Iruya: The Hidden Facets of a Hidden Gem

Welcome to Iruya!

Iruya is a hidden gem in the north-western Salta region of Argentina. Only a 3-hour bus ride from Humahuaca, it seems to barely have been noticed by international tourists.

How this is possible is beyond me. Imagine if you built a town at the feet of one of the most impressive 'rainbow mountains' in South America and you almost have Iruya. The difference is that, instead of one rainbow mountain, the town is surrounded by mountains and valleys saturated with colour!

The town itself is a charming collection of dwellings and a prominent church nestled among colourful hills and valleys. It seems to have a disproportionate number of hostels compared with the number of visitors it's hosting, and has only a handful of small comedors rather than proper restaurants.

---

The Mirador de Los Condores

The most popular walk from the town is up to the Mirador de Los Condores, about an hours' walk depending on your pace. On reaching the mirador you'll be treated to some impressive views of the town, the colours of the surrounding mountains and a real chance to see condors - I was lucky enough to spot a pair while I was up there!

You can also extend this walk by a few hours, following a path along the mountainside to see Iruya from a different angle and get glimpses further down the valley. I thought this relatively easy extension was well worth it, having already spent the energy to climb up to the mirador.

---

A Visit to San Isidro

It's also reasonably popular to walk or drive to the smaller, neighbouring village of San Isidro. The village, and the lovely valley that houses it, is only a 2 or 3-hour walk away (one-way).

Most of the route to San Isidro from Iruya follows the road and it demands an inordinate number of river crossings, but it's still a pleasant enough walk with deep red and orange hues colouring the sides of the valleys.

I'd recommend it, if I weren't instead recommending below the much more impressive loop that encompasses this walk!

---

The Real Treat

A lesser-known and more challenging day hike from Iruya takes you on a circuit, first north to an even smaller hamlet called San Juan, before looping back south via San Isidro and finally returning to Iruya. 

It's reasonably hard work, covering slightly more than 20 kilometres and around 1500 metres elevation over two mountain passes. But the rewards are well worth the effort. For me, this walk was the hidden facet of the hidden gem that is Iruya - it's one of the best day hikes I've done in South America (and that's saying something)!

The entire hike is brimming with beautiful sights, but the valley that houses San Juan is absolutely incredible. Even more so than those mountains closer to Iruya, these mountains are stained in the most vibrant pinks, blues and reds you can imagine. This hike lets you enjoy the scene from every available angle, before descending to San Isidro and rewarding yourself with a beverage and snacks of your choice (assuming you walk the loop anti-clockwise, which seems to be the better option).

For the most part, the trail is reasonably clear and you shouldn't find yourself referring to your map too often. However, there is one trickier section at the most north-eastern point of the hike, where the trail to start ascending out of the valley seems to have collapsed. At this point, a new trail has been semi-established, following a small adjoining valley until an opportunity presents to climb up and rejoin the primary trail. I found it helped to follow the donkey scat left by the locals! Aside from this detour, the trail is recorded on OpenStreetMaps and further detail is available on AllTrails.

It's an amazing corner of the world and not something to be missed lightly if you have the time!