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Peru - Cross Country Mountain Biking Adventure

On this page: Overview | Itinerary | Pricing

Overview

This itinerary is made for those who want to experience the best single tracks in Peru. We have selected the best trails in Lima and Cusco and combined them with a lot of history and culture. We have a special trail for you near Lima that is a unique experience: A Super Long downhill that goes from 3,750 masl to the beach!

We will start our tour in Lima riding the best trails in the coast (we call those places "œlomas" or seaside hills) and in the Andes. Then we will be transferred to Cusco and ride all the Inca Trails that we have to offer for you. Definitely, you will experience the best mountain biking in Peru!

Highlights:
o Mountain Bike on real Inca trails with more than 500 years old.
o Ride a unique destination: a section of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
o Impressive and unique landscapes with big valleys, glaciers and deep canyons.
o Main locations: Lima, Cusco and Sacred Valley, plus Machu Picchu!

Note: A video clip of mountain biking in Peru may be found at: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=rNgipT88J3Y

Itinerary: Day 1 LIMA, Day 2 PACHACAMAC INCA TRAILS - LIMA VICINITY, Day 3 THE CACTUS TRAIL - LIMA VICINITY, Day 4 OLLEROS EPIC DOWNHILL - LIMA VICINITY, Day 5 LIMA/CUSCO, Day 6 THE INCA'S BACKYARD TRAIL - CUSCO VICINITY, Day 7 SACRED VALLEY INCA'S TREASURES, Day 8 THE ORIGIN OF THE INCA EMPIRE - CUSCO/OLLANTAYTAMBO, Day 9 OLLANTAYTAMBO/OPTIONAL MACHU PICCHU, Day 10 LARES INCA TRAIL - CALCA/CUSCO, Day 11 CUSCO/LIMA.

Duration: 11 days / 10 nights
Season: March to November (avoid the rainy season, especially
January/February)
Departures: On Request
Price: $2625/person SS: $215/person
Minimum: 4 Passengers

Itinerary

Day 1 RECEPTION AT AIRPORT - LIMA

Most flights arrive late at night, between 10 PM and midnight. We will pick you up at the time your flight arrives to Lima and transfer directly to your hotel in Miraflores, a tourist neighborhood where it's possible to find good restaurants, shops and malls.

Day 2 PACHACAMAC INCA TRAILS - LIMA VICINITY

Pachacamac was an important place during the Inca's time. There is a big fortress with impressive constructions that dominates the entire Lurin Valley. We will have the opportunity to discover hidden Inca constructions deep inside the valley and the mountains. It's a great introduction trail for our first day in Peru. The morning is free to set up the bikes and recover from the long flight. We will meet in your hotel at 10:00 am to finish set up the bikes and discuss the afternoon riding. After having lunch in Lima, we will be transferred to Pachacamac, 45 Km. south of Lima where we will meet our friend Alfonso who is a mountain bike legend in Peru. He will show us great trails on his amazing backyard. We will ride approximately 20 Km. in 3 hours. The altitude range goes from 100 to 400 meters (328 to 1,312 ft.). At the end of the day we will return to our hotel in Miraflores (B).

Day 3 THE CACTUS TRAIL - LIMA VICINITY

Early in the morning, around 6:30 am we will have breakfast in our hotel. At 7:00 am we will be transferred to Huaral, a fertile valley located 100 Km. north of Lima. It takes approximately 1 ½ hours to reach Huaral where we will visit our friend Jose and his Mandarin's and guinea pigs farm. We will take some fresh fruits directly from the plants and start riding our bikes on the trails that Jose has for us. Jose knows like the back of his hands the trails in Huaral. He will show us his local trails where he have developed some cool lines that goes around the hills. There is a special surprise that Jose has for us, we will have to wait until we are there riding our bikes on the middle of the mountains. We will have unique views of Huaral and if the day is clear it's possible to see the Pacific Ocean. We will ride approximately 30 Km. in 4 hours. On the afternoon we will enjoy a delicious lunch that consists of BBQ chicken and salads served in the middle of his farm. At the end of the day we will return to our hotel in Miraflores (BSL).

Day 4 OLLEROS EPIC DOWNHILL - LIMA VICINITY

Santo Domingo de los Olleros, or simply "Olleros" is located 150 Km. east of Lima on the Lurin Valley at an altitude of 3,150 masl (10,356 ft.). The start of this trail is located at an altitude of 3,657 masl (12,000 ft.) and 4 hours away from Lima. The trail of 56 Km. long is our most famous mountain bike trail as we have had great riders
enjoying this amazing trail like Hans Ray, Robbie Bourdon, Richie Schley and many other top mountain bikers. From the start of the trail, on a good clear day, it's possible to see the Pacific Ocean, where we will end our tour! It's a 3,657 meters of vertical descent that will take us directly to the Pacific Ocean. We will end at San Bartolo
beach, where we will have lunch tasting the flavors of the sea like our famous ceviche made of fresh fish and lemon. We plan to return to Lima approximately at 6:00 pm. (BSL)

Day 5 LIMA/CUSCO

We will pick you up from your hotel at 7:00 am and take the am flight to Cusco. The rest of the morning is free to establish on our hotel and complete the acclimatization process. We will also build our bikes again for the afternoon ride. After a local lunch near the main plaza, we will pick our bikes and start riding from our hotel to the upper
part of the city. We will pass through main Inca sites and have a great introduction ride in Cusco. Once we are on top of the city, we will ride down a main Inca trail that will give us a lot of surprises. We will end our ride on our hotel and have the rest of the day to know a little bit more the city of Cusco. We will ride approximately 20 Km.
in 3 hours. The altitude range goes from 3,400 to 3,700 meters (11,155 to 12,139 ft.) (BSL).

