Trujillo Otuzco Road Blocked By Miners Protest

Drivers moving between the coastal city of Trujillo and highland towns like Otuzco are now watching the Trujillo Otuzco road blockade as a serious weak point, after mineral truck operators protesting Peru's mining formalization registry choked traffic at the Loma del Viento sector from the early hours of Tuesday November 25 2025. Long queues of buses, colectivos, and freight vehicles built up on the mountain highway while only a single lane opened intermittently. Even though the road concessionaire later reported both lanes cleared, travelers heading into the La Libertad highlands should plan for renewed slowdowns and possible fresh blockades while the REINFO debate continues.

In practical terms, a miners protest over the future of the REINFO registry has turned the main Trujillo to Otuzco mountain road into a corridor where even a short disruption can ripple into multi hour delays and missed connections for tourists, local workers, and long distance transport.

Where the roadblock is and who it affects

Local mining industry outlet Rumbo Minero and regional newspapers report that hundreds of dump trucks and heavy vehicles used by mineral transporters positioned themselves at the Loma del Viento sector, around kilometer 64 on the road that climbs from Trujillo toward the La Libertad sierra. Protesters parked trucks across much of the carriageway, leaving only a narrow lane open at times and forcing traffic to alternate through the gap, which quickly generated long lines of vehicles in both directions.

This stretch is not a minor back road. It sits on the primary paved route that links Trujillo with Otuzco, the provincial capital and a well known pilgrimage destination for the Virgen de la Puerta, and with other highland towns used as bases for trekking, waterfalls, and rural homestays. In normal conditions the 70 to 80 kilometer drive takes roughly one to two hours, depending on traffic, but the blockade has turned that into a highly variable journey that can stretch several hours when only one lane is moving.

The disruption hits several groups at once. Day trippers and religious pilgrims traveling up from coastal hotels, local commuters who depend on the road for work in Trujillo and surrounding farms, and interprovincial buses making longer runs into the La Libertad interior all rely on this single corridor. When it clogs, there are very few paved alternatives, and side tracks through the mountains are generally unsuitable and unsafe for visitors.

How long the disruption lasted and current status

Reports from Rumbo Minero indicate that the blockade began before dawn on November 25, with drivers positioning trucks to partially block the highway and leaving only one lane available for controlled passage. Police units deployed around the area to keep traffic as orderly as possible and to reduce the risk of clashes, while local officials called for a quick solution.

By late morning and early afternoon, coverage diverged. Peru21 described the action as an open ended strike that had "completely paralyzed" circulation toward the highlands and quoted protest leaders as saying the blockade would continue indefinitely until Congress acted on REINFO. However, highway operator Concesionaria Vial Sierra Norte later told La República that the road was fully cleared around 12:30 p.m., with both lanes reopened and traffic flowing again under police supervision.

For travelers, the takeaway is that this was a major, several hour disruption, not a permanent closure, but the possibility of renewed blockades remains. Organizers have framed their action as part of a wider pressure campaign over mining formalization, and the road sits on an obvious leverage point between the coast and the sierra, so conditions can change quickly.

As of the time of writing on November 26 2025, there is no confirmed fresh full closure reported by the concessionaire or national outlets, but local social media and regional radio continue to track the situation, and further slowdowns or one lane controls are entirely possible whenever negotiations stall. Travelers should treat any stability as provisional, not guaranteed.

Why miners are protesting and what REINFO is

The protest centers on the Registro Integral de Formalización Minera, or REINFO, a temporary registry created to give small scale and artisanal miners a legal path toward formal operations. Being on the registry allows miners to keep working while they complete environmental and administrative requirements, but it has also drawn criticism for being used by operators who never fully formalize.

Peru's government has tightened oversight in recent years, removing tens of thousands of miners from the scheme and insisting that those who do not progress toward full compliance will be pushed out. REINFO is currently scheduled to expire on December 31 2025, although a congressional energy and mines committee recently approved a bill to extend temporary permits until the end of 2027, a draft that still needs full plenary approval before it can become law.

Many informal miners argue that the bureaucracy and costs involved in full formalization are too heavy, especially in remote regions. They seek more time and a more flexible process, and have repeatedly used road blockades to pressure lawmakers, including earlier demonstrations closer to Lima and in other mining corridors.

In La Libertad, the Loma del Viento blockade is essentially a local manifestation of this national battle. Transporters are demanding that Congress not only pass the extension but also reincorporate around 50,000 registrations that were excluded for paperwork lapses, a move critics say risks entrenching illegal and environmentally damaging mining in fragile Andean landscapes.

Travel impact for tours, buses, and self drivers

Under normal conditions, the drive from Trujillo to Otuzco or nearby trekking bases is a manageable half day outing with regular buses, colectivos, and taxis leaving from Avenida Unión and other hubs in the city. When a blockade is active at Loma del Viento, that predictable timetable disappears.

Tour groups heading to Otuzco's religious sites, waterfalls, or rural communities can find themselves stuck in slow moving queues of trucks and buses inching past a bottleneck. A journey that would usually take one and a half hours may stretch to three or four hours, and in worst cases vehicles may sit in place for long periods if protesters temporarily close the gap entirely.

Interprovincial bus services, which often chain multiple highland towns on a single route, face knock on delays that can cascade through the timetable. A late arrival into Trujillo can mean missed onward buses toward other regions, and the reverse is also true for travelers trying to reach flights, hotel check ins, or night buses out of the city.

Self drivers should remember that this is a winding mountain road with significant elevation gain. Fuel stations and services are not continuous, and pulling risky maneuvers to overtake in long lines is especially dangerous on blind curves. Attempting to bypass blockades on dirt tracks without local knowledge can leave visitors on unstable, narrow paths that are unsuitable even for experienced local drivers.

Practical advice and safety tips for travelers

If you have firm plans in the La Libertad highlands over the next several days, the safest approach is to assume that new roadblocks can appear with only a few hours warning. Build several extra hours into any day that involves driving between Trujillo and Otuzco, and avoid scheduling same day high risk connections such as early evening flights or tight bus transfers downstream of the mountain leg.

Before you travel, check multiple sources. Monitor local news outlets and radio, ask your hotel in Trujillo or Otuzco for the latest information, and if you are booked with a tour company, insist on an update on the morning of travel that explicitly addresses the Loma del Viento sector. Bus companies and colectivos that use the route daily often know before anyone else when lines are forming.

On the road, keep your vehicle fueled, and carry water, snacks, and warm layers for everyone in your group. If you encounter a queue near Loma del Viento, do not attempt to drive around other vehicles or take side tracks unless advised by police or trusted local operators. Remain calm, stay with your vehicle, and follow instructions from the Policía Nacional del Perú, who have been maintaining a visible presence during the blockade to reduce tensions.

Visitors who are not bound to specific dates should consider shifting highland excursions by a day or two or focusing on coastal attractions around Trujillo if new blockades are confirmed. Those planning December visits tied to religious festivals or multi stop Andean itineraries may want to stay flexible on exact travel days, since the national REINFO debate is unlikely to be fully resolved immediately and similar actions could reappear on key mountain roads.

Sources

• Camiones de mineros artesanales bloquean carretera para exigir ampliación del REINFO, Rumbo Minero
• Transportistas de mineral bloquearon vía hacia la sierra de La Libertad en protesta por ampliación del REINFO, La República
• Mineros y transportistas bloquean vía de Trujillo a Otuzco para exigir ampliación del Reinfo, Perú21
• Camino de Trujillo a Otuzco, Rome2Rio
• Peru lawmakers advance mining permit extension after protests, Reuters
• Otuzco, La Libertad highlands overview, Wikipedia