Peru

Beautiful country with a lot of historical, cultural and natural places. Perú is divided by the Coast, the Andes mountains, and the Amazon rainforest and all are worth to be visited.

People is warm and willing to help, the food is delicious, and you will find landscapes you won´t want to stop watching.

Perú doesn´t have a cycling culture, but is visited by a lot of biking tourists.

The population is friendly and helpful, but also greedy for money (but that probably applies to every poor country). The response to cyclists is mixed. Robertjan: "Some throw stones. Others see money in you. Still others are genuinely interested. The stone throwers are relatively in the minority (this happened to me in 3 and a half months), the money seekers and the genuinely interested make up the largest group."

The most widely spoken languages are Spanish, Quéchua and Aymara. Little English is spoken outside the tourist areas.

Some nationalities can enter Peru without a visa.

Source: Wikipedia.

Outside the big cities and main highways, it is safe ride. But you always have to be careful.

A typical Peruvian dish is fried guinea pig.

Restaurants

Cheap restaurants can be found in all villages and towns, often located at bus stops and markets. Restaurants often have one set menu for a few euros. This is usually good to eat and enough for a cyclist! Cheaper meals are not big, simple and one-sided.

The slightly better restaurants in the cities in the highlands are also not expensive. In the Andes region, taking food for a few days is not a luxury. Vegetarian dishes are not available as standard.

Drink

Be careful with water from the tap, this is not very reliable. Everywhere along the road you can buy drinking water in shops and restaurants. Exception: the sparsely populated desert areas. You have to bring enough water with you.

Even the smallest shops sell alcohol to disinfect wounds Almost every village has a botica / pharmacy / drugstore

Cycling at a high altitude means that you have to take altitude sickness into account. You better take it easy, even if you are still in such good shape. It is also better not to start your cycling tour in the highlands.

Desert areas: consume at least 5 liters pppd (incl. to prepare food). Be careful with water from the tap, this is not very reliable.

Nice routes

• Peru's Great Divide by Neil and Harriet Pike. Information on their site http://www.andesbybike.com This is a really beautiful and challenging route!
• Tour of Huaraz - Cordillera Blanca Bicycle Junkies in the Cordillera Blanca
• Karin Troch and Marten IJzerman cycle in 2011 from the north through the Andes to the south, crossing the high mountains of the Cordillera Blanca up to 2 times
• The surroundings of Cuzco and the road Ocongate to Urcos are beautiful.
• The Colca Canyon is beautiful but certainly not spectacular.

Best time to cycle

The Andes: in summer (November - March). Then it is less cold than the rest of the year. The desert areas (coast): in summer (November - March). Then it is less foggy than the rest of the year. In other areas, May is a suitable month for cycling in Peru: just after the rainy season and before the high season.

Spare parts

Bicycle parts are mainly available in the cities. Also Shimano parts. The local tire size is 26 inches. The common brakes are v-brakes.