Purmamarca’s Rainbow Mountain
The main street in tiny Purmamarca is only two blocks long. Where people are sitting on the curb is the bus stop and the trees are the plaza.
Visit Purmamarca in northern Argentina for a relaxing stay in a beautiful desert.
Purmamarca has everything you need in a small town: cute plaza, friendly people, good food, wide variety of places to stay, interesting culture and spectacular landscapes. I loved it so much, I included Purmamarca in my Top 25 Things to do in Argentina, published with Fodor’s Travel.
Purmamarca is a cute town worth visiting on its own but add on the gorgeous orange shades of its rainbow mountain and it’s a place you can’t miss!
I went to Purmamarca for its famous hike around the hills behind town, which they call Rainbow Mountain. Having seen Cusco’s Rainbow Mountain and the Painted Hills in Oregon, I wanted to see how this one compared. It’s so completely different that I don’t think it can be compared.
The hike is a simple walk and there is a road for those who don’t want to walk. You can do it in half an hour if you are just there for the walk. If you want to stop along the way for photos, give yourself an hour. There is very little uphill and no altitude to speak of, which makes it very different from the Rainbow Mountain near Cusco.
The plaza in Purmamarca is always shady and always has lots of souvenirs, street food and drinks available.
Walking around town and along the Rainbow Mountain trail, I saw only smiling faces and people enjoying vacation. It was relaxed and felt very much like a tourist town with no trouble in paradise. Only on my way out of town did I notice the murals protesting mining. (above)
In nearby Salinas Grandes there are massive deposits of lithium. If industrial mining were allowed, it would make the region uninhabitable and much less fun to visit. Processing lithium requires vast amounts of water and in a desert region, that would quickly use and pollute all available water. There would be no drinking water for residents, or tourists. The pollution would likely drive away all wildlife and destroy the delicate ecosystem.
As long as the environmentalists in Argentina hold strong, Purmamarca will remain a tourist haven. If the powerful global lithium industry wins, this cute little town may dry up and blow away.
Cactus souvenirs
I just had to take home something made out of a cactus skeleton. Besides being cool, it was also lightweight and didn’t break: my definition of a good souvenir!
Cabañas Los Colorados
I didn’t stay here, but next time I definitely would!
Tourist information
Scan this code to download a pamphlet about Purmamarca.
Transportation is very easy in the region, with several bus companies running between the Bolivian border in the north and the cities of Salt and San Salvador de Jujuy to the south.
Busses between the nearby towns of Purmamarca and Tilcara cost only a couple of dollars. Between the different companies, there is almost always a bus every half hour.
