A mountain biking adventure which takes us through the traditional highland landscapes and mountains of the Cusco area.

Outline itinerary

Loading bikes onto the support vehicle, we leave Cuzco early and head to the starting point of our day's biking at Chincheros ('village of the rainbow'-3,700m). Chincheros is home to a lively Indian market and the impressive remains of Emperor Tupac Yupanqui's Inca temple.

Here begins a spectacular 25km descent to the river Urubamba (2800m), affording impressive views of the Urubamba mountains ahead and the Sacred Valley of the Incas below.

Moray and Maras

We start by heading off-road by way of Moray (a strange Inca site of concentric terraces, like a sunken colisseum and apparently used by the Incas for acclimatising plants) and the salt mines of Maras. We bike along the banks of the Urubamba River into Ollantaytambo, one of the bustling traditional market towns of this fertile valley.

After a wander around this fascinating Inca town we meet up with our support vehicle, travel along the valley floor then climb the Lares pass, in the heart of the Urubamba Mountains.

The second descent of 1.5 hours takes us through high altitude grassland to descend to the small, remote, village of Lares, where we will camp at the relaxing thermal springs.

The second day, we climb back up to the Lares pass, but now take the longer descent to return to the Sacred Valley where we finish in the market town of Calca. Here we board the vehicle once more for the journey back to Cusco.

Included

All meals while on the biking expedition, all breakfasts elsewhere, support vehicle, mechanic, cook, camping equipment (tents, cutlery etc), bikes and helmet, English speaking guide.

Not included

International flights (we can look for these for you), insurance, other meals, snacks and drinks, personal items and expenses, airport taxes, extra entrance fees, tips, laundry etc.

You could extend your trip by trekking the Inca Trail or visiting the Amazon.

Check out our Peru group trips, or our many tailor made Peru options. You can always contact the office for more information on tailor made and group options.