Mountainous Monday: Cerro de los Siete Colores

There are mountains that you want to see just because they are high (Mount Cook, Mount McKinley) and there are mountains you want to see because they have a typical shape (Las Torres del Paine, the Matterhorn). But, there are also mountains, or to be more precise, one mountain, that I wanted to see because of its colors. The one I’m talking about is called Cerro de los Siete Colores, or Mountain of Seven Colors.

Just open any guidebook of Argentina and you will see a picture of this mountain. It’s located in the northwestern province of Jujuy, next to the town of Purmamarca. We spent our morning exploring the nearby Humahuaca valley but were told to “hurry up” as we still wanted to see Cerro de los Siete Colors at its best, which is in the morning when the sun is lighting it up.

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Upon arrival to the town of Purmamarca, you will immediately see the mountain from the road. Make sure you stop at the viewpoint because you won’t get such good views when you are actually in town (or, I didn’t find the place where I had the good views).

Why the hill is called the Cerro de los Siete Colores I don’t know, because as our guide said, it only has four… Long, long, long ago, marine sediments combined with river flows and erosion, caused this mountain to get such magnificent colors. The pink is caused by red mud and sand, and is the youngest color on the mountain. The white is limestone and the purple and brown colors are rich in lead and calcium carbonate.

Unfortunately, there were many other people and so much traffic was passing by that it was hard to get a good shot. And, as we had to hurry up again, to reach Salinas Grandes in time, we only had a couple of minutes to take a picture. With a lama, yes. And of course I also bought a little bottle of sand with colors of the mountains. At least I did my best to support the local economy…

A short post this time because I just have no clue what else to tell about this mountain. Maybe I should have paid better attention (it must have been the altitude) but an even better idea would be to go back one day and try to climb it …

Want to read more about Argentina? Then check these:
– A week in Argentina in pictures
– 5 Things to do in Ushuaia on a rainy day
– The best places to see in Argentina!

Or click here to read all the earlier Mountainous Monday posts!

Thanks for sharing and have a great Monday!