Peru: Travel Information for Motorcyclists

In the Andes around Cusco, the rainy season from December to April governs road conditions: short, heavy downpours trigger so-called huaicos - mud and rockslides that can briefly close or wash out mountain roads. The Nazca-Abancay (PE-30A) and Abancay-Cusco (PE-3S) links are particularly affected; landslides most recently hit Curahuasi in spring 2025. The dry season from May to September is the most reliable time to travel in the high Andes: passes such as Abra Málaga are then usually free of fog and black ice, though at altitudes above 4000 m the temperature still regularly drops below freezing at night.

In the Amazon lowlands (Madre de Dios, the region around Puerto Maldonado and the Manu access route), the calendar runs differently: the rainy season also lasts roughly from November to April and turns unpaved tracks such as the Cusco-Pilcopata-Atalaya road into mud that is impassable for days. From June to September the ground is driest and the unpaved sections are most likely to be passable throughout, though individual river crossings depend on water levels year-round.

Anyone combining both regions on one trip should ride the Andean passes in the dry season and time the descent into the lowlands for the same months if possible - during the transition into the rainy season, the risk compounds at both altitude levels at once.

Nationals of Germany, Austria and Switzerland do not need a visa for tourist stays. The law allows up to 183 days per year, but in practice the border authority usually only stamps 90 days into the passport on entry - anyone wanting to stay longer should explicitly raise this at the counter and have the number of days confirmed in the passport.

Extending tourist status from within Peru is no longer possible for most nationalities since the reform of the foreigners' law (Decreto Legislativo 1582, 2023). Only citizens of the Andean Community (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador) can extend their stay up to 183 days. For EU citizens this means: anyone wanting to stay longer than the period stamped at entry must leave the country and re-enter - overstaying is punished with a graduated daily fine and can delay departure.

The passport must still be valid for at least six months on entry and have at least two blank pages. Migraciones also requires proof of onward or return travel. Since 2023, an online registration before entry has also been required; at land borders it is not always checked, but should be completed as a precaution.

The entry stamp itself is free. The tourist import of your own motorcycle (see below) is tied to your length of stay as a tourist and generally does not run longer than that.

No Carnet de Passages is required for Peru - as throughout South America, the free temporary import (Certificado de Internamiento Temporal de Vehículos) through customs (SUNAT) at the border is enough. You need your passport, the original vehicle registration document, and your national driving licence together with an international driving permit. The permit is valid for between 10 and 90 days and is tied to the tourist stay stamped at entry - anyone granted a 90-day stay generally gets 90 days for the vehicle too, no more.

An extension depends on first extending your tourist status at Migraciones - and since 2023 that has been practically ruled out for EU citizens (see Visa). In effect this means: the motorcycle must leave Peru at the latest when your own tourist status expires, or you risk a graduated daily fine and, ultimately, confiscation by customs.

Peru does not require a Peruvian SOAT policy for foreign-registered vehicles, but in practice most travellers still buy a short-term motorcycle SOAT at the border crossing - providers such as soat.com.pe offer policies for 1 to 3 months, at around USD 30 to 65 as of late 2025. Check online before setting off that the policy is actually active: fake cut-price policies circulate at several borders.

If the motorcycle is not registered in your own name (a borrowed bike, a family vehicle), customs requires a notarised and translated power of attorney from the owner - best arranged at home beforehand and fitted with an apostille, since it is barely possible to sort out at the border.

From the neighbouring countries, three crossings work reliably: Aguas Verdes/Tumbes from Ecuador is the most used, with waiting times from 45 minutes up to three hours at weekends; La Tina in the highlands is quieter. From Bolivia, Desaguadero on Lake Titicaca (3855 m) is the main route, with Kasani near Copacabana the quieter alternative. From Chile, Santa Rosa/Chacalluta between Tacna and Arica is considered the least complicated crossing in South America, open around the clock.

For a short round trip, a rented or guided tour is often the simpler route: bringing your own machine mainly pays off if you're travelling longer than the tourist period allows, or crossing Peru as part of a bigger South America route.

Entering with your own motorcycle requires two documents together: the national driving licence and an International Driving Permit (IDP) under either the 1949 Geneva Convention or the 1968 Vienna Convention - both are recognised in Peru. The IDP is a translation, not a standalone document, and is valid only together with the original licence.

