Departamento de Apurimac, Peru
This is one of South America’s highest road passes, the climb to which begins at 4,650m by the lakes near the small village of Huacullo. The scenery as you climb up to a high point at 5,060m is absolutely beautiful and it remains so on the small descents and climbs to the Azuca silver mine.
The top section is a huge anticlimax – you have to enter the mine at around 5,000m, register with security, then continue up to the pass at 5,130m. From the actual top the lack of good views is a big disappointment and the descent doesn’t go through particularly nice scenery either. However the initial climb is so nice that this is still a lovely pass.
The road surface is good and apart from a few sections the gradients are reasonably gentle. Make sure you’re well-acclimatized before attempting to cycle this – once you climb up from the lakes by Huacullo the road doesn’t drop below 4,900m for 25kms.
| Name of Pass | Abra Azuca |
| Where | Between Huacullo (31kms) and Abra Anabi (39kms) |
| GPS Co-ords | 14.5858 S, 72.4789 W |
| Altitude | 5,130m |
| Amount climbed | 820m (all on ripio) from Huacullo in 4 hours |
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Peru Pass List
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