Distance: 112.12 km
Ride time: 5.22.54
Average: 20.83 km/h
Max speed: 48.42 km/h
Total: 31473 km
I left Mancora feeling that I hadn’t seen everything there was to see or done everything there was to do in this beach town in northern Peru. Such is travelling sometimes. For now my mind was focused on reaching Ecuador.
I thought I would be leaving the beach behind as I left Mancora, but to my surprise they got even better and better as I got further north. In Punta Sal I had lunch right at a very beautiful beach – it was like being back in Australia.
Between the beaches the road would go inland and I would once again be in the desert – there certainly has been a lot of desert in the last 2000 km of cycling in Peru.
And bang, the landscape would change once again! A few kilometers from Tumbes I turned around a corner, and the landscape was now green and flat for as long as I could see. Maybe this is what Ecuador will be like?
Tumbes was indeed a part of Ecuador until the 1940’s. but as I cycled into the city center it felt like any other random Peruvian town I have cycled into over the last 3 months. I felt nostalgic as I checked into a cheap hotel for the last time in this fascinating country. Most of all I will miss the very good friends I have met during my stay here. On the other hand the security situation over the last weeks has also meant that I’m not unhappy about leaving Peru.
Tomorrow Ecuador!
Hey Thomas. Stumbled with your blog as we are heading Colombia, Ecuador and then Peru…
About this “…the security situation over the last weeks has also meant that I’m not unhappy about leaving Peru”… what can you comment?!
What’s going on down there?!
Thanks a lot and safe travels!
Hi Andre.
The northern part of the Panamerican Highway in Peru (from Trujillo and to the border with Ecuador) is not completely safe. Nothing happened to me, but the police followed me through some villages to be sure. I think this is the best link for information: https://www.facebook.com/groups/329273790543982/permalink/455717547899605/
Happy Riding!
Thomas
Hi Thomas,
i didn’t find your post about the south of Peru. Could give us some information of security, the border with Bolívia and everything else.
The same way, some information about the south of Bolivia, down from Oruro, interesting me too.
Have a safe trip.
Rodrigo from Brazil
Hi Rodrigo! I felt that the southern part of Peru and Bolivia were much safer than the northern part of Peru. Here is a link to some blog posts from down there http://www.cyclingtheglobe.com/2014/08/day-1420-copacabana-pomata-peru-it-is/
Thomas