Driving Across Peru: What You Need to Know About Road-Tripping a High-Altitude Country

Why you should drive around Peru

Peru is a small high-altitude country in South America. Like in most other countries in the region, getting around by car is far more interesting than on foot.

That said, there are a few nuances, and that's what today's post is about. The cool places themselves will get their own posts later.

Drivers in Peru are worse than in Indonesia

🚘 Drivers. Ever driven in Indonesia? Then you can imagine this: Peru is about three times worse. Never driven there? Don't even think about driving in Peru without a team of professional stunt drivers.

It never stops surprising me how different driving culture can be between neighboring countries. Chile, for instance, has the most polite and careful drivers in all of Latin America.

Altitude in Peru — from sea level to 5,000 meters

🌋 Altitude. The coast and Lima sit at zero meters above sea level, while Cusco and the Sacred Valley are at 2,700. In between lie the Andes, at around 5,000 meters. Almost every route is set up so that on some day you'll be crawling along a high-altitude mountain road for hours, or spending the night in some truly remote spot.

My advice: spend a few days at an altitude of at least 2,500 meters first — Arequipa, for example — and bring along some oxygen canisters. Run out? Stop by any medical center; they always have some on hand.

Not everywhere is reachable by road

😱 You can't drive everywhere. Two of the most interesting spots — Machu Picchu and Iquitos — are cut off from civilization by mountains and impassable jungle. For Machu Picchu you also need to book tickets way in advance — like, six months ahead. Raise your hand if that's how you plan your trips? Definitely not me 😂

Peru is amazing — more to come in future posts

Aside from all that, Peru is amazing — I spent over a month driving around it. Which places did I like best? I'll tell you in the next posts.