Cuenca stands at about two and a half thousand metres in the southern Andes of Ecuador, where the air is thin and cool, and the rivers run down from the high moorland of El Cajas toward the Amazon basin and the Pacific. It is the third city of the country, a place of red-tiled roofs, whitewashed walls and wrought-iron balconies that was granted World Heritage status in 1999 for its well-preserved colonial grid, laid out in the sixteenth century on the site of an Inca settlement. The Tomebamba river runs along the southern edge of the old town, and its banks are lined with old houses with balconies hanging over the water.
The cathedral, known as the New Cathedral, rises above the main square with blue and white domes that are visible from almost everywhere in the town. It was built over many decades in the late nineteenth century and was never fully completed. Cuenca is also associated with a well-known product, the so-called Panama hat, which is in fact an Ecuadorian invention woven from the toquilla palm and exported from the port of Panama to workers building the canal. The best hats are still woven in the region around Cuenca, and several workshops in town let you watch them being finished and blocked.
The riding in and out of Cuenca is demanding in the best way. The roads climb and drop through Andean valleys with steep slopes, tight bends and sudden changes of weather, and the surface varies from fresh asphalt to potholed patches. To the west, Cajas National Park rises above four thousand metres, with lakes, peat and rocky ridges, and the road crossing it can be cold, wet and foggy even when the city is sunny. Pack warm clothing and waterproofs. Altitude can affect you and your engine, so ride sensibly and carry water.
As a city of nearly three hundred thousand, Cuenca has fuel stations, workshops, markets and plenty of places to eat, including the local specialities of mote pillo, a dish of hominy and eggs, and roasted guinea pig, known as cuy. Mornings are clear and crisp, and afternoons often bring rain. The air smells of woodsmoke, cut flowers from the flower market and warm bread. It is a delightful place to finish a long ride from the high volcanoes, or to start one.