Humahuaca

Humahuaca is a town in the province of Jujuy, Argentina, adjacent to the spectacular Quebrada de Humahuaca on the main road from Argentina into Bolivia. Humahuaca is located up in the mountains at 3,000 meters above sea level, and has a population of a little over 10,000. A dusty ranching center surrounded by acres of cactus and spectacularly colorful mountains, Humahuaca looks like it should be a set for a wild west movie. The town has a bunch of hostels and campgrounds and is a popular destination for backpackers.



Understand
The Quebrada de Humahuaca was the first part of Argentina to be explored and settled by the Spaniards, for it provided a connecting route to the more temperate regions further south around Salta and Cordoba where supplies of food and draft animals could be found for the silver mines at Potosi, the gold mines at Oruro and other mining settlements in Upper Peru, now Bolivia. The town was a stopping place along that route before beginning the difficult climb to the Altiplano. Later Humahuaca was a central place for the revolutionary activity that eventually led to the creation of modern Argentina. Humahuaca was also a station on the now defunct railway that connected Bolivia to Buenos Aires, and its wild west aspect will remind many North Americans of some of the towns of Arizona or New Mexico. The area is arid due to the mountains, which block rain clouds.

This region in the north of Argentina has been inhabited for thousands of years and was part of the Inca empire. Humahuaca is named after the ancient people who lived here: the Omaguacas. One of the attractions is the carnival, which is visited by locals and foreign visitors. It is eight days of colourful costumes, masks and music. The “comparsas” organize the celebrations with food, traditional drinks and dances.

Tourist information
There is a tourist office in the Cabildo on the main square, but it keeps very limited hours. Tourist information is also theoretically available at the bus station. Hotel proprietors are excellent information sources.

Get in
Most buses between San Salvador de Jujuy and the town of La Quiaca on the Bolivian border stop at Humahuaca, and through buses to and from Salta are also available at the small and fairly informal a few blocks SW of the center of town. Buses are also available to and from smaller towns in the area such as Uquía and Purmamarca.

The bus station has luggage storage (pay by the day, AR$20 for small pieces of luggage, AR$40 for large). It also has food for sale and toilets.

There are buses to Iruya at 8:20, 10:30 and 16:00. If you buy a return ticket to/from Iruya (leaving Iruya at 6:00, 13:00, 15:15) make sure you've a seat reservation, and not just rock up at the departure time.

Get around
The town is too small for any transport other than walking to be necessary.

See
The center of the town is an attractively whitewashed Spanish colonial area. The church, now a cathedral, is well worth a visit.





Money
For withdrawing money, the only bank in town is on the central plaza, part of the RedBrou network and charging about AR$200 for each withdrawal.

There exists no exchange office and Macro does exchange only for customers. Nevertheless, you can ask (artesanal) shops in front of the bank, the optician at the corner near the Giramundo Hostel or the ticket sellers at the bus station. It is kind of illegal but people in town know the terrible situation and can be trusted.

Shopping
There are many small shops in the center of town selling clothes, jewelry, bags, and other tourist trinkets, as well as a daily handicrafts market on the steps leading up the hill to the monument. Most of the items for sale will be familiar to anyone who has traveled in the central Andean region, though there are a few artisans making jewellery and other items in more modern styles.

Eat
Humahuaca is well supplied with small restaurants offering a range of types of food. Recommended are In the afternoon near the corner of Tucumán and Basilio Álvarez, there are some stands selling tortillas (in this region, the word refers to a sort of large, flat empanada) for AR$25–35 each.

Avoid El Fortin, Buenos Aires 200. The place appears to be a tourist trap and their food is rather disappointing in quantity as well as quality.

Drink
Mostly the restaurants also serve alcohol, and there are few places that are strictly bars.

Connect
Due to its relatively isolated location in the mountains, internet is slow in Humahuaca. Hostels and some restaurants have WiFi, but don't get your hopes up.

The is on Buenos Aires, at the northwest corner of the main plaza.

Go next

 * Uquía – A beautiful mountain village just north, home to a notable historic church and a canyon that provides hiking opportunities. The road to Iruya is one of the most impressive and breathtaking trips in Argentina. Buses to Uquia were AR$10 as of Nov 2017.
 * Tilcara – An inexpensive town with the popular Pucará de Tilcara, an Omaguaca fortress.
 * Purmamarca – Popular but a little overpriced tourist destination with the famous Mountain of Seven Colours. Good for taking a picture, hiking the Los Colorados trail behind the town and leaving again.