From Salta Hornocal and Hill of 14 Colours Tour

Quebrada de Humahuaca: the valley of coloured mountains

The Quebrada de Humahuaca is a narrow mountain valley that runs north from San Salvador de Jujuy for roughly 150 kilometres, following the Río Grande between walls of folded, multicoloured rock. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2003 as a cultural route used for ten thousand years, from the first hunter-gatherers to the Inca road and the Spanish caravans that linked Buenos Aires with the silver mines of Potosí. A paved national road runs its full length, which is what makes a Quebrada de Humahuaca tour possible as a day trip from Salta.

Our minibus enters the gorge in the morning, when the low sun picks out the strata of red, green and violet rock along the eastern side. The guide explains how the colours formed from mineral deposits laid down over millions of years and then tilted by the rise of the Andes. Expect the first two to three hours of the day on the road, with the scenery changing every few minutes and photo stops at the best viewpoints.

Purmamarca, Maimará and Tilcara: villages along the gorge

The road through the Quebrada passes a string of adobe villages that each have a distinct character. Purmamarca sits at the foot of the Hill of Seven Colours, a ridge that glows in bands of red, orange, white and green behind a tiny plaza and a seventeenth-century church; it is the most photographed spot in the valley and the first classic stop on a Humahuaca tour from Salta. A few kilometres on, the cemetery of Maimará stands against the Paleta del Pintor, the painter's palette, a hillside striped in soft pastel colours.

Tilcara is the largest of the villages, known for the Pucará, a pre-Inca hilltop fortress restored in the twentieth century, and for its craft stalls around the square. The tour stops for photos at these viewpoints as time allows on the way north, and your guide points out the landmarks of each village from the road. Villages of the Quebrada de Humahuaca are small, so a short stop is enough to feel their rhythm before continuing toward Humahuaca.

Humahuaca: the highest town of the valley

Humahuaca stands at about 2,940 metres above sea level, at the northern end of the gorge that carries its name. Founded in 1591 as a stopping post on the colonial road to Upper Peru, it keeps narrow cobbled streets, whitewashed adobe houses with wooden balconies and a cabildo whose clock tower releases a mechanical figure of a saint at midday. The Monument to the Heroes of Independence rises above the town on a flight of stone steps, commemorating the many battles fought in the Quebrada during Argentina's war of independence.

The tour pauses in Humahuaca for free time: walk up to the monument for the view over the rooftops, look into the Church of La Candelaria with its eighteenth-century paintings, and browse the stalls selling llama-wool textiles and local produce. This is also the best place to buy a snack or lunch, because no meals are included in the tour. From here the gravel road to the Hornocal viewpoint begins, so Humahuaca is both the cultural heart of the day and its gateway.

Serranía del Hornocal: the Hill of 14 Colours

The Serranía del Hornocal is a mountain range about 25 kilometres east of Humahuaca whose western face is cut into a sawtooth of triangular peaks, each striped with layers of limestone and sedimentary rock in fourteen or more shades, from mint green and yellow to rose, ochre and deep purple. The formation was laid down around 75 million years ago and later folded upward with the Andes. The viewpoint sits at about 4,350 metres, with the full range spread out below like a folded fan, and it is the reason people search for a Hornocal tour from Salta.

Our minibus climbs the winding gravel road from Humahuaca in roughly 45 minutes. At the top there is a small entrance fee paid on site, a simple shelter and plenty of space for photos. The best time to visit Hornocal is midday to early afternoon, when the sun falls on the coloured face, which is when this tour arrives. Walk slowly: the altitude is high, and the guide will advise on taking it easy during the half hour at the top.

Salta: the starting point of the day

Salta is the capital of the province of the same name and the main base for exploring the north-west of Argentina. The city sits at about 1,150 metres in the Lerma Valley, ringed by green hills, and is known for its well-preserved colonial centre around Plaza 9 de Julio, where the pink cathedral, the cabildo and arcaded cafés face the square. Most hotels used by visitors lie within a few blocks of this plaza, which is why our pickup area covers 15 blocks around it.

Salta day trips to Jujuy's gorges are long because the two provinces are separated by mountain ranges, but the early start means the drive out of Salta is done in the cool of the morning. On the return we take the same road south, arriving in Salta in the evening, and you are dropped at your hotel. Many travellers pair this excursion with the Cachi and Los Cardones tour on another day to see the opposite side of the region.