A fantastic mountain bike adventure from the highlands of the Cusco Andes to the lowlands of the Amazon rainforest, Peru.

You get in the saddle high up in the beautiful Andes surrounding Cuzco. This cycling journey covers every terrain, from mountain to the heart of Peru's jungle.

Outline itinerary - day 1

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'-3700m), home to a lively Indian market and the impressive remains of an Inca temple.

Here begins a spectacular 25km descent to the Sacred Valley of the Incas (2800m), affording impressive views of the Urubamba mountains throughout the day. Our route takes us off-road by way of Moray (a strange Inca site like a sunken colisseum and apparently used by the Incas for acclimatising plants) and the salt mines of Maras.

From the small town of Urubamba we follow the beautiful Sacred Valley upstream (either by bike or in the support vehicle) through Calca (2850m) and on to Pisac (3000m) and the extensive Inca citadel which sits high above the town. Here we leave the Sacred Valley and climb, now on a dirt road, towards the Huachuqasa pass (4150m).

Day 2

We continue to the pass and from there descend to Paucartambo (3000m) via Colquepata (3900m). We go either on a direct descent on the dirt road, or an off-road detour via the Inca 'chullpas' (burial towers) of Ninamarca. Paucartambo, eternally spring-like in climate, is normally a peaceful colonial town. Once a year it explodes into life and colour during the spectacular Virgen del Carmen festival.

The climb out of Paucartambo culminates at the eastern Andean watershed. Here we take a detour to our night stop at Tres Cruces, a natural balcony at about 3800m with the Andean cloud forest spread out below. The sunrise from here is spectacular, and the view always a marvel.

Days 3-5

On day three we begin our long descent to the Amazon, and over the next two days our bikes take us steadily from 4000m through mountainous cloud forest to a mere 600m! We have good possibilities of seeing some of the varied and beautiful bird life resident in the cloud forest during our descent. The vegetation is lush and verdant, flowers are beautiful.

Our third night's camp is spent in the midst of the cloud forest (1500m), and the fourth and final night in the small jungle town of Atalaya (600m).

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.

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.