Why this ride
It goes by way of Segment Patacancha-Huacahuasi, Main Square and Historic Centre and back through Segment Patacancha-Huacahuasi. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 4,200 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Segment Kintama-Tawis and Main Square and Historic Centre
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 540 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 13 h 26
- 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.
Scenic road chapters
Sacred Valley Route
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 106 km this is Sacred Valley Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 106 km
- Named road
- Sacred Valley Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Segment Kintama-Tawis
The Inca built a road network that stretched some thirty thousand kilometres along the Andes, from southern Colombia to central Chile, and much of it still exists as stone paths, staircases and causeways through the mountains. The Qhapaq Ñan, as it is called, was listed by UNESCO in 2014 as a set of segments across six countries. The Kintama-Tawis segment lies in the mountains north of the Sacred Valley of Cusco, in the high country between the valley and the cloud forests that descend toward the Amazon and the Manú national park.
Read the complete Segment Kintama-Tawis write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Segment Kintama-Tawis is where the day begins. Next is Segment Patacancha-Huacahuasi.
2. Segment Patacancha-Huacahuasi
Above Ollantaytambo, where the Sacred Valley of the Incas narrows, a side valley climbs north toward the high passes of the Urubamba range, following the Patacancha river. The segment between Patacancha and Huacahuasi is part of the Qhapaq Ñan, the Inca road system, and it crosses some of the most beautiful country in the Cusco region: steep slopes covered with potato fields and terraces, small villages of stone and adobe houses, herds of llamas and alpacas grazing in high pastures, and snow-capped peaks above. The communities of this area, like Patacancha and Huacahuasi, are known for their weaving, with intricate designs and bright colours, and the women's traditional dress is among the most striking in the Andes.
Read the complete Segment Patacancha-Huacahuasi write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Segment Patacancha-Huacahuasi comes up about 163 km into the recorded legs. Next is Main Square and Historic Centre.
3. Main Square and Historic Centre
Cusco's main square is built around a simple trick of scale. In Inca times it was a vast open space, called Huacaypata, where armies gathered and ceremonies took place. The Spanish cut it down to the present plaza, lined it with arcades and placed the Cathedral on one side, where it sits on the foundations of an Inca palace. On the opposite flank stands the Jesuit church of La Compañía, whose richly carved facade was designed to outdo the neighbouring cathedral, and legend says the bishop complained to the pope about it.
Read the complete Main Square and Historic Centre write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 269 km into the recorded legs you reach Main Square and Historic Centre. Next is back through Segment Patacancha-Huacahuasi.
4. back through Segment Patacancha-Huacahuasi
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Segment Patacancha-Huacahuasi write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Segment Patacancha-Huacahuasi, late in the day. Next is Segment Kintama-Tawis.
5. Segment Kintama-Tawis
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Segment Kintama-Tawis write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Segment Kintama-Tawis. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Segment Kintama-Tawis to Segment Patacancha-Huacahuasi
Segment Kintama-Tawis → Segment Patacancha-Huacahuasi is 163 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Segment Patacancha-Huacahuasi to Main Square and Historic Centre
Segment Patacancha-Huacahuasi → Main Square and Historic Centre is 106 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Main Square and Historic Centre to back through Segment Patacancha-Huacahuasi
Main Square and Historic Centre → back through Segment Patacancha-Huacahuasi is 107 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Segment Patacancha-Huacahuasi to Segment Kintama-Tawis
back through Segment Patacancha-Huacahuasi → Segment Kintama-Tawis is 163 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.