Qhapaq Ñan

The Qhapaq Ñan is the road network that held the Inca state together: something on the order of thirty thousand kilometres running from southern Colombia to central Chile and Argentina, with two main north-south trunk routes - one along the coast, one through the sierra - linked by transverse roads, and served by tambos for lodging and storage and by chasqui relay posts. It was built for foot and llama traffic, so it uses stairways, causeways across bogs, cuttings and suspension bridges rather than gradients suitable for wheels. UNESCO listed it in 2014 as a single site shared by six countries. In Peru, walkable sections survive widely: the permit-controlled Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is the famous one, but stretches near Huánuco Pampa, over Pariacaca, around Aypate in Piura and in many other places are open, often better preserved, and almost empty.

What you actually see

• The paving - stone surfaces, stairways and causeways built for feet, not wheels.
• The tambos - waystations and storehouses spaced along the routes.
• The scale - around thirty thousand kilometres across what became six countries.
• The open sections - stretches far from Machu Picchu that need no permit.

When to go

May to September in the highlands. The Inca Trail requires permits booked months ahead and closes each February. Other sections range from an hour's walk to multi-day treks.

Honest expectations

Most sections are at high altitude with no facilities, and need guides or good route information. Preservation varies enormously - some stretches are pristine, others are a modern track over the line. The Inca Trail's permit system sells out far in advance.

Nearby

Huánuco Pampa, Aypate and the Pariacaca crossing are among the best-preserved Peruvian sections.