Cusco, Peru Mountain Bike Adventure!

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 heading to the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

If the group arrives at different times you can head out and start exploring Cusco 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 in Sacred Valley AMAK

Meals not included

Get excited, because today is the first day of your epic Peruvian MTB adventure tour! In the morning, we’ll pick you up in our private shuttle and take you to the Sacred Valley, about 20 kilometers north of Cusco, to give you your first taste of the Andes. We’ll head to Lamay, a steep valley dotted with small adobe pueblos, and shred downhill singletrack for 13 km. We’ll take on ancient Incan trails, chunky Incan stairs, and natural hits with plenty of free-ride open sections at the top. The burly Inca stairs will be sure to get your blood pumping before finally dropping into Lamay village.

When we finish riding this first Lamay trail, we can either hit it again or ride any of the other many trails that are in Lamay Valley; one of our favorites is Lamay 3, where we’ll shuttle up through some breathtaking scenery to ride a fast and fluid MTB trail with switchbacks, a gnarly rock garden, and views of the famous Huchuy Qosqo. This one also ends in the town of Lamay. We will sleep in the Amak hotel in Huran.

MTB Adventure Tour Trail Stats:

Lamay 1

Distance: 16.78 km/10.42 mi

Max Elevation: 4334 m/14219 ft

Elevation descent: 1386 m/4547 ft

Ascent: 71 m/233 ft

Lamay 3

Distance: 7.22 km/4.5 mi

Max Altitude: 3542 m/11,620 ft

Ascent: 277m/908 ft

Elevation descent: 574 m/1942 ft

Lodging: Hotel in Sacred Valley AMAK

Food included: B, L, snacks

Today, we’ll hit the wide-open scree fields — check out pro MTBer Geoff Gulevich’s gnarly GoPro video from this part of his Haku mountain bike adventure. The shuttle will take us up to the Lares pass where we’ll hike our bikes up to 4462 m/14,600 ft. From there, we’ll rip free ride lines through the scree and ride down verdant mountainside down we hit an ancient Inca singletrack trail. We’ll pass high-Andean alpaca herds as we descend to the town of Calca, where we’ll finally have a chance to catch our breath after our dreamlike ride through the high country. There are many versions of the Lares trail. We can choose to ride it twice, or even a different version, if we have the time.

MTB Adventure Tour Trail Stats:

Lares with the scree field and waterway

Distance: 20 km/12.5 mi

Max Elevation: 4446 m/14,587 ft

Ascent: 184 m/603 ft

Descent: 1482 m/4862 ft

Lares Inca Trail section

Distance: 7.56 km/4.7 mi

Max Elevation: 4227 m/13,868 ft

Ascent: 55 m/180 ft

Descent: 566 m/1857 ft

Lodging: Hotel in Ollantaytambo or in another Sacred Valley Hot Spot

Food included: B, L, snacks

Time to rest up once again! After the Lamay and Lares rides, you’ll be ready for a day to eat, sleep, and rejuvenate. Or, if you’ve still got enough energy, you can visit places like the Temple of the Sun and the Wall of the Six Monoliths within it, or the Inca Granaries of Pinkulluna up on the hillside.

Today would also be a great day to visit the historical crown jewel of Peru, Machu Picchu — check out our optional package. Today is, in a word, hardcore. We’ll hit Patacancha, which is famous for being one of the highest-altitude enduro races in the world at a whopping 14,500 ft, with rock gardens and narrow dirt switchbacks. As such, any bucket-list-worthy MTB adventure tour in Latin America wouldn’t be complete without it!

The course is split up into five stages, with tons of free-ride 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 though Huilloc alto before doing a local favorite Pumamarca. We will ride back into town and then pack up and head to Cusco!

Today is, in a word, hardcore. We’ll hit Patacancha, which is famous for being one of the highest-altitude enduro races in the world at a whopping 14,500 ft, with rock gardens and narrow dirt switchbacks. As such, any bucket-list-worthy MTB adventure tour in Latin America wouldn’t be complete without it!

The course is split up into five stages, with tons of free-ride 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 though Huilloc alto before doing a local favorite Pumamarca. We will ride back into town and then pack up and head to Cusco!

MTB Adventure Tour Trail Stats:

Patacancha Enduro

Distance: 17.3 mi/27.9 km

Max Elevation: 4435 m/14,552 ft

Ascent: 138 m/ 452 ft

Descent: 1551 m/ 5089 ft

Lodging: Hotel in Sacred Valley, generally in Urubamba

Food included: B, L, snacks

Hopefully you slept well last night — today is, in a word, amazing!

The coveted number one trail La Maxima is on the itinerary for today.

We can ride La Maxima a seemingly endless enduro trail that takes us through 15 km of Andean single track. This highly demanding Enduro trail has punchy climbs, long beautiful traverses with stunning views, loose rocky switchbacks, and loose baby head sections that will give you Popeye forearms.

