Day 1: Arrive Lima, hotel

On arrival at Lima Airport you will transferred to your hotel. Depending on your arrival time, the remainder of the day may be spent exploring central Lima and its fascinating museums.

Day 2: Fly Juliaca, Puno, hotel (B)

An early morning transfer back to the airport to board the first flight along the Andes to Juliaca where you will be met by your guide and transferred to our hotel in Puno near the shores of Lake Titicaca.

Today is for acclimatisation to the rarefied air of the Andean Altiplano (3,800m). Drink plenty of liquids and take it easy. In the afternoon we can explore Puno and its environs. Puno has great shopping for alpaca goods and Bolivian contraband. (B)

Day 3: Lake Titicaca day trip, hotel (B/L/D)

Today we board a motor launch on Lake Titicaca for a fascinating visit to the floating islands of the Uros Indians before continuing on to the small community of Llachon where we stay with local families in a new community based project.

We are allocated rooms with families and this is a unique chance to truly understand the lives of these proud people and experience a bit of how they live. We have time to assemble our bikes and maybe hire a kayak for a quick paddle or fishing trip on Lake Titicaca. (B/L/D)

Day 4: Ride Llachon-Juliaca-Lampa, camp (B/L/D)

Our bike ride starts with an acclimatisation dirt road ride from the very shore of Lake Titicaca to the commercial centre of Juliaca.

Escaping the bustle of Juliaca, we head on a good tarmac road towards the town of Lampa and camp our first night, hopefully under the incredible stars of an altiplano night. (B/L/D)

Distance approx 60 km
Negligible altitude gain and loss throughout the day, cycling at around 3800m

Day 5: Ride Lampa-Trapiche de Palca, camp (B/L/D)

Our final few kms of tarmac bring us to Lampa, a beautiful colonial city practically forgotten in time when the railroad past it by. We visit the incredible catacombs of the vast church on the plaza de Armas - a spooky place full of skeletons.

Continuing on by bike, we follow a rarely used dirt road on a gentle ascent towards our goal for the day Trapiche de Palca, a small Andean community where we plan to camp nearby. There is an interesting ruined mill we can visit if time permits. (B/L/D)

Total distance approx 55 kms
Ascent overall, from 3,894m - 3950m

Day 6: Ride Palca-4,500m pass-Canon de Tinajani, camp (B/L/D)

From Palca we pass the lake of Vila Vila and start a gradual climb of approximately 12 kms to our highest point of the trip - a pass at 4500m.

The rewarding 8 km descent from here to the impressive Cañon de Tinajani passes through one of the largest remaining forest of Puya Raimondii - an amazing cactus that grows up to 40ft high and flowers just once every 100 years or so. We take time out to explore and get close up to these fascinating plants.

The Cañon de Tinajani is famous for having some of the most beautiful and incredible rock formations in the whole of Southern Peru. We camp nearby and have time to take side hikes to explore and maybe even climb some of these incredible rock formations. (B/L/D)

Total distance 52 kms
Ascent from 3,950m – 4,500, long descent to 4060m

Day 7: Ride to Humachiri-Llalli-Pacomarca, camp (B/L/D)

A mainly flat day of pedalling as we continue through the spectacular altiplano passing the small villages of Humachiri and Llalli.

Our destination for the night is Grupo Inca’s Alpaca breeding and experimental station at Pacomarca, a small hacienda where we stay the night and in the afternoon can learn about Alpaca breeding, get close up photos of these great creatures and they even have an ostrich or two. (B/L/D)

Total distance 50km
Altitude gain and loss, neglible, all around 4,050m

Day 8: Ride to Quebrada de Callarani-Abra Layo-Lago Langui, camp (B/L/D)

Now fully acclimatised, it’s time for our first big test day as we double our mileage for an epic day of Andean riding.

Leaving the Alpaca farm, we head back to Llalli and take a side road to Macari. The days’ riding is again mainly flat with a slight loss in altitude and we can look for the short cuts the locals use. There are some short steep climbs and rough road sections that make for quite a tough day, despite the seemingly short distance covered. We plan to lunch in the small valley of Callarani beside an icy but crystal clear stream.

