Subsection Quebrada Huatuchi - Plaza del I and Segment Aypate - El Arco
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
264 km
Riding-time estimate
6 h 18
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.
On the way it passes Segment San José - Llamacanchi - Las Limas, Segment Aypate - El Arco and back through Segment San José - Llamacanchi - Las Limas. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 2,550 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. It crosses from Ecuador into Peru - carry ID and check the toll rules.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Subsection Quebrada Huatuchi - Plaza del I
Far down in the southwest of Ecuador, in the province of Loja near the border with Peru, the old Inca highway crossed a dry and broken country of ridges and ravines on its way between the Andes of Ecuador and northern Peru. The subsection near the Quebrada Huatuchi is one of the stretches of the Qhapaq Ñan identified and protected here, part of a route that linked Inca settlements on both sides of the present border, including the ruins of Aypate on the Peruvian side. Out here the stone paving, retaining walls and drainage of the road can still be traced across the hillsides.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Subsection Quebrada Huatuchi - Plaza del I is where the day begins. Next is Segment San José - Llamacanchi - Las Limas.
2. Segment San José - Llamacanchi - Las Limas
The Inca road did not end at the Ecuadorian border; it ran on through the Andes of southern Ecuador towards Cuenca and Quito, and segments of it survive in the province of Loja, among them this one between San José, Llamacanchi and Las Limas. It is a remote stretch in hill country near the Peruvian border, where the Andes are lower and drier than further north, and the road crosses ridges and valleys covered with scrub, pasture and patches of seasonally dry forest. It belongs to the Qhapaq Ñan World Heritage site, which spans six countries.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Segment San José - Llamacanchi - Las Limas comes up about 61 km into the recorded legs. Next is Segment Aypate - El Arco.
3. Segment Aypate - El Arco
High above the dry coast of northern Peru, the Andes rise into a cold, wet world of páramo and cloud forest, and in the highlands near Ayabaca sits Aypate, an Inca administrative centre that few visitors ever see. It was one of the major stops on the Inca road network in this part of the country, linked to the great highway that ran north toward Quito, and the Qhapaq Ñan road system was listed by UNESCO in 2014. The stone terraces, plazas and buildings lie scattered on a windy hilltop, with the mist drifting through, and the sense of remoteness is extraordinary.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Subsection Quebrada Huatuchi - Plaza del I. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Subsection Quebrada Huatuchi - Plaza del I to Segment San José - Llamacanchi - Las Limas
Subsection Quebrada Huatuchi - Plaza del I → Segment San José - Llamacanchi - Las Limas is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Segment San José - Llamacanchi - Las Limas to Segment Aypate - El Arco
Segment San José - Llamacanchi - Las Limas → Segment Aypate - El Arco is 71 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Segment Aypate - El Arco to back through Segment San José - Llamacanchi - Las Limas
Segment Aypate - El Arco → back through Segment San José - Llamacanchi - Las Limas is 71 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Segment San José - Llamacanchi - Las Limas to Subsection Quebrada Huatuchi - Plaza del I
back through Segment San José - Llamacanchi - Las Limas → Subsection Quebrada Huatuchi - Plaza del I is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.