Mountain Biking

Mountain biking is the fastest-growing sport in the country. Thousands of bikers year-round head out on their bicycles down canyons and up trails all over Peru.

Practically the entire country, with the exception of the coastal desert and the Amazon plain, is apt for mountain biking. However, depending on the degree of difficulty and logistical needs, circuits are divided into three categories:

A) Beginners: gently sloping routes, with tough, compact terrain;
B) Experienced cyclists: circuits involving moderate slopes and a certain degree of risk for the cyclist; and
C) Experts only: steep slopes, high altitudes and uneven, scree-like terrain, with a high degree of risk.

One of the most scenic areas in Peru, the Callejón de Huaylas, in the department of Ancash, features many breath-taking and tough biking trails amongst its canyons and mountain ranges. Most circuits climb up to high altitude (3,500 meters) before dropping down steep slopes. A popular route runs from Llanganuco Lake (3,800 meters) to the town of Yungay. Another links the high mountain pass of Punta Olímpica (4,800 meters) with the town of Carhuaz. Both routes vary from Class A-B, and are best cycled from May to October.

Cyclists should take along plenty of warm clothing and spare bicycle parts, and should take precautions regarding high altitude sickness known locally as soroche.

Another pretty good place for biking is Paracas, within the national reserve. Indeed, the entire Paracas Reserve, particularly the peninsula and the shoreline heading south, in the department of Ica, is one vast playground for bikers. Some of the routes are short and simple, such as the touring of the beach resorts. Other routes, however, present a much higher degree of difficulty: trails crossing the desert through sand dunes and steep slopes.

As a rule, cyclists should always take along water and a map of the area. Bikers are advised to cycle together with an expert.

In the Lima area, just 31 km south of the capital down the old Pan-American Highway, Pachacamac is a favourite for Lima bikers. From the old Hacienda San Fernando plantation east of the town of Pachacamac, cyclists will find access to a series of circuits that vary in degree of difficulty and types of terrain: La Chacra (A), along the route to Cieneguilla, El Manzano (B), El Cardal (B), El Chirimoyo (C), El Lúcumo (C) and Las Lomas (B), among others. The routes are cycled from April to December.

Source: PromPerú (Comission for the Promotion of Peru).

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