Hi everyone,

So I've been riding ( cycling ) in South America for 18 months.

I'm currently in Cuzco, Peru, wondering which route to take on my way north to Ayacucho/Huancayo.
My #1 option is to continue to Ollantaytambo , up the Abra Malaga pass, down to Santa Maria/Santa Teresa ( I'd visit Machu Picchu from there ) and then the dirt track that goes north to Quillabamba then east to Kiteni through the " jungle " and eventually to Ayacucho over the Abra Tapuna pass.

Has anyone ridden or driven it recently ?

It's considered off limits and dangerous on all foreign official travel advisory websites mostly for drug producing & trafficking reasons. I spoke to a few locals here and they've also told me that it's a bit dicey.

I speak fluent Spanish, if it matters.

L.

Hey levelo!
Welcome back. My experiences in the area are somewhat dated. In 2013, I rode Cusco to Santa Maria/Santa Teresa. There are a few streams along the way. The motorcycle was stored at the hydroelectric plant, then I walked ~11 KM by the railroad tracks to Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu.
Along the railroad tracks, as I got close to Aguas Calientes, I noticed campgrounds by the river.
I rolled the dice and bought my ticket to Machu Picchu at the official ticket office in Aguas Calientes. I believe I saved money when buying directly, but took a chance that there would be availability. FYI - the cap on visitors was raised this year. There is bus service from the bottom of the hill Aguas Calientes to the Machu Picchu site. Those who are fit and hardy walk/hike. I did not.

Google Maps (hyperlinked here) shows three roads from Ayacucho to Huancayo, which are all named 3S. In 2023, at the beginning of another trip, I rode the "northern" 3S from Huancayo to Ayacucho. The road skims along the ridge tops. Lovely views of the mountains. On a bicycle, you will encounter steep inclines.

At the end of that trip, I rode the "middle" 3S from Ayacucho to Huancayo, which follows a river. The middle 3S would be easier on a bicycle. I don't have any info on the 3S, which is south of the other two.

I didn't feel uncomfortable at any point along these roads, but on a motorcycle, I was moving a lot faster. I don't want to give you a false sense security, but I have found that in Latin America, everyone is wary of the next region, country...

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Peter B
2008/09 - NJ to Costa Rica and back to NJ
2012/13 - NJ to Northern Argentina, Jamaica, Cuba and back to NJ
2023 - Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia...back to Peru.

Blogs: Peter's Ride

Hi Peter & everyone,

Thanks for your input, it's been a while !

I'm still riding strong

As far as Machu Picchu is concerned I also plan to ride & hike to Aguas Calientes and then try to get my ticket there even if I have to wait for a couple of days to get in. Online it's booked solid for weeks on end, so I don't really have any other options

My initial question was more about the Santa Maria/Quillabamba to Ayacucho stretch via Kiteni. It goes pretty deep into the jungle before climbing back up to the spine of the Andes. There seems to be issues with safety in this area and first or second hand recent info about it would help me make my decision.

L.

Hey levelo!

Check with iPeru, the official Peruvian tourist office in Cusco, to inquire about the sold-out online ticket status and ask if you will be able to buy tickets in person when you arrive in Aguas Calientes.

In 2013, iiPeru had an office in Cusco on the north side of the Plaza de Armas de Cusco. Google Maps shows it is still there. +51979980236

Here is the national WhatsApp number:
+51944492314

I'll reach out to a guy in Cusco and ask him for his thoughts on your route and tickets. Sorry to not think of him right away...

__________________
Peter B
2008/09 - NJ to Costa Rica and back to NJ
2012/13 - NJ to Northern Argentina, Jamaica, Cuba and back to NJ
2023 - Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia...back to Peru.

Blogs: Peter's Ride

Hey Peter,

iPeru confirmed that I should be able to buy tickets in Aguas Calientes. Supposedly 1000 are dished out every day but they sell very, very fast. They're only valid for a next day visit, and I may not be able to pick the circuit I want.
It's very high season here and the city is mobbed

Thanks for reaching out.

L.

Hey levelo,

I received the following advice from our man in Cusco. Good to know you can get tickets on site, but you'll need to get in line, perhaps early in the morning. =)

TICKETS

"He is not assured of a Machu Picchu ticket, this is high season, agencies snapped them all up months ago. He might be able to get a ticket if he does the rounds of agencies and gets lucky by snapping up a cancellation. The other possiblilty is to make his own way to the town of Aguas Calientes at the foot of the ruins (you can get there by train or trekking) and there are a limited number of tickets sold there, but its first in line, and you have to get in the line at around 3am to get a ticket for the same day. The other way to "see" Machu Picchu is to trek to Llactapata. From there you can see Machu Picchu but from a distance of a few miles."

ROUTE
Regarding the ride via jungle trails that go anywhere near Ayacucho, that is risky. that area is known as the VRAE (Valle de los Rios Apurimac y Ene) and there are narco-guerrillas in that area.