Day 6 THE INCA'S BACKYARD TRAIL - CUSCO VICINITY

Early in the morning, after we take breakfast, we will be transferred to the village of Salkantay located on top of the city of Cusco at an altitude of 4,150 masl (13,615 ft.). We will ride an ancient Inca trail that was used like a shortcut to go from Cusco to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. As we descend this amazing trail, we will reach other
Inca sites like Saqsayhuaman, Puca Pucara and Tambomachay to finally reach the village of Yuncaypata and end in Cusco. We will ride approximately 30 Km. in 4 hours. The altitude range goes from 4,150 to 3,300 meters (13,615 to 10,827 ft.) (BSL).

Day 7 SACRED VALLEY INCA'S TREASURES

Early in the morning, after a nutritious breakfast, we will be transferred to Chinchero, one of the most important Inca sites near the Sacred Valley. Chinchero is located at an altitude of 3,700 masl (12,139 ft.) and from this place it's possible to see the entire plateau of Maras and the Vilcanota's Mountain Range with its +5,000 meters glaciers like Chicon and Veronica. We will cross agricultural fields, border Lake Huaypo and reach the Inca site of Moray at an altitude of 3,600 masl (11,811 ft.). We will stop here and explore this Inca agricultural lab and its round terraces. After our visit to Moray and experience the special energy of this place, we will continue our tour riding an Inca Trail that will take us to the town of Maras and its Inca Salt Mines. It is a spectacular place where we will have amazing views of this salt mine and also the Sacred Valley below us. Finally we will end our tour on a side of the Urubamba River, at an altitude of 3,000 masl (9,843 ft.). It's possible to continue with our bikes to the town of Ollantaytambo, where we will stay for the next three nights. We will ride a total of 40 Km. in approximately four hours before we reach Ollantaytambo (BSL).

Day 8 THE ORIGIN OF THE INCA EMPIRE - CUSCO/ OLLANTAYTAMBO

There are three theories that explain the origin of the Inca Empire. The three of them coincide that it was near Ollantaytambo, on the Patacancha Valley. Early in the morning, we will be transferred to the top of the Patacancha Valley at an altitude of 4,000 masl (13,123 ft.) and where it's possible to find the origins of the Inca Empire on the Patacancha Village. We will visit some Inca sites and see how people still live and dress like 500 years ago! Then we will continue riding our bikes and visit the village of Huilloc where we can interact with local people helping them on their farms or developing clothes, just like the Inca's did more than 500 years ago. Finally, we will continue riding down the valley and after a 30 minutes climb, we will reach the Inca site of Pumamarca and see the impressive terraces that goes from the bottom of the valley to the top of the mountains. From this place we will ride one of the best singletracks in all Cusco and we will descend directly to Ollantaytambo (BSL).

Day 9 OLLANTAYTAMBO/OPTIONAL MACHU PICCHU

This day is free to relax near the Sacred Valley or make other activities like visiting Machu Picchu, considered as one of the new seven wonders on earth. We suggest you to take the train and discover Machu Picchu (not included in the price of this itinerary). (BSL).

Day 10 LARES INCA TRAIL - CALCA/CUSCO

Early in the morning, after we take breakfast, we will be transferred to the town of Calca on the Sacred Valley and then go to the mountain pass of Lares located at 4,350 masl (14,300 ft.). From this place we will start our ride down hill following another impressive Inca trail with thousands of rock steps that looks like they were made for our mountain bikes! We will pass maybe one of the most impressive landscapes of all the tour, crossing a deep canyon where it's only possible to make it on our bikes. We will pass different terrains, from flat surfaces on top of the mountain to great valleys at the middle of the trail. We will finally end our tour on the town of Calca where we will be transferred to the city of Cusco. If we have enough time and we have still light, we can drop with our bikes into the city of Cusco riding another impressive Inca trail that ends in the middle of the city. This day we will ride a total of 35 Km. in about 4 hours (BSL).

Day 11 END OF TOUR - CUSCO/LIMA

The tour has reached the end and it's time to return home. Flights depart for Lima every 30 minutes until 3:30 pm. We will arrange your airport transfers for your return flight to Lima or elsewhere in Peru (B).

Pricing

2008 Pricing:

# Group 4 or more Single Supplement
Price per person $2625 $215

2009 Pricing: Available upon request

NOTE: Customize this trip by adding extra nights in Cusco, Lima. Optional side trips to Lake Titicaca, Arequipa and Nazca are available.

SERVICES INCLUDED:

o 10 nights at 3-star hotels or similar.
o Breakfast (B) every morning. Snacks (S) and lunches (L) from day 3 to day 10.
o Airport transfers and hotel pick ups in Lima and Cusco.
o Private transportation to/from all the trails. The van will assist us when necessary.
o One way air flight from Lima to Cusco.
o Professional guiding with communication equipment and first-aid certification. Our top-ranked bilingual guides will help you improve your mountain bike skills!

SERVICES NOT INCLUDED:

o Tips for your guides, support staff, drivers, and hotel staff.
o International flights.
o Airport taxes on international and domestic flights.
o Meals not listed: some lunches and all dinners.
o Mountain bikes (if you wish to rent a bicycle for the trip, this would be US$395/bike).
o Return flight from Cusco to Lima (approximately US$150/person one way, based on price at the time of booking).
o Entry fees to Inca sites not visited on the itinerary.
o Tour to Machu Picchu (prices for the Vistadome train to Machu
Picchu, entrance and guided tour, lunch at Sanctuary Lodge, and return train start at US$375/person.)
o Personal expenses: insurance, alcoholic beverages, laundry.

Airline tickets can be booked for about $170/person per one way flight, based on actual cost at the time of booking.