Peru: Lobitos > Chachapoyas
Updated: 7 hours ago
Apr 2026 |
Sharing info on 3 rides from Lobitos to Chachapoyas, the coast into the Andes (almost the Amazon, in fact).
Lobitos > Olmos
After a nice stay in Lobitos, I set out for the Andes. While I wasn't expecting much on this ride, it proved to be really nice. After one last view of the coast in the grungy oil industry town after Lobitos, the first 1/3 or so of the ride was straight and fast through a desert landscape, where I basically had the road to myself. Once I reached Sullana, I took the secondary route via Tambo Grande and ended the day at the foot of the Andes in Olmos. This place is not exactly tourist central, but I had a decent dinner nearby at EL NORTEÑITO RESTAURANT CEVICHERIA (apologies for all caps, I copied the name from Google...).
Ride: 307 km / 6 hrs
Stay: Hotel Montericco **
Olmos > Jaen
It was straight up into the mountains coming out of Olmos, a long climb into the Andes' barren alpine ecosystem. I don't recall anything particularly wow about the scenery on this ride, but overall, it was nice, a good intro to the Peruvian Andes. I arrived in Jaen early enough to get an oil change at a local Yamaha shop; they were a bit hesitant as they had never serviced a big bike like my T7.
Interesting aside: something interesting happened on this segment; I stopped at a roadside restaurant for breakfast, a place intercity buses stop for a break, and many people got off to eat. As I was leaving, I had a chat with a guy who was checking out my bike; he spoke good English. Then I departed and rode for 3 hours to Jaén, and checked into my hotel. Later that evening I went out for dinner, and 100 meters from my hotel, I met the same guy! He didn't appear to think it was a big deal -- but I was astonished. I know it's a cliché to say "small world", but this really seemed like it!
Ride: 207 km / 5 hrs
Stay: Goya Hotel ***
Short video of random meeting on Instagram
Jaén > Chachapoyas
Another great ride, further into high-altitude rural Peru and Inca lands. The roads are not as good up here, but fun to ride. Much of this ride was through narrow valleys. On this route, I had my first near-death Peru driving incident crossing paths with a semi on a twisty narrow canyon road -- he 'kep on truckin' right down the middle of the road. Had I taken for granted that the "normal" rules of the road applied and not moved to my extreme right side (on a shoulder-less road carved out of a cliffside) I wouldn't be here now writing this post. I caught it on video; the link is below.
Someone in Ecuador told me Chachapoyas is the best place to go in Peru. Honestly, I thought it was good, but certainly not that good. It's a nice colonial-era town, one highlight being that it is not far from Kuelap (see my next post).
Ride: 191 km / 4 hrs
Stay: Casa Kuelap **
Short video of the crazy truck on YouTube
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