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TownJujuyQuebrada de Humahuaca

Humahuaca

The historic town that gives the Quebrada its name — cobbled lanes, a monumental independence memorial and the road to the Serranía de Hornocal.

Handwoven ponchos, textiles and ceramics displayed at a craft stall in Humahuaca

Photo: César Pérez, CC BY-SA 4.0

Humahuaca is the most northerly of the Quebrada’s main towns and the most traditional. Its narrow streets of adobe and stone lead to the square, where at noon a figure of Saint Francis Solano emerges from the clock tower of the Cabildo.

Above the square, a long stairway climbs to the Monument to the Heroes of Independence, a reminder that this valley was a corridor of war during Argentina’s struggle for independence.

The Hornocal

About 25 km east of town, a dirt road climbs to a viewpoint facing the Serranía de Hornocal, a range striped in zigzags of colour often called the “fourteen-colour hill”. The viewpoint is above 4,000 metres: go slowly.

Experiences

Experiences in Humahuaca

  • The striped red, pink and green layers of the Cerro de los Siete Colores
    Demo

    Culture · Nature

    Quebrada de Humahuaca day trip from Salta

    A long day north through the UNESCO-listed Quebrada, stopping at Purmamarca, Tilcara and Humahuaca.

    Full day · 12–14 h · Salta, Purmamarca, Tilcara, Humahuaca

    Price shown at booking

Itineraries

Itineraries through Humahuaca

Destinations

More in Jujuy

  • Cerro de los Siete Colores rising in red, purple and grey bands behind Purmamarca and its vineyards

    Purmamarca

    VillageJujuy

    A small adobe village at the foot of the Cerro de los Siete Colores, and the gateway from the Quebrada to the salt flats of the Puna.

    Region
    Quebrada de Humahuaca
    Altitude
    2,324 m
  • The stone pyramid monument at the Pucará de Tilcara with the mountains of the Quebrada behind

    Tilcara

    TownJujuy

    The liveliest base in the Quebrada de Humahuaca, with a reconstructed pre-Hispanic hilltop settlement, gorge walks and a good choice of places to stay.

    Region
    Quebrada de Humahuaca
    Altitude
    2,465 m
  • The white crust of Salinas Grandes stretching to distant mountains under a pale sky

    Salinas Grandes

    Natural attractionJujuy / Salta

    A vast white salt flat on the Puna plateau, straddling Jujuy and Salta, reached over the 4,000-metre Cuesta de Lipán.

    Region
    Puna
    Altitude
    3,450 m