Cuesta de Lipán

The Cuesta de Lipán is the road that climbs out of the Quebrada de Humahuaca at Purmamarca and hauls itself up onto the altiplano in a series of tight switchbacks, gaining more than 1,900 metres in barely twenty kilometres of paved highway. From the first bends the coloured hills of Purmamarca fall away below, and each turn opens a wider view back down the gorge until the valley is a thin coloured seam far beneath. The road tops out at the Abra Potrerillos at around 4,170 metres, where the landscape changes completely: no more cactus and cliff, just pale open puna, herds of llamas and a horizon of distant volcanoes. Beyond the pass the highway runs on across the plateau toward the blinding white expanse of the Salinas Grandes.

What you actually see

• The switchbacks - the hairpin climb with the gorge dropping away below.
• Abra Potrerillos - the pass at around 4,170 metres marking the edge of the puna.
• The viewpoints - roadside pull-outs looking back over Purmamarca and the valley.
• The altiplano - open high plateau with llamas and distant volcanic peaks.

When to go

April to November is safest; summer storms bring rockfall and poor visibility, and snow can close the pass briefly in winter. Mornings are usually clearest. Driving up in daylight is strongly preferable, as there are no barriers on many bends.

Honest expectations

This is a mountain road with steep drops, frequent trucks and no guardrail in places, and it demands full attention rather than sightseeing at the wheel. The altitude gain is abrupt enough to cause headaches and breathlessness at the top. Weather at the pass is far colder and windier than in the valley.

Nearby

Purmamarca sits at the foot of the climb; Salinas Grandes lies west across the plateau.