From: £1,549
From: $2,062
We’ll pick you up from the bus station and take you to your hotel.
Spend the rest of the day relaxing to adjust to the high altitude.
Enjoy a day cycling along the Cordillera Negra, featuring an amazing 1,000m/3,300ft downhill ride.
You’ll get stunning views of the Cordillera Blanca’s glaciers and the valleys below. After our ride we head back to our Huaraz hotel.
Cycling distance: 15 miles / 24 km
Cycling riding time: 3 to 4 hours
Altitude (start/highest/end): 3,050m/3,750m/3,550m | 10,006ft/12,303ft/11,647ft
Today our biking adventure begins in Huaraz where we will steadily bike up to Quebrada Cojup. From there we continue on to Pitec where we start our descent along a pre Incan trail back to Huaraz.
Cycling distance: 17 miles / 27 km
Cycling riding time: 3 to 4 hours
Altitude (start/highest/end): 3,050m/3,850m/3,050m | 10,006ft/12,631ft/10,006ft
Rest up or explore Huaraz. For those feeling energetic, there are options for casual, easy rides.
This challenging yet scenic ride takes you through the stunning Llanganuco Valley, flanked by the towering peaks of Huascarán and other giants of the Andes.
We head up in our vehicle to the starting point at Llanganuco Lake, climb to Portachuelo de Llanganuco (4,780m/15,682ft), then enjoy a downhill ride to Yanama, where we’ll stay overnight in a lodge.
Cycling distance: 32 miles / 52 km
Cycling riding time: 4 to 5 hours
Altitude (start/highest/end): 4,400m/4,780m/3,400m | 14,435ft/15,682ft/11,155ft
We cycle up from Yanama to the Pupash Pass (4,200m/13,780ft), followed by a long descent to Acochaca, which lies at a relatively low 2,900m/9,514ft..
Then, it’s back uphill on a paved road to the town of Chacas for an overnight stay in a hotel.
Cycling distance: 20 miles / 32 km
Cycling riding time: 4 to 5 hours
Altitude (start/highest/end): 3,400m/4,200m/3,350m | 11,155ft/13,780ft/10,990ft
The day starts with an uphill pedal to a high-altitude tunnel (4,735m/15,535ft), followed by an exhilarating 30-mile descent on a paved road through the Ulta Valley to Carhuaz, From here we drive back to Huaraz for the night.
Cycling distance: 43 miles / 69 km
Cycling riding time: 4 to 5 hours
Altitude (start/highest/end): 3,350m/4,735m/3,350m | 10,990ft /15,535ft/9,514ft
Our trip ends today.
We’ll transfer you to the bus station. (There is also an option to fly to and from Huaraz). We’d be happy to help plan additional activities or services. (B)
We use a 2-3* hotel in Huaraz, private bathroom.
In Yanama and Chacas we stay simple hotels.
You need to be well acclimatised for this trip, with 2-3 nights in Huaraz needed before starting.
The routes are designed for people that are used to downhill, single track mountain biking.
If you are a beginner, please get in touch and we can design a custom route for you, so you can build up your levels and experience.
After breakfast, packs are prepared and your guide will explain the day’s ride, and you typically ride 3-4 hours in the morning before lunch, with a short or break or two en route.
After an hour or so for lunch – depending on weather conditions – you will continue usually 1-2 hours more, although some days are shorter or longer than others, and then head to the next hotel or homestay. Sometimes you jump in the support vehicle to cover the last few km.
After eating, you can choose to socialise with team members, relax in your hotel, or enjoy the Huaraz nightlife.
Vegetarians and many other dietary requirements are catered for without problems. Please let us know in advance of any requirements you have.
You usually wake early, around 07.00, in your hotel, and have breakfast there. This is features hot drinks, coffee, toast, eggs, ham, cheese, jams etc.
Lunch will be either sandwiches or meat and cheese, with snacks etc, or at a restaurant (extra cost).
Lunch and evening meals are your responsibility, apart from days 5-7 when we ride the Huascaran Loop when we include three lunches and two dinners. Huaraz is well served by restaurants, from Peruvian dishes to international food.
All guides are English-speaking guides who have worked with us for many years.
They live and work in the mountains and know the routes well.
A perfectly balanced Peru adventure blending family trekking, culture, and the breathtaking climb to Machu Picchu’s Sun Gate.
Completing the Inca Trail and exploring Peru’s Amazon jungle made this flawlessly organized adventure truly unforgettable.
Our professional guides – themselves mountain bikers – share their favourite and the very best single tracks in Huaraz’s Cordillera Blanca.
This mountain biking combines amazing scenery with high adrenaline descent, beautiful ascents and cultural insights. We include the incredible Loop of Huascaran, featuring some of the best descents in South America.
