Hello folks,
Was wondering if anyone out there has tried to ride all the way to Machu Picchu, or at least as far as the road goes. So I underestimated the difficulty of getting to MPichu, it hsa been a lot tougher just to get here to Abancay where I am now, but I have a plan to get there..."the backway".

Ride to Santa Maria and leave the moto..taxi to Santa Teresa, or ride the moto if possible...hike 2 miles through the forest and across a river....then pay to climb MP. Has anyone done this? What are the roads like from Cusco to Santa Maria, or even all the way to Santa Teresa. I am hearing conflicting stories from the locals here.

Need to know quickly...heading to Cusco in the morning. Then Santa Maria the next day.

For my info check my website. From Lima - Abancay 1350km dirt roads!



Thanks,
Daveed

Road is wonderful most of the way to Santa Maria. After that it's susceptible to washouts and slides, but usually fine (by Andes standards) to Hidroelectrica. If the minibuses are going to Santa Teresa that means the road is open. Don't pay any attention to what the folks in Abancay tell you: how would they know?

You need to slow down at some point. Cusco deserves more than an overnight, and so does the Sacred Valley.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Thanks for the info. It was lightly raining here all day, so not sure what the roads will be like there. They were fairly dry all the way from Lima.

Is there any place to safely leave my bike for the day in santa teresa?

You are not the first to tell me to slow down...my answer...but riding is the best part! But I do plan to slow down in Bolivia. When I find a place I like I usually do.

Leave your bike wherever you stay the night. You'll be staying the night, right?

If riding is the best part, why bother getting off the bike to go up to Machu Picchu? I can tell you lots of fun places to ride in Peru if you're not concerned with stopping to see stuff. In point of fact, we each find our own balance between moving and staying put, but even so you can't possibly have any idea what you're missing--that means, whether a place is worth stopping or not--by whipping through in such a hurry.

enjoy,

Mark

I appreciate the information on the road conditions, that's all I needed.

Many Blessings,
David

Just read your Lima to Abancay report. Very interesting! I appreciate your testimony along the way. Some day you will know how greatly you affected the lives of those little kids!

I live in Peru (in Huanuco, you just missed it when you went from Lima to Huancayo) and work with the Quechua handicapped up in the Andes. To support my wife and I in this work I run a Moto Adventure Tour company there, and all around Peru and South America. Would like to meet you, but you are already in Cuzco and on your way to Chile. I can recommend a great route thru Bolivia and places to stay with mission-minded friends...

You are brave on that (overloaded) Honda 150cc! You kept saying 5,000 ft when it was 5,000 meters! HUGE difference!

Blessings, Toby

+1 on markharf's comments - take it easy to appreciate where you are.

Yes, quite a few people actually (I hope this doesn't burst any bubbles). Search here and over on advrider.com for plenty of posts, road details, instructions, hostel names, meal suggestions, choices, etc.

The ride to Sta Teresa is a great one; I hope you enjoy it!

__________________
motojeros.blogspot.com - 2 up on an ´89 Transalp through the Americas

CSU,
I will checkout the posts on advrider.com, and thnx for the encouragement on the ride to Santa Teresa. I almost caved in and paid for the tour, but I took a walk and thought about it...I am here for the adventure...lol. So, looking forward to it, tomorrow.

Toby,
Wish I would have posted a little sooner. Would have like to met you, gotten to see your moto operation, and the work you are doing with the Quechua (they are great people!) I would definitely like to have the Bolivia route information if you don't mind. I was just asking a guy earlier the best route to take to Bolivia.

I made it to Cusco pretty early. Mark is right there is a lot to see and do here. Great little town. Not my style though with all the touristy stuff. Had some pollo ala Brassa with the local, and walked around...of couse had to have a starbucks, it's been a while. And finally found a peru flag sticker for the moto. All is well. Just hope all the rain has not made the road impassable at the river crossings tomorrow, I heard it can get bad.

David

It happens.

Same is true for several smaller towns in the Sacred Valley. It's not all about Machu Picchu.

