Sacred Valley of the Incas

You'll get to visit all the "must see" sites of Cusco and the Sacred Valley, hike into Machu Picchu on the Royal Inca Trail and, on top of all this, enjoy some amazing biking in between.

In Cusco, we'll cycle between the Inca ruins of Tambo Machay and Sacsayhuaman as we acclimatise to the altitude. In the Sacred Valley, we'll cycle between Pisac, Chinchero, Maras, Moray and Ollantaytambo, plus get to sample a traditional Peruvian Pachamanca "pit roast" banquet beside the beautiful Lake Huaypo.

Swapping bikes for walking boots for the day, we'll hike the Royal Inca Trail into Machu Picchu and explore these ruins in the quiet of the afternoon (when most people have departed) before catching the train back to Ollantaytambo.

Saving the best for last, our final day of riding takes us well off the beaten track as we explore the trails and back roads of the rarely visited Lares Valley where we end the day with a dip in their delightful and therapeutic hot springs.

Suitable for reasonably fit cyclists, we ride a mix of tarmac and rarely used dirt roads to explore by day, staying at charming locally run hotels at night. Our state of the art full-suspension mountain bikes make navigating the trails an absolute pleasure and our expert guides, mechanics, chefs and back-up vehicles are always on hand to keep you safe, informed, rolling smoothly and fuelled with healthy local dishes.

Highlights

• Amazing biking and a day of hiking the Inca Trail
• The imposing Inca ruins of the Sacred Valley
• Shopping for bargains at Pisac’s artisan market
• Machu Picchu – One of the Wonders of the World
• The world’s best Pisco sours and ceviche!
• Colourful Cusco and the unspoiled Lares Valley

The majority of the biking takes place on dirt roads and 4-wheel drive tracks with some singletrack sections along the way. Although you should be familiar with off road biking it is not necessary to have a high skill level to enjoy this holiday.

The Inca Trail day hike is made up of Incan steps connected by gravelly sections and well-trodden footpaths. The steps make the route quite physically demanding in places and it is advisable to do some pre-trip training.