Motorcycle Tour Peru: Andes & Amazon Rainforest

Your Peru motorcycle tour begins with landing at Lima's Jorge Chávez airport and transfer to the hotel in the Miraflores district, where you prepare for 22 days between the coast, Andes and Amazon.

As a guided Peru motorcycle tour we start with a city tour of Lima, the City of Kings: Plaza de Armas, the Presidential Palace and the historic old town give a first impression of Peru's capital before the motorcycles set off the following day.

On this North Peru motorcycle stage you ride the Panamericana through barren desert landscape to Barranca and visit the Caral archaeological site – the oldest known settlement in the Americas – shortly before arrival. Approx. 230 km.

This Huaraz motorcycle stage takes you from the coast up into the Andes to 3,053 metres, between the Cordillera Negra and the Cordillera Blanca. Approx. 220 km through spectacular mountain terrain.

An adventure day: the Cañón del Pato motorcycle stage follows gravel tracks through 39 tunnels along a former railway line, descending from the Andes back to the coast at the fishing village of Huanchaco. Approx. 295 km.

On your Peru rental motorcycle you visit the adobe city of Chan Chan near Trujillo, once the capital of the Chimu Empire. The site was built around 1300 and still extends over approximately 28 square kilometres – one of the largest cities of its time in South America.

After an off-road Peru motorcycle stage from the coast back into the mountains you reach Cajamarca at 2,750 metres after around 300 km – once the residence of the Inca ruler Atahualpa before his capture by the Spanish in 1527.

A quieter day on this Peru motorcycle adventure: Cajamarca offers colonial churches, hot springs and the historic Inca Baths. The mild, dry climate invites relaxation before the next mountain stage.

This Andes Amazon motorcycle tour crosses two Andean ranges and narrow switchbacks down to Balsas, over the bridge of the Río Marañón to Leymebamba at 2,210 metres. Approx. 240 km with impressive views.

By cable car you reach the Kuelap ruins at 2,900 metres – a highlight of every Chachapoyas motorcycle tour. The cloud warriors' fortress was built between 900 and 1400 AD and once housed up to 2,000 people.

After just 43 km you reach Cocachimba: the view of the Gocta waterfall at 771 metres is one of the most impressive moments of the entire journey through the Amazon cloudforest.

On this Amazon jungle motorcycle tour you reach Moyobamba after 255 km – the oldest city in the Amazon region and capital of San Martín province, surrounded by lush vegetation and a tropical climate.

After 130 km you relax by the pool in Tarapoto on this Peru round trip by motorcycle and visit the Plaza de Armas in the afternoon, before an excursion deeper into the jungle the following day.

This Amazon jungle motorcycle tour continues into the state of Loreto to Yurimaguas on the Río Huallaga, a navigable waterway toward the Atlantic, before returning to Tarapoto in the evening.

At 480 km this is the longest stage of this Peru motorcycle adventure: Tingo María, capital of Leoncio Prado province, lies at the confluence of the Río Monzón and Huallaga and was founded in 1938.

Just 120 km take you on this Peru round trip by motorcycle to Huánuco at 1,880 metres, where a mild, spring-like climate prevails year-round and around 100,000 people live in a relaxed Andean city.

This Andes Amazon motorcycle tour leads from Huánuco over the mining town of Cerro de Pasco at 4,330 metres down into the high jungle: in the evening you reach the tropical La Merced, capital of Chanchamayo province, after 320 km.

An excursion on this Oxapampa motorcycle stage leads over the coffee plantations of Villa Rica on an off-road track to Oxapampa, once founded by German and Austrian immigrants. Overnight again in La Merced.

This off-road Peru motorcycle stage crosses another Andean ridge above 4,000 metres, covering 300 km of unspoilt terrain – gravel, off-road and asphalt – to the Andean village of Santa Rosa de Quives.

After 70 km the circle closes on this Peru motorcycle tour: back in Lima, your starting point, you carry many impressions of desert, Andes and Amazon jungle from 20 intense riding days.

A free day on this guided Peru motorcycle tour: use the time for last souvenirs, a seafood restaurant on the Miraflores coast or simply to rest before the long return flight to Europe.

This Peru motorcycle adventure ends with the return flight from Lima: pack your bags, take the last photos and say goodbye to 22 eventful days between the Pacific coast, Andean passes and Amazon rainforest.

The Peru motorcycle tour ends with arrival in Europe – with memories of desert tracks, Andean passes above 4,000 metres, cloudforests and the Amazon jungle from Chachapoyas to La Merced.