I’ll be honest, I don’t know if this suspension bridge is always open to the public or if it’s on private land. We were a bit surprised when we arrived there to see an adventure park blocking our path to the swinging bridge. To our luck, there was nobody at the park and we just walked right through it towards the bridge.
It’s about a 30-40 minute walk from town. You’ll want to head for the Peñon del Águila adventure park. Just beyond the park, crossing the river, is a beautiful suspension bridge. I can’t promise you will be able to access it freely, but even if it costs a few dollars to enter and walk across, it’ll definitely be worth the money.
4. Cascada Grande
When we were in La Cumbrecita, Cascada Grande was inaccessible because of recent rains that created very difficult terrain. So unfortunately, we couldn’t get there. In hindsight, I’m happy about this because it turned our sights towards the Cascada Escondida.
Cascada Grande is not far from town and can be reached in what looks like half an hour from town. It’s near La Olla, so you could visit both of those in the span of a couple hours.
The pictures look nice, but if you are up for a proper hike, I highly recommend going for the Cascada Escondida.
Heading to La Cumbrecita for hikes, waterfalls, or raspberry empanadas? Don’t forget travel insurance. I use SafetyWing — easy, global, and perfect for weekend adventures. Use the link above to stay safe in the mountains!
How to get to La Cumbrecita
Your options are limited when it comes to getting to La Cumbrecita. You can take the bus or go there by car. My recommendation is to go by car, and if you don’t have a car, rent one.
The bus is expensive (as far as buses go in South America), and you have to take two of them from Córdoba; first to Villa General Belgrano and then another bus to La Cumbrecita. As well, the timing of the buses is not ideal for a weekend trip. It will have you arriving late and leaving early.
If you do want to take the bus, you’ll need to leave from the new Córdoba bus terminal, which is right beside the old one, and go with the company called Pájaro Blanco.
The other, and better, option is to go by car. We rented a car from Hertz for two days and it cost about USD $45 per day. This is just a touch more expensive than the bus, but it allows you the freedom to leave when you want and stop where you want.
An hour or two stop in General Belgrano is worth it. It’s a charming town, similar in feel to La Cumbrecita except much bigger and more shops.
Where to stay in La Cumbrecita
La Cumbrecita is definitely a cabaña culture place. All over the region you will find private little cabins that you can rent. I think this is the way to go over looking for a traditional hotel or Airbnb.
We ended up going for the budget option and got a private room in the only hostel in town, the Cucu Haus. For the price, everything was great and the woman running the hostel was very friendly and helpful. It isn’t a very social place as many hostels are, and no free breakfast, but you get use of the kitchen, the common area upstairs, and the patio garden area.
It is connected to a restaurant of the same name that serves up the local classic: German food.
Foods you must try in La Cumbrecita
As I mentioned, La Cumbrecita has strong German roots and that is obvious from the moment you step foot in the town. In fact, Villa General Belgrano also has a strong German influence.
There’s a handful of German restaurants in town, and I have no official numbers but it’s probably the highest amount of German food per capita in the country.
Apart from the German food, you can enjoy a popular German drink: beer.
La Cumbrecita and General Belgrano have an impressive amount of breweries for their size. If you like craft beer, you will love sampling what this region has to offer.
The area is also known for trout. The trout empanadas are exceptionally good.
Raspberries are also popular in this area. You can find raspberry beer, raspberry alfajores, and raspberry empanadas.
We were highly recommended to try the raspberry empanadas from a specific café/restaurant. Unfortunately, they were closed for renovations so please go there, try the raspberry empanadas and tell me how it is! The place is called Edelweiss now, it used to be known as Confitería Lieseth.
For dessert, if raspberry empanadas don’t count as that, there are many artisanal alfajor makers in La Cumbrecita.
How long to stay in La Cumbrecita
I think two nights has to be the maximum. It’s a beautiful town, but it’s very small and there just isn’t a long list of things to do.
We stayed one night and it was sufficient to do and try everything you’ve read about above. The day we arrived we went to La Olla and the Puente Colgante (suspension bridge), and ate German food at night in the Cucu Haus after trying a few craft beers. The following morning we set out for the Cascada Escondida and upon returning had some empanadas and alfajores before heading back to Córdoba.
The Patagonia of Córdoba
While it isn´t as famous as the southern Patagonia region in Argentina, it has a very similar vibe and some excellent hiking. It can be a little difficult to get to, but once there you will feel a world away from the noise and pace of city life as you settle into the charm of the little German mountain village. La Cumbrecita will put a huge smile on your face and in your heart, even if it´s only for a weekend.
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