My motorcycle trip this time is from Juliaca to Chivay in Peru
The distance is about 270km, but I have to cross a 5,000m mountain
I leave Juliaca
The roads that are very crowded on weekdays are empty on Sundays.
It seems like some kind of event is taking place around Armas Square.
I have no choice but to take a detour.
I walk through the Santa Barbara Market
I left Juliaca in about 15 minutes.
I’m going to keep going straight.
This road has been repaired, but it is still bumpy.
In an hour, the mountain will be right in front of me.
To my left is Lake Lagunillas.
I thought it was cold, and sure enough, there was snow on both sides of the road.
After about three hours, I arrived at the checkpoint.
If I turn left here, I’ll be in Arequipa.
This time I’ll turn right.
I’m going to climb the mountain
The scenery is nice here, but there are no guardrails, so if I make a mistake, I’ll fall into the valley, so I drive carefully.
And I arrived in Chivay about 4 hours and 15 minutes after leaving Juliaca.
As soon as I passed through the gate, there was a police station.
At the tourist information center next to the police station, I had to pay S/.70, about 19.7 USD, as an entrance fee to the city.
*This ticket includes tickets to the Condor Observatory and other attractions.
I head towards the city centre and fill up on gas.
In Chibai, high octane gasoline costs S/.18.00 per gallon, or about 5.07 USD.
1 gallon is 3.7854 liters, so 1.34 USD per liter.
It’s expensive.
After refueling, I arrived at nearby Armas Square.
My motorcycle trip this time was an exciting one, going up and down mountain roads, even though it was cold all the time.
I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t been carrying luggage.
Next, I’m heading to the Condor Observatory.
Date of ride: July 20, 2025
