Crossing from east to west on Route 3N

Peru is a long and at times complicated country to cross by land.

We spent the night “hiding” behind some big tractor-trailers in the corner of a gas station in Huánuco. With the purpose of avoiding a long deviation (implying returning to the south-west towards the coast) in direction of Lima, we contemplated following Route 3N crossing the Andes to the west towards Huaraz via Union… This route is known to be complicated during the rainy season and in the afternoon the day before, we spent time consulting truck-drivers and gas-station personnel gathering information about the planned route. Luckily, we also ran into a Peruvian “highway patrol” police vehicle. We asked them, and they very helpfully, contacted colleagues on the other side (of the mountain chain) who confirmed that the road was passable. The big uncertainty in this area of Peru, is sudden heavy rainstorms and subsequent landslides blocking the road. Well, now we finally had the green light we wanted.

In the morning, we quickly packed up the tent, had a quick breakfast with horrible “machine” coffee from the gas station, filled the tank and left in direction of the mountains. It looked like it was going to be a nice sunny day. Route 3N in the direction of Huaraz is only about 280 km but is scheduled to take 7 hours (since it’s impossible to increase the speed beyond max 40 km/hour and many places in you literally have to climb in walking speed).  

We spent 2 days on the route but had absolutely no problems – granted that mud pits, single lanes, waterfalls, river-crossings, sharp narrow turns and steep climbs now are routine. The premium of a route like this is of course, and this maybe a very peculiar and borderline Norwegian observation, that you travel hours in pure nature and without hardly seeing or meeting anyone… It’s a nice feeling of loneliness and faraway remoteness.