North-east of Cusco, the Andes begin their great fall towards the Amazon. Somewhere in the high grassland between Paucartambo and the edge of the cloud forest, the segment of Inca road between Paucarpata and Ichuka crosses the puna, a land of tussock grass, cold lakes and rocky ridges at well over 3,500 metres. It is part of the Qhapaq Ñan, and the rides that pass here link it with the Manú National Park, one of the most biodiverse protected areas on Earth, which stretches from these heights down into lowland rainforest.
The Inca roads here connected the imperial heartland around Cusco with the warm valleys of the eastern slope, where coca, fruit and other products came from. Llama caravans carried goods up and down, and the road was maintained by local communities as part of their labour obligations to the state. Fragments of paving and stone walls survive in the grass, often still used by herders.
The approach from Cusco is through Paucartambo, a colonial town famous for its festival of the Virgen del Carmen in July, when dancers in elaborate masks fill the streets. Beyond the town, a road climbs to the ridge at Tres Cruces, famous for spectacular sunrises over the Amazon basin, and then plunges into the Kosñipata valley, dropping thousands of metres through cloud forest full of orchids, hummingbirds and the scarlet cock-of-the-rock.
This is adventure riding in its purest form. Much of the road is gravel or dirt, narrow and winding, with sheer drops, fog and rain that can turn the surface into mud. Trucks and buses use it, and passing on a single track can be tense. The dry season from May to September is the time to go, and even then afternoons in the cloud forest are often wet.
There are no services near the segment itself. Fill up in Cusco or Paucartambo, carry extra fuel and water, and be prepared for cold nights on the high ground and humid heat lower down. The combination of Inca heritage, wild landscapes and the sudden transition from puna to rainforest makes this one of the most memorable rides in Peru, provided you respect the distances and the altitude.