We set out fairly early in the morning although it is always tough to leave the beauty of the hotel in Tilcara - the gardens framed by the Quebrada. However, our visitors, now new friends, wanted to make the most of the day in Iruya. Pressed for time in their visit to the NW, we had recommended that they stay in Tilcara and we would run the trips each day from there. It allowed a modicum of relaxation without the need to check out and cart luggage about. The new hotel in Iruya is nicely designed but unless you have time to hike from the village it is very remote for evening entertainment.
Coming out of Tilcara and heading North we stopped for coffee in Humahuaca and enjoyed the artisans in the square before the day trippers from Salta arrived.
We continued North with the amazing hills surrounding us on each side until the turn off point for Iruya - a gravel track. The last pueblo before the drive over the mountains is Iturbe - untouristed and very quiet. We stopped to buy some supplies (and beer) in the only grocery store - a real 1940s throwback.
The first part of the track is quite uninteresting apart from the isolated buildings along the way.
And that winding gravel is the road all the way to Iruya - 3 or 4 hours of it. Once you start to climb and finally reach 4000metres above sea level, you truly are up in the clouds.
The road to Iruya is tricky especially when the weather changes.There are no signs indicating the fall off the edge either.
The Gorge is quite overwhelming even when you see it regularly, the light is always changing.
And that is the road skidding away all the way down from 4000 until you come around the bend and are greeted with the picture postcard view of Iruya in the distance.
The village is tiny and you can't take cars through except up to the hotel where there is a nice lounge for a cafe with a good view.
There is nothing much to do unless you spend more time and take the 5-hour caminata (hike)towards San Isidro, but it is interesting as an example of a simple pueblo living off the land at the end of the world.
This is starting to change though,especially with the recent addition of a Personal cell phone mast- what an incongruous sight but more and more typical of the modern world. Our visitors were delighted with their visit and it was tough to get back on the road quickly so as to get over the pass before nightfall.
The setting sun over Iturbe. We just drove over the top of those mountains!
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