Quebrada de Humahuaca | Blue Lapis Road

DAY 45 (1 OF 2) – ANTIGUA GUESTHOUSE, TILCARA, ARGENTINA

Over the past two days, Antigua Guesthouse was our base in Tilcara. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. We also loved the view from the dining hall. Seeing the dog of Grandma Rose staying at Antigua during our last night there was a pleasant surprise.

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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

November 25, 2013 | Categories: Argentina, Day 41 to 50, Northwest Argentina | Tags: accommodation, Antigua, Argentina, guesthouse, hotel, Quebrada de Humahuaca, Tilcara | Leave a comment

DAY 44 (2 OF 2) – CEMETERY, PURMAMARCA, ARGENTINA

Hillside cemeteries with a picturesque setting are not uncommon in the Quebrada de Humahuaca. When we came to Purmamarca by bus, we passed by one at the village of Maimara. In Purmamarca, we also walked past its beautiful cemetery at the end of our hour-long hike.

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November 25, 2013 | Categories: Argentina, Day 41 to 50, Northwest Argentina | Tags: Argentina, cemetery, Cerro de los Siete Colores, Hills of Seven Colours, Jujuy, mountains, Purmamarca, Quebrada de Humahuaca | Leave a comment

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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November 25, 2013 | Categories: Argentina, Day 41 to 50, Northwest Argentina | Tags: Argentina, Cerro de los Siete Colores, colours, hills, Jujuy, mountains, Paseo de los Colorados, Purmamarca, Quebrada de Humahuaca, Salta | Leave a comment

DAY 43 (1 OF 2) – GARGANTA DEL DIABLO, TILCARA, ARGENTINA

Located in the middle of Quebrada de Humahuaca, Tilcara is a popular base for foreign and local visitors to explore the UNESCO World Heritage listed valley. We specifically chose Tilcara as our base to visit Quebrada de Humahuaca because of its better selection of accommodation and the town’s less touristy atmosphere. Instructed by Felipe, one of the owners of Antigua Guesthouse, we decided to go for a half-day hike near Tilcara. The entire hike took us about 5 hours including return, taking us to a canyon and a waterfall at a site called Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat). As we walked uphill to the trailhead, we could see the colourful hills at both sides of the valley. The clouds were low, covering much of the distant mountains in shade.
The walk uphill to the entrance of Garganta del Diablo was pleasant, but could get quite windy at times. It was quite a popular hike as we shared the route with dozens or so of Argentine tourists along the way. Giant cacti dotted on layers of rocky slopes. There were some similarities to the landscape of Tupiza in Bolivia, only we could see more greenery here than in Tupiza. At Garganta del Diablo, we paid the entrance fee before descending down to the canyon. At the bottom of the canyon, we followed the stream for about 20 minutes until we arrived at the waterfall, where local visitors enjoyed a dip in the water or a sandwich lunch. Some kind locals offered us two cups of Argentine wine while we all took a good rest before the return journey.