CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
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.
A 443 km round trip from San Pedro - roughly 8 h 26 in the saddle. The stops in between: Segment Portada Rumiqolqa-ch’Uspitacana, Segment Patacancha-Huacahuasi and back through Segment Portada Rumiqolqa-ch’Uspitacana. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 4,350 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
The Vilcanota valley south of Cusco is the old highway of the Andes, and the Inca road ran along it towards Lake Titicaca and the southern provinces of the empire. The segment between Machaqmarka, Raqchi and Qquea is one of the sections of the Qhapaq Ñan listed by UNESCO, and it passes one of the most impressive Inca sites outside Cusco. At Raqchi, near San Pedro de Cacha, the Temple of Wiracocha, dedicated to the creator god, was an enormous building with a central wall of stone and adobe that still rises around fifteen metres high, flanked by rows of columns. Around it are the remains of storehouses, the round qollqas, lined up in rows, houses, baths and fountains, and a lava field from the nearby volcano of Kinsach'ata, which according to legend erupted when Wiracocha passed by. The village holds a festival in June, with music and dancing.
Read the complete Segment Machaqmarka-Raqchi-Qquea write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Segment Machaqmarka-Raqchi-Qquea is where the day begins. Next is Segment Portada Rumiqolqa-ch’Uspitacana.
South-east of Cusco, the Vilcanota valley narrows at a place called Rumicolca, and a massive stone gateway stands across the old road. Built originally by the Wari, the empire that preceded the Inca, as part of an aqueduct, and later converted by the Inca into a controlled entrance to the Cusco valley, the gateway of Rumicolca marked the checkpoint where travellers and goods were inspected. The segment of the Qhapaq Ñan between Rumicolca and Chuspitacana is part of the Andean road system inscribed on the UNESCO list in 2014, and its stones still carry the marks of the people who walked it.
Read the complete Segment Portada Rumiqolqa-ch’Uspitacana write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Segment Portada Rumiqolqa-ch’Uspitacana comes up about 104 km into the recorded legs. Next is 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.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
about 216 km into the recorded legs you reach Segment Patacancha-Huacahuasi. Next is back through Segment Portada Rumiqolqa-ch’Uspitacana.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Segment Portada Rumiqolqa-ch’Uspitacana write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
back through Segment Portada Rumiqolqa-ch’Uspitacana, late in the day. Next is Segment Machaqmarka-Raqchi-Qquea.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Segment Machaqmarka-Raqchi-Qquea write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Back at Segment Machaqmarka-Raqchi-Qquea. That is the ride.
Segment Machaqmarka-Raqchi-Qquea → Segment Portada Rumiqolqa-ch’Uspitacana is 104 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Segment Portada Rumiqolqa-ch’Uspitacana → Segment Patacancha-Huacahuasi is 112 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Segment Patacancha-Huacahuasi → back through Segment Portada Rumiqolqa-ch’Uspitacana is 123 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Segment Portada Rumiqolqa-ch’Uspitacana → Segment Machaqmarka-Raqchi-Qquea is 104 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.