Day 1
Arrival to the Imperial City of Cusco.
Welcome to the Imperial City! Your Peru mountain bike vacation will begin as we pick you and your gear up at the airport. Cusco is waiting! Today, you'll be preparing for an intense week of high-adrenaline mountain biking. After loading the van we will take you to exchange money and do any necessary things in Cusco before dropping you at your hotel in Cusco.
If the group arrives at different times you can head out and start exploring the Imperial Incan City while waiting for the rest of the crew to show up.
The Plaza de Armas now exists over what was once Haukaypata, the Great Inca Square. Now, it is dominated by the towering Spanish architecture of the Cusco Cathedral as well as a charming collection of cafes and bars. Breathe in the history, acquaint yourself with Peruvian cuisine, and drink a cold Pilsen Callao or Pisco Sour as you mentally prepare for the mountain bike trip of a lifetime!
At night in your hotel we will come and give a short briefing about the upcoming week's adventure!
We need to be clear that the following itinerary is an example itinerary, we will ride all or most of the trails listed but sometimes due to weather, logging, road closures, festivals, we may juggle the order or change trails out for new trails or trails that fit the groups riding style and dynamics. What we do promise is an epic trip with lots of downhill, super fun riding.
Lodging: Hotel Rumi Punku, Cusco
Meals not included
Day 2
Lares/Lamay Mountain Bike — Steep Scree, Inca Trails, and Alpaca Herds
Lares. A Cusco Classic! Today we hit the scree fields — check out pro MTBer Geoff Gulevich's gnarly GoPro video from Peru during his Haku Expeditions mountain bike vacation. The shuttle will take us up to the Lares pass where we'll hike our bikes up to 14,600 ft/4,462 m. From there, we'll rip free ride lines through the scree and verdant mountainside down until we hit an ancient Inca single track trail. As we descend, we'll pass alpaca herds, locals working the fields, and eventually arrive at the town of Calca and it's beautiful main square. If we find we still have time to ride we'll bomb another trail or ride a section of Lares again. Today includes a delicious lunch at a local Peruvian spot!
Lamay: A Mountain Biker's Paradise! The valley of Lamay is a mountain biker's paradise! This gorgeous and fertile valley is literally filled with tons of incredible MTB trails. One of our favorite mountain bike routes will start at 4337m/14,229 ft above seal level and takes you down through 17 km of the most amazing single track. This high alpine trail has Incan rock gardens and tech spots mixed with fast flow sections. You'll definitely feel the burn with some burly Inca stairs before finally dropping into the village of Lamay where we can stop at a nice local spot and enjoy cold beers!
After we ride Lamay, we'll decide if we want to ride it again or ride a new trail in this beautiful valley. We'll end up at the hotel where you can get in a nice hot shower and a much deserved meal.
Stats — Lares MTB scree field/waterway: 20 km/12.5 mi · Max 4446 m/14,587 ft · Ascent 184 m · Descent 1482 m. Lares Inca Trail: 7.56 km/4.7 mi · Max 4227 m · Ascent 55 m · Descent 566 m. Lamay 1: 16.78 km/10.42 mi · Max 4334 m · Descent 1386 m · Ascent 71 m. Ankashmarca-Cortes-Calca (Optional): 13.44 km/8.35 mi · Max 4013 m · Descent 1113 m.
Lodging: Hotel Florencio, Pisac
Meals included: B, L, snacks
Day 3
Chinchero/Patacancha — Epic trails in the Sacred Valley
Today we will choose between some brilliant options that the Sacred Valley offers. We'll either hit Patacancha or Chincheros with second ride in the afternoon.
Patacancha, which is famous for being one of the highest-altitude enduro races in the world, at a whopping 4,420 m/14,500 feet, with rock gardens and narrow dirt switchbacks. The course is split up into five stages, with tons of freeride lines and cross-country type terrain. There are multiple trails you can ride here — we'll ride the section from the top all the way down past Patacancha and into Huilloc. There, we'll have a home cooked lunch with a local family. After that, we'll ride a trail exclusive to Haku Expeditions down to Pumamarca, which will take you all the way back down to Ollantaytambo to finish off the day!
The infamous Chincheros route, which passes rarely-seen ruins or techy Racchi trails is super fun, full of forests, amazing views, and Inca ruins (all to yourself). It ends with some full on dh with loose sections, curves, and Popeye forearms, marking on the boxes of an excellent trail! Don't worry — the whole day is unforgettable!
Stats — Patacancha Enduro: 27.9 km/17.3 mi · Max 4435 m · Ascent 138 m · Descent 1551 m. Chincheros: 8 km/5 mi · Max 3860 m descend to 2873 m · Ascent 19 m · Descent 987 m.
Lodging: Lizzy Wasi, Intitierra, Tunupa hotel, in the Sacred Valley
Meals included: B, L, Snacks
Day 4
Explore the Living Incan Village of Ollantaytambo or Optional Machu Picchu Tour
Today take some time to maintain your bike, eat, sleep and visit the Sacred Valley. Riding at high elevation actually burns twice the amount of calories than biking at lower elevation, so load up on Peruvian superfoods like maca, tarwi, quinoa, and chia.
The town of Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley is only 20 minutes away. This living Inca village was once the royal estate of Incan Emperor Pachacuti and later served as a stronghold for the Incan resistance during the Spanish conquest of Peru. Now, Ollantaytambo is a relaxing and charming place. The entire town is made of gorgeous, giant Incan stones and enclosures. You can visit this town or just relax today.
Also, make sure to take care of your bike. We've got a lot of shredding still to come!
Machu Picchu Tour: Today would also be a great day to visit Machu Picchu; explore that option in our optional add-ons section. If you do that, don't worry — we can let you sleep in a little later the next morning!
Lodging: Lizzy Wasi or Tunupa Lodge Sacred Valley
Meals Included: B
