Excursions ... land of colours and salt
Cauce del Río Grande, Purmamarca, Cerro de siete colores, Cuesta de Lipán, Salinas Grandes; They are some of the most picturesque attractions in northern Argentina.
Traveling along the Rio Grande, the road gets steeper and steeper. Color names are insufficient to describe the different hues formed by the hills of the Quebrada. Not only do the subtle chromatic variations attract attention, but also the textures created by geological movements, erosion, and time.
One of its most picturesque villages is Purmamarca. It's a few blocks of peaceful, terracotta adobe houses. Unsurprisingly, the church—built in the 17th century, its cardón wood still intact—is located around the central plaza, along with several craft stalls. A century-old carob tree bears witness to all its hustle and bustle.
Purmamarca grew up under the protection of the famous "Hill of Seven Colors," which can be circled on foot or by car along the Colorados Trail, hills that strangely emerge from the rock.
Leaving this charming town behind, we begin the climb up the winding Cuesta de Lipán, which will take us to the Salinas Grandes; a beautiful place that adds an unexpected nuance to the northern landscape. Salt and sky. Sometimes water. And one in that infinity.
You have to muster the will to leave the place. It's hard to convince yourself that there's anything that could amaze us more. But it isn't. In the middle of the solitary puna, we are once again surprised by other adobe buildings, which, although inhabited, seem like ghost towns.
Route
- Volcano
- Tumbaya
- Purmamarca
- Salinas Grandes
