Vega Colorados (Argentina)

Vega de los Colorados is a rocky valley with beautiful red and ochre colours a few miles from the small village of Antofalla. Lost in the vastness of the Puna de Catarmarca desert, this place gives you the chance to stretch your legs and also to pause to take pictures.

This desert area with extreme weather conditions is home to some Andean condors as well as some vicuñas. The dominant colour here is red, which gives this isolated place a false sense of being in the Wild West.  

If you decide to spend the night in the area, you can go to the nearest village, Antofalla, which is bordered by the salar of the same name. In this hamlet in the middle of nowhere, there are around 10 families whose everyday life is marked by raising livestock and agriculture. In the area, you’ll find the Laguna Colorada near the Carachipampa volcano, where a few pink flamingos drink water.

This region is not necessarily a must-see on a stay in northwest Argentina and isn’t one of my favourites. However, you can let yourself be charmed by the immensity of the Puna and overwhelmed by a feeling of inner peace.