Peru: Carhauz > La Union > Huanaco > Carhuamayo > Oxapampa

1 day ago

3 min read

Updated: 1 day ago

May 2026 |

After an amazing stay in Carhuaz and rides in the Cordillera Blanca (3N, 107, 106 roads), I wasn't clear on what to do next. I couldn't find many adv rider reports on the best routes south, and I was a bit burned out from riding and mentally frazzled by some personal things. So, I took a leap of faith about where to go next. My landlady in Carhuaz suggested I go to Tingo Maria, her hometown. And Oxapampa, down the road, looked interesting. So I headed in that direction, thinking I would work it out along the way.

Here's details on my 4 rides from Carhuaz to Oxapampa.

Carhuaz > La Union

This was a nice ride on the 3N south. The first section runs parallel to the Cordillera Blanca, with stunning views of major peaks through Huaraz and south. Getting through Huaraz took a while due to bad traffic. An hour or so into the ride, the terrain turns into a flat, high-altitude plateau, an alpine desert. Due to my lack of research (+ lack of info?), I missed an alternate route that I wish I had done (see the map below, the lighter purple route). I only became aware of this when I saw a sign at exit of the road (sorry, I am too lazy to look it up); I rode up the unpaved path a couple of km, it looked like a cool ride through a high-altitude nature reserve. This section of road is high altitude, through craggy peaks, with some really unique traditional stone houses. You descend through a narrow river valley, back into a dry canyon. This ride includes a cool range of Peru's topography, all in one day.

I stayed 1 night in La Union; it was nothing special. Met some other adventure riders at the same hotel, from Germany and Colombia. A low point of my stay happened in the morning, when my helmet fell off my mirror and landed in a pile of dog poop (there's too much of this in Peru, IMO).

Ride: 178 km / 5 hr

Road: Mostly paved, good

La Union > Huánuco

Honestly, I can barely remember this ride, and I didn't take any photos, which leads me to believe I didn't see much of interest and therefore didn't enjoy it much. I do recall this road was pretty bad. I was so burned out by the time I got to Huanuco that I ended up staying 3 nights.

Ride: 135 km / 5 hr

Road: Mixed, average (?)

Huanuco > Carhuamayo

This was a grueling one, perhaps the worst to date on my Pan-America ride. The road is in major mining area, full of trucks. In one long section, hundreds were snaking along in each direction -- passing, speeding, driving aggressively. The last part was high altitude, and the temperature dropped severely.

I started the day without a clear idea where I would stop for the night. And there were not many towns along the way. I arrived at Carhuamayo, a small, run-down place, looked for a hotel. Not easy to find -- this is not tourist central -- but I did get something. It was really cold at night, down to 3C. Fortunately, my bed had about 7 blankets.

Ride: 153 km / 4 hr

Road: Paved, heavy traffic

Youtube short video about the ride and trucks on the road

Youtube: short video about my stay at Carhuamayo

Carhuamayo > Oxapampa

This ride was out of the Andes and into the edge of the Amazon. After the prior freezing night at high altitude, a return to a hot and humid jungle zone was great. This was my only exposure to the Amazon in Peru, after having seen a bit in Ecuador. As you get closer to Oxapampa, it's a long climb back to a higher-altitude pine forest ecosystem.

Oxapampa is a unique place, founded by German settlers, probably due to the mild climate. The town has a German flavour, although you don't see anyone who looks distinctly German these days. I didn't find a schnitzel or Hefeweizen either, and was a bit bummed about that. Stayed 3 nights, enjoyed it.

Ride: 226 km / 5 hrs

Road: Paved, good