Road trip from Salta to Quebrada de Humahuaca: Complete guide
Hill of Seven colours in Purmamarca, Argentina
Over one week, we road tripped from the city of Salta into the Quebrada de Humahuaca—a mountainous area in the Jujuy region of northwest Argentina with some of the most underrated views.
We packed our worn-out suitcases into a worn-out Chevy and drove up into the Argentinian Andes, passing through a landscape called the painter’s palette. Its name couldn’t be more perfect, because the small towns along the way are surrounded by enormous mountains with the most unbelievable natural colours.
We’ve put together this post with everything you need to know about planning a road trip from Salta to the Quebrada de Huahuaca. It includes the best tours and driving routes to seven towns in northwest Argentina: Salta, Tilcara, Purmamarca, Humahuaca, Iruya, Cafayate and Cachi.
The drive also follows a significant cultural path called the Camino Inca. For centuries, the route has been used from, the high Andean lands to the plains.
Contents
Salta road trip itinerary
Salta
Where to stay in Salta
Tren a las Nubes (train to the clouds)
Tours from Salta to Tren a las Nubes
Purmamarca
Tours from Salta to Purmamarca
Cerro de los 7 Colore (hill of seven colours)
Tours from Salta to Cerro de los 7 colore
Tilcara and and Purcará de Tilcaraor pukara
Tours from Salta to Tilcara
Humahuaca and and Serranía de Hornocal
Tours from Salta to Serranía de Hornocal
Tours from Tilcara to Serranía de Hornocal
Iruya
Tours from Salta to Iruya
Cafayate and Cachi
TOURS FROM SALTA TO CACHI AND CAFAYATE
Driving route FROM SALTA TO CACHI AND CAFAYATE
Salinas Grandes (salt flats)
Tours from Salta to Salinas Grandes
Note: this post contains some affiliate links. If you decide to book a similar experience to us, we might make a small commission at no extra cost to you.
How to get to the Quebrada de Humahuaca
While there are a few public transport options to the Quebrada de Humahuaca, the region is best explored by car or tour. The easiest way to travel there is to take a direct flight from Buenos Aires to Salta, which takes roughly 2 hours. From Salta, you can then either hire a car (we booked ours here through Rentalcars) or take tours around the area.
The best tours from Salta to the Quebrada de Humahuaca
We have researched the best tour options running from Salta to the Quebrada de Humahuaca. There is more information on options for each individual destination below, but in general there are a few main tours that we’d recommend.
The Best one day tour of the Quebrada de Humahuaca
If you only have time for one tour in the area, we’d recommend this one day tour from Salta that goes to the viewpoint at Serranía de Hornocal. It is the best option if you’re mostly interested in the natural landscapes in the area and goes up to the most unbelievable viewpoint at the El Hornocal Peak. This tour is perfect for seeing all of the colourful mountains around Purmamarca and Humahuaca.
A one day tour of the towns in north Argentina
An alternative tour option that we’d recommend is the most convenient way to explore the towns in northern Argentina, with more of a focus on their history. This tour from Salta to Humahuaca is the perfect way to see the main attractions in the towns of Purmamarca, Tilcara and Humahuaca. On this tour, you can visit an anthropology museum, ancient ruins and monuments in a day trip.
Multi-day tours to the Quebrada de HUmahuaca
If you want reach more remote places in the Quebrada de Humahuaca, we’d recommend taking a tour to Iruya. The town is built on a dramatic mountainside and is more difficult to reach by car as the roads are not in good condition. If you want to get there, we’d recommend looking into this two-day tour from Salta to Iruya which stays overnight in a very beautiful town in the mountains.
If you have more time in the area, this four day tour is the best multi-day trip that we’ve seen. It starts in Salta and goes to the most impressive mountain ranges. Unlike other tours, this option can take you even further out to Salinas Grandes, which is a very expansive salt flat with mesmerising salt water pools.
Tips for driving around the Quebrada de Humahuaca
It is easy to hire a car either at the airport in Salta or downtown in the city. You don’t necessarily need a 4x4 for this road trip. We drove a Chevrolet Prisma and it worked out fairly well—even on the off-road terrain—however we did pop two tyres on unpaved roads on our trip so you might want to be cautious.
We used Rentalcars to hire a car with O’Carrol and they were great, especially given the language barrier. Other major car rental companies like Hertz, Avis and Budget can also be found on Rentalcars. We’d recommend their searching on their site here to compare prices across all of the hire companies.
A few tips for driving in the Quebrada de Humahuaca:
Our 7-day car hire cost USD $430.17 at the time for an automatic Chevrolet Prisma.
Hiring a manual car is always much cheaper than an automatic (almost half the cost, as they are older models).
You should thoroughly check the condition of the hire car and make note of all damages with the rental representative, including a check of the spare tyre and photos of the exterior.
The roads leading up to the towns are completely paved, but they are not always sealed.
