Where are Curvas de Huanchaca?
Peru, south-america
40 km
2,142 m
hard
Year-round
Okay, thrill-seekers and road trip warriors, listen up! I just conquered one of the most insane, hair-raising drives in Peru: Curvas de Huanchaca!
Nestled high in the Andes, about 40km west of Cusco, on the border of the Cusco and Apurimac regions, this stretch of Route 3SF isn't for the faint of heart. We're talking 24 hairpin turns carved right into the mountainside!
The road itself? Mostly one car wide, but freshly paved so any vehicle can handle it. Sounds easy, right? Wrong! This baby climbs from 2,142m to 2,901m in just 12.5km after crossing the Puente Huallpachaca, with sections hitting a crazy 17% gradient. That’s a gain of 759 meters!
The views are absolutely breathtaking, I'm talking jaw-dropping, vertigo-inducing vistas of the Urubamba Valley. But don't get too distracted, because there are no safety fences and some serious drop-offs. Keep your eyes on the road! Seriously.
Trust me, this drive is an adrenaline rush from start to finish. Just make sure to tackle it during the day, and maybe say a little prayer before you hit those switchbacks!
Road Details
- Country
- Peru
- Continent
- south-america
- Length
- 40 km
- Max Elevation
- 2,142 m
- Difficulty
- hard
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