INCA ADVENTURE DH TOUR: Peru

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The Andes, the world's longest mountain range , are one of the world's premier undiscovered mountain bike destinations; These mountains offer incredible destinations for long downhills where you can ride from altitudes of over 10,000 ft all the way to the Pacific Ocean.   In addition to this incredible geography, Peru has an incredible cultural heritage centred around the ancient Inca culture.   It's estimated that the Incas built over 50,000 km of trails over the span of the empire, many of which are perfect for mountain bikes!

On this trip we'll ride through remote villages where Quechua is still the main language spoken.   We'll visit spectacular Inca sites in the center of the Inca Empire and discover the way they lived hundreds of years ago.   And we'll ride some epic singletrack while doing it.

To develop this tour we have worked with our local partners to discover trails that were used in the past by local communities. On this tour we have huge rides almost every day with more than 3,000 meters (10,000 ft.) of vertical descent per day!

The trip also includes 1 morning of skills instruction near Lima.

Day 1 .   Arrive Lima
Your guide will meet you at Lima Airport.   From there we will take you to our hotel in Miraflores.   If you have time, feel free to explore Lima's beaches and history.  

Day 2.   Olleros
We will start our tour with this amazing downhill trail that was one of the first big downhills in the Andes to be discovered by local people.   Santo Domingo de los Olleros, or simply Olleros, is located 230 Km. east of Lima on the Lurin Valley at an altitude of 3,250 masl (10,683 ft.).   This is a full day tour to one of the most recognized downhill & free ride trails for MTB in Peru with more than 20 Km. of pure downhill singletrack.   This trail ends on the beach, where it's possible to take a refreshing swim and eat ceviche by the Pacific Ocean.

Day 3. Marcahuasi Stone Forest Plateau
Marcahuasi is a mountain top plateau located on the Santa Eulalia Valley at an altitude of 4,000 masl (13,123 ft.) and 150 Km. east of Lima.   It takes approximately three hours to reach the town of San Pedro de Casta (3,150 masl / 10,355 ft.).   This place is special for many reasons: on top of the mountain is a beautiful stone forest with lots of zoomorphic and anthropomorphic figures carved on the rocks; the place is considered a point where you can make contact with other worlds (UFO's); and it is a place where shamans and "curanderos" make their rituals.

The trail is one of the most demanding trails in the Andes near Lima. Our first stop is the town of San Pedro de Casta, where we will start with two-hour horseback ride to the Marcahuasi plateau.   We will visit pre-Inca graves, the fortress, the lake and all the rock formations at the top of the mountain and we are going to take a snack before we start with the downhill trail.   After our visit at Marcahuasi, we will start a demanding downhill ride that will take us down to the town of Huinco at the Santa Eulalia Valley.   This trail has a vertical descent of almost 3,000 meters (9,842 ft.) that will take us three to four hours to complete all the downhill. We plan to return to Lima approximately at 6:00 pm.

Day 4. Transfer to Cusco, Saphi & Yuncaypata DHs
After these three intensive days of downhill, we will be transferred early in the morning to the airport and take a direct flight to the city of Cuzco located at 3,350 masl (10,991 ft.).   The flight (included in tour price) takes approximately one hour.   The rest of the morning will be free to get established at our hotel, and rest for our afternoon downhill tour.   It is possible to do a city tour in Cusco where you can visit the most important churches and Inca sites.   In the afternoon, after a light lunch at a nice restaurant, we will be transferred to the start of our first downhill in Cusco on the village of Salkantay at an altitude of 4,100 masl (13,478 ft.).   We will cross impressive landscapes, reaching the Inca site of Saqsayhuaman and then we will be transferred to our second part of the downhill at Yuncaypata.   We will finally reach the city of Cusco riding on a very nice Inca trail with Inca ruins all over the hill.

