4x4 (recommended) loop track | Warning

The road from Charcana to Cotahuasi is at the moment closed. You must drive through the Pampa, the road is ok, very scenic, we did it with a Sprinter .

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The road is paved now and in good condition.

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We drove the road from Cotahuasi to Charcana and the following gravel road from Charcana to the connection at the AR 603 without any problems. Although it's the season of rain both roads are well maintained and road works are going on. Seems as they are bituminizing the whole way. We totally agree...its one of the most scenic drives we ever did! We did it with our Iveco Daily 4x4...no 4x4 needed, but we had to use the reduction several times. Please note: the connection to Oyolo and Pausa seems no more possible northbound - you need to drive south and take the currently well maintained gravel road via Corculla to Oyolo and further to Pausa (we marked the entrance to this road on iOverlander)

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Just to confirm below description. Passable road to/from Cotahuasi via Charcana, Churculla, Oyolo, Colta but be aware, you will climb up until 4800 to 5000 meter. Extreme temperature over in the Puna.

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We asked at the tourist info in Cotahuasi which is the best way out of the canyon towards Nasca, and were told this road via Chakana, Corculla, Oyolo. We were a bit sceptical as neither Google maps nor OSM knew the road existed. Maps.me has it but this is not always trustworthy. Anyhow, we gave it a try and tourist info knows best. It is a very good dirt road and beautiful view. Not suitable for big rigs (and people who are afraid of heights) though as it is very narrow at some parts with steep hairpin curves.
After Chakana the road climbs up to 4800m and it gets very cold. Before getting to the highest point, there is hardly anywhere to camp as the road is very narrow, and up on the puna you probably don't want to camp. So try to time it that you make it down to Corculla for the night (easily doable if you start from Cotahuasi before noon). We stayed right at the central plaza which is not great but ok. The lady who sells bus tickets can make dinner for 6 soles.

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First off, a correction to ranamundo's post - the 37km of rough road is north-east... East from this point is a good gravel road, via Charcana, to cotahuasi. The rough bit is up on the puna.

We did this loop anticlockwise from pampamarca, under duress, as a landslide had blocked our entry to cotahuasi from pampamarca. However we are glad the earth fell down as this loop was literally the most spectacular road we have ever driven!

It took us 7 hours to get from pampamarca to cotahuasi, but we were driving slowly.

In regards to the rough 37km of road - at the time of year we were here it was totally fine. Really dry. Only the odd muddy puddle. We have a 2x4 4runner which is an inch lower than the 4x4 version of our car, and we made it with absolutely no problem. I can totally agree however, in inclement weather you would need 4x4 to clear mud washouts (there was evidence of these). Ask the locals when you get here - they will all know about the conditions.

If you are worried about exploring this area, don't be. Worry about fuel - you can always turn around if you have enough fuel and the road gets too tough. It's hard to get fuel outside of cotahuasi and a landslide (which are very common here) can really cut you off. We get a range of about 500m in these conditions but used half a tank to do this loop because of the extreme altitude changes. If we could do it again we would have carried 50l additional fuel (for our petrol 4runner). It would be cheaper to bring this into the canyon than to buy in town.

If you can do nothing else, try to drive out to charcana - it's literally spectacular. If you can get to the top of the switchbacks even better (about 5km east of this Ioverlander point). It's sheer-drop switchbacks on really good gravel road. Obviously coming down gives you better views, but use low gear so you don't kill your brakes! Surreal!

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If you plan to drive the loop from Cotahuasi to Charcana to Ccochapampa (below Pampamarca) back to Cotahuasi be warned: from this position the following 37kms eastwards (to junction at -15.079753 -73.006195) is 4x4 with high clearence only. The track is rough, you are always between 4800 and 4957 meters above sea level. Only drive in VERY dry conditions, it can get very muddy. We had to move rocks from the road and shovel some snow out of it. // Apart from these 37kms the loop is good gravel, some parts very steep, trucks can make it. The loop can be driven in a VERY long day // THIS LOOP WAS ONE OF OUR BEST AND MOST SPECTACULAR DRIVES WE HAVE DONE IN SOUTH AMERICA!!!

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