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Passenger
Recommendations
It was all pure
fun! Smooth going and good organization in respect of the
local communities and environment. For adventure holidays it is
perfect...
- Joelle Chaubeau, France
We had a great trip and
hope all is well with each of you. Thanks again for your help in
planning an incredible trip to Peru that we will never forget! We
enjoyed meeting you and spending time with you while on our vacation.
Take care!
-Cindy Simonian and
friends, USA, Highlands Express
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BIKING THE INCA EMPIRE
15 days:
US$2445 / UK£1260
Custom dates for
two or more
The area around Cuzco is perfect for mountain biking: hilly and open,
with great views
in every direction. Add to that the history and archaeological wealth of
the region,
and you've got the makings of a great trip!
Our journey is a comfortable blend of biking and other exploration:
three separate bike excursions of one to two days are offered over the
course of the trip, allowing you to make it as exciting or relaxing as
you wish. Time not spent biking can be spent exploring the city of Cuzco
and the surrounding ruins or pursuing other optional activities such as
whitewater rafting. Our trip also includes one free day in Lima and two
days at the Machu Picchu sanctuary.
Please see a description of each mountain biking excursion within the
trip itinerary below.
Note: all biking
excursions are accompanied by spare bikes in case of breakdowns
and the option of a ride if you just can't quite make that next hill.
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1 |
Arrive into Lima and be
transferred to your hotel.
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2 |
Morning flight to Cuzco.
Day free to explore the city's churches markets, and museums.
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3 |
Our first mountain biking
excursion is a relatively easy day trip downhilling from the
four Inca ruins in the hills above Cuzco. We will visit Tambo
Machay with its exquisite baths; Puka Pukara, which means "Red
Fort" in Quechua; a huge, intricately carved ceremonial rock
called Q'enko; and finally the massive fortress of Sacsaywaman
which overlooks Cuzco.
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4 |
A free day in which to
further acclimatize for the more challenging biking excursions
ahead. You may choose to go whitewater rafting or visit another
Inca site such as Raqchi or Tipon.
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5-6 |
This is a two-day excursion
that will take us to some beautiful hot springs near the village
of Lares. The first day is about 12 miles from our starting
point to the hot springs, moderately uphill. You may do as
little or as much biking today as you wish, as we always have
support vehicles. We'll camp at the springs before biking back
down the valley the next day. We'll be back at our hotel in
Cuzco for the night of Day 6.
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7 |
Today we offer a tour of
the Sacred Valley, including the spectacular Inca ruins of Pisac
and Ollantaytambo, on our way to the Machu Picchu sanctuary.
Pisac is a huge site with extensive terracing and hundreds of
Inca graves. Ollantaytambo is an imposing fortress/temple
constructed with stunning astronomical significance. Lodging in
Ollantaytambo.
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8 |
This morning we catch the
train further down the Sacred Valley to the lost city of Machu
Picchu, the archaeological jewel of the Americas. After a guided
tour, we'll have plenty of free time for independent exploration
of the ruins. Overnight in Aguas Calientes, a town in the valley
beneath Machu Picchu.
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9 |
This is a free day within
the Machu Picchu sanctuary to further explore the ruins, trek to
other nearby Inca sites, or soak in the hot baths in Aguas
Calientes. We return to Cuzco by train in the evening. Night out
dancing?
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10 |
This is a free day in Cuzco
to relax, shop and see any sites not yet visited.
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11-13 |
This bike trip is the gem,
with an 11,000 ft. downhill run to the Amazon basin. We'll
begin with a bus ride to Tres Cruces Pass, and bike just a short
distance down to our first campsite. Tres Cruces is famous for
its optically distorted sunrises from May to July, which produce
double images, halos and unusual colors. Catch one of these sun
shows the next morning before our spectacular descent through
high mountains, cloud forest and eventually tropical rainforest,
all in just a few thrilling hours. We'll fall asleep to the
sounds of the rainforest tonight before heading back to Cuzco on
day 13.
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14 |
Morning flight to Lima.
Free day in Lima to visit the Gold Museum, the San Francisco
catacombs, and other sites. Tonight we'll have our farewell
dinner and exchange emails and addresses.
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15 |
Departure day |
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