Why this ride
287 km from Tangua to Tangua, about 7 h 46 of riding. It goes by way of Rosal de Chapal, La Cofradía, Chitarran and San Pedro. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 3,300 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Inantaz and San Pedro
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 287 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 h 46
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. 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.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Inantaz
Tangua and Yacuanquer are small highland towns in the department of Nariño, in the far south-west of Colombia, and Inantaz sits among their fields at roughly the latitude of the equator, on high ground above the valley of the Guáitara. This is the Andean altiplano of Nariño, a patchwork of potato, maize and pasture fields on steep slopes, with volcanoes rising behind. Galeras, the active volcano above Pasto, is not far to the north-east, and on a clear morning its cone dominates the view.
Read the complete Inantaz write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Inantaz is where the day begins. Next is Rosal de Chapal.
2. Rosal de Chapal
High in the department of Nariño, in Colombia's far southwest, the land folds into deep canyons cut by the Guáitara River, and the old Inca road, the Qhapaq Ñan, threads along the slopes. Rosal de Chapal is one of the surviving fragments of that road on the Colombian side, a stretch of track near the small towns of Funes, Iles and Contadero. The Qhapaq Ñan, a network of roads that tied the Inca empire together from present day Colombia to Chile and Argentina, was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2014, and Nariño holds its northernmost sections.
Read the complete Rosal de Chapal write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Rosal de Chapal comes up 20 km in. Next is La Cofradía.
3. La Cofradía
Down in Colombia's far south, close to the border with Ecuador, the Andes spread into a high, rumpled plateau of small fields stitched together by hedges, with deep canyons cut into it by rivers rushing towards the Pacific and the Amazon. La Cofradía lies here in the department of Nariño, between Gualmatán and Contadero, at the height of the old Inca road network, the Qhapaq Ñan, which reached this far north as the empire's frontier pushed into what is now Colombia. A few stretches of the road around here are part of the Qhapaq Ñan World Heritage site.
Read the complete La Cofradía write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
41 km in you reach La Cofradía. Next is Chitarran.
4. Chitarrán
In the high Andes of southern Colombia, near the border with Ecuador, the Inca road network reached its northern limit. The Qhapaq Ñan, as the system is called, stretched from here to central Chile, and a few segments in the department of Nariño are part of the UNESCO listing of 2014. Chitarrán is one of these, a stretch of old road near the villages of Córdoba, Contadero and Iles, in a landscape of green hills, ravines and patchwork fields at altitudes of over two thousand metres.
Read the complete Chitarran write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Chitarran, about halfway. Next is San Pedro.
5. San Pedro
Ipiales is the last big Colombian town before Ecuador, and the high, cold plateau around it is some of the most dramatic farmland in the Andes. San Pedro lies a little north-west of the city, in a landscape of terraces, small farms and green slopes that tilt toward the canyon of the Guáitara river. The land is at about 2,900 metres and above, so mornings begin with frost on the grass and a hard blue sky.
Read the complete San Pedro write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
San Pedro sits at 82 km, about halfway. Next is back through Chitarran.
6. back through Chitarran
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Chitarran write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Chitarran comes up 102 km in. Next is back through La Cofradía.
7. back through La Cofradía
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete La Cofradía write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
122 km in you reach back through La Cofradía. Next is back through Rosal de Chapal.
8. back through Rosal de Chapal
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Rosal de Chapal write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Rosal de Chapal, late in the day. Next is Inantaz.
9. Inantaz
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Inantaz write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 287 km.
Leg by leg
Inantaz to Rosal de Chapal
Inantaz → Rosal de Chapal is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Rosal de Chapal to La Cofradía
Rosal de Chapal → La Cofradía is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
La Cofradía to Chitarran
La Cofradía → Chitarran is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Chitarrán to San Pedro
Chitarrán → San Pedro is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
San Pedro to back through Chitarran
San Pedro → back through Chitarran is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Chitarran to back through La Cofradía
back through Chitarran → back through La Cofradía is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through La Cofradía to back through Rosal de Chapal
back through La Cofradía → back through Rosal de Chapal is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Rosal de Chapal to Inantaz
back through Rosal de Chapal → Inantaz is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Guapuscal Bajo and San Pedro · 281 km
- Los Ajos and San Pedro · 310 km
- Rumichaca and Rosal de Chapal · 251 km
- Segment Rumichaca and Rosal de Chapal starting at Ipiales · 248 km