The Wild Road to Abra Culipampa

Abra Culipampa is a high mountain pass located in Peru in Departamento de Arequipa, at an elevation of 4.834m (15,859ft) above the sea level. 

This is a maintained road where a high clearance 2WD vehicle is able to travel safely at low speeds on long dry straight-of-ways, without losing control due to wash boarding, ruts, or dips. This 5,000m pass lies on the Arcata-Selene mine road in the north of the Departamento de Arequipa, on the way from Antabamba to Cotahuasi, beginning the climb just below the small village of Huacullo and then passing through the even smaller village of Culipampa on the way to the top. The road to the summit is called 111.
The pass is located between Culipampa (5kms) and Abra Huarcaya (18kms). From Culipampa to the pass the surface is fine, but on the other side it’s sandy. The scenery is good as there are some nice lakes and volcanoes around, but you’re unlikely to get the road to yourself as it is used by mine trucks.

 

• Driving the dizzying road to Cotahuasi Canyon
• The road through Mantaro River Canyon is not for the sissies