A gentle incline starts the afternoon as we climb up to the Layo pass at exactly 4,500m with amazing rock formations en route, local cyclists and the odd farm making for very pretty riding. We descend to Lake Langui, one of Peru’s major inland lakes. There are some excellent single track options too if you keep your eye out and follow the local bike trails. We camp on the shores (B/L/D)

Total distance 85km
Altitude: 4,060m-4,320m-4,500m then down to 3,980m

Day 9: Ride Langui-Rachi-Cusipata, camp (B/L/D)

Cycling along the shores of Lake Langui makes for great photography before we climb up and over a hill towards the town of Yanaoca.

We then follow a rarely used dirt trail for an awesome 20 km downhill into the Urubamba and so to the town of Rachi, home to some impressive Inca ruins which, if time permits, we can visit. On tarmac now, we enjoy a final blast along towards the Sacred Valley and plan to camp near the small village of Cusipata (B/L/D)

Total distance 85km
Altitude: 3,980m-4,100m then down to 2,980m

Day 10: Ride to Cusco, hotel (B/L)

On tarmac now, we can really cover the ground as we follow the Rio Urubamba as it heads towards Machu Picchu.

At Urcos we head up a valley towards our goal of Cusco, capital of the Incas and traveller’s centre. We experience Cusco traffic and probably for the first time in well over a week we will see other tourists.

We arrive at our hotel and relax in the knowledge we have completed a tough, challenging but highly rewarding Trans-Andean odyssey that few have done before.

Cusco boasts it all – amazing culture and history, fine dining, amazing shopping and eclectic nightlife. Hopefully if we have the energy, we’ll get to do a bit of it all (B/L)

Total distance 85km
Altitude: 2,980m-2,900m up to Cusco at 3,200m

Day 11: Day ride in Sacred Valley, hotel (B/L)

A short drive out to the Sacred Valley takes us to just above Chequereq and the start of today’s off road ride.

This ride is possibly the best one-day bike trip in Peru if not the whole of South America, taking us on a largely downhill route across the Chinchero plain and into the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Using dirt trails and ancient mule routes, we pass the beautiful lake Huaypo and then through the village of Chequereq. A short uphill brings us to the incredible circular Inca ruins of Moray where we enjoy a picnic lunch and can explore these fascinating ruins.

From here we take a smooth mule trail to the town of Maras for another descent of a lifetime, down into the amazing salt-pans, before finally meeting our vehicle again beside the Urubamba River, for the short road ride (or drive) along to the old Inca town of Ollantaytambo where we check into a hotel for the night. (B/L)

Total Distance 45 - 65km
Altitude: 2,800m-3,400m-2,800m

Day 12: Day tour of Machu Picchu, train to Cusco, hotel (B)

A chance to visit the famous Machu Picchu, one of the new Seven Wonder’s of the World. The early morning luxury train from Ollantaytambo takes you to this famous citadel high above the sacred Urubamba river.

Here, meeting your private guide, you enjoy a fully guided tour with plenty of time afterwards to climb to Intipunku sun-gate, walk out to the Inca Bridge or else just wander through the ruins soaking up the amazing atmosphere. You board the afternoon train from Aguas Calientes back to the Sacred Valley where our waiting bus speeds you back to your Cusco hotel. If you have the energy you can explore Cusco’s excellent nightlife. (B)

Day 13: Fly Cusco-Lima, ends (B)

A final free morning in Cusco, we help you pack up your bikes before transferring you to the airport in time to catch the late afternoon internal flight back to Lima in time to connect with your international flight home (please check timings with us before booking flights). (B)

Included:

All airport transfers; all transport in private vehicle, two internal flights (LIM-JUL, CUS-LIM), all camping and cooking equipment including therm-a-rests, spacious two-person tents, mosquito-netting dining tent, tables and stools. An extensive first-aid kit; professional English and Spanish-speaking mountain bike guides, trained in first-aid, CPR and bike mechanics. Hotel in Lima, Puno, Lampa, Urubamba, Aguas Calientes & Cusco. Boat trip to Uros islands, Entrance to Lampa catacombs, Moray ruins and Maras saltpans, vistadome train to Machu Picchu, bus, local guide and entrances to Machu Picchu. All meals as indicated in the itinerary (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner).

