Salta and Jujuy · Easy · Circular

Paseo de los Colorados

A short round of the red, ochre and purple hills behind Purmamarca, on a dirt track under the Cerro de los Siete Colores.

Distance
2.9 km (1.8 mi)
Ascent
113 m
Time
About 1 h
High point
2,435 m
Grade
Easy

Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.

0 km1 km2 km2,435 m2,320 m
Move along the height chart to see each point on the map.
Paseo de los Colorados
Verokwa · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The walk

From the car park near the plaza in Purmamarca, walk west out of the village to the start of the Paseo de los Colorados, a dirt track that loops round the hills behind it. It winds past the cemetery and between eroded pinnacles and cliffs of deep red, ochre and purple rock, with cardón cactus on the slopes, then swings back round the far side of the hills to the southern edge of the village.

It is 2.9 km round with 113 m of ascent; allow about an hour. The grade is Easy: a wide dirt track with gentle climbs, but at over 2,300 m.

A small contribution is usually collected at a booth at the start. At this height walk slowly and drink plenty of water, especially if you have just arrived. There is little shade: go in the morning, and avoid the stream beds during the summer storms.

Buses and minibuses run daily from San Salvador de Jujuy, about 65 km away. The light on the Cerro de los Siete Colores is best in the morning.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.

Good to know

  • The bands of colour in the hills come from layers of sediment laid down over millions of years and tinted by minerals
  • The Quebrada de Humahuaca, of which Purmamarca is part, was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003
  • Purmamarca's church of Santa Rosa de Lima dates from 1648
  • The Cerro de los Siete Colores rises straight behind the village

Summits on the way

  • Cerro El Porito · passed close by

Getting there

Start: Purmamarca car park. -23.74629, -65.49772

Directions to the start

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Places to stay nearby

Rooms in and around Salta and Jujuy: Booking.com → Expedia → Hotels.com →

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Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.