Embark on an incredible Peru mountain biking adventure that encompasses breathtaking scenery, ancient history and epic rides on Cusco’s top-notch trails. Feel the adrenaline rush as you descend over 25,000 feet (7,620 meters), including routes through Inca ruins, guided by expert locals. This intermediate to advanced-level Cusco MTB journey takes you through diverse terrains, from captivating single tracks to Incan staircases and challenging rock gardens, all with vehicle support. Prepare for an unforgettable mountain biking vacation in Peru, where every moment leaves you breathless with wonder.
Discover the thrill of mountain biking in Peru's stunning Cusco region, where epic trails, ancient ruins, and cultural immersion await, all in a 7-day adventure of a lifetime.
What you get on this adventure:
The 12-day tour also includes:
What’s not included:
These Peru MTB tous are designed for avid, intermediate to advanced mountain bikers who want to be challenged and thrilled. You can expect enduro-style tours with lots of all-mountain style downhill (not hardcore with crazy jumps and drops — just fast downhill riding and traversing).
Ideal participants have 3+ years of riding on singletrack with features such as rock gardens, steep sections, rolls and drops, roots, and small jumps. You should be confident on the bike, constantly looking to improve your skills, and enjoy riding for extended periods of time climbing and descending in terrain of all sorts.
Regarding fitness, you should be exercising 1-2 times a week. It is expected that climbs and long descents might give you some trouble and you tend to get tired after about 2-3 hours on the bike.
Keep in mind that this tour includes several days of non-stop biking. Do not overstep your limits. However, you can always walk any section of the trail that you are not comfortable riding. There will also be free days to relax and regain energy.
Here’s a list of the equipment you need to bring:
Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season. Layers are best and don’t wear jeans.
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On each ride you should have a Camelbak with water, snacks, rain jacket and whatever bike tools you need for the trail. Since we sleep in a hotel each night, we do not need to carry any additional gear with us.
Your main luggage will remain at the hotel or come with you in the shuttle vehicle when you move to another location. As for bike bags, they can be stored at the Haku shop with bikes while in Cusco. In the Sacred Valley, the bikes are stored at the hotel. Your guides can provide smaller duffel bags for you if you should need one for excursions to the valley.
Yes, you are welcome to bring your bike with you or rent it from your guides for an added fee. Save yourself the hassle of bringing a bike and rent one from a fleet of bikes your guiding company owns. They recommend the Kona Process 153 full suspension mountain bikes for these tours.
E-bikes are not required on these trips as they are 95% downhill. All the trips include a shuttle drop off to the top of the routes.
Packing your bike for a trip like this requires either a bike bag or a bicycle box. You can contact your local bike shop and generally get one for free or very cheap.
If you have a bike bag like Evoc or Dakine there will be directions of what goes where. Make sure to tie up the chain so it does not move and scratch the bike. Tie up any loose ends with zip ties or string.
If you are using a bike box you will need to put in a tire or two first then the frame (and maybe the second tire) with the bars strapped to the bike. Make sure nothing moves. I usually use zip ties to make sure the tires are strapped in one place with the frame. Also make sure that the cog set is facing away from the bike. This will scratch the bike otherwise.
Once everything is packed you can often put a few extra items inside like your helmet and bike shoes. You will want to keep the bag at 23 kilos/50 pounds unless the company you are flying with allows for more weight without a price increase. Don’t forget to put your name, address, phone number and email on the bag or box.
If you are bringing your bike, think about packing these as well:
These Peru mountain bike tours include breakfast from your hotel each day and lunch on ride days.
Lunch will be held at local restaurants or in the homes of locals who live on the trail. All of the food is produced locally and most often organic. Most meals are a large bowl of soup followed by a main meal (generally meat, chicken or trout along with rice, potatoes, and vegetables). Most lunches do not contain flour. If you don’t eat meat, you can get a plate that has rice, eggs and fried plantain. All the meat is free range, grass fed and produced by local farmers with small farms.
If you have dietary restrictions please let us know during the booking process.
Your guides will also provide snacks for the ride days. However, Peru does not have the same high calorie snacks that most developed countries have so feel free to bring extra energy bars you already enjoy! Your guides will also provide water for the rides. You will need a bottle or camel pack to fill up.
Dinner (except the farewell dinner) is not included so that you can explore Cusco’s amazing food scene on your own.
During the tour, you will stay at local hotels, fincas or Airbnbs, depending on the size of the group or the location you are in.
Group sizes and prices:
If you would like to book specific dates or travel with a larger group, contact us and we will arrange a private tour for you.
Min. age requirements:
To get to Cusco, most people fly into Lima International Airport, about an hour away by plane. Layovers are often long and arrivals to Lima are generally around 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. You can spend a night there before flying to Cusco in the morning. Due to the rugged terrain, it’s bet to avoid other types of travel as it may take you 20 hours to reach Cusco.
When you land in Cusco, you guides will pick you up and drop you off with your mountain bike at your accommodation. A driver will be waiting at the Cusco airport for you with a sign with your name. Your guides can also arrange your transportation to the airport on any date you leave from Cusco.
You can arrive on day one and leave on the last day of your adventure but due to the very high altitude of Cusco, it’s best to arrive early to aclimatize.
If you are brining your bike, look into how much baggage you are allowed and how much an oversized bag will cost you as all bicycles are oversized.
You will be given a tourist visa at the Lima airport, typically they are for 90 days. Check that you do not need a visa for any of the countries you will be passing through on your layovers.
Your passport must have 6 months validity in order to enter Peru.
There are no vaccine requirements in order to enter Peru.
We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with both emergency medical and travel insurance. With medical insurance, if you have an accident or medical emergency on or off the mountain, you’ll avoid paying out of pocket for costly expenses. This covers everything from hospital treatments to emergency air transportation and more.
Travel insurance covers canceled flights, natural disasters and other scenarios that may interrupt your travel plans.
We also expect you to respect local regulations and take measures to protect yourselves, your guides, and the communities you’re traveling to. For more information on travel recommendations and restrictions in Cusco, Peru please refer to the official tourism website of Peru.
If you need assistance selecting the right insurance for your group, let us know and we will be happy to help!
It’s recommended to bring cash when you’re traveling to Peru. Most people don’t have bank accounts so services like Venmo, Pay-Pal, and Apple Pay aren’t used here. Most local stores, taxis, and local restaurants are cash only.
ATMS charge around $8 to take out $60-200 and banks only allow a small withdrawal daily so it’s probably a good idea to take a good sum of cash before you come to Peru.
Strikes are very common in Peru and on those occasions, all transport will shut down. This means that trains to Machu Picchu, busses to train stations, taxis and private cars won’t work. You may miss a flight or the tour, so make sure you purchase travel insurance as you guides will not be responsible for strikes and how it affects your tour.
Also keep in mind that flights are often delayed or canceled, natural disasters are common and your guides will not be responsible for your loss of activities during the tour.
An $800 deposit to secure your place is due upon booking. The remaining amount is paid 3 months (90 days) prior to departure. Once the trip is confirmed by the guide, the cancellation policy stated below applies.
NOTE: As this is Peru, things like flight delays, route closures, weather, labor strikes, and landslides can cause unexpected changes in plans, so your cooperation when the itinerary needs to be flexible is appreciated. We strongly suggest you purchase trip insurance that will cover you in the case of a missed trip.
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