Take on the most spectacular of high-altitude descents: roll 2200m downhill, past glacial peaks and dense jungle
Pedal between ancient Incan ruins and terraces in the Sacred Valley, tucking into tasty Peruvian food en route
Bed down in picture-perfect campsites beside the hot mineral springs and dramatic gorges of Lares and Cocalmayo
Cap it all off with a visit to the legendary Incan citadel of Machu Picchu, perched high in the Andes
Day 1
Touch down in Cusco and enjoy a wander around the historic centre for spectacular mountain views and colonial buildings a-plenty. Cusco sits at 3300m above sea level, so expect to feel the altitude – drink plenty of water to help you acclimatise. Get to know your guide and fellow adventurers over dinner and hear all about the week ahead.
Day 2
Meet the rest of your support crew this morning and get set up with your bikes before heading off on an easy, scenic ride through the countryside, past lakes, farms and rural villages, all set against the insanely beautiful backdrop of the dividing ridge of the Andes. You’ll ride to Chinchero to meet local artisans in their outdoor weaving cooperatives, and explore an Inca ruin with extensive terracing and incredible views. Next up, Moray – a mysterious complex of massive amphitheatres said to have been the Incas’ agricultural lab and research centre. Head back to Cusco for another night of acclimatisation and perhaps some local music after dinner.
Day 3
Today you’ll ride from the South Valley, beginning in the outskirts of Cusco, to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Each town you pass through is famed for a particular speciality – Oropesa is known for its bread, Tipón for cuy (guinea pig), Saylla for chicharrones (pork with mint) and Lucre for pato (duck) – so there’s plenty to keep you fuelled up. You’ll cycle through the famed Sacred Valley, riding along the Urubamba River to your overnight spot in Lamay. This sleepy little farming village has one tiny, funky bar with local microbrews on tap which is well worth a visit for a nightcap or two.
Day 4
This morning you’ll take a quick transfer to the Inca fortress of Pisac and then ride onto Calca, where you can visit the local market and chat with the locals. You’ll then drive up to a high pass and hit the dirt road all the way downhill to the Lares Hot Spring, sitting beside a raging river nestled in a dramatic gorge. The yellow thermal spring complex is filled with rich minerals and is a popular place to soak and restore, ideal after a day in the saddle.
Day 5
Today you’ll cross the watershed from the Pacific to the Atlantic side of the Andes – into the steamy Amazon Basin. If you enjoy biking downhill through stunning scenery on perfect dirt road, today will probably be the greatest day of your life. You’ll drive up to a 4425m pass, then sit back on your bike and roll all the way down to the high jungle, losing more than 2000m of altitude along the way! Sit back and watch the scenery change as you pass glacial plains above the treeline, through hardy highland trees, past the tiny towns of Kelcaybamba and Ocobamba, into the high jungle. You’ll end the day riding along a river through dense green jungle, past orchids, bromeliads, and ferns to your overnight jungle campsite.
Day 6
Waking up to the hum of the jungle, you’ll have an early start and grab breakfast before setting off on your last ride. You’ll descend to the Yanatile valley floor on undulating dirt roads, through banana, papaya and coffee plantations. Stopping for lunch at a quinta (a breezy outdoor restaurant serving traditional Peruvian meals), you’ll wave goodbye to your trusty steed and drive along a narrow country backroad to Santa Teresa where you’ll camp beside the beautiful Cocalmayo Hot Springs – the ideal spot for another restorative soak and an early night, to prepare for a big day at Machu Picchu tomorrow.
Day 7
An early start for the one and only Machu Picchu. A spectacular stone city surrounded by incredibly steep, incredibly green mountains, Machu Picchu needs no introduction and is deservedly one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. Your guide will give you a tour of the massive site and you’ll have some free time to wander around and soak it all in before you catch the train back to Cusco for your last night as a group – Pisco sours all round to celebrate!
Day 8
After your Peruvian adventure, it's time to head home. Your transfer will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco and take you to the airport in time for your onward journey.
Local, professional, English-speaking guides and bike mechanics
4 nights in a guesthouse and 3 nights camping
Local delicious food throughout
Both airport transfers and travel between locations
Specialized Camber bikes and all your camping equipment
All permits and entry fees to the sites
A truck to carry all your overnight kit
Food is a highlight of any trip to Peru, it is a food-obsessed nation that won the World Travel Award Best Culinary destinations eight years in a row, from 2011 to 2019. In the highlands, the variety of potatoes will astound you. In the jungle you’ll…
For solo travellers looking for their own space, an optional private room and tent can be booked for an extra charge, see Optional Extras for the price. Please request this at the time of booking (this is subject to availability).
