Inca Adventure Freeride Trip: Peru (trip)

Inca Adventure Freeride Trip: Peru

  • Lima Airport, Lima, Peru
  • Active & Adventure
Peru, South America

from $2,495* per person10 DaysJune, September, October
Comfort accommodations Exertion level: 3
Operator: Sacred Rides Mountain Bike Adventures 12 people max
Big. As in super-humongous-holy-cow-that's-big.

That's the riding on our Inca Adventure trip - big, massive, epic downhills and lots of them. There are few words that can match the grand scale of the mountain biking in the Andes. From the world's-longest-downhill dropping 11,000 feet to the Pacific Ocean, to the Lares trail starting at 14,500 feet, Peru mountain biking dwarfs anything else on the planet. Get ready to wipe some serious drool off your full-face helmet.

Stand on top of a massive downhill like the Olleros trail and you'll feel pretty big too, with every worry you've ever had in life drifting away into the clouds, replaced by that in-the-moment feeling of pure bliss as the mountains play host to your wildest mountain bike fantasies. Ever experienced a 3-hour downhill? The feeling will stay with you forever.

In addition to the spectacular geography, Peru has an incredible cultural heritage centred around the ancient Inca culture. On this trip you'll ride through remote villages where Quechua is still the main language spoken, visit spectacular Inca sites and discover the way they lived hundreds of years ago.

More than just a mountain bike trip, this is a life-changing experience.

Come get big in the Andes...

Is This Ride For You?

You love freeriding and downhill and have at least a 6" travel full-suspension bike. You can handle technical terrain, with rocky sections, steeps, and terrain features such as old stone steps. You've done some stunt riding and jumps, or wouldn't mind trying (you can ride around all the jumps on the local trails). You're not afraid to get out of your cultural comfort zone and experience something different, like a meal of roasted guinea pig or meeting the elders at a remote village. You like to give back to local communities when you go travelling

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Locations visited/nearby

Peru, South America

0 testimonials about this trip.

3 testimonials about the provider, Sacred Rides Mountain Bike Adventures:

  • Reviewer: Enrique Nodarse located in Puerto Rico,
    Hey Mike! First of all I wanted to say the Peru trip was amazing. Wayo is the man!! Given..he had the perfect setting, surrounded by the perfect Andean mountains, nonetheless he turned an already 'cool as hell' trip into a nearly flawless one. Simply one of my best vacations yet. I think I was more winded by our constant laughing than the low-oxygen high elevation climbs!! Lets not forget, Jose and Russo, without them the trip would not have been nearly as cool. I think I can speak on behalf of all of us that took the trip when I say the day we spent in Joses Farm made the trip very different than anything we or at least I ever expected from any tour or organized travel. I didn't expect that...the guide does not usually take you to his home!! ...which happened to be a beautiful 40 acre citrus tree haven surrounded by some of the most amazing greenest hills that I have ever had the privilege of riding. As if that was not enough our perfect day of riding was supplemented by fresh juices, cheeses, cold peruvian beers served by the poolside and culminated with the delicious BBQ chicken lunch. Well, I could go on and on, but I think you already have a pretty good idea of how much I enjoyed my trip. I won't continue my rant, and leave you with more time to get out there and scout more 'sacred rides' for the rest of us to see and hopefully ride.
  • Reviewer: Barbara and Mick located in UK
    Just a note to let you know that Mick and I thoroughly enjoyed our Sacred Rides holiday. We had an absolutely fantastic time. The trails Eddy and Val took us on were excellent and we will remember them for a long time.

    I think most of us felt that our riding had improved during the course of the week, and Mick and I have certainly noticed a difference since we got back to England and have been riding our favourite Lake District trails. We had a devil-kicking session last weekend, where Mick confidently rode the off-camber boardwalks that he is usually hesitant on, and I rode a particularly tricky rocky section that I have always jibbed at before. Both were conquered with ease!

    Everyone in the group got along really well and Eddy and Val were a pleasure to be around. All in all, it was a fab holiday. Thanks very much!

    Best regards,
  • Reviewer: Kim Ruthers located in US
    Thank you. I loved every minute of it. My bike skills and confidence have improved and I have seen truly amazing sights. A terrific trip!

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Itinerary

Day 1. Arrive in Lima

A shuttle from Lima airport will take you to your hotel in Miraflores. If you have time, feel free to explore Lima's beaches and history.

Day 2. Pachacamac

We will build our bikes in the morning and after a light lunch we will be transferred to Pachacamac. This little town is located 40Km. South of Lima and it's famous for its food, Inca sites and their awesome downhill trails for mountain biking. This is the place where ALL the mountain bikers from Lima go to find some cool singletracks! We will ride The Prado, Amancaes and Chirimoyo trails, all full of jumps and fun sections. At the end of the day we will return to our hotel in Lima.

Day 3. Olleros Epic DH

Santo Domingo de los Olleros, or simply 'Olleros' is located 150 Km. east of Lima on the Lurin Valley at an altitude of 3,150 masl (10,356 ft.). The start of this trail is located at an altitude of 3,450 masl (11,319 ft.) and 4 hours away from Lima. The trail is 54 Km. long and is Peru's most famous mountain bike trail. From the start of the trail, on a good clear day, it's possible to see the Pacific Ocean, where we will end our ride! It's 3,500 meters of epic vertical descent that will take us directly to the Pacific Ocean. We'll end near San Bartolo beach, enjoying a relaxing view of the Pacific Ocean. We plan to return to Lima approximately at 7:00 pm.

