Ancash · Peru
Cañón del Pato
PE-3NCaraz to Huallanca
A road hacked from sheer Andean canyon walls, threading 35 one-lane unlit tunnels through solid rock above a 1,000 m drop to the Santa River, one of Peru’s most dramatic drives.
Heading north from Caraz, the unpaved PE-3N enters the Cañón del Pato where the walls close in and the road clings to a ledge above the Río Santa. The 35 hand-cut tunnels, each one-lane and unlit, are the centrepiece: you emerge from each into another section of sheer cliff and sky. The road carries bus and truck traffic so patience at tunnel mouths is essential; the walls rise over 1,000 m above the river.
Where it runs
Navigate to the start: Apple Maps · Google Maps
Character
Higher than 9 in 10 roads in the catalogue.
Elevation
under 4%4–8%over 8%1,863 – 3,158 mHazards
- 35 unlit one-lane tunnels
- no passing points in the tunnels
- falling rocks
- narrow ledge road
- oncoming trucks
- rainy-season closures
See the typical season and live conditions for the high passes ›
Sources: Road geometry © OpenStreetMap contributors
Nearby roads
The closest great drives to Cañón del Pato.
