Day 1 - Arrival
We arrived in the beautiful city of Arica, Chile today to begin our two-week adventure. The town of “eternal spring” did not disappoint, sunshine and 75 degrees makes for nice riding! After we spent some time changing money and walking around downtown Arica, we headed out to dinner at Maracuya. Dining on swordfish and ceviche “al fresco” makes for a great start to the trip! More to come as our journey continues…
Day 2 - Day ride
Today we headed out of Arica for a shakedown ride to give everyone a chance to get used to the bikes. Leaving Arica, we climbed through the Lluta Valley passing candelabra cactuses all along the way. We managed to spot a couple of stray Llamas eyeing us as we rode by on the way to our 12,000-foot view of the valley and the small town of Putre. After a delicious lunch of “cazuela de vicuna,” we made out way back to Arica and the up to the hill that overlooks the city. The day ended with the Chilean military firing cannons as part of the MotoQuest welcoming ceremony…not really but it was still a great ending to a great day!
Day 3 - Arica-Moquegua
Shortly after leaving Arica we were able to experience the intricacies of the Chile/ Peru border crossing. With Jaime, our support truck driver and crack mechanic we were all able to make it across the border! After our first Peruvian lunch and Inca Cola we continued along the road to Moquegua through vineyards used for crafting Peru’s favorite drink, Pisco! After arriving at the El Mirador hotel, our resident Australian blues guitar player serenaded us with his excellent guitar playing and captivating voice! A cold Cusqueña beer in one hand and a beautiful desert view below made for a relaxing ending to a great first day.
Day 4 - Moquegua-La Central
Leaving Moquegua, we headed northwest towards our next destination in the small town of La Central. With wide-open road in front of us, and the Andes Mountains to our right, we all felt rather small in such vast country. The open roads gave way to smooth twisties as we continued along towards the Camaná River. A tasty lunch of “Milanesa de Pollo” was much needed after a long morning riding the amazing roads of Peru. After arriving at our destination and parking in Julio’s bullring we relaxed under the avocado trees and explored the bodega and a few pre-Incan artifacts that Julio had happened to find! Not only does he make wine, but he also seems to be an amateur archeologist! A nice Pisco Sour, a little trout for dinner, and some guitar by the fire and off to do it all again tomorrow!
Day 5 - La Central-Puerto Inca
Climbing back out of the Colca Canyon we headed back towards the Pacific coast today. Riding along some of the tallest dunes in the world, with the ocean to the left was spectacular. In some areas the sand was drifting across the road with little more than a small cement barrier to keep it from completely covering the pavement. We arrived in Camaná and had our first taste of city traffic! After finding an alternate route through the construction that had closed the main road, we made it to our lunch detination…Pollos Willy! After lunch we continued along the coast through more dunes and fields of boulders as big as a house. With the sun low in the sky, we pulled into Puerto Inca, where after dinner, we fell asleep to the sound of the ocean.
Day 6 - Puerto Inca-Nazca
Today was a short day, we covered the 150 kilometers to Nazca before lunch. We wanted to arrive in Nazca with enough time to catch a flight to see the Nazca Lines. A UNESCO world heritage site, these lines in the dessert are impressive, and best seen by plane. After flying over the lines, we enjoyed a nice dinner that came with a Peruvian band!
Day 7 - Nazca-Chalhuanca
This could be the best day of riding ever, anywhere. After leaving Nazca, we immediately started climbing through never ending twisties all the way up to 13,000 feet. The quality of the roads is amazing, smooth sweeping curves with the occasional switchback thrown in for good measure! After the climb, we made our way across high plain lakes surrounded by Vicuñas and Llamas. We then made our way back down the valley towards Chalhuanca, passing a patchwork of different colored fields as the road sliced back and forth through the mountain. After arriving in Chalhuanca, we all agreed that a better day of riding would be tough to find. Peru truly is an amazing place for motorcycling!
Day 8 - Chalhuanca-Ollantaytambo
After the previous days ride into Chalhuanca, it was hard to imagine the roads getting any better! We continued along the valley, following the twisty path that the road takes all the way to the amazing town of Ollantaytambo. This town showcases amazing Incan rockwork and is a great place to spend a few days resting and visiting Machu Picchu!
