The Dakar Rally bids farewell to Peru in style

The Dakar Rally 2018 finished its tour of Peru and the national and foreign fans who came to Puno to cheer and follow the race closely were able to enjoy Peruvian cuisine thanks to the 'Peru, Mucho Gusto' fair, which received a record number of 39,195 visitors. This marks the end of the Dakar’s successful presence in the country.

Puno, the last Peruvian city to host the world's most extreme competition, was responsible for receiving the competitors, fans and general public that gathered on January 10 and 11 at the food event that also brought together the highlights of the country's flagship products, Super Foods Peru, crafts, dances and musical extravaganzas.

The best-selling dishes included cerdo a la caja china (oven-baked pig), chancho al palo (pork on a stick), chicharrones (fried pork), trout ceviche, picante a la tacneña (spicy Tacna-style stew) and stuffed rocoto peppers. It should be noted that PROMPERÚ has organized two 'Peru Mucho Gusto' fairs with the support of local authorities, and as part of the Dakar 2018. The fair that took place in Pisco on January 6 and 7 brought together 20,000 attendees.    

Isabella Falco, PROMPERÚ's Head of Communications and Country Image, also commented that the return to Peru of the Dakar Rally after 5 years "has given us the opportunity as a country to showcase Peru's landscape riches, such as the imposing desert dunes that have been a feature of the competition". “In addition, we didn’t miss the chance to showcase our most outstanding attractions in the 'Peru Marquee', which was located inside the Dakar Village in the Pentagonito, achieving an attendance of 50,000 people over three days”. Quite a success.

The international press followed the routes each day from the start in Lima, subsequently continuing in the regions of Ica (Pisco and San Juan de Marcona), Arequipa and finally Puno. The Dakar Rally 2018 will continue its route in Bolivia and Argentina, the final destination of the competition.  

To closely follow the participation of the Peruvian participants, access dakar.peru.travel