Paso de Jama: From Purmamarca to San Pedro de Atacama

I wanted to ride back over the Andes to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. This would be my launchpad for adventures in the Sud Lipez region of southern Bolivia. In order to get to San Pedro, I chose to ride the 409 km route over Paso de Jama. It's sealed all the way, but with two high points over 4800 m, it still presents a bit of a challenge. Suffering a bit of diarrhoea and with a bike heavily loaded with food and water, I set off on the initial 2200 m climb out of Purmamarca...

The colours of Purmamarca.

Leaving Purmamarca bound for the first high point, 

The valley outside of Purmamarca.

High up on the pass, late in the day.

Next morning, first highpoint (Cuesta de Lipan) achieved!

On the Salinas Grande, the largest salt flats in the area. 

Salt is actively mined here.

By digging down to the watertable, the water is allowed to evaporate, leaving behind the salt. 

This car wreck outside the town of Susquez is a perfect metaphor for the town itself. 

Riding out of Susquez the next morning. Pure freedom. 

The ubiquitous red earth of this region, tinged with salt.

Coca leaves.  I confess to doping! One mouthful was enough and I gave the rest away, I didn't really need it. 

Next highpoint at the Paso de Jama international border. 

Super windy but I found a sheltered spot.

Sunrise the next morning. The key was to start early to beat the afternoon wind. 

Hot springs - it's a volcanic region. 

This swamp near the road was one of the few places after the border where driblable water was available. 

Approaching 4800 m above sealevel.

A view to the Bolivian Altiplano, where I'm headed next.

Descending 2400 m past Volcan Liscancabur (L) to San Pedro de Atacama in northern Chile. 

A well-earned meal :-)

Through the Humahuaca Valley to Iruya

Before leaving Argentina, there was one last place I wanted to visit: the little village of Iruya, on the edge of the Altiplano, 300 km from Salta and at 2760m above sealevel. On the way there, I passed through the beautiful landscape of red and ochre cliffs around Humahuaca. It was great to witness life in the countryside: fairs, farmers and locals going about their daily business. I was also lucky enough to be invited to stay a night with a family in Tilcara. I rode as far as the village of Irtube and there I decided to leave my bike and take a bus for the last 50 km over the 3980 m Abra del Condor to Iruya. The bad road conditions, the headwind and the fact I would have had to ride back the same way made the decision pretty easy. 

Iruya is in a truly spectacular location, nestled on a hillside above a rugged river gorge deep in the mountains. Inhabited for over 350 years, it begs the question "why build a village here?" Perhaps the reason has something to do with its name, which means "abundance of straw" in the Quechua language. After a night in the village and morning exploring the nearby river gorges on foot, I started the long journey back to Purmamarca. Next up: San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. 

Cordero asado (grilled lamb) at a small village festival on the way to Humahuaca. 

A typical meal: grilled lamb with corn, potatoes, goat's cheese and "picante" sauce. 

Grapes are growing everywhere.

A farmer crossing the Rio Grande de Jujuy near Tilcara with his produce.

Early morning colours.

Last remnants of the Bolivia-Buenos Aires railway are fading into history. 

Some of the beautiful coloured cliffs that the valley is famous for.

Local transport in a Humahuaca sidestreet.

The way to Iruya. I rode 6 km on this track to Irtube and then waited for the bus. 

Some kids in Irtube.

Washing day. 

The perilous road to Iruya.

The town has quite a dramatic location perched on the side of a canyon.

Wandering the streets the next morning. 

Isolated farming communities high up in the mountains.

Back down in the Humahuaca valley, some more remnants of the old railway line. 

Crops laid out to a curve in the old railway line. 

Theoretically, this is the tropics. Not too many palm trees around here, though!

Another nice spot near Tilcara.

The valley shortly before the turnoff to Purmamarca and Paso de Jama. 

