
Pasamayo Serpentine is a lethal coastal road in Peru
Peru, south-america
22.6 km
N/A
extreme
Year-round
Daredevils, listen up! Serpentín Pasamayo, a coastal road in the Lima Province of Peru, is not for the faint of heart. Nestled between Aucallama and Ancón, and snaking through Huaral and Lima, this 22.6 km (14 mile) stretch of Carretera Nacional 001B is an adrenaline junkie's dream—or nightmare.
They don't call it Curva del Diablo (Devil's Curve) for nothing! Imagine navigating hairpin turns with zero safety fences, a sheer drop of 100+ meters to the Pacific Ocean below. Oh, and did I mention the dense fog that rolls in, especially from April to December? Or the constant humidity and sand that make the paved surface treacherously slick?
This road, originally planned as a railway in the 1870s and built in 1940, was intended for heavy vehicles, even though a new highway bypasses it. Despite that, plenty of traffic risks it every day.
Beyond the adrenaline rush, you’ll find stunning views between the ocean and the Western Cordillera—if you can keep your eyes on the scenery. Just be warned: Pasamayo has a grim reputation for accidents, especially at night when visibility drops. It's so notorious that a local rock band even wrote a song about it! So, are you brave enough to tackle the Serpentín Pasamayo?
Where is it?
Pasamayo Serpentine is a lethal coastal road in Peru is located in Peru (south-america). Coordinates: -9.3696, -74.2246
Road Details
- Country
- Peru
- Continent
- south-america
- Length
- 22.6 km
- Difficulty
- extreme
- Coordinates
- -9.3696, -74.2246
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