Quebrada de Humahuaca

A World Heritage valley of colored mountains, with the Hill of Seven Colors at Purmamarca, the Tilcara fortress and the town of Humahuaca strung along the gorge, and the Salinas Grandes salt flat up on the plateau to the west.

The Quebrada de Humahuaca is in Jujuy Province in northwest Argentina, a roughly 155 km-long north–south plateau valley cut by the Río Grande, at 2,000–3,000 m. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 2003, and for ten thousand years has served as a trade and cultural corridor between the Andes and the southern plains. The sedimentary rock layers on both sides of the gorge are red, purple, yellow and green, and together with adobe villages, colonial churches and pre-Inca fortresses they form a unique landscape.

The main sights are strung along Route 9 from south to north: Purmamarca (Hill of Seven Colors, the colorful trail), Maimará (the Painter's Palette and the painted cemetery), Tilcara (the Pucará fortress, archaeological museum, Garganta del Diablo), Uquía (the Church of the Arquebusier Angels, Quebrada de las Señoritas) and Humahuaca (the monument, the noon clock tower, the Hill of Fourteen Colors). From Purmamarca, heading west over the Cuesta de Lipán, it takes about 1.5 hours to reach the Salinas Grandes salt flat.

Getting there: from the Jujuy capital, San Salvador de Jujuy, it is about 1–2 hours by long-distance bus to Purmamarca or Tilcara, and about 3–4 hours from Salta; buses run between the towns. We suggest staying in Tilcara or Purmamarca for 2–4 days; a chartered car or self-drive is the most flexible.

Climate: the Apr–Nov dry season is sunny, with large day–night swings and winter nights often below 0°C; in the Dec–Mar rainy season there are often afternoon thunderstorms, with occasional landslides cutting roads. Carnival in February is the liveliest time. The towns are at high altitude, and the Hill of Fourteen Colors and the salt flat are above 4,000 m, so watch for altitude sickness; locals often chew coca leaves to relieve it.

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