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CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE

Loja to Vilcabamba

Plan this ride

Recorded distance
40 km
Riding-time estimate
48 min
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.

Open this ride in CurveScout

Why this ride

A named mountain-road corridor with sustained elevation change and pass scenery. It links naturally to Podocarpus National Park vicinity.

Editorial context

Coordinates are curated start-via-end route seeds. They are not a surveyed centreline or navigation geometry. Run road snapping, topology checks, access checks and a live-status review before publication.

Access context

Do not auto-publish. Snap to a routable road network, verify current closures, legal motorcycle access, surface, permits, border controls and local safety information.

Seasonal context

Jun-Sep

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

  1. 1. Loja

    Loja is the quiet intellectual of Ecuador. Tucked into a green valley at about 2,100 metres in the far south, it has a reputation as the country's capital of music and the arts, with a conservatory and a long tradition of poets and composers. The city was founded in 1548 and is home to a respected university, so the streets have a youthful, studious feel. It has a calm centre of arcades and plazas, and a castle-like gate at the northern entrance to the city, the Puerta de la Ciudad, which is the favourite photo stop.

    Read the complete Loja write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Loja sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Vilcabamba.

  2. 2. Vilcabamba

    Vilcabamba has a reputation that is bigger than it is. The small town in a sheltered valley south of Loja, at about 1,500 metres, was once marketed as the Valley of Longevity, with stories of residents living to well over a hundred, though researchers who checked the records found such claims did not stand up. What is true is that the climate is hard to fault: mild, sunny and dry for most of the year, with cool nights, which is why the valley has drawn a steady stream of foreign settlers and a laid-back community of artists, retirees and hikers.

    Read the complete Vilcabamba write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Vilcabamba comes up 40 km in.

Recorded source links

Source

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