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The Inca trail system was the most extensive and advanced transportation system in pre-Columbian South America. The network or El Camino Inca as it was called by the Spanish was based on two north-south roads with numerous branches. In it's prime, it stretched from Quito, Ecuador to Santiago, Chile.

The eastern route ran through the and mountain valleys of the Andes. The western route followed the coastal plain. Some of these roads reach heights of over 16,000 ft (5000 meters) above sea level. El Camino Inca linked together about 25,000 mi (40,000 kilometers) of roadway and provided access to over 1,200,000 sq mi (3,000,000 square kilo metres) of territory. This road system provided reliable and quick routes for the Inca Empire's civilian and military communications, personnel movement, and logistical support.

Today the best known portion of the road system is the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. The Inca Trail to Machu ...