Day 4. Marcahuasi Stone Forest

Marcahuasi is a mountain top plateau located on the Santa Eulalia Valley at an altitude of 4,000 masl (13,123 ft.) and 150 Km. east of Lima. It takes approximately 3 1/2 hours to reach the town of San Pedro de Casta (3,150 masl / 10,355 ft.), the entrance of Marcahuasi. This place is special for many reasons: On top of the mountain is an incredible 'stone forest' with lots of zoomorphic and anthropomorphic figures carved in the rocks; the place is considered a point where you can make contact with other worlds and it is a place where the Shamans and 'curanderos' make their rituals.

We will pick you up from your hotel at 6:00 am to start our tour to one of the best downhills in the world. Our first stop is the town of San Pedro de Casta, where we will start with a one-hour horse back ride to the Marcahuasi plateau. We will visit the pre-Inca graves, the fortress, the lake and all the rock formations at the top of the mountain and are going to take a snack before we start with the downhill trail. After our visit at Marcahuasi, we'll start a demanding downhill ride that will take us down to the town of Huinco at the Santa Eulalia Valley. This trail has a vertical descent of almost 3,000 meters (9,842 ft.) and will take us three hours to complete. We plan to return to Lima approximately at 6:00 pm.

Day 5. Transfer to Cusco & Saphi Downhill.

Early in the morning we will fly to Cusco, the center of the Inca Empire. The rest of the morning is free to rest and get our bikes ready. After lunch we will have our first ride on an Inca trail descending from the village of Salkantay at an altitude of 4,000 masl (13,123 ft.) and finish in the middle of the main square of Cusco at an altitude of 3,350 masl (10,991 ft.). The rest of the afternoon is free to walk around the Inca streets of Cusco and enjoy the nightlife of this Imperial city.

Day 6. Chinchero,  Urquillos & Moray - Maras Downhills

We will transfer early in the morning to the town of Chinchero at 3,750 masl (12,327 ft.), the start of one of the most demanding downhill trails in Cusco. We are going to cross the Inca site of Chinchero with its incredible stone architecture and infinite rock steps to then enter into a deep canyon that will take us directly to the Sacred Valley at the village of Urquillos (2,950 masl / 9,697 ft.). This is a one hour downhill with more than 750 meters of vertical descent. After we take lunch at a nice restaurant in the Sacred Valley, we will transfer to Maras to ride another impressive Inca site that will take us first to the town of Maras and then to the ancient salt mines. Our third ride today starts near the Inca site of Moray at an altitude of 3,650 masl (12,000 ft.). It's a one hour downhill that will leave us near Ollantaytambo. Finally we will be transferred to the town of Ollantaytambo where we will stay for the next 3 nights.

Day 7. Machu Picchu (optional) or Huchuy Cusco ride

This day is supposed to be a rest day, but in Peru we have so much to see that there's no time for rest. We suggest you to visit Machu Picchu as an option for this day. The tour starts with a train ride from Ollantaytambo to the town of Aguas Calientes. From there we take a private bus up to the Citadel. Machu Picchu (like most of the Quechua names of towns and different sites in the region) is a compound word that comes from Machu = old or ancient, and Picchu = peak or mountain; therefore, Machu Picchu is translated as "Old Mountain". The famous mountain that is seen in front, and appears in most of the classical views of the site is named Wayna Picchu (Young Mountain). We will have practically all the day to explore the entire citadel and know all of its well preserved secrets.

N.B. the trip to Machu Picchu is not included in the trip price. The cost to visit Machu Picchu is $250 Cdn/person, which includes return train ride to Aguas Calientes, bus to Machu Picchu, admission and guide.

Day 8. Megavalanche Downhill Course.

This day we will ride the Megavalanche downhill course where top ranked racers like Steve Peat, Cedric Gracia and Brian Lopes have raced, challenging the mountain, the altitude and the weather conditions. We start with a one hour bus drive to the Mountain pass of Malaga at 4,350 masl (14,300 ft.), the start of this trail and where we can have great views of the glaciers like the Veronica Summit at more than 5,000 meters (16,500 ft.). The trail starts with a wide singletrack on top of the mountain and then it turns to a narrow trail with many obstacles like rock steps, jumps and close turns. It will take us approximately one hour to complete the trail until we reach the village of Tanjca on the Sacred Valley at an altitude of 2,850 masl (9,370 ft.). We plan to ride this amazing trail twice.

Day 9. Lares Inca Trail.

We will be transferred early in the morning from our hotel in Ollantaytambo to the town of Calca in the Sacred Valley and then climb to the mountain pass of Lares located at 4,350 masl (14,300 ft.) where we will start another epic ride going through an impressive Inca trail that follows a narrow valley with big walls of granite. We will pass maybe one of the most impressive landscapes of all the tour, crossing a deep canyon where it is only possible to make it walking or on our bikes. We will pass different terrains, from flat rocky surfaces on top of the mountain to fertile valleys at the middle and end of the trail. We will finally end this epic ride at the town of Calca on the Sacred Valley at an altitude of 2,900 masl (9,533 ft.). After lunch, we will be transferred to Cusco where we will end our day riding another Inca trail that descends to the center of the city.

Day 10. End of trip

We have reached the last day of our amazing trip in Peru and its time to say goodbye to Cusco and its wonderful Inca Trails. Flights depart every hour during the morning and there are some afternoon flights too, making it possible to do some shopping in the Indian markets of Cusco or a morning ride in the Cusco area.

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