Huamachuco is a big market town in the highlands of La Libertad, at about 3,200 metres, and it has been an important place for much longer than the Incas. On the hills above the town, the ruins of Marcahuamachuco spread across a long ridge, with huge stone walls and galleries that were raised during the first millennium AD, in a culture that flourished at the same time as the Wari empire and ruled the northern highlands. A big part of the stonework still stands, including a long building called the Castillo, with three storeys of stone galleries. The Incas arrived much later, in the fifteenth century, and ran their road system through the area, and parts of the Qhapaq Ñan around Huamachuco are among those listed by UNESCO in 2014.
This is a landscape of high puna and cultivated slopes, with eucalyptus plantations, fields of potatoes and quinoa and herds of cattle. To the north, the mining town of Quiruvilca sits at close to 4,000 metres in a bleak, rocky zone with copper and silver workings that have been dug for centuries.
For a rider, it is a good region to explore, though not an easy one. The road from Trujillo on the coast climbs in a great arc from the desert to the highlands, passing through different climates in a few hours, from dry coast to cold mist, and there is a gravel section on some of the routes. Landslides in the wet season from December to March can block roads, and the cold on the highlands is real, so carry layers and waterproofs. The dry months from May to September give clear skies and chilly nights.
Huamachuco is a lively market town with some twenty thousand inhabitants, and it has fuel, hotels and simple restaurants, so it makes the natural base. Quiruvilca, with nine thousand people, may have fuel but would be a risky bet.
Try a plate of cuy, the local guinea pig, or a hot soup with potatoes and cheese on a cold evening, and ask in the plaza about the way to the ruins, because the locals are proud of them.