Driving through the lethal Acantilados de Ocoña

Acantilados de Ocoña (Ocoña Cliffs) is a very scenic and dangerous cliff drive over the Pacific Ocean on the boundary of Caravelí and Camaná provinces in Peru.

Acantilados de Ocoña

The road to the cliffs is called 1S (Carretera Panamericana Sur). It’s paved but extremely dangerous. Drivers must remain cautious as the road has been known to claim the lives of careless drivers. It’s a mind numbing vertical drop of hundreds of meters so you might want to give it a miss on a windy day.

The road is carved into the hillside. It’s very steep. The drive offers stunning views of the ocean on the way down. Expect heavy traffic. The road zigs and zags as it makes its way up and down the cliffs. It’s difficult and a nightmare in the wet or dark (or both). In many places the road is bordered by a drop of 200 meters (656ft) unprotected by guardrails.

The road is 74.6 km (46.35 miles) long running from Atico District, one of thirteen districts of the province Caravelí, to Ocoña District, one of eight districts of the province Camaná..Earthquakes and landslides are common on the area. It’s incredibly disorienting to look over the edge. It’s said to be one of the most dangerous roads of the country.