He could do it and possibly he would get through unscathed. But unless there's something there he desperately wants to see, better not to take the risk.

The Vrae is less than 200km from Cusco but its always on the news for the wrong reasons. Apparently there are still some Shining Path guerillas there who would love a foreign hostage for negotiation purposes. I think the police check points would try to prevent his from travelling as well.

Society for Latin American Studies (passage from a 2014 paper)
"The valley of the rivers Apurimac and Ene (VRAE) is one of the main centres of production of coca and cocaine paste in Peru. This is a jungle area located in the southern highland region of Ayacucho, and is notorious for the presence of drug-trafficking and the last remnants of the Maoist guerrillas of Shining."
https://nomadit.co.uk/conference/slas2014/paper/18946

Let me know if you are seeking a potentially more affordable room in Cusco or want to connect with my friend.

__________________
Peter B
2008/09 - NJ to Costa Rica and back to NJ
2012/13 - NJ to Northern Argentina, Jamaica, Cuba and back to NJ
2023 - Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia...back to Peru.

Blogs: Peter's Ride

Hi Peter,

I'm staying in a cheap and cool dig in San Blas until the end of the week and I'm perfectly happy with it. But thanks again for volunteering to help

What your man says about the VRAE somewhat mirrors the official line.
Thing is nobody really seems to have been there ( or try to ) in a while and it's difficult for me to assess how dangerous it is right now.

Has your friend ridden that stretch recently ? Or does he know someone who has ?

For me it's the obvious continuation of my route from Santa Maria/Santa Teresa -- As all cyclists I hate backtracking...

There is another cyclist here in town who's also interested in that route. We will team up if we decide to give it a go.

You were asking about my route from Buenos Aires.

I rode the length of Argentina as far as Ushuaia partly along the Atlantic seaboard ( Ruta 3 and parallel ripio tracks ) and partly on Ruta 40. It was one of my windiest and toughest rides ever but I really enjoyed it. Argentines were incredibly kind and supportive to me and I truly fell in love with the country and its people.

From Ushuaia I crossed the Beagle Channel and spent a couple of weeks on Isla Navarino, an amazing place. Then took the ferry to Punta Arenas and started weaving my way back north both on the Argentinian and Chilean sides of the Andes. I eventually made it to Salta/Jujuy in northern Argentina, then crossed the high Paso de Jama to San Pedro, then rode the arduous Geyser Route to Ollagüe where I crossed into Bolivia.

Bolivia was difficult ( high altitude, cold nights, headwind ) but during the first couple of weeks I was there the roads and tracks were empty due to the blockades and the lack of gas everywhere. Potosi to Sucre to Oruro almost without cars and trucks !

Then La Paz and Lake Titicaca ( western shore ) to make it to Cuzco. A very classic ( and scenic ) route.

L.

I rode a moto on Highway 3S in 2000 and 2016 between Cusco and Ayacucho. 25 years ago it was mainly dirt and 9 years ago paved. If I recall correctly it's 150km as the crow flies and 650km to ride. So lots of big ups and downs.

Lots of fun. Easy with an engine , but on a pushbike...

In 2019 I tried riding some Peruvian bikepacking trails that a French cyclist in Cusco suggested to me. They were from a domain called andesbybike.com Just checked and it seems to now be a dead link. Just as well that I harvested the data at the time... Happy to share them...

Send me an email via my website if you want them. (My PM inbox here is full and I can't be bothered to prune it).

Some were somewhat gnarly and one at 4200m in a snow turned me round

Here's an overview map:

Attached Thumbnails

 

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TBS.com

Thanks Chris.

The bikepacking trails/network you are refering to is called the Peru Divide these days. It goes from Huaraz to Abancay mostly on little-used dirt tracks. It's become fairly popular among hard-core cyclists over the last few years. I think it's not doable in its entirety on a motorbike. You need a very sturdy bike, wide tires and a light set-up-- plus a whole lot of stamina. It's one of the toughest rides on the planet. I might do some stretches on my way up north.

Yes, Cusco to Ayacucho is a mountainous ride. But everything in Peru is unless you follow the coast.
The one I have in mind ( Quillabamba-Kiteni-Kimbiri-Ayacucho ) is even more challenging in terms of climbs.
Through my hostel owner I was able to talk to a smart Peruvian motorcyclist this afternoon. A bit more than one year ago she rode that very same stretch. According to her I should be OK if I ride during the day and spend my nights in the tiny villages/communities along the way. She also told me that it's mostly paved and that there are lots of checkpoints manned by the army. She sounded pretty relaxed about it, though.

L.

levelo,

Glad you have a place to stay in Cusco that works for you and potentially have a riding partner.

My friend only reported that the news out of the area you are talking about riding is never good. He stays in touch with current events, but that said, "news" features the ugly.

__________________
Peter B
2008/09 - NJ to Costa Rica and back to NJ
2012/13 - NJ to Northern Argentina, Jamaica, Cuba and back to NJ
2023 - Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia...back to Peru.

Blogs: Peter's Ride