Day 9 - Machu Picchu
We were all down in the hotel’s restaurant eating breakfast and ready to go at 5:30 am. Everyone was talking about how excited they were to see Machu Picchu as we climbed aboard the early train to Aguas Calientes. From Aguas Calientes we met Jorge, our guide for the day. From Aguas Calientes we caught a bus up to Machu Picchu. We then hiked up a trail that led to an amazing view of Machu Picchu. Jorge explained many things about the history of the site, as well as interesting facts about Incan culture. After spending the morning walking around the ruins, we enjoyed a great lunch before climbing back on the train for Olantaytambo. It was great to see such an amazing place and to be able to spend the day there!
Day 10 - Day Ride out of Ollantaytambo
Now I know that I said the ride out of Nazca was my favorite day of riding anywhere, but I forgot to mention my other favorite ride is out of Ollantaytambo! We left Ollantaytambo and headed north up the valley. The road quickly turns into a motorcyclists dream as we passed switchback after switchback and curve after curve. We then began to climb and soon reached the summit of the pass at 14,000 feet. From the summit we looked over the Amazon valley before us, and the road that snaked its way down to the bottom. The only word that I can use to describe today’s ride is…AMAZING!
Day 11 - Ollantaytambo to Cuzco
We left Ollantaytambo and continued south along the sacred valley of the Incas until we reached Pisac, where we turned right and headed up over the mountains and towards Cuzco. This is a short ride, of only about two hours, and one of the most exciting parts is arriving in Cuzco. After spending the first week in relatively rural areas, we were able to experience a little “big-city” traffic! After we settled in to our hotel, we headed to the Plaza de Armas and to the Norton Rats Tavern for a tasty hamburger!
Day 12 - Free day Cuzco
Today we all had the chance to explore Cuzco and absorb some of its rich Incan history. After everyone spent the day exploring, we all met up and headed to a wonderful French restaurant for dinner…nothing like some tasty French food in the middle of Peru!
Day 13 - Cuzco to Puno
We took off early this morning from Cuzco and had a great time riding through the traffic as we made out way out of the city. We slowly climbed in altitude again until we were close to 14,000 feet. The wide-open high plains were spectacular to ride through as we made out way towards Lake Titicaca. Our traffic excitement wasn’t over for the day and we headed into Juliaca prepared for some crazy traffic! Luckily, it was not as crazy as we expected and we made it through without a hitch! Traffic challenges out of the way we arrive in Puno in time to enjoy the sunset over Lake Titicaca, another amazing day in Peru!
Day 14-Puno to Moquegua
After having breakfast while enjoying lakeside views of Titicaca we headed out to the
Uros floating islands. It was very interesting to see how the communities lived on the
islands. Walking across the reed islands you could feel the lake moving beneath your
feet! After enjoying a boat ride on a typical reed raft, we headed back to Puno to start
our ride back to the dessert oasis of Moquegua. The ride out of Puno brought us up into
the high plains typical of the Andes region. The vast mountain landscape was sparsely
populated and we were practically the only vehicles on the road. We even got to see
a small geyser! As we neared Moquegua, we began to descend through a section of
unbelievably twisty road. This was quite a day, and a welcome way to begin the end of our amazing trip.
Day 15- Moquegua to Arica
Waking up to another beautiful sunny day was bittersweet, as this would be our last day
riding in Peru. We headed south out of Moquegua, it felt as though just yesterday we
had been heading in the other direction. The ride to the border with Chile passed quickly
and before we knew it we were waving goodbye to Peru. As we waited to finish crossing
into Chile, Mick, our very talented musician on the trip, was coaxed into serenading the
Chilean border guards with his new favorite classic song “El Paso” by Marty Robbins.
After our impromptu concert, we rode the last 20 miles to Arica and our hotel. We
made it!! This trip has been amazing, with the wonderful company of 4 Australians, 2
North Americans and 1 Chilean, we rode and saw the best that Peru has to offer. Thank
you everyone for your company, smiles and the sense of adventure that brought us all
together!