High in the southern Ecuadorian Andes, at about 2,500 metres, Cuenca was founded by the Spanish in 1557 on a grid plan, on the site of an Inca city called Tomebamba, which was itself built over an earlier Cañari settlement. The colonial centre, with its cobbled streets, whitewashed houses with wooden balconies, churches and plazas, was inscribed by UNESCO in 1999, and the blue-tiled domes of the new cathedral are the city's landmark. The Tomebamba river runs through the city, lined with parks and old houses perched on the bank.
Cuenca is also the home of the so-called Panama hat, woven from toquilla straw, which got its name because it was shipped through Panama and worn by the workers building the canal. Several workshops in the city show the process, from weaving to blocking and finishing. The Pumapungo museum and archaeological park displays the remains of Inca Tomebamba, and the markets sell flowers, fruit and local specialities.
The riding around Cuenca is spectacular. The road west to the coast crosses the Cajas national park, a high páramo landscape of lakes, grasslands and rocky peaks, climbing to over four thousand metres before descending steeply to the lowlands, through cloud forest and banana plantations. To the east, roads lead down into the Amazon basin, through deep valleys and over passes. The surfaces vary, with landslides common in the rainy season, and the altitude affects both rider and machine. The drier months, June to September, are the best time to ride.
Cuenca is a city of nearly three hundred thousand people, with fuel, mechanics, hotels and restaurants. The food is a highlight: try hornado, roast pork, and mote pillo, hominy scrambled with eggs, and drink the local coffee. The markets are colourful and lively, and the hat workshops let you see the weaving and buy a hat made by hand. Allow time to acclimatise to the altitude before riding the high passes, and carry warm clothing, as the weather in the Cajas can change from sunshine to freezing fog in minutes.