At traffic checkpoints run by the Policía Nacional (PNP), officers generally ask for both documents as well as the vehicle papers and the customs import receipt. An IDP alone, without the national licence, is not accepted. Checkpoints are common on main highways and at town entrances, and rarer on mountain roads in the Cusco region.

The roads around Cusco are mostly well paved, but narrow, winding and climb to altitudes above 4000 m - concentration and an adjusted pace matter more here than kilometres per day. The Panamericana on the coast and the Interoceánica Sur between Cusco and Puerto Maldonado are paved and well built throughout; away from these main routes, surface and conditions change abruptly.

This shows up most clearly heading towards the Amazon lowlands: on the side route to Manu, the pavement ends just two hours past Cusco, followed by an unpaved track with potholes, erosion damage and seasonal fords through the cloud forest. Anyone combining Andean passes and the Amazon lowlands on one tour should plan for noticeably fewer daily kilometres on the second leg than the map distance suggests - curves, altitude and road condition slow things down more here than on the Interoceánica.

Signage is reliable on the main routes, but sparse on side roads and in villages - a downloaded offline map belongs on every leg away from the Interoceánica.

Peruvian fuel stations sell unleaded petrol in several octane grades; 90 and 97 octane (Gasohol 90/97) are common, with 84 and 95 octane additionally available in some regions. In the Amazon lowland departments, including Madre de Dios, 84-octane fuel is widely approved and often the only option away from the larger towns.

On the mountain roads around Cusco, fuel stations are rarely more than 30 to 50 km apart; on the route towards Manu, Paucartambo is the last guaranteed pump before the descent into the lowlands - after that, only informal canister sales in villages, more expensive and without guaranteed quality. Cards are rarely accepted at rural fuel stations; cash in Sol is essential.

Peru does not yet have a unified nationwide emergency system: police, fire brigade and ambulance service run on separate numbers, all reachable free of charge from any mobile network. A combined 911 system is under construction, but so far only in trial operation in Lima/Callao. On remote mountain roads and in the Amazon lowlands, network coverage is patchy (see Connectivity) - a fall with no signal can mean help only gets organised through passing vehicles.

The highway police (Policía de Carreteras) check documents and speed on the main roads; in the Cusco region, checkpoints are rarer on the pass roads than on the Panamericana.

Cusco sits at around 3400 m, with passes such as Abra Málaga well above that. Altitude sickness (soroche) can occur from as low as 2500 m; adjustment usually takes 24 to 48 hours. One to two calm days before the first pass ride are recommended, along with plenty of water, little alcohol, and a gradual ascent rather than jumping straight from the lowlands to above 4000 m.

Yellow fever is a consideration in the Amazon lowlands (including Madre de Dios); Peruvian health authorities recommend vaccination there. It is not required for entry itself, but is demanded on some onward routes into neighbouring countries.

The national currency is the Sol (PEN). In Lima, Cusco and larger cities, cards and ATMs are widespread; in rural areas and at most fuel stations, payment is exclusively in cash Sol. ATMs usually cap daily withdrawals at 700 to 800 Sol; when choosing the billing currency, always pick Sol rather than your home currency, or extra conversion fees will apply.

Claro and Entel are considered the most reliable networks in the Cusco region and the Sacred Valley, while Movistar also covers rural areas well. On high mountain passes such as Abra Málaga and on the unpaved route towards Manu, network coverage thins out noticeably or drops out entirely in places. An international eSIM can be set up before the trip and usually connects automatically to Claro or Movistar; for longer stays, a local SIM card from one of the four providers (Claro, Movistar, Entel, Bitel) is cheaper.

On Peruvian roads, right of way is often treated as negotiable rather than a rule - honking serves more as an announcement than a rebuke. Intercity buses and trucks overtake even on blind bends; on mountain roads, defensive riding with plenty of following distance is advisable.

Checkpoints run by the highway police and, in the Amazon lowlands, the national park administration (for example at Salvación at the entrance to Manu National Park) are normal and usually straightforward - keeping vehicle papers and licence within reach speeds up the passage. In the Cusco region, local strikes (paros) with short-notice road closures are not uncommon; check the news before multi-day stages.