3-Day Quebrada de Humahuaca from Salta
Salta, Argentina
Trip Type: Multi-day Tours
Duration: Flexible
A wide ranging tour of the best landscape and culture the far north of Argentina has to offer.
We’ll explore the multi-colored Quebrada de Humahuaca, famous for its Seven Colored Hill and rich in history from Pre-Inca to colonial times.
Then we’ll cross the outer mountain range of the Andes into the Altiplano and the wide open plains of the Salinas Grandes salt flats, with their stunning view of the mountains.
We’ll explore the multi-colored Quebrada de Humahuaca, famous for its Seven Colored Hill and rich in history from Pre-Inca to colonial times.
Then we’ll cross the outer mountain range of the Andes into the Altiplano and the wide open plains of the Salinas Grandes salt flats, with their stunning view of the mountains.
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A wide ranging tour of the best landscape and culture the far north of Argentina has to offer.
We’ll explore the multi-colored Quebrada de Humahuaca, famous for its Seven Colored Hill and rich in history from Pre-Inca to colonial times.
Then we’ll cross the outer mountain range of the Andes into the Altiplano and the wide open plains of the Salinas Grandes salt flats, with their stunning view of the mountains. Day 1:
Pick up at your hotel in Salta. Then, as we head North, we get a taste of verdant sub-tropical greenery as we travel up the old mountain road linking Salta with San Salvador de Jujuy.
San Salvador is rich in history. We can visit its excellent museum on the War of Independence. We’ll stop for lunch in Yala by the tranquil lagoons.
Then we climb in altitude up into the colorful gorge of the Quebrada de Humahuaca. You’ll immediately sense the difference in culture from Buenos Aires and even fairly sophisticated Salta city. This is a much more indigenous and traditional area.
We can take a late afternoon walk through “Los Colorados” at the back of Purmamarca’s Seven Coloured Hill, in the perfect light to appreciate its deep ocher-coloured tones.
Overnight in Tilcara, the hippy, arty, musical capital of the Quebrada. We’ll recommend a peña (traditional live music) venue for the evening.
Meals: Lunch: restaurant, Yala. Dinner: your choice of recommended restaurants in Tilcara
Overnight: We'll recommend a choice of hotels in Tilcara. Please note that accommodation is not included.
Day 2:
After a morning walk up the Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat) in Tilcara, we head up the Quebrada de Humahuaca, crossing the Tropic of Capricorn to see the famous Spanish colonial artwork of Uquia’s 17th century church and visit Humahuaca itself at the head of the valley.
This indigenous town has an excellent and colorful local food market. For lunch you can sample the staple diet of North West Argentina: llama, andean potatoes, quinoa and sweetcorn. There’s also an excellent local craft market selling clothes and tapestries woven from lamb and llama wool, toys, chess sets and panpipes.
Then we head up an unmade track out of town, climbing to more than 4,000m to see the Nine Coloured Hill of Hornocal, a wondrous natural formation of ancient rock from the era of the dinosaurs.
Meals: Lunch: restaurant in Humahuaca. Dinner: your choice of recommended restaurants in Tilcara
Overnight: hotel in Tilcara. Please note that accommodation is not included.
Day 3:
After a visit to the hillltop pukara (fort) of Tilcara, the home of the original indigenous settlers in pre-Inca times, we’ll see the famous Seven Coloured Hill at Purmamarca. Take a short walk across the river and climb to find a perch which gives us outstanding views of the hill well away from the tourist buses.
We climb the Cuesta de Lipan, rising to 4,200m and a superb view of the Salinas Grandes, as well as wild vicuña if we’re lucky!
Then we descend to the salt flats: an immense expanse of naturally formed saline fields. From here we return to San Salvador de Jujuy and Salta city via the sugar cane and tobacco fields.
Drop off at your hotel in Salta.
We’ll explore the multi-colored Quebrada de Humahuaca, famous for its Seven Colored Hill and rich in history from Pre-Inca to colonial times.
Then we’ll cross the outer mountain range of the Andes into the Altiplano and the wide open plains of the Salinas Grandes salt flats, with their stunning view of the mountains. Day 1:
Pick up at your hotel in Salta. Then, as we head North, we get a taste of verdant sub-tropical greenery as we travel up the old mountain road linking Salta with San Salvador de Jujuy.
San Salvador is rich in history. We can visit its excellent museum on the War of Independence. We’ll stop for lunch in Yala by the tranquil lagoons.
Then we climb in altitude up into the colorful gorge of the Quebrada de Humahuaca. You’ll immediately sense the difference in culture from Buenos Aires and even fairly sophisticated Salta city. This is a much more indigenous and traditional area.
We can take a late afternoon walk through “Los Colorados” at the back of Purmamarca’s Seven Coloured Hill, in the perfect light to appreciate its deep ocher-coloured tones.
Overnight in Tilcara, the hippy, arty, musical capital of the Quebrada. We’ll recommend a peña (traditional live music) venue for the evening.
Meals: Lunch: restaurant, Yala. Dinner: your choice of recommended restaurants in Tilcara
Overnight: We'll recommend a choice of hotels in Tilcara. Please note that accommodation is not included.
Day 2:
After a morning walk up the Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat) in Tilcara, we head up the Quebrada de Humahuaca, crossing the Tropic of Capricorn to see the famous Spanish colonial artwork of Uquia’s 17th century church and visit Humahuaca itself at the head of the valley.
This indigenous town has an excellent and colorful local food market. For lunch you can sample the staple diet of North West Argentina: llama, andean potatoes, quinoa and sweetcorn. There’s also an excellent local craft market selling clothes and tapestries woven from lamb and llama wool, toys, chess sets and panpipes.
Then we head up an unmade track out of town, climbing to more than 4,000m to see the Nine Coloured Hill of Hornocal, a wondrous natural formation of ancient rock from the era of the dinosaurs.
Meals: Lunch: restaurant in Humahuaca. Dinner: your choice of recommended restaurants in Tilcara
Overnight: hotel in Tilcara. Please note that accommodation is not included.
Day 3:
After a visit to the hillltop pukara (fort) of Tilcara, the home of the original indigenous settlers in pre-Inca times, we’ll see the famous Seven Coloured Hill at Purmamarca. Take a short walk across the river and climb to find a perch which gives us outstanding views of the hill well away from the tourist buses.
We climb the Cuesta de Lipan, rising to 4,200m and a superb view of the Salinas Grandes, as well as wild vicuña if we’re lucky!
Then we descend to the salt flats: an immense expanse of naturally formed saline fields. From here we return to San Salvador de Jujuy and Salta city via the sugar cane and tobacco fields.
Drop off at your hotel in Salta.
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