Dangerous Roads

To access the salt pans “Salinas Grandes” from the town of Purmamarca you must go up hill, along the slope of Abra de Potrerillo Lipan, in Argentina. Cuesta del Lipán (Lipan Slope) is a section of steep zigzag on the National Route 52, located in the department of Tumbaya, province of Jujuy.

The road that crosses the hill, totally asphalted, has the origin in the town of Purmamarca and reaches its peak (maximum height of the road) in the Abra de Potrerillos at an elevation of 4170 meters above sea level. After this point, the RN52 continues through the Salinas Grandes to Paso de Jama.

The slope consists in a fully paved road that goes meandering in its ascent. A few hundred meters before reaching its peak there is a viewpoint where people can observe the dramatic cost entirely.

In approximately 17 kilometers long, the slope rises from the edge of the town of Purmamarca at 2192m to 4170 m in Abra de Potrerillos. The road then goes down to Salinas Grandes, at 3450 meters.

Formerly the territory was crossed by mule trails descending from the highlands to the valley. In early 70’s it was built a dirt road, part of the Provincial Route 16, linking San Salvador de Jujuy, capital of the province with the town of Susques.

In 1979, the stretch of 65 km from Purmamarca to Route 40 became a national jurisdiction, called National Route 52. And in 1999, the nation and the province signed an agreement to start the construction of of the new road in 2000.