Inca trails
Ancient mountain routes
The Inca trails are a network of ancient stone pathways built by the Inca Empire across the Andes, connecting cities, fortresses, and religious sites throughout what is now Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and beyond.
The most famous is the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, a multi-day trek drawing thousands of hikers annually: We spent four days on the Inca trail.
The routes feature original stonework, mountain passes, and ruins along the way.
- stone pavingLaid rock surface
- suspension bridgesRoadways hung from cables
- Machu PicchuIncan sanctuary in Peru
- lost citySettlement swallowed by time
- waystationsIntermediate stops on routes
Andes Mountains · misty peaks · religious pilgrimages · tunnels · drainage systems · terraces · mountain passes · Cusco · indigenous traditions · archaeological digs · staircases · ancient pathways · military expeditions · Lake Titicaca · oral histories · Amazon rainforest · cloud forests · high altitude
- historic travelGrand Tour, carriage, pilgrimages, wagon, Silk Road
- Geographic Mapstopographic maps, political maps, physical maps, regional maps, elevation maps
- ChileSantiago, Valparaiso, Patagonia, Atacama, Easter Island
- Colonial Explorationconquistadors, expeditions, explorers, Pizarro, Spanish conquest
- Northwest ArgentinaLa Rioja, San Salvador, historic center, empanadas
Inca trailsinterstate highways
Multi-state limited-access roads
autobahns · freeways · paved roads · superhighways · motorways