If you’re driving north of Salta, the paved roads will eventually disappear and turn to gravel and loose rock, so it’s no surprise that we popped two tyres in the course of a week—just a heads up!
You can check the hire car details and prices for your travel dates in advance through Rentalcars:
Where to stay in the Quebrada de Humahuaca
There are so many beautiful places within a short driving distance of Salta, so you can definitely use the city as a base and take road trips for the day or book tours from the city. You can also stay in the towns like Purmamarca, Humahuaca or Tilcara along the way.
We decided to book accommodation in Salta, Tilcara and Iruya and found that Booking.com had the most choices in the region out of all platforms. We were able to find hotels, hostels and apartments in each destination, even in some of the more remote areas.
You can check the accommodation options for your travel dates here:
Salta to Quebrada de Humahuaca itinerary
How to drive through the Quebrada de Humahuaca
Driving to these destinations from Salta is fairly straightforward. There are two options, either:
follow RN 9 the whole way (about 3.5 hrs); or
leave Salta on the RN 9, turn onto RN 34, then onto 66, and follow 66 until it rejoins with RN 9 (about 2hrs 45 mins).
Map of the driving route
Salta
Before heading up into the mountains, we’d recommend spending a bit of time in Salta. It is a large city with very colourful architecture. If you want to see the highlights, this half day tour of Salta is a good option for quickly getting around the city.
Where to stay in Salta
For this road trip, we found accommodation in Salta that we could use as a base to explore the region.
The Villa Vicuña Hotel Boutique is one of the highest rated hotels in the historic area of the city. There are also many private apartment options like this one (which we’d recommend if you are planning to stay for longer or need a kitchen) and hostels around the city. Overall, Booking.com had the most choices in Salta and you can use their filters to find the right type of stay in the city.
Basilica y convento de San Franciso, Salta Argentina
Train to the clouds (tren a las nubes)
Before leaving Salta, if you have time you can take a train to the clouds, called the Tren a las Nubes. The trains take a full day to travel up into the Andes, ascending to 4,220 metres before crossing La Polvorilla, which is a huge viaduct that spans across a desert canyon. Unfortunately the track wasn’t open while we were there, but in the right conditions, the bridge looks like it is floating above the clouds.
Tours rom Salta to the Tren a las Nubes
The easiest way to get to the Tren a las Nubes is by taking a tour from Salta. This full day trip from Salta to the Tren a las Nubes is the best option that we’ve found because it includes hotel pick up and drop off to any part of the city and the train tickets (others tours what we’ve seen need you to purchase tickets separately). Just note that the train reaches quite a high altitude, so stay hydrated and think about whether you need anything to help with the height (some people take travel sickness or altitude sickness medication to the whole region just in case).
Purmamarca
After leaving Salta, we followed a desert road lined with cacti to our favourite place in the area—Purmamarca. This town has been a cultural crossroad for many centuries and is still home to a large group of artists. The best place to find textiles and pottery is in Plaza 9 de Julio.
The town is also surrounded by the most vibrant mountain range. We’d recommend driving into Purmamarca in the morning when the sun is directly on the hills.
TOURS From Salta TO PURMAMARCA
If you would like to visit the town of Purmamarca, this one-day tour from Salta to Humahuaca is an easy way to travel there and includes time at the art markets.
Cerro de los 7 colore (Hill of seven colours)
There is a legend that when Purmamarca was first built, it was in a dull and unimpressive landscape. The children decided to decorate the mountains one week, disappearing each night to add a new colour. Now, the town is wrapped in a hill of seven colours—the Cerro de los Siete Colores. The first glimpse of these hills is unforgettable, and we found ourselves coming back many times as the light changed throughout the day.
There is a 3km hiking trail in Purmamarca called the the Camino de los Colorados with the most beautiful pastel colours. It is quite an easy trail so we’d recommend following it if you have time.
TOURS From Salta TO Cerro de los 7 Colore
If you want to see the colourful hills around Purmamarca and include it on a bigger day trip, we’d recommend taking this full-day tour from Salta. The tour includes hiking in the Cerro de los 7 Colore in Purmamarca and also goes to the salt flats at Salina Grande.
Tilcara
Only half an hours’ drive north of Purmamarca is the dusty town of Tilcara. We decided to stay in this town on our road trip and really loved our time here. There were great restaurants Tilcara and quite a lot of accommodation options. Villa del Cielo is one of the highest rated hotels in the area and is around 500m from the main area of town. There are also apartment and hostel options in town, which you can filter here on Booking.com.
Trade routes have been used in the the Quebrada de Humahuaca region for the past 10,000 years by prehistoric hunter-gatherer communities, the Inca Empire in the 15th and 16th centuries, and of the fight for independence through the 19th and 20th centuries.
