>> Iruya (2,780 meters over sea level)

Visiting Iruya is like going for a ride in the past. It involves meeting the people of this place, and getting an insight into their culture and habits. Hidden among the mountains, it is a place where the time has stopped, making it a dreamed town.

Its Church, houses, steep little stone streets, tell you about the lifestyle of these people, free from the hustle and bustle of big cities, but with a fully comfortable hotel. Just as in a postcard, Iruya is an invitation to rest and meditation, but also to awe in horseback, hiking, or trekking rides. Its name means "Fierce Straw" or "Place of high pasture" in the quechua language.

The most important of all of its festivities, takes place on the first weekend in October, with the devotion the Virgin of the Rosary, where pagan and religious rites merge in a unique way. Hundreds of local people, moved by their faith, take part in the religious acts singing, and praying, and playing local musical instruments (quenas, cajas, and sikus).

They accompany the music with the typical dance of the "cachis", a group of people disguised with masks, whose dance symbolizes the eternal fight between evil and good. At the foot of Iruya, on the bed of its river, the exchange commerce set up among its inhabitants, the dwellers of the High Puna, and the ones of nearby towns, has its origin. June, July, August, September, and October are the best months to visit Iruya, due to the weather conditions of the area.