Mark

So I decided to stay a while after all. 1st night in cusco, 2nd and 3rd nights in Santa Maria, 4th and 5th nights in Cusco. Now I have been asked to stay a sixth night while the hostal owner has stickers printed to put on my bike. He is letting me stay tommorow for free as long as I put his sticker on the bike. This part of Peru is growing on me. Machu Picchu was cool, but like everyone says WAY over priced. I Really liked Santa Teresa, ond Ollataytambo, they seemed like cool places to stay. Santa Maria was Closest so I stayed there instead. I ended up riding to Hidroelectrica and parking next to the tunnel in the mountain. Then I walked 2 and a half hours down the tracks to Aguas Calientes, then rode the bus up to MP and walked down an hour and a half then all the way back to Hidroelectrica, over 30 kilometers of walking in all. Then while walking the train tracks back I met a cool guy from Lithuania who rode the Unicycle and played the Accordian at the same time and was on Peru's got talent and he asked for a ride back to Santa Maria so it took forever and got dark. The road from Hidro back to Santa Maria is not the best place to have a passenger on a honda 150cc at night. Made it, and it was a crazy cool experience. The ride alone was worth a million bucks. So all other riders out there don't cave in and buy the package from Ollataytambo or Cusco...ride all the way there! So thanks to all for the advice.
David

David,

Your best way to Bolivia is through Copacabana. There are many who do this route and their trip details abound. Just search 'Copacabana' and you will get updated info.

There is a Samaritan's Purse office in La Paz and I know the director. They also have a base in Trinidad, Bolivia where they have a river launch that does medical work up and down the jungle area.

There is also a South American Mission base in Santa Cruz (a place that you can't miss anyway, as it is the motorcycle capitol of Bolivia) and they have an aviation center there... maybe you can get some cool flights and find out more about their work too. If you want any info on these, pm me. Decide on your route and I will recommend some great (read cheap too!) places to stay!

I recommend that you do: Copacabana - La Paz - Corioco/Chulumani ('Death Road') - Independencia - Cochabamba - Villa Tunari - Santa Cruz - Sucre - Potosi - Uyuni - Villazon... then toward Salta Argentina.

Blessings! Toby

Hi you can ride all the way to Santa Teresa. There were the train station is is a gate with Police were you can park your bike. They will look after it but will not let you through with it. Then you can walk along the rail 7km to Aqua caliente to get the tickets (there are hostels too) and then 2km up Machu Pichu:

http://reisemotorrad.eu/?report=en_peru

The road from Cuzco is 200 km tar then easy dirt road with small rivers crossing as you can see on the fotos

Enjoy it, Tobi

I posted an update on my blog with photos and lots of useful info (i think), if anyone wants to check it out:

Machu Picchu...A life changing experience I won't soon forget!

Thanks TA-rider.
I actually rode past Santa Teresa, and past Santa Maria all the way to Hidroelectrica and parked in a guys yard for 10 sols next to the tunnel in the cliffside where they drive in and out of to work. I had no trouble what so ever. The road is a little rough, and there are some intimidating water holes, but if a Honda 150cc can make it...It was the a great part of an already amazing trip. Highly recommend riding all the way to Hidroelectrica, but always check with the locals in Santa Maria just to be sure the day before you leave, you never know.

Tobi,

Thanks for the info. I am in Puno and I would not have considered Copacabana, just by looking at it on the map. But I think it is the way to go. I am doing the 4 hour boat tour to the floating islands of lake Titikaka in the morning then the next day I will cross over. Definitely heading to LaPaz. Then from there I was going to paddle up the Benis River in Rurrenabaque, Bolivia on a thirty day excursion a guy told me about, but it's about the same distance as Trinidad. But if I could do something a little more structured, I think it would be more productive... Expect a PM.


Thanks,
David

Here is a video link in case anyone is curious as to what the road is like. Hidroelectrica is as far as you can go with a motorcycle to Machu Piccu.

Take a bumpy ride with me from Santa Teresa to Hidroelectra - YouTube

I'm looking forward to reading a report of someone driving ALL the way to MP along the railway!!

I reckon it might be doable with lightweight bikes and at least 2 of you, to manhandle the bikes across the various bridges (big and small) where the gaps between the sleepers would be a challenge. Getting past the cops would be fun too!!

That would be proper adventure riding.....