Tilcara is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in Argentina. Just outside the there is a pre-Incan fort, called Purcará de Tilcaraor pukara, and an Andean culture museum. The ancient ruins were built high up on the hills in the 12th century by the Omaguaca tribe.
TOURS from Salta TO TILCARA
If you would like to visit the town of Tilcara, this one-day tour from Salta to Humahuaca is the most convenient way to get there. It includes transport to the town and a visit to the pre-Incan ruins.
Purcará de Tilcara, Tilcara Argentina
Humahuaca and Serranía de Hornocal
Humahuaca is located around three and a half hours’ drive north of Salta. The main highlight in the area is a mountain range called Serranía de Hornocal. There are some places in that seem to take your breath away, but this one very literally did. Even though we’d been driving vertically for around 2 hours, we were so focused on the narrow and jagged road that we didn’t realise it had climbed to 4700m.
From the top, the lookout at El Hornocal Peak is simply unbelievable. If you’re driving there, follow this maps link to Mirador Hornocal o Cerro De 14 Colores, but note that the road is not paved.
TOURS from Salta TO Serranía de Hornocal
The roads in this area aren’t the best, so tours are definitely a safe option for reaching Serranía de Hornocal. If you’re staying in Salta, we’d recommend this one day tour that goes up to the lookout at Serranía de Hornocal.
TOURS from Tilcara TO Serranía de Hornocal
If you’re planning on staying in Tilcara and want a convenient way to get to this magnificent gorge, this direct half-day tour runs from Tilcara to Serranía de Hornocal.
El Hornocal Peak, Humahuaca Argentina
Iruya
Iruya is one of the more remote towns in the Quebrada de Humahuaca region and is set on a very beautiful mountainside. We had planned to stay in Iruya for a few nights, but unfortunately we couldn’t make it because of the rain.
It takes around 2.5 hours to drive from Humahuaca to Iruya, but it is probably the most dangerous in the area. It’s a long, windy, dirt road on the side of a mountain, about 50km long, with rivers flowing over some sections. When it rains, it is not always possible to pass as the water is too risky to drive through.
It’s a good idea to check the road conditions with the local information centres in Tilcara or Humahuaca before starting the drive there. There are also buses available to travel from Humahuaca to Iruya that are able to pass the rivers (even in the rain) if you are concerned about driving.
TOURS TO IRUYA
If you want the route to Iruya to be fully organised, we’d recommend this two-day tour from Salta to Iruya which stays overnight in the most scenic town. This trip also includes times at many of the other destinations we’ve listed. Just note that the tour doesn’t cover accommodation for the night in Iruya, but we found great options in the town on Booking.com.
Cafayate and Cachi
There is another circuit to the south of Salta which loops through the towns of Cafayate and Cachi. It’s at least 10 hours of driving (detailed in the section below), so we recommend taking at least 2 days to properly enjoy the sites.
The first two hours of the drive from Salta to Cafayate are not as scenic as the painter’s palette in the north, however afterwards, you will find some incredible rock formations such as El Anfiteatro (the Ampitheatre) and El Garganta del Diablo (the Devil’s Throat). The rest of the drive to Cafayate through the Qubrada de las Conchas ravine is filled with rich reds, and you can also stop at Los Castillos (the Castles), a unique cliff face that is particularly dramatic at sunset.
Cachi is a town known for its wine, and on your way back to Salta you can visit the Parque Nacional Los Cardones, a vast national park filled with giant cacti and condors.
TOURS FROM SALTA TO CACHI AND CAFAYATE
There are many different kinds of tours in this area, depending on what you are interested in. If you like wine, we’d recommend taking this tour to Cafayate and its wineries.
To explore the giant cacti and condors, this full-day tour of Cachi and Calchaquí is a good way to get out into the beautiful landscapes.
DRIVING ROUTE TO CACHI AND CAFAYATE
If you’re planning to drive, the Salta, Cafayate, Cachi loop is best explored over at least 2 days. We’d recommend taking the following route:
From Salta, follow RN 68 to Cafayate (about 3 hours);
drive from Cafayte to Cachi via RN 40 (about 3.5 hours);
loop back to Salta from Cachi via RN 33 (just over 3 hours).
The Devil’s Throat, Cafayate Argentina
Salinas Grandes (salt flats)
The Salinas Grandes is an expansive salt flat in northern Argentina with mesmerising salt water pools. It is one of the country’s 7 natural wonders and definitely worth visiting if you have time in the region. It is quite a long drive from Salta, but it can still be reached in a day trip.
If you only have one day to see the highlights, we’d recommend taking this one day tour from Salta to the Salinas Grandes. It is very highly rated on Get Your Guide and includes time in Purmamarca and the Cerro de los Siete Colores.
If you have more time in the area, this four day tour is the best multi-day trip that we’ve seen. It starts in Salta and goes to the most impressive mountain ranges with more time along the way. We think that the four day tour is probably the best amount of time for the whole area as there is a lot to see.
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