Humahuaca

Humahuaca is a small town in the north of Argentina not far from the Bolivian border. The town has a strong indigenous feel to it and the population is mostly Quechua speaking. The town is surrounded by amazing Andean scenery. You don’t have to walk for very long to be literally in the middle-of-nowhere, amongst the surreal moonscapes of high altitude rock faces.

It only takes an hour or so to take in the sights of the town. In the town center there is a town hall with a clock tower. At noon every day a life size figure of Saint Francisco Solano emerges from the clock tower and makes the sign of the cross. On the main plaza there is an impressive monument to Argentine Independence and opposite is the beautiful Iglesia de la Candelaria.

The real reason to visit Humahuaca and the reason why Humahuaca is a UNESCO World Heritage Site is the surrounding area and villages. Nearby is the beautiful village of Purmamarca which has a rock face with stratas of seven different colors. Also nearby is the remote village of Iruya that seems untouched by time. And there are the pre-Colombian ruins of Coctaca to visit.

Humahuaca is a good place to start horse trekking tours of the area. Or if you prefer to walk then it is easy to find a company offering guided treks of the area.

Cheap accommodation is limited in Humahuaca. The population seems keen to cash in on the small trickle of tourists the town attracts. One of the cheaper and better places to stay is Hostal Humahuaca. The hostel has dorms and private accommodation. The dorm beds are $9.50 per night. This price includes breakfast. The Hostal Humahuaca’s website claims that they have a guest use kitchen. When I visited that wasn’t the case.

Hostal Humahuaca is not affiliated to any booking engine.