When it comes to traveling to Peru, most tourists list visiting the ancient Machu Picchu on the top of their list. And while this awe-inspiring city is certainly worth your time, the country has much more to offer, especially for travelers venturing her roads by motorcycle. Here is a list of our top reasons why you should visit Peru by motorcycle.

Wild Mountain Roads. When it comes to twisting mountain roads, few places on earth can beat Peru's paved roads leading through the Andes. Ascending from Nazca, there is a throughway called the road of a 1,000 curves, and it is not exaggerating. On one long winding stretch you can climb to over 15,000 feet along a variety of exciting switchbacks and tight turns. Your view is complete with wild, virtually untouched mountain landscapes and distant glacial mountains overshadowing lush valleys.

The People. When booking a standard tour in a bus, you are often shuttled from one tourist sightseeing spot to the next. Never having a chance to take a break and speak to the people who call this country home. Many Peruvians still live very traditional lives. While biking in the countryside you will pass patchworked farm plots where farmers and sheepherders still dress in traditional indigenous clothing. Consider making a trip to the market town of Pisac. Here, the streets come alive on market days as Peruvian artisans travel from every corner of the country to peddle their wares. Enjoy time spent immersed in the country's local culture.

The South Coast. Cuzco and its surrounding wonders often overshadow the uniqueness of Peru's southern coast. This is an ideal place to let your wanderlust run wild down desert roads that border the country's rugged Pacific coastline. For those interested in exploring some of Peru's interesting wildlife, make a stop at the Paracas National Reserve. This unique ecological zone is home to various marine life including whales, dolphins, shark, marlin, and much more.

The Many Ancient Ruins. For history buffs and culture enthusiasts, Peru is a magnificent place to explore the ruins and mysterious sites of ancient civilizations. On a motorcycle adventure of your design, you have the opportunity to visit both the most famed and the more hidden at your leisure. Visit of course the Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley, but then journey to the northern highlands to discover the city of Chan Chan. Afterwards, point your bike south, and head to the mysterious Nazca Lines and the city of Puno.

As you've noticed by now, we at RIDE Adventures also support the individual riders, the "Lone Wolves" if you will, who head out and Ride the World on their own motorcycles. While we hope to bring more of you into our service offering, we're not just supporting those who purchase our guided tours & motorcycle rentals.

I managed to pin down Nic Sims, head of Media Relations at Alpinstars USA and ask some questions about the motorcycle industry and where he sees the future of motorcycle protective gear going:

Tourists from around the world travel to Cusco for the sole purpose of visiting the famed Machu Picchu, a renowned architectural site recently designated as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. While a visit to these Incan ruins is great, the region around Cusco offers a great variety of geography that is ideal for any adventurer wanting a more unique and memorable Peru motorcycle trip that goes beyond the more traditional tourism opportunities.

Cusco, a name that translates to "navel of the earth," was once the ancient capital of the Incas. Today, the city is considered Peru's leading tourist hub. Many people believe the city's ancient planners designed Cusco's layout to resemble the puma, one of their culture's most sacred animals. If so, head north from Cucso to visit what would be the city's ferocious head: the ruins of Sacsayhuaman. This walled complex once served as a military fortress and is lauded for having been the command center for ancient royalty and military elite.

From Sacsayhuaman, it is an exciting descent ride, you will be dropping about 600 meters in elevation, to the colorful village of Pisac. Along the way, consider stopping by Puca Pucara, another walled ruin, and Tombomacahy, an ancient bath that was once used as a purifying location for Inca royalty. Pisac boasts of the country's most diversified open air markets. Here, merchants come from across the country to sell their local food, handicrafts, and regional Alpaca wool clothing. On market days, it is as if every block opens and the whole city transforms into one massive, bustling market. Once you have stocked up for your travels, take the northeast road through the eastern portion of the Sacred Valley of the Incas and make way for the Lares Hot Springs.
In South America, it can be easy to underestimate distances and the expectations of what each day's sights might be. However, every inch made on a map correlates to an unforgettable ride done by man. The Andes tower above you while the valley stretching before you radiates with a dozen different shades of green, the expansive landscape dotted with ancient ruins.