To request any extras, message your host via your Much Better Adventures account once you have booked your trip.
All extras must be paid before your trip starts.
Nigel October 2023
James November 2023
“.”
Peter October 2023
“If you’re looking for some exhilarating downhill mountain biking with just a few hills thrown in, through mountains and jungle then this is the trip for you. We experienced local foods and cultures, all topped of with a once in a lifetime trip to Machupichu.”
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Know before you go! Some stuff we'll provide, other things you'll need to bring.
It's no secret that we love cycling and many of us at HQ think it's the best way to see a country, however, we realise that organising your own trip can be a total faff. On our cycling trips, we've found a local guide who has put together a perfect route and will navigate for you all the way. We even send a van that transports your overnight luggage and provide high-quality bikes and delicious snacks to keep you going. Faff eliminated! All you have to do is turn up, pedal and take in the landscape with your fellow tourers. You don't need to be a lycra-clad 'roadie' although everyone is welcome!
You'll be riding double-suspension Specialized Cambers bikes. These are light double suspension aluminum mountain bikes - perfect for a comfortable ride on the tracks and on the paved sections. They all come with standard flat pedals and male/standard saddles. If you would rather pack your own saddle and pedals (including SPD's), please do and these will be fitted for you.
You will be provided with filtered water throughout so there is no need to purchase any single-use plastic water bottles. Bring 2 x reusable bottles instead, they will be well used.
The Peruvian Andes are high, no denying it. Spectacular but high. Cusco sits at 3399m so you'll be sure to feel the altitude when arriving - your host advises to not drink alcohol immediately and to walk slowly to get used to the change. As you will be spending the first two nights of the trip in Cusco there will be enough time to acclimatise before getting higher. The highest pass you will reach is 4425m but you'll be cycling downhill from here so will gradually enjoy more oxygen in your lungs. Your guides are all used to working with people at altitude so will advise you further when you arrive.
Tips are not included in the trip cost. These are entirely at your discretion but there is an expectation to tip for good service. The number of support staff varies depending on how many cyclists are in your group (5 support staff for a group of 4 cyclists, up to 8 support staff for a group of 13 cyclists), which of course impacts the suggested amount of tips. We suggest that you budget approx $80-$120 in tips for your trip - this will ensure all of the support staff (the team of guides, cooks and drivers) will have a share of tips at the end of the trip regardless of the group size on the trip. Your guide will assist with tips at the end of the trip.
Sure thing - you can leave any extra gear at the host's base in Cusco or at the guesthouse you will be staying at pre and post cycling.
Customer safety is our top priority - we monitor the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office - FCDO travel advice and keep in regular contact with our host partner in Peru for the latest updates on the ground. Politically motivated protests are not uncommon in Peru and these can lead to some disruption to transport links and occasionally the closure of sites. As of 14 February protests are ongoing in Peru but Machu Picchu (which had been closed in response) has now reopened to visitors. Based on the advice of our local hosts we anticipate that the situation will settle down in the coming weeks and expect to operate the 2023 season from May onwards as planned. In the unlikely event that we have to cancel your holiday in response to a change in FCDO travel advice or disruption, you will be offered the option of a full refund for your MBA booking.
Owing to the nature of this trip, it is essential that your personal travel insurance policy provides cover to the maximum altitude visited on this trip (4425m).
Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
Our team of Adventure Hunters co-create exclusive adventures which are run by highly vetted, specialist hosts. The trip is run by our trusted host partner in the destination. We only work with independent, local, in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. Read more information about the local teams we partner with. You’ll be introduced to the host straight after making a booking via the Much Better Adventures platform.
Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers are familiar with the practical information provided on the Government’s FCDO website, where current travel advice can be found by searching for the applicable destination(s).
For customers joining this trip from other international destinations – please also read the official travel advice applicable to your country of residence/origin, as this may differ.
We recommend checking out the country-specific information and also talking to a travel nurse.
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.
If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. You must be over 18 to join one of our trips.
You're always in good company on one of our adventures.
Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.
Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way. Check out our Community Values – a shared code to make sure that everyone's experience is safe, inclusive and brilliantly unforgettable.
It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.
Don't just take our word for it:
See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.
We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity.
What's the number?
It works out on average at 158kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.
The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.
But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:
What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity, ensuring the protection of the reserve and its wildlife.
Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.
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75% join our trips as solo travellers, with most in their 30s-50s. 95% give our group dynamic 5 stars.
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