Iruya is the day for travellers who have already seen the Quebrada de Humahuaca and want to go further. Past Humahuaca the paved road ends, a track climbs to the Abra del Condor at 4,180 metres, and then drops into a gorge where a village of stone streets sits on a ledge above the river, with the mountains closing in on every side. It is the longest day we offer from Salta, and the one people talk about afterwards.
Iruya belongs to Salta but is reached through Jujuy: north along the Quebrada de Humahuaca, past Purmamarca and Humahuaca, to the hamlet of Iturbe, where the asphalt stops. From there a mountain track climbs to the Abra del Condor, a pass at 4,180 metres on the border between the two provinces, and then descends for an hour into a narrow gorge of red and grey rock to the village.
Iruya itself is a few streets of stone and adobe on a shelf above the Iruya river, a church with a blue tower, and silence. The people are Kolla, the pace is slow, and there is time to walk the village, climb to the viewpoint and eat before the road back. The day starts early from your hotel in Salta, with a guide, and can run as a regular service or as a private one for your group alone.
Out of Salta early, north past Jujuy and into the Quebrada de Humahuaca, with a stop at Purmamarca for the Hill of Seven Colours and the road on past Tilcara to Humahuaca.
Beyond Humahuaca the road leaves the valley at Iturbe and the asphalt ends. The track climbs across the high puna to the Abra del Condor, 4,180 metres, where the view opens over both provinces and the air is thin and cold. Then down, bend after bend, into the gorge, until the church tower of Iruya appears among the folded mountains.
The village appears below you, on a ledge above the river, with the cliffs rising behind it: a few streets of stone and adobe, the church with its blue tower, and the riverbed below.
Time to walk the steep cobbled streets, see the church, climb to the viewpoint over the gorge and have lunch at the pace of the place, which is slow.
The same road back: up to the Abra del Condor with the afternoon light on the gorge, down to Humahuaca and the Quebrada, and into Salta in the evening.
This is the highest day we offer in the Northwest: the pass is at 4,180 metres and the village at about 2,800. Most travellers manage it with no more than a headache or breathlessness at the top, and the stop at the pass is short. Walk slowly, drink water, eat lightly, avoid alcohol the night before, and tell your guide at once if you feel unwell. If you have a heart or lung condition, this is a day to discuss with your doctor first.
The road from Iturbe is unpaved mountain track and the day is long, with many hours in the vehicle. It is not the day for anyone who suffers from car sickness on bends, and it is better done after a day or two in Salta or the Quebrada, once you are used to the altitude.
No. It is a day we add to your Salta package if you decide to stay a little longer. 01Argentina arranges the whole trip — flights, hotel, transfers and the days you choose — and this is one of the days you can choose. When you write, we send you the detail of the day for your dates.
It can be. The day runs as a regular service or as a private one, with the vehicle and the guide for your group alone. Tell us when you write and we quote it either way.
Yes. The day is guided in English.
The longest of the Salta day tours: an early pick-up and a return to Salta at night, with roughly twelve hours on the road and about three of them on unpaved mountain track.
If you have the time, do the Quebrada day first: it stops properly at Purmamarca, Maimara, Tilcara and Uquia, which the Iruya day only passes through, and it gets you used to the altitude before the pass at 4,180 metres.
April to November, the dry season, when the track is in good condition and the skies are clear. In the summer rains, from December to March, the road can be cut by the river and the day is sometimes cancelled; we tell you before you leave the hotel.
Tell us when you are travelling and how many days you have in Salta, and we will come back within 24 hours with the whole trip laid out — this day included if it fits.
Flights, hotel, transfers, the city tour, Salinas Grandes and Cafayate, quoted as one price.
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Purmamarca, Tilcara, Uquia and Humahuaca: a day among the coloured mountains.
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Over the pass at 3,348 m, through Los Cardones, to a white colonial village.
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