Far down in the southwest of Ecuador, in the province of Loja near the border with Peru, the old Inca highway crossed a dry and broken country of ridges and ravines on its way between the Andes of Ecuador and northern Peru. The subsection near the Quebrada Huatuchi is one of the stretches of the Qhapaq Ñan identified and protected here, part of a route that linked Inca settlements on both sides of the present border, including the ruins of Aypate on the Peruvian side. Out here the stone paving, retaining walls and drainage of the road can still be traced across the hillsides.
The landscape is quite unlike the green highlands further north. This is the realm of the Tumbesian dry forest, with ceiba trees swelling like bottles, cacti, thorn scrub and seasonal streams that roar in the wet months and vanish in the dry season. Hummingbirds and parrots move through the trees, and the light in the late afternoon turns the slopes gold. Mornings at altitude can be cool, but by midday the valleys are hot.
Riding in this corner of Loja is rewarding but remote. Main roads linking Loja, Catamayo, Cariamanga and Macará are paved, winding and scenic, with long climbs over ridges and drops into warm valleys, though landslides and broken sections are common after heavy rain. The tracks toward the Inca road sections are often dirt, sometimes rough and steep, and best tackled on a bike that can handle it. Distances look short on the map but take time.
Cariamanga, about twenty five kilometres away, is the nearest proper town, with fuel, small restaurants and basic lodging, and it sits beneath a striking cone shaped hill. Catamayo, further north, has the regional airport and more services, and Loja city, beyond it, is a pleasant colonial city known for its music. In the villages expect simple food: soups, rice, plantain, and the strong local coffee that grows on these slopes.
Carry plenty of water, a spare tube, and enough fuel to return, as stations thin out quickly on the side roads. Ask locally about the state of the tracks before setting off, and avoid riding after dark. The reward is a sense of travelling a route that people walked long before there were any engines here at all.