Day 5. Chinchero   & Moray/Maras downhill.
We will be transferred early in the morning to the town of Chinchero at 3,750 masl (12,327 ft.).   At the beginning we are going to cross the Inca site of Chinchero with its incredible stone architecture and infinite rock steps to then enter into a deep canyon that will take us directly to the Sacred Valley at the village of Urquillos (2,950 masl / 9,697 ft.).   This is a one hour downhill with more than 750 meters of vertical descent.   After we take lunch at a nice restaurant in the Sacred Valley, we will be transferred to the Inca site of Moray at an altitude of 3,650 masl (12,000 ft.) to start one of most famous mountain bike trails in Cusco. It's a one-hour downhill that crosses Inca sites and the salt mine terraces that were used by the Incas to obtain this special element used to cook meat, potatoes and other types of food.   We are going to ride this trail twice, the second time from Maras, and finally we will be transferred to the town of Ollantaytambo where we will stay at a hotel 3 kms outside of town.

Day 6. Megavalanche Downhill Course.
This day we will ride the Megavalanche downhill course where top ranked racers like Steve Peat, Cedric Gracia and Brian Lopes have raced, challenging the mountain, the altitude and the weather conditions.   We start with a one-and-a-half bus ride to the Mountain pass of Malaga at 4,350 masl (14,300 ft.) where we'll have great views of the glaciers like the Veronica Summit at more than 5,000 meters (16,500 ft.).   The trail starts with a wide singletrack on top of the mountain and then it turns to a narrow trail with many obstacles like rock steps, jumps and close turns.   It will take us approximately one hour to complete the trail until we reach the village of Tanjca in the Sacred Valley at an altitude of 2,850 masl   (9,370 ft.).   In the afternoon we will ride from the town of Huilloc to the Inca site of Ollantaytambo, one of the most important Inca sites with a lot of history.   The rest of the afternoon is to visit the Inca site of Ollantaytambo.

Day 7 Machu Picchu (optional) or Huchuy Cusco ride
This day we will visit the most impressive Inca site: The Lost Citadel of Machu Picchu, located at an average altitude of 2,450 masl (8,054 ft.).   The tour starts with a train ride from Ollantaytambo to the town of Aguas Calientes.   From there we take a private bus up to the Citadel.   Machu Picchu (like most of the Quechua names of towns and different sites in the region) is a compound word that comes from Machu = old or ancient, and Picchu = peak or mountain; therefore, Machu Picchu is translated as "Old Mountain".   The famous mountain that is seen in front, and appears in most of the classical views of the site is named Wayna Picchu (Young Mountain).   We will have practically all the day to explore the citadel.

N.B. the trip to Machu Picchu is not included in the tour price.   The cost to visit Machu Picchu is $200 Cdn p.p., which includes train ride to Aguas Calientes, bus to Machu Picchu, admission and guide.

Those not interested in visiting Machu Picchu can do the excellent Huchuy Cusco ride instead.

Day 8. Lares Inca Trail & Pisac Downhill Trail.
We will be transferred early in the morning from our hotel in Ollantaytambo to the town of Calca at the Sacred Valley and then climb to the mountain pass of Lares located at 4,350 masl (14,300 ft.) where we will start another epic ride going through an impressive Inca trail that follows a narrow valley with big walls of granite. We'll pass one of the most impressive landscapes of the tour, crossing a deep canyon where it is only possible to make it walking or on our bikes.   We will pass different terrains, from flat rocky surfaces on top of the mountain to fertile valleys at the middle and end of the trail.   We will finally end this epic ride at the town of Calca on the Sacred Valley at an altitude of 2,900 masl (9,533 ft.).   After lunch, we will be transferred with our bus to the town of Pisac to make another epic ride from the top of the mountains at an altitude above 4,000 masl   (13,123 ft.).   The rest of the afternoon will be to visit the Inca site of Pisac.

Day 9. Yuncaypata downhill
A quick drive will take us over 1,000 m above the town of Cusco to a local trail that is becoming a favourite with local mountain bikers.   The trail features lots of dirt jumps and even sports a brand-new North-shore style gap jump!   As we descend the trail impressive vistas of the town of Cusco provide an incredible backdrop to our ride.   We'll have lunch at a hillside restaurant overlooking Cusco before heading back up for another ride.   The trail ends with a thrilling ride along Inca staircases, right into the town of Cusco and our hotel.

Day 10. End of Tour
We have reached the last day of our amazing tour in Peru and its time to say goodbye to Cusco and its wonderful Inca Trails. Flights depart every hour during the morning and there are some afternoon flights too, making it possible to do some shopping in the Indian markets of Cusco or a morning ride in the Cusco area.