After some beautiful days in Lima and more than 5 kg heavier, I continued my way up North and was planning to move as fast as possible to the border of Ecuador.
Facts
From Lima to Huanchaco
Distance: 570 km
Time: 10 hours
Road: Asphalt
Difficulty: Easy
From Huanchaco to Mancora
Distance: 599 km
Time: 10 hours
Road: Asphalt
Difficulty: Easy
Experience
In general the Pan-American Highway in between Lima and Mancora is not very spectacular and I would recommend to choose a more scenic route in the mountains. However, I wanted to make progress and decided to go for the fast option. There are a few highlights en route you should not be missing. The relaxed surfer town of Huanchaco, the museum of Señor Sipan and whale watching in Las Organicos. I would highly recommend to update your playlist before starting this part of the Panam. See here my choice of gear for more info on my intercom.
Meeting Miguel
Shortly before arriving at my first destination of the day I spotted another overlander on a Honda CB500x with a license plate from Florida. At the next traffic lights I drove my bike next to him, curious to know more about the like minded adventurer. By surprise the biker spoke immediately Spanish and I finally met Miguel from Bilbao, Spain who overlanded the Americas for the last 2 years already. With more than 160’000 km he truly deserved the iron but trophy. Spontaneously, we decided to ride together for a while which I truly welcomed again.
Where to stay in Huanchaco and (not) in Mancora
When we arrived in Huanchaco I was looking forward to stay again at Atma Hostel and Yoga but since everything was already booked out we had to find an alternative. In the end, we shared the cost of a double room and could store our bikes in a safe garage next door.
While I continued my trip to Mancora, Miguel was planning to take it a bit more easy and we enjoyed a fruit juice together on the road before we said good bye to each other again. A short but pleasant meeting!
In the evening I arrived in Mancora and forgot all about the party crowds of course. It was horrible… loud music, party and no sleep. All I needed after a 10 hour ride on my motorcycle. Instead, I should have stayed again at the KonTiki Bungalows on top of the hills. Next time…