At 3,350 m.a.s.l. the salt mine Salinas Grandes is located at 60 km (37 miles) from Purmamarca and at 4 km (about 2.5 miles) from the intersection of the road to Paso de Jama and National Route 40.
It consists of a perfectly horizontal salt layer that covers a surface of 1,500 km2. The paved road that takes you there reaches the north most end of the salt mine, which has a semicircular shape.
Salt workers work at that end extracting this mineral that is mainly composed of sodium chloride and small amounts of sulphate and calcium chloride. Presently, salt extraction is carried out on a cooperative basis by people coming from all the nearby villages. In their free time, workers make little trees and other figurines in salt to attract the tourists.