Incan Highlands

Riders arriving a few days early will have the opportunity to visit legendary Machu Picchu, wander through the charming Plaza de Armas or explore the numerous museums and churches. Riders will head south through the scenic Andean altiplano. Terraced fields dot the mountainsides, a reminder of the area’s Incan heritage. On our first day the cyclists will glimpse some pre-Incan ruins at Piquillacta built around 1100 by the Wari people.

The route continues past the pretty village of Andahuaylillas, home to the colourful Iglesia de San Pedro, reputedly home to priceless gold and silver treasures. Nearby, riders can purchase dolls clad in traditional costumes made by a local women’s co-operative. The road splits at the small town of Urcos with the eastern route heading down into the Amazon jungle. Cyclists will continue heading south pedalling through the tiny village of Raqchi, renown for its potters and the Temple de Viracocha, one of the holiest shrines in the Incan Empire.

Puno, situated on the world’s highest navigable waters, Lake Titicaca, is the location of the only rest day on this section. Here riders can enjoy a boat ride out to the famous floating islands. Constructed using totora reeds that grow in the shallows of the lake by the Uru people, they were originally built as a defensive measure against invaders. While there are over 100 populated islands, only a few are open to visitors. Puno is also known as the folklore capital of Peru with over 300 different local dances that can be traced back centuries to the area’s indigenous and colonial past.

The final leg will take the riders along the shores of Lake Titicaca past traditional villages and patchwork fields sprinkled with Campesinos working their crops by hand. Cyclists can stop to explore crumbling colonial churches and, in the small town of Chucuito, the quirky Templode la Fertildad, surrounded by a sea of large stone phalluses. At Copacabana, located at the southern end of Lake Titicaca, the riders will spin into Bolivia and a couple of stages later find themselves arriving in La Paz, one of the world’s highest capital cities.

Highlights

• Chew coca leaves while cycling the Altiplano
• Cycling the Sacred Valley
• Floating Islands of Lake Titicaca
• La Paz - The World's Highest Capital City