Monkey Run Peru

The Details: Monkey Run Peru

Monkey bikes take some beating. Unless there’s a steep hill. Or bad weather. Or even a non-steep hill. Luckily there’s loads of that sort of thing in Peru, which is part of the reason this is currently the toughest thing you can do on a monkey bike.

The Monkey Run is also available in Morocco and Mongolia flavour.

1. The un-route
2. The rules
3. The dates
4. The monkey bike
5. How much does it cost?
6. Where will I sleep?
7. Going solo?
8. Saving the world
9. The warning
10. I'm ready - sign me up
11. Subscribe and follow
12. Contact us

1. The un-route

You launch from Ayacucho, high up in the Andes, and finish in Manu Reserve in the Amazon jungle. This splendid combination of massive mountains and sweaty jungle will blow your stinky socks off. It's old-school adventuring at its very best.

Ayacucho

Ayacucho is a 10-hour overnight coach trip or a one hour flight from Lima. Peruvian coaches have an awesome first class option that puts the piss-stinking, overpriced and cramped UK coaches to shame. The coach is about $40USD, the flight is about $120USD.

Finish Line in Manu Reserve near Pillcopota

The new finish line is in the Manu Reserve, tucked away in the Amazon. We will shuttle you back from there to Cusco the morning after the finish line party at 9am. You'll arrive in Cusco late afternoon, or early evening if there are any delays. From Cusco you can take a connecting flight back to Lima, but make sure you allow a full day to travel back from the finish line when you're booking onward flights.

Always allow plenty of time for international flight connections.

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2. The rules

1. Ride a comically unsuitable 90cc Monkey Bike
Proper adventure is only possible if you get slapped about the chops with glorious disaster. Throwing a monkey bike at the Andes mountains and Amazon jungle guarantees splendid mayhem.
2. No set route
Get lost. Go in the wrong direction. Go in circles. It's up to you. Just as it should be.
3. No back up
If you get stuck, you have to get yourself un-stuck. The Monkey Run is an unsupported adventure.
4. Help save the world
Do your best to raise £500 for the official Monkey Run charity Cool Earth who work to stop jungles being chopped down. Because the world would be shit if there were no jungles.
5. Have a motorcycle license
You need a motorbike license or endorsement on your domestic license that allows you to ride a 90cc motorbike in Peru.

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3. The dates

April 2024

5th April: Beers in Ayacucho
6th April: Test driving & launch party
7th April: Launch day
14th April: Finish line & party
15th April: Rider bus to Cusco (ETA 19:00)

September 2024

13th September: Beers in Ayacucho
14th September: Test driving & launch party
15th September: Launch day
22nd September: Finish line & party
23rd September: Rider bus to Cusco (ETA 19:00)

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4. The monkey bike

"You’re sort of spreading a wave of joy and happiness in your wake as everyone behind you bursts out laughing" - Mr. Tom, founder of the Monkey Run

What this diminutive bundle of joy lacks in size, it more than makes up for in unadulterated pleasure.

• It's close to the ground, so you don't have far to fall.
• It's about the size of a rollerskate, so will fit through tiny gaps in traffic.
• It's incredibly light, so when it inevitably breaks down it's easy to carry.
• It's mechanically basic so a chimp could fix it.

They also have a super handy luggage rack over the rear wheel which can easily hold your wallet and maybe your keys (probably best to stick to three of four keys).

Here's some quick stats to prove just how spectacularly unsuitable they really are:

Engine: 90cc of 4 stroke genius
Power: 5.1 BHP
Weight: 72kg
Brakes: Disc front, drum rear

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5. How much does it cost?

The entry fee is £1,495.

What you get for your entry fee:
• A mighty if diminutive bike to fall in love with for the week
• Bike paperwork and 3rd party vehicle insurance ready to go
• A launch party to kill half your brain and a finish party to kill the other
• The most ridiculous week of adventuring chaos imaginable

Vehicle deposit - We charge a £300 returnable vehicle deposit to make sure we get our bikes back at the end of the adventure, this is fully returnable and we wont charge you for general wear and tear.

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6. Where will I sleep?

Whether you’re in the mountain or jungle you’ll find food, water and petrol fairly easily. Wherever you find a town, there should be a hotel, in smaller villages there will almost definitely be someone with a spare room that is the designated Guest House. If you’re stuck ‘tween villages camping could be a good option.

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7. Going solo?

Registration for the Monkey Run is per person. The Monkey Run is perfect for those going solo because, well, you can only fit one person on these bikes. Some do sign up with friends but there are runners that tackle the Monkey Run solo every time. It's easy to meet others during the test driving to convoy for at least part of the trip if you don't fancy going alone.

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8. Saving the world

Not only is the Monkey Run an industrial dose of adventure, it’s also about Saving the World. We ask every rider to make their best efforts to raise a minimum of £500 for the official charity Cool Earth

Anything above this can be raised for any other registered charity of your choice.

Cool Earth works alongside indigenous villages to halt rainforest destruction. Local people stand to lose the most from deforestation but the most to gain from its protection, that’s why they are the forest’s best possible custodians.

All Cool Earth partnerships are community-owned and led. By developing local livelihoods, their mission is to end the cycle of deforestation entrenching villages into further poverty. Creating strong, self-determining communities.

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9. The warning

These are genuinely dangerous things to do. The website is written in a light-hearted fashion but you cannot overestimate the risks involved in taking part in this adventure.

Your chances of being seriously injured or dying as a result of taking part are high. Individuals who have taken part in past Adventurists' adventures have been permanently disfigured, seriously disabled and even lost their life.

This is not a glorified holiday, it's an unsupported adventure and so by its very nature extremely risky. You really are on your own and you really are putting both your health and life at risk. This is what makes them adventures.

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