Ecuador: Ancient Inca Road System, World Heritage Site, has few visitors

Posted on November 26, 2017 • Filed under: Ecuador, Ecuador Travel

ELCOMERCIO.COM Qhapaq Ñan, the ancient Andean road system, was declared a World Heritage Site in 2014. But despite that declaration, few people visit it. One of the best-preserved parts of Qhapaq Ñan in Ecuador is in Chimborazo Province. Along a 15-kilometer stretch, you can see stone walls, lagoons and páramo vegetation. Visitors can horseback ride, hike and camp. Qhapaq Ñan was used by the Inca armies to move between what is now Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.

The inhabitants of Azuay, a small community located next to the old Inca road, hope to offer more services to visitors. “We lack training. We want to offer lodging and typical foods of this sector, but we do not know how to do it. We have a lot to offer, but few resources,” says Ariolfo Camas, president of the indigenous community. This week, members of the Ministry of Tourism will visit the area. The people of the community expect to learn about customer service, food preparation and everything necessary to start tourism ventures.

Along the trail are small tambos where the messengers and travelers who moved around the Inca empire rested. “We want this to be a place for tourists to rest as the Incas did,” says Camas, indicating the ancient stone walls that form a square. A section of the road is well preserved and the comuneros think it is ideal for other mountain sports such as cycling. And there are natural rock walls that serve for climbing. Around 80 tourists travel there every year, although people say that once, even before the declaration, there were many more, Read Article

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INCA ROAD SYSTEM