Cycle Peru: Machu Picchu & Titicaca

The tour starts at our hotel in Cusco where we will be met by your leader.
After some time to unpack and settle into the hotel we will head out for a
short orientation tour and experience a ‘locals’ tour of the city where
we will see the real Cusco and areas not commonly visited by tourists. This
walking tour is a great bit of gentle exercise to help get used to the high
altitude and thinner air.Accommodation: Hotel Tupaq Yupanqui (or similar)

We start today with a short transfer out of Cusco to the first Inca ruins of
the tour, Tambomachay, otherwise known as the ‘Inca’s Bath’ due to its
finely preserved waterfalls which have been carefully diverted through stone
channels. After visiting these ruins, we set up the bikes and start our
acclimatisation ride back down towards Cusco. We head to the delightful
small ruin of Puca Pucara which is believed to have been used as a
‘tambo’, a rest house for traveling animals. We then continue down the
road to the final and most stunning ruins of the day at Sacsayhuaman.
Although the smaller stones were used to build the modern-day Cusco many of
the larger stones remain in place and are up to 8.5m tall and weighing 360
tonnes! After some time here we continue cycling back to our hotel in
Cusco.Accommodation:

Leaving Cusco after breakfast, we transfer south to Tipon where we’ll start
our ride. We’ll cycle along a bridle path to the colonial town of Oropesa,
where most of the bread consumed in Cusco is made. We’ll continue to the
lagoon of Huacarpay where we’ll ride a circuit around the lagoon, looking
out for the wildlife in the lagoon and for archaeological remains around
it.  We’ll stop for lunch overlooking the lagoon, before continuing our
bike ride from the Huambitio Bridge to Pisac on the narrow part of the Sacred
Valley of the Incas.

Today starts with a short vehicle transfer up to the incredible Inca ruins in
the hills above Pisac. We have some time here to explore this archaeological
site which gives insight to the Inca’s advanced masonry skills. The Inca
site remains somewhat mysterious as to what their absolute purpose was, but
it seems likely that they were part of a settlement along a vital Inca road
with the Amazon rainforest to the east of the mountains. It is generally
understood that Pisac provided a connecting point of sorts between the
highlands and the jungle. In Pisac we will have time to explore the artisan
Andean market and purchase some souvenirs, before we drive over the river to
the village of Taray where our day's cycling starts. Today’s ride follows a
beautiful undulating road that connects several small villages and haciendas
where we can see traditional farming methods still being used. We also get to
enjoy a stunning backdrop of glaciated mountains and Inca ruins as we make
our way through the villages of Qoya, Lamay and Calca before arriving in
Urubamba

After breakfast, we transfer (approximately 45 minutes) to the town of
Chinchero. We will have some timet to explore the town and will also have a
weaving demonstration. From Chinchero, we will cycle along the Sacred Pampa
of Anta, passing through Huyapo Lake, Cruzpata Town and Mahuyapampa to
Moray. Here we visit these fascinating Inca ruins and also stop for
lunch. Moray was an Andean Laboratory with circular agricultural terraces.
Our ride continues to the impressive Maras salt pans where we can witness the
salt being mined by hand and purchase a small bag of salt to take home.  Our
route then descends into the Sacred Valley, continuing to our accommodation
in Urubamba.

After breakfast, we will drive from Ururbamba to the town of Izcuchaca, where
we will start our day's cycling. We start in the Pampa of Anta, and along
our ride we will see farmers walking their cows and animals to green areas to
feed them and continueing their daily activites in the farms. Our ride takes
us to the town of Huarcondo before we descend down in to the Valley. At our
arrival in the town of Pacchar, we can stop at an award-winning craft brewery
before our private transportation takes us back to our hotel in
Urubamba.Accommodation: Hotel Villa Urubamba (or similar)

After breakfast we start our ride from our hotel to Ollantaytambo, the last
Inca living town. We will cycle along a trail which follows the Urubamba
River, the sacred river of the Incas, until we reach the town of Pachar. From
here we will take an easy descent through an ancient Inca trail that passes
through farming fields and Inca terraces until we will get to the Inca bridge
in Ollantaytambo. We visit Ollantaytambo town and fortress before having
lunch. In the afternoon we have the option to ride Cachicata to Chilca, or
further explore the town. We take the afternoon train to Aguas Calientes or
Machu Picchu town where we spend the night.

Today we explore Machu Picchu! For years it was lost to the jungle until
being re-discovered by Yale professor and world explorer Hiram Bingham in
1911, now it is recognised as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, is
listed as a UNESCO world heritage site and truly exceeds all expectations.New
regulations for visiting Machu Picchu are now fully enforced; you will be
limited to a maximum of four hours within the site and must be accompanied by
a guide. There will also be three set routes to follow around Machu Picchu;
Exodus selects the most comprehensive route. Please note that exploring the
ruins involves a reasonable amount of walking, including up and down steep
and uneven stone steps. After our visit to the site we head back down and
catch the bus back to Machu Picchu Pueblo then take the train that follows
the Urubamba River back to Cusco.

There are lots of things to see and do in Cusco, including visiting Inca
ruins and colonial churches, bargaining and buying from artisan markets or
exploring this fascinating city on foot and visiting the local restaurants
and cafes.  

Today we start our adventure towards Lake Titicaca with a transfer out of
Cusco and high onto the Altiplano. We stop at La Raya Pass (4313m) and get on
the bikes to start our cycle along a good quality tarmac road until we get to
a junction where we turn off and drive to our overnight accommodation at an
Alpaca hacienda. Here we learn all about these fascinating animals and about
rural life as we stay in rustic accommodation

Leaving the alpaca farm, we drive back to the main road and skirt the
bustling city of Juliaca, taking a small tarmac road out towards a rarely
visited peninsula of Lake Titicaca. Back on our bikes again, we cycle on
lovely quiet roads until we reach the lake shore and ride through small
villages to the lovely hamlet of Llachon. Here we meet our hosts and are
allocated a family homestay for the night. If time permits, we can take a
short hike to a lovely viewpoint over Lake Titicaca for an incredible
sunset.

Saying goodbye to our local families, we head to their dock for a gorgeous
boat ride across Lake Titicaca en route to Puno. We will stop to visit the
amazing Uros floating reed islands before arriving in the town of Puno and
our hotel for the night.

Our adventure ends after breakfast in Puno.