Biking in Peru: Best Tour to Machu Picchu (9 Days)

Introduction

Sacred Valley Single Track

Mountain Biking - Lares

Single Track - Maras to Sacred Valley

Pisac Market

Mountain Biking in Peru

Ollantaytambo Mountain Biking

Machu Picchu

Biking through Maras Village

Picnic Lunch in Sacred Valley

Kayak Lago Huaypo

Mountain Biking - Lake Huaypo

Cycling in the Sacred Valley

Mountain Biking to the Sacred Valley

Sacred Valley Single Track

Mountain Biking - Lares

Single Track - Maras to Sacred Valley

Pisac Market

Mountain Biking in Peru

Ollantaytambo Mountain Biking

Machu Picchu

Biking through Maras Village

Picnic Lunch in Sacred Valley

Kayak Lago Huaypo

Mountain Biking - Lake Huaypo

Cycling in the Sacred Valley

Mountain Biking to the Sacred Valley

• 1

  Day 1

  International Arrival. Overnight in Lima

  Arrival to Lima. Overnight Lima Airport Hotel. Many flights arrive late in the evening into Lima.

• 2

  Day 2

  Flight to Cusco. Orientation Walk & San Pedro Market

  Flight to Cusco. This will be your first day at altitude and so we provide a short orientation walking tour of the centre of Cusco. We follow with a visit to the local San Pedro Market. At this market you can gain a wonderful insight to the amazing fruits and foods from across Peru and see how the local people live their daily lives. Free evening to enjoy Cusco, maybe try a Pisco sour in one of the local bars and restaurants.

• 3

  Day 3

  Biking Cusco

  Today the biking begins for Cusco and its environs. This is a magical old city with a wealth of Incan, pre-Incan and Colonial period ruins to be explored. It includes a visit to the expansive sacred fortress of Sacsayhuaman overlooking Cusco. This was the scene of a great battle at the siege of Cusco between the Inca and the Spanish conquistadors in 1536. We bike onward to the old Incan tambo storehouse of Puca Pucara and then to the Incan baths at Tambomachay. The return journey is mostly down-hill and you can enjoy some magnificent views of the South Sacred Valley and your entrance back to Cusco.

• 4

  Day 4

  Sacred Valley Biking Saylla to Pisac

  You will be collected by our guide and brought by private vehicle to Saylla. Here we mount our bikes and visit the Incan ruins of Tipon and Pikillacta, with a delicious picnic lunch at Huacarpay lake. We then venture toward the famed market town of Pisac, across the expanses of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. There are options here to venture off road and try some dirt tracks too. From Pisac our vehicle will bring you to your hotel in Urubamba.

• 5

  Day 5

  Lake Huaypo, Maras Salt Pans & Moray Ruins

  Today we cycle out from Urubamba in the centre of the Sacred Valley to the beautiful Lake Huaypo. Here we take a break from cycling and venture out onto the lake for some kayaking in this scenic setting. We also have time for either a lakeside picnic or a native pachamanca lunch. The pachamanca is a traditional Andean dish cooked under the earth with hot stones and consists of meat, beans, potatoes, corn and chilli among other delicious ingredients. After lunch we cycle to Maras Salt Pans in their spectacular setting clinging to the side of the Andes Mountains. Your private vehicle will then take you back to your hotel in Urubamba.

• 6

  Day 6

  One Day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

  This is a magnificent trek of 6 miles (10 km) along the ancient Incan footpaths to the citadel of Machu Picchu. You begin by train and stop at km104 en route to disembark on your trek. The trek includes some fascinating ruins en route such as those at Chachabama and the impressive Winay Wayna houses and terraces. Another 3 miles (4.7 kms) leads you to the great entrance via Inti Punku (the Sun Gate) above Machu Picchu. This surely is a magnificent sight after a truly rewarding day in the Peruvian countryside. You trek from on high down through the site and catch the shuttle bus to your hotel in Aguas Calientes village.

• 7

  Day 7

  Guided Tour of Machu Picchu

  Today we revisit the ancient Incan citadel of Machu Picchu for a privately guided tour of the complex. The first time you feast your eyes on this jewel of the world you will be overawed. This large complex has two main sectors of an agricultural and urban (religious) divide. The primary destinations include The Sacred Plaza, Temple of the Sun, The Royal Chambers, Intihuatana stone and the Temple of the Condor. We include an entrance today to the Huayna Picchu trek which affords a spectacular panoramic vista of Machu Picchu. At the end of an exhilarating day we take the shuttle bus back to Aguas Calientes and a train to Ollantaytambo village and your hotel.

• 8

  Day 8

  Bike Ollantaytambo to Calca via Lares or Urubamba (Two Options)

  Today we have two options depending on your physical ability.

  Option1:

  Visit Ollantaytambo ruins in the morning. These are an impressive fortress and the last redoubt of the Inca Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui at the Battle of Ollantaytambo. Here in 1537 they defeated the Spanish forces of Hernando Pizarro. The ruins today are only rivalled by Machu Picchu and the stonework of the Wall of the Six Monoliths is breathtaking. Following on from the ruins we cycle passing Pachar, we cross the Urubamba River on an old railway bridge. We travel through fields and past local houses on a quiet dirt road, enjoying the Andean scenery and hopefully the odd serendipitous meeting with the local folks along the journey. Arriving to Urubamba we can take lunch and then our vehicle back to Cusco. Overnight hotel Cusco.

  Option 2: This is for experienced mountain bikers only!

  This second option is for hardcore mountain bikers. It is a tough day with steep descents on winding Andean Mountain tracks. For those of such a demeanour this offers a thrilling ride totally off the beaten track in Peru. Departing Ollantaytambo by vehicle we follow a road past Pumamarca ruins, Huilloc village and Patacancha. At the crest, we stop and unload the bikes for a spectacular cycle on a good dirt road to the village of Huacahuasi and then down into the village of Lares, perhaps in time to take a dip at the hot-springs and lunch. We then drive back up to 4400m for the descent into Calca which can either be on a good tarmac road or following an ancient Inca trail that is rideable by most reasonable Mountain bikers. Here the route passes through small farming communities before entering the Totora Canyon where you can stop to see the Inca tombs built into the cliff-face Our expert guides can assess the best option to suit your needs. Then back in the late evening by vehicle to your Cusco hotel.

• 9

  Day 9

  Flight to Lima, International Flight Departure

  Today we bid farewell to Cusco and catch your flight to Lima to connect to your international flight home. By today, this best biking tour in Peru will have become a part of you. The memories of breaking out into the open countryside, stupendous views and the warmth of the Andean people, to carry on your life’s journey to eternity.“I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before.

  I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.” Eric Roth.