The names tell a story about the land. Molle is the Peruvian pepper tree, with its weeping branches and pink berries, and a huarangal is a grove of huarango, the tough, deep-rooted desert tree that once covered much of the Peruvian coast. Between these two places, in the lower hills east of Lima toward the Lurín valley, runs a short stretch of the Qhapaq Ñan, the Inca road network. Here the road descended from the highlands toward the sanctuary of Pachacamac on the coast, one of the most important religious centres of the ancient Andes, where an oracle drew pilgrims from far and wide. The segment is part of the UNESCO listing of the Andean Road System.
This is the transition zone between desert and mountain. In the coastal winter, from June to September, a blanket of grey fog known as garúa covers Lima, while just a few hundred metres higher the sun breaks through. On some hills, the fog feeds seasonal oases of vegetation called lomas, which suddenly bloom with flowers and attract birds. The rest of the year, the landscape is dry and dusty, with bare brown hills and green ribbons of irrigated farmland along the rivers.
The riding is a mix of urban sprawl and open country. The roads leading out of Lima are busy and chaotic, with buses, combis and trucks, but as you head up the Lurín valley toward Cieneguilla and beyond, things calm down. The roads wind along the river, past orchards, small farms and weekend restaurants, and then climb into the hills on narrower, steeper routes. Watch out for loose gravel, potholes and the occasional landslide, especially after rain in the highlands.
Chosica, about sixteen kilometres away, is the nearest large town, with fuel and services, and the valley towns along the way have smaller stations and shops. Cieneguilla is popular with Limeños on weekends for its country restaurants, many serving pachamanca, meat and potatoes cooked in an earth oven, and chicharrón, fried pork. Finish with a chicha morada, a sweet drink made from purple corn, and do not miss the ruins of Pachacamac down by the sea if you have time.