Top 5 Motorcycle Rides Peru And What Could Have Been Better

It may come as a surprise to learn that it is within Peruvian cultural norms to rub a living guinea pig all over your body as both a diagnostic tool for illness and to remove evil spirits, or that an owl outside someone’s home represents a bad omen of coming death. Did you know that there are thousands of varieties of potatoes in Peru? The Incas developed large, crop-circle-like agricultural laboratories high in the Andes where they experimented with hybridizing and selecting varieties of our favorite spuds. And in case you missed the memo, you might also be interested to know that Peru is a wondrous destination for motorcycle adventures. If Peru isn’t already on your docket of places to ride, you may want to revise your bucket list. Here are my top five rides and sites throughout Peru, and some curious observations to go along with them.

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How do you feel about heights? Arriving at the Colca Canyon will have you riding 4,910 meters (16,109 feet) above sea level, making this particular mountain pass one of the highest in the world. Also, how comfortable are you around active volcanoes? Because at this altitude, you have a fantastic view of the currently rumbling Sabancaya volcano, the most active volcano in southern Peru. This behemoth, towering above at 5,976 meters (19,606 feet), with its rolling fumaroles spewing upward is spectacular, albeit slightly unnerving. You’re likely safe at this viewpoint (though altitude sickness and hypothermia are real), but the Colca Canyon is where you’re headed, which is exactly the first place all that lava and pyroclastic flow would immediately move toward—should Sabancaya erupt.

Dangers aside, these roads are the definition of epic. It is hard to beat such an impressive landscape, bizarre wildlife (such as large, goose-like Andean coots and free roaming camelids), vibrantly dressed locals, a shockingly deep canyon from which endangered Andean condors rise on thermals to gain lift each morning (I saw 26 of these massive birds while I was there), all enveloped within a lesson of impermanence and the inherent preciousness of life under the looming shadow of a dangerous volcano. Whether we meet our end in a turbulent volcanic eruption or peacefully in our sleep, we surely know that no mortal man has escaped death thus far. The ride to Colca Canyon is an excellent reminder of this and just how special it is to be alive, and also how wonderful oxygen truly is (hello altitude sickness headache—chewing coca leaves helps immensely).

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When you first ride into the Amazon jungle on a motorcycle, you can’t help but feel like you’re not supposed to be there. Maybe this feeling is of the same vein that scientists get when diving deep underwater in their submersible vehicles, or a fraction of what the astronauts may experience aboard the International Space Station. Whatever it is, it feels positively wild that there you are, on your iron horse, in the midst of the jungle. Tambopata is tucked away in the southeast corner of Peru, bordering Bolivia and Brazil. This is a worthwhile detour when coming from or heading toward Cuzco, the travel hub city for Machu Picchu.

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The detour sends you through Quince Mil and Macusani, and the road is surprisingly good for being laid out across the jungle. This is mainly because part of it consists of the Trans-oceanic highway, an international, transcontinental highway that connects the Pacific Ocean in Peru to the Atlantic coast of Brazil. They hacked this road through the Amazon rainforest region known as Madre de Dios, “Mother of God.”

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Setting environmental atrocities aside, the ride from high in the Andes descending deep into the Amazon is nothing short of mind blowing, simply because of how drastically everything changes in such a short amount of time. It is as if the Andes lifted up like a shelf out of the earth, with snowcapped peaks at the top and a sweltering jungle basin at the bottom. The switchbacks are relentless, and whether you’re submerging into the sea of green or ascending out from it, with a cloud of mist at your back, this route has a magical feel to it.

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You really can’t beat the tropical Andes, just ask the Tyrolean and Prussian settlers who made their home there. It is a strange sight, seeing the genetic and cultural lineage of Austria and Germany in the tropics, but here they are. The road leading through Oxapampa and Pozuzo is stunning, even with the regular landslide occurrence. The air is fresh and the road runs along the river, with incredible biodiversity all around. There’s German-Peruvian fusion food in the town, along with excellent local German-style beer.

