Adventure Peru Motorcycling was evolved in 2000 when I went to Cajamarca in Northern Peru to catch up with my old biking friend of 35 years, Pete Killick who had been living, working & riding in The Americas for over 30 years and making frequent trips back to the UK where we caught up; writes David Groves Adventure Peru's UK Business Director in Dallington, Sussex.
Pete had made numerous long bike trips from Alaska to Chile and from Lima, Peru across South America to Santos in Brazil on a 250cc East German MZ. He had ridden various bikes including his own Honda 600ccXL from California down through Mexico, central America to Ecuador and into Peru.This was done during The El Nino period of bridgeless rivers and landslides! It was Pete's suggestion to set up Adventure Peru Motorcycling and together we set about working out our bike trail routes initially through the Andes in the rugged and beautiful Northern Peru.
We concentrated on giving riders an opportunity to see and feel "The Real Peru" from the seat of our four newly purchased Suzuki DR650's, shipped from Miami USA and our two 250 Honda Tornados which were back up bikes and also more suitable for lighter riders.
The idea of just turning up in Lima with your bike gear together with the fantastic climate and Andes rides meant that we soon had to extend our coverage from one tour to eight different tours which we now operate including our Southern Tour to Lake Titicaca, the Colca Canyon, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Arequipa, the Naca Lines and Paracas. There is also a week's add on tour to "The Rain forest" by plane to Iquitos and a stay in a jungle lodge by the mighty Amazon river.
In 2009 we also started a tour to the North of Cajamarca up to Amazonas and The Cloud Forest of Chachapoyas, an area steeped in history with amazing views of the Andes, away from the tourist trail. This tour offers fantastic biking and was featured in last year's September Real Classic magazine by well known bike journalist Mike Powell and ex-scrambles/trial display team rider owner Gerry Gooch, who is also a senior observer and committee member for Solent IAM, both wrote glowing accounts of the trip on our website www.perumotorcycling.com.
Peru has a wide variety of climate zones from high humidity in the jungle to intense heat in the desert and canyons especially The Canyon Del Patos, one of the greatest bike rides in the Americas featured on our
Northern tour. However the temperatures can change dramatically when riding each day especially in the high Andes from hot in the morning to cold, rain, fog, snow and ice all on the same day, especially when riding at over 4,000 metres in the Cordillers Blanca mountains.
Our tour groups are met by us prior to taking a trip with APM to advise on what clothing and equipment to take and wear. We also issue detailed recommendation tour sheets and day tour maps with information on each day's ride.
We give advice from changing money to local customs and also discuss health requirements and any necessary jabs, also covering food and drink on the trip.
Adventure Peru is a real motorcyclists’ company, with all our guides and mechanic being bikers, some of which are Peruvian and vastly experienced in
riding the country.
We currently own eleven bikes, all in Cajamarca including two Honda Transalps to take pillion riders.
APM offers real bikers an opportunity to experience a trip of a lifetime within the safety of small groups of up to nine riders, all with full back up vehicle and experienced guides/mechanics transporting your main luggage.
Staying in good quality local hotels and hostels with an opportunity to experience the real culture and people of Peru.
We now can offer off-road riding training in Landovery, Mid Wales with APM's vastly experienced off road bike training specialist Clive Evans. This takes place prior to tours for those riders who are less experienced or just want to hone their skills on sand and dirt. Just call APM for details, prices and dates. The training is available with your own bike or, if not, there are bikes available.
In 2009 APM took for the first time a group of nine ladies by bikes over a 1000 miles from Lima to Cajamarca across the High Andes. They all experienced the trip of a lifetime and raised money for Help The Heroes charity. The event was extensively reported by MCN and featured in RIDE Magazine Feb edition.
A further all ladies’ tour is planned for June 2011 and any interested lady bikers should email info@perumotorcycling.com for more information on booking. Our current 2010 biking year is looking very busy despite the recession! And we are looking forward to meeting readers of South East Biker mag at our various shows during the year. We currently ride from June to November in the dry season, operating four tours. For up to date information and current tour dates with prices for rider/pillion, check our website or ring our Dallington office on 01424-838618 or
Mobile 07768-568811. We look forward to you riding with us in Peru.
I want to go faster, I want to go faster..
