The road through Mantaro River Canyon is not for the sissies

Cañon del Rio Mantaro is located in the central region of Peru. The road through the canyon is extreme. Words can’t describe the road and pictures don’t do it justice.

Cañon del Rio Mantaro

It’s one of the most dangerous roads in the world. It’s called 3S. Most of the road is asphalted, but there are some gravel sections. The route demands 100% concentration. This road has humbled many egos. It’s not for the sissies and shouldn’t be attempted by novice drivers. The Mantaro River is the most distant source of the Amazon. It is 147km long. Drivers must remain cautious as the pass has been known to claim the lives of careless drivers.The road is in dreadful condition and requires strong nerves to negotiate it. It’s extremely narrow. It’s certainly breathtaking and it has a fearsome reputation. It still remains an adrenaline-pumping journey and is definitely not for the faint of lungs, heart, or legs.

Drive with care as this is a mountain road with hairpin curves and dangerous dropoffs (more than 200 meters). The road links Izcuchaca, in the province of Huancavelica at 2.939m above the sea level, and Huanta, capital of the province Huanta in the region Ayacucho, at 2.628m above the sea level. In many places the road is bordered by a drop of hundreds of meters (many hundreds of feet) unprotected by guardrails.