When I traveled through this region, I was tired of being cold in the mountains, so I detoured all the way through Pucallpa, which nears one of the tributaries of the Amazon River. If you’re not keen to head so far into the jungle, you could make this ride into a loop, beginning and ending in the Andes mountains, by traveling through the off-road excursion beyond Villa Rica. The entire loop is enchanting with lush jungle draped across the mountains as their foothills dissipate down into the Amazon rainforest.

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I’d tell you to prepare to be lost in mysticism, but being a river valley with easily identifiable landmark mountains on all sides, that’s a little hard to do. Riding the Sacred Valley loop is a must, and if you’re planning on visiting Machu Picchu, make sure to carve out some time for this. You can do this loop in a day, but I highly recommend making it two days, since there is so much to see along the way. Lots of ruins and quaint little towns, fantastic restaurants and a river-side brewery that gives back to education for rural children.

The lofty Inca citadels sit above the narrow river road of hairpin turns, with lively markets at each of the worthwhile stops in Ollantaytambo, Urubamba, Pisac, and of course, Cuzco. The valley sits at the foot of the formidable Andes, with switchbacks rising into cooler temperatures and incredible views. There are plenty of short detours to take, such as the Maras salt mine and the Moray Agricultural Laboratory, the crop-circle like terraces where the aforementioned potato experiments took place.

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There is a particularly beautiful canyon which connects scenes seemingly straight out of the American southwest deserts of your favorite Western movies with high-altitude mountain towns. I found my way to this canyon because the map I was using (Google), showed it to be the main road, the same highway I had been on from Abancay to Ayacucho. However, it is clearly not the same quality of road. The ride along the Mantaro River canyon on road 3S is challenging, dangerous, and demanding. The road itself is narrow, clinging to the side of the cliff like the saliva bird nest of the cave-dwelling swiftlet. Despite the lack of breadth of the road, there is still oncoming traffic around blind corners with several hundred meter drops to the river basin below, so it is best to sound your horn to make sure the other driver knows you’re coming. There are a number of river crossings along this mixed gravel, broken pavement, and dirt road, some of which can be quite deep if it has rained recently.

The caveat to journeying down this road is that when I traveled it (August 2019), the northernmost curve had been taken out by a landslide, rendering it totally impassable even by foot (the land was still sliding). This is not an uncommon situation in South America, so I imagine the way has already been cleared. Obviously, you’re going to have to talk to locals about this one (there were no “road closed” signs and zero warning). If the road is still blocked, you could do this road twice like I did or there are a couple of other options, such as the road through the snowy mountain peaks I ended up taking from Ayacucho to Huancavelica, which was also incredibly beautiful.

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You don’t have to ride very far away from the arterial highways of Peru to find adventure, but that isn’t to say those roads are without risks (as with motorcycling, in general). In addition to the lethal potholes, harsh elements, sheer drops, and landslides, Peru also has an absurd amount of crazy drivers. You can expect them to cut corners, make turns and pull onto the road without looking, stop without warning, and even drive entirely in your lane. There are also plenty of road hazards, such as mule-drawn carts, pigs, goats, and other livestock darting out, and of course, no shortage of dog attacks.

I recommend bringing very warm clothing and if you get easily cold like I do (what a baby), heated grips and a heated vest (or other garment) are essential for enjoying the Andes mountains.

With all that being said, I assure you that the good outweighs the bad in Peru. With glacial peaks, alpine lands, jungle mountains, volcanoes, Amazon rainforest, vast desert, and lengthy beaches, Peru is a stunning, wild country full of biodiverse beauty, archaeological mystery, vibrant culture, good food (try the Ají de Gallina), and pure motorcycle joy.

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Besides, it’s funny how later, some of the more challenging moments can turn out to be among the top fond memories, make for the best photos and stories, and certainly hold the capacity to change your worldview.

Peru is set to open its international borders mid-October. Options to rent a motorcycle can be found at PeruMotors (perumotors.com) in the southern city of Arequipa (near Colca Canyon), or you can also rent a moto in Quito, Ecuador, from Ecuador Freedom Bike Rentals (freedombikerental.com) and cross over Peru’s northern border. For those willing (and raring) to take the proper precautions in order to travel, you will be far from any crowds on these roads.