Segment Otutococha - QÑ-HH-051 and Segment Huánuco Pampa - Huaricashash
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
503 km
Riding-time estimate
9 h 54
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.
503 km from Yauya to Yauya, about 9 h 54 of riding. On the way it passes Segment Ayash - Taulli, Segment Huánuco Pampa - Huaricashash and back through Segment Ayash - Taulli. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 4,300 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. The line favours views over speed.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Segment Otutococha - QÑ-HH-051
East of the Cordillera Blanca, in the region of Ancash known as the Conchucos, the Inca road system, the Qhapaq Ñan, crossed some of the most rugged terrain of its entire network. This segment, near the small town of Yauya, is part of the main road that ran north from Cusco to Quito through the high Andes, linking administrative centres such as Huánuco Pampa to the south. The Inca engineers laid stone paving, built steps on steep slopes, retaining walls and drainage channels, and stretches of the road can still be walked today, threading across high grasslands and past lakes at altitudes well over three and a half thousand metres. The whole network, which crosses six countries, became a World Heritage site in 2014.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Segment Otutococha - QÑ-HH-051 is where the day begins. Next is Segment Ayash - Taulli.
2. Segment Ayash - Taulli
East of the Cordillera Blanca, the Andes break into a jumble of high plateaus and deep valleys draining toward the Marañón and the Amazon, and the Inca road ran through this country on its way from Cusco to Quito. The Ayash to Taulli segment is a stretch of the Qhapaq Ñan in the highlands of Huánuco, near the town of Llata, part of the UNESCO-listed Andean road system. It runs through the puna, the high grassland above the tree line, where the wind blows cold and the views stretch for miles over ridges and valleys. In places, the original road survives, with stone paving, retaining walls, steps and drainage channels, and walking a section of it is the best way to understand how the Incas moved people and goods across this vertical landscape.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Segment Ayash - Taulli comes up about 135 km into the recorded legs. Next is Segment Huánuco Pampa - Huaricashash.
3. Segment Huánuco Pampa - Huaricashash
Huanuco Pampa is a place that makes you feel small. On a high plateau at around 3,700 metres, in the central Peruvian Andes, the Incas built one of their largest administrative centres, on the great highway that ran north from Cusco toward Quito. Archaeologists have counted hundreds of storehouses on the surrounding hillsides, once filled with maize, textiles and weapons, and the ruins of a huge central plaza, with a platform called the usnu from which the Inca or his representative could watch ceremonies. It is part of the Qhapaq Nan, the Andean road system recognised by UNESCO in 2014.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Segment Otutococha - QÑ-HH-051. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Segment Otutococha - QÑ-HH-051 to Segment Ayash - Taulli
Segment Otutococha - QÑ-HH-051 → Segment Ayash - Taulli is 135 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Segment Ayash - Taulli to Segment Huánuco Pampa - Huaricashash
Segment Ayash - Taulli → Segment Huánuco Pampa - Huaricashash is 113 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Segment Huánuco Pampa - Huaricashash to back through Segment Ayash - Taulli
Segment Huánuco Pampa - Huaricashash → back through Segment Ayash - Taulli is 117 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Segment Ayash - Taulli to Segment Otutococha - QÑ-HH-051
back through Segment Ayash - Taulli → Segment Otutococha - QÑ-HH-051 is 138 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.