What is the Inca Trail?

Highlights of the Inca Trail: Must-See Sites and Scenic Views

The Inca Trail, which in Spanish refers to the Inca road system, was the most advanced and extensive transportation system in pre-Columbian America. Its routes and trails extended through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.

The Inca Trail was approximately 24,800 miles long – that’s over 30,000 kilometers – and is still in good condition after over 500 years of use! The network was based on two main roads running north to south, with numerous branches.

The most important route was the Camino Real, known in Spanish by that name, which was 5,200 kilometers (3,200 miles) long. This road began in Quito, Ecuador, passed through Cusco, and ended in what is now Tucumán, Argentina.

Much of this system was the result of the Incas claiming exclusive rights to numerous traditional routes, some of which had been paved centuries earlier, primarily by the Wari Empire, which preceded the Inca Empire.

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Ascending the Inca Trail.

The true extent of the road network is not fully known, as the Spanish, after the conquest, destroyed parts of the road in some areas or allowed it to deteriorate and fall into ruin under the hooves of horses or the metal wheels of ox carts.

Today, only 25% of this network can be seen, while the rest has been destroyed by the construction of modern infrastructure. Different organizations, such as UNESCO and IUCN, have been working to protect this network in collaboration with the governments and communities of the six countries through which the Great Inca Trail passes.

The Inca Trail, which in Spanish refers to the Inca road system, was the most advanced and extensive transportation system in pre-Columbian America.

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