La Maxima MTB Route

Distance: 15 km/9.3 mi

Max elevation: 4407 m/ 14,456 ft

Ascent: 65 m/213 ft

Descent: 1,537 m/ 5,042 ft


Note: This trail is for advanced riders only. If the group can not ride this trail we will head elsewhere for the day.

Lodging: Sacred Valley

Meals included: B, L

After riding today we will head back to the city of Cusco where you can enjoy the night life and get to know the capital of the Incas!

Our routes today will depend on the riding abilities of the group or the style of trails that is preferred.

One option is to ride Pumamarca twice and Maras 2 twice before heading back to Cusco.

Maras 2 is a totally different style of terrain than we have seen so far. It has desert style dry trails that take you along cliff sides and down to the Urubamba river. This is a local favorite and can be ridden more than once today. Be ready for loose and steep!

Edge of the world Pumamarca ride. This ride begins at the Pumamarca ruins and passes over sequences of ancient Incan terraces — it’s always a highlight, with fast fluid sections interspersed with techy rock sections.

We can also check out the epic El Sapo trail that takes us past the magical Moray ruins before dropping us onto some fun singletrack.

Cold beers are a must after this long and intense ride!

A shuttle will then take us back to Cusco and your new lodging.

Peru Mountain Bike Vacation Trail Stats:

Maras 2:

From top to Pinchingoto

Distance: 10.23 km/6.35 mi

Max elevation: 3697 m/12,129 ft

Descent: 863 m/2831 ft

Maras 2 from the church

Distance: 6.48 km/4 mi

Max Elevation: 3360 m/ 11,023 ft

Descent: 521 m/ 1709 ft

Pumamarca:

Distance: 5.11 km/ 3.17 mi

Max Elevation: 3336 m/10,944 ft

Descent: 462 m/ 1515 ft

Lodging: In Cusco

Meals included: B, L

Get some rest today, you’ve earned it. Maintain your bike, eat, sleep, eat some more, sleep some more — all activities essential to the success of any MTB adventure tour. Riding at high elevation actually burns twice the amount of calories than at lower elevation, so load up on Peruvian superfoods like maca, tarwi, quinoa, and chia.

But if you aren’t too sore, there’s tons to do in Cusco. Visit the stunning ruins of Sacsayhuaman or experience the colorful authenticity of the San Pedro Market, just a quick 8-minute walk from La Plaza de Armas. There, you’ll find ladies in traditional dress at tiendas selling nectarines, nuts, and plantains, and other kiosks selling alpaca jumpers and pachamama dolls. Try foods like lomo saltado (stir-fried beef) and anticuchos (beef hearts) and indulge in local fruits like lucuma, granadilla, and chirimoya. If you have a soft spot for the arts, check out the contemporary tapestries at El Museo Maximo Laura or the ancient artifacts in El Museo de Arte Pre-Colombino. If the possibilities for today feel overwhelming, come by the shop, and any of our guides can give you tips on how to make the most of your day in Cusco!

Lodging: Hotel in Cusco

Food included: B

Today, we’ll hit some more trails without which your Peru MTB adventure tour would not be complete. The locals love these, so you’re in for a treat. Brujo is one of the sickest trails in the area — it’s an epic Enduro trail with some climbing and pedaling at over 3960 m/13,000 ft of elevation, boasting lots of rock gardens, ridge lines, and a few steep sections. The views are some of the best in the area and will leave you breathless for your last day of riding. When we finish Brujo, we can either ride the trail again, or head over to one of Cusco’s new trails, El Pastor. This trail has by far the most exposure of all the trails we have ridden and offers unrivaled views of the city.

MTB Adventure Tour Trail Stats:

Brujo AKA Milky Way

Distance: 8 km/5 mi

Max Elevation: 4225 m/13,860 ft

Ascent: 50 m/164 ft

Descent 846 m/2765 ft

El Pastor

Distance: 8 km/5 mi

Max Elevation: 4220 m/13,846 ft

Ascent: 141 m/462 ft

Descent: 954 m/3129 ft

Lodging: Hotel in Cusco

Meals: B, L, D, Snacks

Today we will have breakfast between 8-8:30. We will head out around 9 am to the Radar trailhead. Bill and Nic were the first to ever lay tracks on this crazy, seemingly never-ending enduro -style trail in the South Valley of Cusco, and from the moment they did it, they knew they’d have to share with other adventurous riders. After lunch at a local restaurant, we can either head back to Cusco or get one last Urban DH trail in before we call it a day.

MTB Adventure Tour Trail Stats:

Radar

Distance: 18.8 km/11.7 mi

Max Elevation: 4,468 m/14,658 ft

Ascent: 94 m/309 ft

Descent: 1367 m/4,487 ft

Urban DH MTB route

Distance: 6.52 km/4 mi

Max elevation: 3,770 m/12,368 ft

Ascent: 21 m/69 ft

Descent: 399 m/1,309 ft

Lodging: Hotel in Cusco

Food included: B, L, snacks

We will say goodbye and take you to the airport for your departure today.

Included: B, airport drop off