Purmamarca
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The small village of Purmamarca is located in the beautiful and most impressive Humahuaca Ravine, directly below the Cerro de los 7 Colores (Hill of 7 colors), a group of hills that has various colors due to the minerals they are made up of, and is definitely worth a day or overnight visit for its beautiful scenery, laid-back feel, and its simple yet attractive hotel and restaurant options.
This village in the Humahuaca Ravine sits almost 2200m above sea level at the base of the beautiful Cerro de los 7 Colores. This area features many striking hills and mountains, mountain plateaus, gorges and ravines and has an average temperature of 20C, with highs around 25C in the summer and 2C in the winter.
Purmamarca, literally meaning ‘ the desert village’ or the ‘lions village’ in the language of Quecha, is a popular day visit or sometimes overnight stays for tourists travelling in the region who come to see the famous Cerro de los 7 Colores and to buy regional products sold in the village’s square. Purmamarca is made up of adobe styled buildings, mud tiles, and narrow cobblestone or dirt streets, all centered around the villages main church that was built in 1648 and houses some ancient artefacts from the region. The church square is the village’s social centre where various goods are sold, restaurants are situated, and where the local people and visitors come to relax, eat, or drink mate. The daily crafts fair in this squares sells regional products, pottery, handicrafts, rugs, clothing, traditional ponchos, instruments, and regional cuisine.
In this gorgeous mountainous area there are plenty of activities to enjoy such as, mountain hiking, horseback riding, exploration of the local rock formations, or visiting the nearby Salinas Grandes, a vast area of salt flats.
Salinas Grandes
These vast salt flats which cover almost 8300 km2 of land are a must see when traveling through the north of Argentina. Only 126km from Purmamarca, at only 1300 m above sea level, the incredible Argentine salt flats stretch from northern Argentina into the south of Bolivia. The area can be described as looking like a vast white desert of completely flat land, where the air is fresh, the view bright, and the only sound is from the winds flowing through area. On tours from Salta or Jujuy you can learn more about the area and the simple process of salt extraction, in which workers make small rectangular pools, each only a foot from each other, formed by using pickaxes.
Another place to check in the Argentina Travel guide, also located in the province of Jujuy is Tilcara.
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