| Highways
of Peru The Peruvian road
network is made up of more than 70,000 kilometers (43,750 miles)
of highways; 16,000 km (10,000 miles) are national routes. The
highways are categorized by quality and by the type of automobile
that travels on them; freeways, paved roads (asphalted
highways), and dirt roads (roadbeds).
The freeways have two main
lanes and one safety lane, good sign postings, and all types of
vehicles transit them. The majority of these routes correspond
to the access circuit to Lima along the Pan-American highway,
and you are required to pay a toll to use them.
The paved roads have one main
lane and a safety shoulder. All types of vehicles can circulate
on them without problems and like the highways, you must pay a
toll.
- The traffic on the asphalt
highways is more intense at night and if you are driving in
the Sierras it is recommendable to travel in the first hours
of the morning.
- In the Sierra and in the jungle
between January and March, the roads are blocked because of
the rains and frequent landslides.
The dirt roads are constructed
from a base of dirt and gravel, connecting important cities in
the Sierra or in the jungle, small cities, towns, archaeological
sites, or other places of tourist interest. All-terrain
vehicles are ideal as some of these routes are not in very good
condition.
- Some dirt roads have assigned
ascending and descending days.
- In the Sierra and in the jungle
between January and March, the roads are blocked because of
the rains and frequent landslides.
Road Infrastructure
The service stations (grifos)
that are found along the Northern Pan-American Highway from Lima
to Piura, and on the Southern Pan-American from Lima to Nasca,
have bathrooms, shops selling lubricants and replacement parts,
fast food, mini-markets, automobile repair shops, and car washes,
along with providing petroleum and gas of different octane grades. The
further away you get from these main roads, the more scarce the
service stations and their services become. Selling fuel in a
can is also quite common.
- Service stations do not normally
accept credit cards in the provinces.
- The fuel price increases in
relation to the distance and isolation of the stations.
- Using a low octane fuel over
1,500 m (4,920 ft.) does not cause any problems, but it can
affect the engine if used below 1,500 m.
- Fuel in a can should always
be filtered with a canvas or flannel material.
Some cities have automobile garages
that specialize in specific makes of cars and in the smaller cities
there are more general garages that do not offer any kind of guarantee.
Because of this it is best to verify the vehicle's condition before
setting off on a trip. Tire repair shops are found in any
part of the country.
The tow truck service is generally
expensive and scarce, however, there is insurance for auto rescue
and towing that provides national coverage at a reasonable cost.
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