Salta & the Andean Northwest - Argentina - page 492

putting their trust in God but keeping their powder dry. There's also a gilt altarpiece with
fine painted panels. Follow the road uphill past the church, keep going past the cemetery,
and you'll reach the Quebrada de las Señoritas, with beautiful orange rock formations.
By the church, Hostal de Uquía ( 490523; Av Belgrano; d AR$260; ) is a neat place
with decent if saggy-bedded rooms decorated with local fabrics. At busy times, it does
meals but the best lunch option is a couple of blocks uphill. Cerro La Señorita (Viltipoco
s/n; mains AR$40-65; lunch) is a bastion of delicious home cooking and baking,
with standout desserts made using fresh produce from the garden.
Humahuaca
03887 / POP 7990 / ELEV 2989M
The Quebrada's largest settlement is also its most handsome, with atmospheric cobble-
stoned streets, adobe houses and quaint plazas. You can feel the nearby puna here, with
chilly nights, thinner air and a quiet indigenous population. Humahuaca is less altered by
tourism than the towns further south, though there are good handicrafts shops, and folk
musicians strum and sing in the restaurants.
Sights & Activities
Built in 1641, Humahuaca's Iglesia de la Candelaria (Buenos Aires) faces Plaza Gómez.
Nearby, the lovably knobbly cabildo is famous for its clock tower, where a life-size fig-
ure of San Francisco Solano emerges at noon to deliver a benediction. From the plaza, a
staircase climbs to rather vulgar Monumento a la Independencia .
Hasta las Manos HIKING, SANDBOARDING
( 15-497-6148; [e-mail]) Recommended for exciting multiday treks
to the Calilegua national park, with a stunning change in terrain as you descend into the
subtropical forest systems. It also hires bikes and offers sandboarding at Abra Pampa,
day-hikes and high-mountain excursions.
Festivals & Events
Humahuaca observes February 2 as the day of its patron, the Virgen de Candelaria .
Sleeping