Not included:

International flights, personal belongings, sleeping bag (available for rent at USD 10 a night), airport taxes USD 6 local, USD31 international), travel insurance, personal expenses and tips, bikes (Kona 4 double suspension bikes and Hydraulic disc brakes can be hired on request).

What to bring:

On the “Backroads of the Andes” we will be experiencing all extremes of Peruvian climate as we travel through the Altiplano. During the day hopefully it will be generally sunny enough for shorts and T-shirts though having a fleece and rain gear handy is advisable.

It will get cold (as low as -5c whilst camping) especially in the evenings so bring a warm fleece jacket, a good waterproof and some warm clothes including thermal underwear, gloves, scarf and woolly hat as well as one set of smarter clothes for Cusco. In the cloud & rainforest we recommend you wear long-sleeved shirts and trousers to avoid the strong tropical sun and persistent sand flies. A good quality sleeping bag is essential for your enjoyment of this trip.

Biking kit list: Mountain bike (Quality 24+ gears, front/double-suspension, cross-country bike), helmet, biking gloves, water bottle / Camel-bak, bike shorts, biking T-shirts (long sleeve), biking trousers, water proof coat / trousers / poncho, body armour (optional), basic repair kit (pump, spare inner tubes and brake pads) – although we provide a general toolkit on all trips, but please bring any specialist spare parts for your bike with you.

General: Smart clothes for cities / nightlife, comfortable clothes for journeys (flights, trains), non-biking shoes (sandals/trainers, trousers & t-shirts, sleeping bag (to at least -5ºC), towel, sunglasses with attaching string, peaked cap, torch & spare batteries, socks / underwear, swim suit, lip balm, suntan lotion factor 15+, after sun, personal toilet kit, camera, book, notepaper & pen, insect repellent, money belt, spare glasses / lenses, warm fleece or down jacket, thermal underwear, warm hat, gloves, scarf, personal first aid kit to include: painkillers, plasters (band-aids), moleskin, anti-septic cream, after-bite, anti-diarrhoea tablets, throat lozenges, re-hydration salts & personal medication (we carry an extensive first aid kit & oxygen on all trips, but these are generally for emergencies only).

Finally:

The “Backroads of the Andes” travels through a very, very remote and rarely visited part of Peru and we believe our clients should be aware that the remoteness that makes this trip so very special could also cause certain problems. Thus, whilst we endeavour to minimise the chances of anything unexpected happening, it has to be noted that no itinerary can or should be rigidly adhered to. This is the very nature of adventure travel and we expect our clients to be prepared for delays and slight alterations in our programmed events. Please note last minute international and internal flight changes, train time changes and excess baggage charges are out of our control.

Specific to this trip the possibilities of altitude related delays due to the difficulty in acclimatising and we will have to monitor the group for any signs of problems. An escape to lower altitude is always an option and there are alternative, easier routes we can look at in extreme circumstances. We have taken all these possibilities into account when planning this expedition and have allowed sufficient leeway to enable us to successfully run this exceptional trip.

The majority of dietary and medical requirements can be catered for, but we must be notified of these at the time of booking. Obtaining the correct vaccinations and visas required for Peru is the responsibility of the clients.

You should also be aware that adventure travel, in particular mountain biking, trekking, white-water rafting, inflatable canoeing, and travelling in remote areas such as Southern Peru, does carry with it certain inherent risks that you, the client, will have to assume. You will have to take out adequate travel insurance to cover these risks and any costs incurred due to sickness, delayed flights and other factors out of our control.

A pre-departure meeting will be held on arrival in Puno. It is highly recommended you attend. All clients will be asked to sign a release and waiver form and must provide a photocopy of their passport, Peru entry stamp and details of your travel insurance.

Having said that - we look forward to seeing you on the road!