Historic Centre of Lima and Segment Casila Alto - Chillaco
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
205 km
Riding-time estimate
4 h 20
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
From Lima it runs 205 km to Lima; allow about 4 h 20 of riding. The stops in between: Segment Quebrada Verde - Pachacamac, Segment Molle - Huarangal, Segment Casila Alto - Chillaco and back through Segment Molle - Huarangal. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 3,450 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available.
Scenic road chapters
Peru Coastal Panamericana South
For about 32 km this is Peru Coastal Panamericana South, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it — expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast.
This part of the ride is 35 km of Segment Molle - Huarangal → Segment Casila Alto - Chillaco.
Chapter facts
Length
35 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Historic Centre of Lima
Francisco Pizarro founded Lima in January 1535, laying it out around a plaza that is still called the Plaza Mayor, and for the next three centuries it was the capital of Spain's South American empire. The grid of streets around the plaza is the centre today, a mix of baroque churches, carved wooden balconies in the Moorish style, colonial mansions and government buildings. The cathedral, which holds Pizarro's tomb, stands on one side, and the Convent of San Francisco, with its library and underground catacombs, lies a few streets away.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Historic Centre of Lima is where the day begins. Next is Segment Quebrada Verde - Pachacamac.
2. Segment Quebrada Verde - Pachacamac
Lima is one of the driest capitals on earth, and yet just south of it, in the hills above the Lurín valley, the desert turns green for a few months every year. The Lomas de Quebrada Verde are fog oases, where the winter mist called garúa, rolling in from the cold Pacific between roughly June and October, condenses on the hillsides and brings to life a brief explosion of grass, flowers, cacti and shrubs, attracting birds, butterflies and the people of Lima, who come here to walk. The segment between Quebrada Verde and Pachacamac is part of the Qhapaq Ñan, the Inca road system, which linked the coast with the highlands.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Segment Quebrada Verde - Pachacamac comes up about 32 km into the recorded legs. Next is Segment Molle - Huarangal.
3. Segment Molle - Huarangal
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.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 65 km into the recorded legs you reach Segment Molle - Huarangal. Next is Segment Casila Alto - Chillaco.
4. Segment Casila Alto - Chillaco
In the mountains east of Lima, high above the desert coast, a stone path clings to the slopes of the province of Huarochirí. It is a section of the Qhapaq Ñan, the great Inca road system, which in this region linked the sacred coastal sanctuary of Pachacamac with Jauja and the central highlands. The segment between Casila Alto and Chillaco is one of the stretches listed by UNESCO in 2014 as part of the transnational Andean Road System. The Inca engineers built it with retaining walls, steps and drainage channels to cope with the steep terrain and seasonal rains, and parts are still used by local farmers and their animals.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Historic Centre of Lima closes the day.
Leg by leg
Historic Centre of Lima to Segment Quebrada Verde - Pachacamac
Historic Centre of Lima → Segment Quebrada Verde - Pachacamac is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Segment Quebrada Verde - Pachacamac to Segment Molle - Huarangal
Segment Quebrada Verde - Pachacamac → Segment Molle - Huarangal is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Segment Molle - Huarangal to Segment Casila Alto - Chillaco
Segment Molle - Huarangal → Segment Casila Alto - Chillaco is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Segment Casila Alto - Chillaco to back through Segment Molle - Huarangal
Segment Casila Alto - Chillaco → back through Segment Molle - Huarangal is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Segment Molle - Huarangal to back through Segment Quebrada Verde - Pachacamac
back through Segment Molle - Huarangal → back through Segment Quebrada Verde - Pachacamac is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Segment Quebrada Verde - Pachacamac to Historic Centre of Lima
back through Segment Quebrada Verde - Pachacamac → Historic Centre of Lima is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.