Serranía de Hornocal

The Serranía de Hornocal is a limestone and sandstone ridge east of Humahuaca whose flank has been folded into a great zigzag and stained in bands of pink, cream, ochre, green and violet, the mineral layers standing on end like teeth. Locals call it the Hill of Fourteen Colours, and it is a far larger and wilder spectacle than the famous seven-coloured hill at Purmamarca, though it takes real effort to reach. A rough gravel road climbs steeply out of Humahuaca to a viewpoint above 4,300 metres, where the whole serrated wall opens out across the valley, with the altiplano rolling away behind. The colours are at their most intense in the last hours of daylight, when low sun rakes across the folds and the ridge glows against a darkening sky.

The landscape

• The zigzag wall - the folded ridge banded in more than a dozen mineral colours.
• The viewpoint platform - the roadside mirador above 4,300 metres facing the ridge.
• The altiplano light - the vast high-plateau sky and long shadows at day's end.
• The road itself - the steep switchback climb from Humahuaca with valley views.

When to go

April to November, the dry season, when the gravel road is most reliable. Mid to late afternoon shows the colours best, though it means descending in the dark. Weather at this altitude turns quickly and cloud can hide the ridge entirely for hours.

What to expect

At over 4,300 metres altitude sickness is a genuine risk if you have not acclimatised in the valley first, and the cold and wind are severe even in summer. The road is unpaved, steep and unsuitable for low cars; most visitors hire a transfer. Cloud can cancel the view outright.

Nearby

Humahuaca sits below; Tilcara and the rest of the Quebrada lie south along the RN9.

Key facts