DAY 44 (1 OF 2) – HILLS OF SEVEN COLOURS, PURMAMARCA, ARGENTINA

The Quebrada de Humahuaca is renowned for its colourful hills.  Nowhere is more visible for this than the village of Purmamarca.  Defying the negative forecast on the Internet, today’s weather was sunny and clear.  From Tilcara, a 30-minute bus ride took us to Purmamarca.  As we walked into the town square, local vendors were busy setting up their souvenir stalls.  The market of Purmamarca is colourful but a little touristy.  We obtained a map from the tourist office and started our morning with a short walk up to a viewpoint that offered a good panorama of the  Cerro de los Siete Colores (Hills of Seven Colours) right behind the village.  Varied by the composition of minerals, the hills of Purmamarca really appeared to be distinct in colours under the morning sun, from dark green, orange, purple, to even pink.  Climbing back down from the lookout, we then embarked on an easy trail called Paseo de los Colorados.  The hour-long hike wrapped around the closest hill, passed through a crimson canyon, and returned to the village.  It allowed us to appreciate the colours of the hills as well as their interesting rock formations in a close distance.

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Read other posts on Northwest Argentina in 2013 South America:

Day 43.1 – Garganta del Diablo, Tilcara
Day 43.2 – Pucara, Tilcara
Day 44.1 – Hills of Seven Colours, Purmamarca
Day 44.2 – Cemetery, Purmamarca
Day 45.1 – Antigua Gusthouse, Tilcara
Day 45.2 – Museums and Plaza, Salta
Day 46.1 – Carpe Diem, Salta
Day 46.2 – Helados Miranda, Cafayate
Day 46.3 – Bodega el Porvenir, Cafayate
Day 47.1 – Bodega Domingo Molina, Cafayate
Day 47.2 – Quebrada Las Conchas, Cafayate
Day 48.1 – Museo de Vino, Cafayate
Day 48.2 – El Hornito, Cafayate
Day 48.3 – Goodbye Northern Argentina, Salta

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South America 2013 – Our Destinations
Buenos Aires (Argentina), Iguazu Falls (Argentina/Brazil), Pantanal (Brazil), Brasilia (Brazil), Belo Horizonte & Inhotim (Brazil), Ouro Preto (Brazil), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Paraty (Brazil), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Samaipata & Santa Cruz (Bolivia), Sucre (Bolivia), Potosi (Bolivia), Southwest Circuit (Bolivia), Tilcara, Purmamarca, Salta (Argentina), Cafayate (Argentina), San Pedro de Atacama (Chile), Antofagasta & Paranal Observatory (Chile), Chiloe (Chile), Puerto Varas (Chile), Torres del Paine (Chile), Ushuaia (Argentina), El Chalten (Argentina), El Calafate (Argentina), Isla Magdalena (Argentina), Santiago (Chile), Valparaiso (Chile), Afterthought