Tilcara

Tilcara is the cultural heart of the Quebrada de Humahuaca, a town of narrow streets and adobe walls that draws musicians, weavers and artists, and it is busier and more animated than its neighbours in the gorge. Above it on a spur of hill stands the Pucará de Tilcara, a fortified settlement of the Omaguaca people built to command the valley, its stone-walled houses, corrals and ceremonial platform partly reconstructed in the twentieth century so visitors can walk the lanes of a pre-Hispanic town. At the entrance a botanical garden gathers the high-altitude cacti of the region, including the towering cardón. Down in the town the plaza fills with folk music in the evenings, and the surrounding hills offer walks to the Garganta del Diablo gorge and its waterfall. Carnival here, in February, is one of the most exuberant in northern Argentina.

What you actually see

• Pucará de Tilcara - the partly reconstructed pre-Inca hill fortress above the town.
• The cactus garden - high-altitude species including giant cardones at the site entrance.
• Garganta del Diablo - the narrow gorge and waterfall a walk or short drive away.
• The plaza and peñas - craft stalls by day, folk music in the evening.

When to go

April to November for dry, clear weather. February brings Carnival, when the town overflows and rooms are booked months ahead. Days are warm and dry, nights cold; the altitude of around 2,500 metres is noticeable if you have come straight from sea level.

Honest expectations

The Pucará is a reconstruction rather than untouched ruins, which some visitors find diminishes it; the setting and views make up for that. The site is exposed with almost no shade. Tilcara is the most touristed town in the gorge, so expect crowds and higher prices than nearby villages.

Nearby

Purmamarca and Maimará are south; Humahuaca and the Hornocal ridge lie north.