Pretty Purmamarca

Never in my life have I seen a place as pretty as Purmamarca.

After a whirlwind day in Salta, we hired two cars and drove up north from Salta to the Jujuy province.  Our first stop (not counting the numerous stops for photos!) was Purmamarca, a picturesque town that is home to Cerro de Los 7 Colores - the hill of seven colours.

Only a few years ago, UNESCO declared this area (the Quebrada de Humahuaca) a world heritage site and honestly, I don't think they could have done it soon enough.  The valley is remarkably beautiful - mountains that are coloured in every shade of the rainbow.

Before hiking up the rainbow hill, we strolled around the quiet little town.

The markets in town are adorable.  A bit quiet at this time of year, but I imagine it would be buzzing in summer.

And once I finish showing you the hill, you'll want to alpaca your bags and see this place for yourself :)

From the town square, you walk away from town and go uphill until your eyes start dazzling with colours.

In all honesty, I haven't touched up these photos very much - the hills and mountains really show up in these colours.

One minute, it looks like you're walking on Mars.  And then nek minnit, it feels like you're on a green moon or purple desert!  Very breathtaking.

The combination of colours come from a unique geological history of marine sediments, lake and river movements and movement of the tectonic plates.

I'd like to explain it in more detail than that, but I'm afraid my scientific knowledge is limited to that.

The Italians had a lot of chitchat to catch up on and dawdled behind.

Whereas the blondes and I powered on in front of the pack.

As they say, winners are grinners!

I definitely recommend saving the walk until sunset.

It was the perfect time to see the colours changing as the sun went down.

And if you're anything like me - you'll be pleased to know that it's not a particularly difficult hike - only 45 minutes or so.  Which is probably why I'm smiling!

Purmamarca, you sure are purty.