During those off-bike moments when I'm in full motorcycle gear, be it walking through a grocery story or filling up my bike at a gas station, 2 questions are directed at me with remarkable consistency:

South Africa boasts unadulterated wilderness side-by-side first world cities steeped with five-star entertainment, food, and housing. Here, you can spend the night surrounded by luxury, only to wake the next morning to speed down sheer cliff-face roads overlooking spawning whales and the chatter of African penguins. The best way to experience all of the expansive landscapes, thrilling country roads, multicultural cities, and unique wildlife South Africa has to offer is to plan an extended holiday and take the long road from provincial capital to provincial capital: Johannesburg to Cape Town.

"An agonizing feeling, that tele-tubby box of a camera haunted my dreams. The more I saw it the more I wanted to scream inside. Not out of anger, but out of disbelief that something so ugly could take over the market like a tidal wave." - Marc Barros - Co-Founder of Contour Inc. (Source: marcbarros.com)

Folks, I can't believe it happened, but the best helmet camera company out there just shut down last month. A classic example of how big money and huge marketing budgets can propel an inferior product to the front of the market and squash the best camera companies into oblivion, this is quite a shame.  Equally shameful is that this kind of thing happens in many other industries, including the motorcycle touring & renting business. Big money and advertising has many customers "running to the biggest" company, instead of getting the most value out of their dollar with others who don't spend as much on advertising.  Oh well, such is business for now I guess. 

Hands down, the highlight of most every Peruvian adventure is a journey to the mystical heights of Macchu Picchu. However, to reach its summit requires travel measures largely excluding motorcycle routes. So aside from motorcycling the jungle, a backwoods tour from Cusco to the end of Manu National Park might be just what adventure riding enthusiasts are looking for.
Leaving Cusco, begin your journey just northeast of the city and ride along the fabled Sacred Valley. These winding back-valley dirt roads encompass ancient Incan ruins and rural Quechua villages. Outside these clusters, you will glimpse farmers wearing traditional clothing as they work the terraced

The best way to experience the uniqueness of South Africa is by the power of two wheels. This unforgettable country has all of the necessary ingredients - favorable climate, quality roads, expansive scenery - the traveling motorcyclist could want. For a trip complete with urban flair, sublime deserts, mountains, and rocky coastlines, take an extended holiday with one of our South Africa motorcycle rental options and travel the famed Garden Route.

Consider beginning your tour just north of Johannesburg in the capital city of Pretoria. From here, it's a delightful ride through the Orange Countryside and down into the Kingdom of Lesotho. Upon Lesotho's border crossing, make your way towards Katze Dam along some of the country's most exciting roads. Here, for 80km you will experience sharp curves with steep gradients and little to no traffic. A motorcycle riders' dream.

Next, ride through the Golden Gate National Park on winding roads bordered by sandstone cliffs and populated by antelope herds and screeching vervet monkeys. The park opens up to a day's ride through the Drankensberg mountains and onto South Africa's Indian Ocean coastline.

South Africa is an incredible and vibrant country that offers a premier traveling experience. For the motorcyclist, this experience is made even more rewarding by way of the journey. If you are looking for the best backdrop for your next adventure, here are five excellent reasons to explore South Africa on a motorcycle trip.

1. Rich in biodiversity
Despite South Africa covering less than one percent of the world's land surface, this country contains ten percent of all of the world's plant, fish, and bird species; in addition to including six percent of the world's known mammal and reptile species. Any ride taken throughout the winding roads of South Africa's bushveld and savannah regions will find a myriad of classic African species. For those especially eager to sight one of the famous Big Five's, the African elephant, Cape buffalo, lion, leopard and rhinoceros's, consider including a trip to Kruger National Park, a day's ride from Johannesburg. This park alone has herds of over 10,000 elephants, 20,000 buffaloes, and an estimated 2,000 lions. After a day spent capturing shots of these magnificent creatures, spend the night underneath the stars in a wilderness bush campsite, or bed down in comfort in one of the national park's more urban-minded, luxury lodges.