Some roads you can still feel. At this part of the northern Peruvian Andes, the old Inca road survives as a worn stone staircase and a retaining wall, the surface polished by centuries of llamas and sandals, with drainage channels still carrying water off the path. It belongs to the Qhapaq Nan, the Inca road system that was listed by UNESCO in 2014, and this segment, which the label ties to two places called Pariachuco and Tauli, shows what the engineering was like at its best. Where a slope was steep, the builders cut steps; where a cliff was in the way, they cut a ledge; where a stream crossed, they set stepping stones or built a bridge of stone slabs.
Quechua is still spoken here, and people in bright skirts and felt hats herd sheep and cattle along the old tracks. Potatoes, maize, quinoa and many local crops grow in small fields on steep slopes, often sown by hand, as they have been for millennia.
Riding here demands care. Mountain roads in Peru are narrow, often unpaved, and the edge is frequently a long way down, with trucks and buses that assume the middle of the road is theirs. Rock falls, wandering livestock and sudden weather are everyday risks. Fuel is found in towns, not villages, so plan and carry spare. Altitude can be a challenge for both rider and engine, as carburetted bikes lose power and fuel-injected ones cope better.
Thick afternoon cloud often rolls in during the wet season, which runs from December to March, so start early. The dry season, from May to October, brings brilliant light and cold nights.
Respect the people, ask before photographing, and buy something from the village shop, because that is how places like this survive. A cup of hot soup, caldo de gallina, is a welcome treat after a cold ride.