Peru: Cajamarca > Mollebamba Canyon > Chimbote
Apr 2026 |
Sharing info on 4 rides on the 3N road from Cajamarca to Chimbote, including the stunning ride from Cachidan to Cabana through the canyon in Áncash -- must-do riding in Peru.
Cajamarca > Huamachuco
After a great stay in history-drenched Cajamarca, I headed south on the 3N. Stopping for gas on the way out of town and I had a quick connect with a fellow rider; we are still in touch on Whatsapp. The 3N got progressively poor; a section through a valley was particularly bad -- unpaved, potholes, steep, narrow, aggressive drivers, and big drop-offs. Some people cherish this type of road; I am not one of them. I was happy to reach Huamachuco and stayed the night at a really basic hotel. It seemed like a nice colonial town, though I didn't experience much of it. See the video for a closer look at the ride.
Ride: 167 km / 5 hr
YouTube: short video of the ride from Cajamarca to Huamachuco
Huamachuco > Cachicadan
Further along on the 3N. This ride was up into a high-altitude barren desert-type landscape, where I saw some large herds (?) of llamas. The road was the same quality as the day before (poor), though more pavement. I stayed one night in Cachicadán, a town built on the side of a canyon. My hotel was next to a public pool with water heated by the thermal springs, an uninviting shade of greenish-brown.
Ride: 113 km / 4 hrs
Cachidan > Mollebamba Canyon > Cabana
I clearly remember this ride -- it was one of the best and most memorable in Peru, in all of Latin America even. The first couple of hours took me further along rural roads through impressive Andes "foothills", where road quality got consistently worse the farther I was from civilization. About 50% paved and the other half deteriorated pavement or dirt. After Molebamba, I arrived at the highlight of the ride: the Mollebamba Canyon Road. The view from the top is really wow, but also a bit scary; having experienced the poor-quality roads to get to the canyon, I expected this road to be a nightmare to ride. But, amazingly, it was mostly good pavement, though many of the switchback corners were dirt. See the video linked below for some good visuals. I stayed one night at Cabana, where it was about 8C at night.
Ride: X km / X hrs
YouTube: See short video of the canyon ride
Cabana > Chimbote
Once I reached Chimbote, I'd been 10 days in the mountains, riding on a worn-out front tire. I needed to decide: continue straight south on backroads towards Huaraz, or ride to the coast at Chimbote. I chose to head to Chimbote (I later learned this was not a great decision, as I missed Canyon de Pato and other of Peru's most famous rides and sights; whatever -- I will go back and do these). Regardless, the ride from Cabana to Chimbote was spectacular, out of the Andes, through stunning dry canyons, and then to the desert coast. There was very little traffic on this road, and the quality was very good until the last 60 kms or so to Chimbote. I ended up staying 6 days in Nuevo Chimbote, a bit too long, but I was getting really burned out from riding. Chimbote is not exactly tourist central, but it is not a bad place to stay and eat some great seafood. I did manage to get a new front tire there.
Ride: 184 km / 5 hrs
YouTube: short video of the Cabana-Chimbote ride
Comments