Coloured mountains
Red, green and violet.
Bernard Gagnon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Idobi (talk) — CC BY-SA 3.0
The Quebrada de Humahuaca is a narrow mountain valley some 155 kilometres long in Jujuy province in northwest Argentina, between the Altiplano and the hills, with the Río Grande running through it, dry in winter and in flood in summer. UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site on 2 July 2003 for its long history as a route of trade and culture. People have lived in the valley for at least ten thousand years; it holds stone farming terraces more than 1,500 years old, some still in use, and fortified villages called pucarás. It was a caravan road of the Inca Empire in the 15th century, then a link between Spanish provinces, and a battleground in the War of Independence. Bands of rock colour its mountains red, green and violet. Small adobe villages line the road: Purmamarca with its Hill of Seven Colours, Tilcara with its old Pucará fortress, and Humahuaca, which gave the valley its name. It is a long day trip from Salta, or shorter from San Salvador de Jujuy; the altitude passes two thousand metres, so drink water and take it slowly.
Red, green and violet.
An old hilltop fort.
Along the valley.
Jujuy province, north of Salta
Yes, on a long trip starting early that takes in Purmamarca, Tilcara and Humahuaca, though a night in the valley makes the visit more relaxed.