Fully supported, by day you are zipping down the flanks of the Blanca, by night, enjoying the hospitality of Andean folk in hotels and lodges.
From: $4430 per person
Duration
15 days
Peru is made up of 3 distinct geographical areas: the coast, the mountains and the jungle.
The costa or coastal region is a narrow ribbon of desert 2,250 km long, crossed by fertile river valleys flowing from the Andes. It takes up 11% of the country and holds more than 40% of the population.
The cold Humboldt current gives rise to a blanket of mist – the garua – which hangs above coastal cities like the capital Lima from May to November.
Heading east, you’re soon climbing above the garua and into the Andes. The sierra, or mountainous region, covers some 25% of Peru’s territory and contains 50% of the population. The sierra inhabitants are mainly Indigenous or Mestizo, and many still speak Quechua or Aymara.
The sierra contains dozens of 6,000-metre snow peaks and volcanoes, including Huascaran (6,768m) the highest mountain in the tropics. The deep valley basins contain most of the towns and arable land; the terracing and canal systems of the Incas and pre-Incas are often still used today.
The eastern Andes are heavily forested up to 3,350m and sweep down into the Amazon Basin.
Peru’s selva or jungle makes up almost two thirds of the country’s area, but holds only about 6% of the population: the only towns with significant populations are Iquitos and Pucallpa.
Peru is the perfect holiday destination for adventure travellers that want an amazing variety of activity, geography and cultural travel experiences.
The breadth of travel experiences in Peru is breathtaking – from trekking in the Andes to Machu Picchu to the tropical jungle of the Amazon, and plenty in between.
The people of Peru make it a special destination too, with its colourful and traditional street life and friendly locals.
Good kit is vital for every trip.
Book with Andean Trails and get 15% off Páramo’s fantastic ethical and high performance outdoor gear.
We provide everything except a bike, personal equipment and clothing. Bikes can be hired, please ask for details.
If you are taking your own bike it should preferably be a mountain bike, quality 24+ gears, front/double-suspension, cross-country bike.
Please contact us if you are unsure whether your bike will be suitable.
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 can and will get cold, 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 cities.
Below is a more detailed guide.
You can also read about the weather of Peru in our blog.
You can also read about the weather of Peru in our blog.
Peru is located in the southern tropics (latitudes 0º to 18º), but climate varies significantly according to season, altitude and region.
From May to October, Lima is often overcast, but with minimal precipitation. There are sunny spells, and it’s a fresh to pleasant 13-20ºC.
At the same time, inland areas and the north coast mid to high 20’s ºC.
November to April is generally warm and sunny and Lima enjoys warm temperature of 19-25ºC, with the coast averaging 22-30ºC.
Climate depends largely on altitude. As a rule of thumb, below 2,000m climate is mild and above 2,000m warm clothing is required for evenings, nights and early mornings.
The Andean sun is very strong.
Cusco (3,300m): Average max/min temps: 22ºC /2ºC. Average 3 or 4 wet days per month.
Arequipa (2,380m): Average max/min temps: 26ºC /9ºC. Sunny more than 340 days/year with minimal precipitation.
On highland treks: Conditions are generally dry. However, at this time of year, expect a range of conditions within a single day: cold/freezing nights at camps above 4,000m, where pre-dawn temperatures can be -5ºC; warm, spring-like mornings and afternoons; and cold evenings.
Note that mountain weather can be fickle and localised, and that precipitation is not unknown in the dry season. Expect temperatures to swing between sun and shade, sheltered and exposed ground and with altitude gain and loss. A quick-setting sun means temperatures drop fast.
In the cloud forest, e.g. around Machu Picchu, daytime conditions are generally warm or hot, and evenings cool.
Cusco: Average max/min temps: 23ºC /6ºC. Average 13 wet days per month.
Arequipa: Average max/min temps: 25ºC /14ºC.
On highland treks: Wetter conditions, with cooler days and milder nights than dry season. Jan-Mar usually the wettest months.
Year-round, weather conditions are hot and humid and there is always the risk of rain.
There is a ‘dry season’ in Tambopata and Manu between May and October. The average daytime high temperature is between 25°C and 34°C and the average nighttime low is between 16°C and 22°C. Heavy downpours typically occur every few days.
Around 80% of annual average rainfall – approx 2,000 mm in Manu and Tambopata and 1,400 mm in Iquitos – occurs in the wet season Nov-April.
On rare occasions, between May and September, cold fronts from Argentina – ‘friajes’ – can sweep into southwest Amazonia and push temperatures down to 9°C. (Friajes usually last between 1 and 3 days).
A perfectly balanced Peru adventure blending family trekking, culture, and the breathtaking climb to Machu Picchu’s Sun Gate.
Completing the Inca Trail and exploring Peru’s Amazon jungle made this flawlessly organized adventure truly unforgettable.
