The Inca Wheel and Inca Road Network

Did the Incas have the wheel? Although the Incas were very advanced and did in fact know about the concept of the wheel, they never developed it in practice. This was quite simply because their empire spanned the world’s second highest mountain range, where there were more straightforward methods to carry goods than using the inca wheel.

The Inca Wheel

In it’s heyday – right at the time of the Spanish Conquest in the 1530’s – the Inca Empire stretched all the way from northern Argentina to Southern Colombia, an area defined chiefly by high peaks, narrow valleys and barren rocky terrain. Carrying goods was thus far more convenient by porters and on pack animals, such as llamas, who were well attuned to traversing tricky mountain slopes with heavy loads…. far easier than dragging a wagon up a mountain I’m sure you’ll agree!

The Ina Road Network

In order to make travel by foot easier, the Incas developed an extensive and complex system of roads for transportation and communications, which they called Khapaq Ñan. This covered the vast majority of their  Empire, the total length of road incorporated is thought to have been around 25,000 miles, the same as the Earth’s diameter. The most famous stretch of road is, of course, The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.

Exploring Peru on Foot

At Aracari, as locally-based specialists in luxury travel Peru, we encourage you to try out the time-honoured tradition of navigating the Andes by foot and take advantage of the many incredible Peru treks available, from day hikes, to multi-day lodge-to-lodge treks, to the famous Inca trail to Machu Picchu.

Map of the Inca Road System

This fantastic map of the Inca road system comes from Wikipedia:

Related Post
Bajada de Reyes in Lima and Ollantaytambo Every January 6, Peruvians celebrate Bajada Reyes to conmemorate the arrival of the Three Wise Men to the Nativity and the gifts they brought to the n...
Yavari – historic vessel on the move again Peru navy history I’d read about the famous Yavari and the fascinating story of the Victorian steamship that journeyed from the shipyards of London a...
AYNI for the world. A Celebration of Art and Hope https://vimeo.com/426358187 Ayni is the Andean practice of reciprocity – ‘I help you today, you help me tomorrow, and together we make a new world.’ ...
Ecuadorian haciendas in the spotlight Aracari's favorite Ecuadorian Haciendas National Geographic Traveler's April 2009 edition places a spotlight on our two favorite Ecuadorian Haciendas...
Chachapoyas Archaeology, Culture & Wildlife A recent visit to the relatively unknown Chachapoyas region in northern Peru has opened up a whole new realm of travel for me. Offering a unique balan...
Our Man in La Paz: James Brunker Aracari Travel. Discovering Bolivia At Aracari, we are not just known for our expertise on travel in Peru; we have been arranging luxury trips to Bol...