East of Lima, the Rímac valley cuts up into the Andes between brown, bare mountains, and the land here is a dry, stony slope broken by green patches of irrigated orchards and fields wherever there is water. The segment from Sisicaya to Santa Rosa de Chontay belongs to the Qhapaq Ñan, the Inca road network of some thirty thousand kilometres, which UNESCO listed in 2014. In this part of the world the roads connected the coastal valleys with the highlands, and a short walk along the surviving stonework gives a sense of the mountains the Incas had to cross.
The setting is typical of the Peruvian coastal foothills. There is almost no rain, the hills are pale and dusty, the sky is often hazy with the sea fog known as garúa lying over Lima, and above it the sun is hot and bright. Cacti, thorny shrubs and the occasional molle tree, with its drooping pink berries, are the main plants. Where a stream reaches the valley floor, farmers grow fruit, including chirimoya, for which this region is known, and avocado.
The nearest real towns are Chosica, a busy gateway of nearly ninety thousand people on the edge of the mountains, and the smaller places of Ricardo Palma and Nicolás de Piérola. Chosica has fuel, restaurants and markets and is a favourite weekend destination for people from Lima, because it sits above the fog and gets more sun. The Carretera Central is the key road, and it is among the most important and busiest in the country, with trucks, buses and a lot of dust. Riding it needs caution: overtaking is risky, tunnels are narrow, and the weather changes quickly as you climb.
For the best conditions, choose the dry months between May and October, clear by day and cool at night. In summer, from December to March, rain in the highlands can cause landslides and flooded washes, even when the coast is dry. Ride early in the day before the traffic builds, and stop in the villages for a plate of grilled chicken or a bowl of soup. As always in Peru, keep your wits about you with the minibuses.