South of Salta

The city of Salta in the northwest of Argentina was my base for a 6 day, 550 km round trip to Valle Lerma, Cafayete, Valles Calchaquies, Cachi and back to Salta over the 3457 m pass Piedra del Molino. Salta itself is full of nice old colonial buildings dating from the mid-1700's, plenty of green spaces, and at 1200 m in altitude it has a pleasant climate at this time of year (mid-April). I've also had my first taste of Inca culture here. In anticipation of a good harvest in the coming year, the Incas would bury children as human sacrifices on the tops of some of the highest mountains in the district. The frozen, mummified remains of 3 Incan children were dug up from the summit of nearby Cerro Llullaillaco and put on display in Salta's Museo de Arqueologia de Alto Montana. It's only a small exhibition but very powerful. 

I headed south on Ruta 68 to Cafayete passing through Valle Lerma. After the town of Alemania (I could see no resemblance with anything German), the valley narrows into a gorge, the Quebrada de las Conchas, with many fascinating red-tinged rock formations. Candelabra cacti started making an appearance, and I felt like I was suddenly riding through the set of a cowboy movie. 

The nice little town of Cafayete was my southernmost point in the loop and from here I headed north towards Cachi on Ruta 40 (incidentally I also rode part of this road some 4500 km south in Patagonia). Ten kilometres outside of Cafayete, I had my first run-in with thorns - while leaving the road to take a photo I managed to get 3 punctures at once, leaving both tyres flat and forcing me to hitchhike back to Cafayete for a visit to the gomeria. Two hours later and much the wiser (stay on the road!) I was on my way again. Leaving the irrigated wine-growing region around Cafayete behind, the rough gravel road passed through the Quebrada de los Flechas, a semi-arid region of rocky outcrops, then followed the braided rivers of the Valles Calchaquies to the village of Seclantas. At Seclantas I made a detour to Laguna Brealito and got my first glimpse of 6720 m Nevado de Cachi. 

Along the way, it was always fun to ask the locals for supplies of water, empanadas, grapes or freshly baked bread and chat to them a little bit in my dodgy Spanish. It was also the season to dry pimientos (ground up to make cayenne pepper) and in many places they were laid out to dry in the sun like big red carpets. 

After a night in Cachi, I set off to climb over the 3457 m pass Piedra del Molino. With the massive Nevado de Cachi at my back, I rode upwards through a barren landscape of high-altitude pampa dotted with thousands of candelabra cacti to the cold, foggy and windswept pass. The seemingly endless 2200 m descent took me into the humid and thickly forested valley on the other side. It started to rain so I called it a day in El Carril, hit the nearest restaurant for a milanesa napolitana and fries and slept like a baby. 

I'm now back in Salta for rest day, making plans for heading north to Humahuaca, Iruya, Paso Jama and San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. 

One of the many nice churches in Salta. 

Salta's Cathedral. 

A view from the inside.  

Monument in Salta's main square, Plaza 9 de Julio. 

Ruta 68 south of Salta passes through numerous small towns in the Valle Lerma. Here are some junior gauchos in Coronel Moldes.  

Beat-up old cars are a common sight - Ford seems to be the most popular. 

Following the Rio de las Conchas into the gorge south of Alemania. 

Intersection fail. 

The amphitheater in the Quebrada de las Conchas.

Intense colours in the Quebrada de las Conchas. 

The best way to see this is to ride through it on a bike!!

On Ruta 40 after Cafayete, the landscape gets noticeably drier, although areas around watercourses remain green. 

Impressive cliffs by Rio Calchaquies. 

Looking back the way I rode through the Quebrada de las Flechas. 

Simple adobe housing is the norm in these parts. 

Shortly before arriving in Seclantas I passed a couple of cacti having an animated chat. 

The way up to Laguna Brealito took me past a kind of semi-arid paradise. 

The laguna is famous locally for its mirror effect. 

Approaching Cachi, the valley is irrigated and fertile. 

Fresh bread from the oven. 

Rush hour in Cachi. 

Flocks of lorikeets were a common sight near the road. 

Drying pimiento in the sun. 

A look back at 6720 m Nevado de Cachi as I headed up to the Piedra del Molino. 

All down from here!

I was careful not to take the shortcut!

A lot more rainfall on this side with alpine pastures up high...

...and densely forested valleys lower down. 

My route. I started in Salta at top right and travelled around clock-wise. Seclantas in the west was the starting point for the detour to Laguna Brealito.