On arrival in Cusco airport please proceed to the baggage hall. At the exit to the building your transfer guide, will be waiting for you with a sign at the barrier outside the arrivals gate.

Your guide will then escort you on the seventy-minute journey to the Sacred Valley and your hotel for the night. Your guide will introduce you to the land of the Incas and hold a trip consultation for the adventure ahead.

Lunch in restaurant

You begin with an optional visit to Pisac village. At this small town based in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, we can stop for a stroll around the lovely Plaza de Armas and artisan market stalls.

Just across the Urubamba river from Pisac lies the village of Taray. Here we unload the bikes, you kit up and following full instruction in the use of your electric assist mountain bike, begin your Sacred Valley cycle.

This lovely dirt track undulates between local villages and haciendas, where we can see traditional farming methods still in use against the beautiful backdrop of glaciated mountains and Inca ruins. Passing by Qoya, Calca, Huaran and Huayllabamba you stop for a picnic lunch en-route.

With the help of the electric motors, climbs cease to exist as you whizz along on this virtual traffic free road with stunning views of the Sacred Valley and the Urubamba River.

A short road transfer around Urubamba and you are back on a by-road, crossing the Urubamba river beside the train tracks and so to Pacchar and then beside towering, perfectly preserved Inca terrace, we arrive at Ollantaytambo.

The support vehicle is on hand throughout the day, allowing us to carry any extra gear or weary riders.

This full day of e-biking along the length of the Sacred Valley of the Incas will be one of the highlights of your trip to Peru.

Today, you head to our water sports centre on the shores of Lake Huaypo for some active options. Set amongst fields of corn with fantastic views across to the snow-capped Vilcanota mountains, this is a relaxing rural setting and the perfect place to acclimatise and enjoy some fun on the water.

Choose between exploring the lake on our Stand-Up Paddleboards or Sit On Top Kayaks. Once fully kitted up in wetsuits, booties and life jackets, your expert guide will give you full instruction on these easy-to-use crafts before you head out through the reeds and onto the lake itself.

To paddle across lake Huaypo is a magical experience as you glide along enjoying spectacular views of the Andes mountains and the local farms and hopefully glimpse some of the birdlife that use Huaypo as a migration base including the rare Andean Flamingo. On the far side of the lake, we enjoy some snacks before heading back to our base in time for hot showers and lunch.

Today's lunch is made on-site with local products and freshly prepared natural drinks. This could be a delicious buffet or an upgrade to either a traditional Pachamanca pit roast of meat and vegetables or a cooking display of traditional Peruvian dishes.

There's time to relax in our hammocks and enjoy the stunning views before we say farewell to Huaypo and take a dirt road to the incredible ruins of Moray. These rarely visited circular ruins are thought to have been agricultural experimental stations in the times of the Incas.

After visiting the ruins, we head back across the plains through the interesting town of Maras to visit the amazing Salineras, a series of salt pans that have been worked since Inca times.

We explore this amazing site before finally returning to our hotel after a full day of fun, culture, fine dining and history.

Maras salt-pans entrance

Pachamanca: 

A Pachamanca is a traditional way of preparing food in the Andes. In the absence of a stove an oven is built out of stones, the stones are heated with a wood fire and once brought to a very high temperature. The meat and vegetables are then carefully covered with the rocks. Herbs are then added and the whole mound is covered by wet sheets and finally a mound of earth.

After thirty-five minutes the meal is ready and we have the pleasure of digging up our delicious potatoes, yams, corn, fava beans, and meat straight from the earth.

We start early in the morning and transfer to the train station for the beautiful journey towards Machu Picchu. At km104 we alight, pass through the control and start our walk past the interesting ruins at Chachabamba. Following an ancient Inca trail, we ascend through tropical cloud forest and climb high above the roaring Urubamba River. Whilst walking all you need to carry is a daypack.

An initially challenging ascent is replaced by satisfaction as we reach Wiñay Wayna, a beautiful Inca ruin full of swallows and orchids. We enjoy a picnic lunch and, time permitting, visit these impressive ruins before joining what is generally considered to be the most spectacular part of the Inca Trail. The contour path through the fascinating cloud forest leads to Inti Puncu, ‘the gateway of the Sun’ and our first glimpse of Machu Picchu.

We savour the moment, take photos and then once in the ruins themselves, your guide will give you an extensive walking tour of Machu Picchu and explain the fascinating history of the Incas.

We catch an afternoon bus to Machu Picchu town and transfer to the train station, where you can catch a late train back to Ollantaytambo and onwards to your hotel.

A twenty minute bus rides brings us back to Machu Picchu where our guide will show us around and explain just how the Incas managed to  build with such precision and beauty on this remote hilltop.  From alters used for human sacrifices, temples carved in the shape of condors through to stones used to tie the sun, this is a history lesson everyone will enjoy.  If you are really lucky, you may even see Paddington Bear and his marmalade sandwich.  Today we will have lunch in Sanctuary Lodge.

Take a short Cusco art workshop and work with a local artist to decorate your very own Pucara Bull.

You will learn and apply the gilding techniques so important to traditional Cusco art. You will learn about the history of the bulls and their role in local customs. And about the Cusco School of Art and its fusion of Andean culture with European.

Your workshop takes place in Florencia y Fortunata Café and will be led by a member of the Totemiq Art Collective.

Metal laminates and Acrylic paints are supplied to decorate your ceramic Pucara Bull.

Included in the workshop is a Coffee cocktail by the Florencia Fortunata Café. Also, a short talk on the importance of the local women producers. These ladies contribute to the education and gender equity in the world of coffee in Cusco.

Also a 250g bag of their delicious coffee as a souvenir.

This is a great way to create your own very special souvenir and pass a fun, relaxing and educational two hours.

This is a unique chance to paddle a one day section of the mighty Rio Apurimac, through a 3000m deep canyon on the true source of the Rio Amazon. This is a massive day of total adventure, You will be rewarded with spectacular views, amazing whitewater, pristine beaches and great memories.

We pick you up early for the spectacular drive to the Apurimac canyon, hopefully glimpsing on route the snow-capped Vilcanota mountain range and Salcantay Massif before descending an incredible road into the canyon and so to our starting point on the banks of the Apurimac. Here we inflate our specialised rafts, and, following a full safety talk and instruction in the art of white water rafting, we head off into the canyon in search of adventure.

We travel through the most spectacular canyon with world class rapids, interspersed with gentle floats, elusive wildlife and amazing scenery. We stop to explore side canyons, have lunch on a deserted beach before enjoying more fun rapids to our take out at Puente Huallpacachaca where we celebrate our day with cold drinks, before jumping in the vehicles for the journey back to your hotel, having had a genuine "mini expedition" on the Rio Apurimac.

Today you are free to wander around Cusco, explore the cobbled side streets of the San Blas artist district or stare in awe at the Inca treasures in the many museums.

This afternoon we will take you to the airport for your onward journey, perhaps to Lake Titicaca, the Amazon jungle, or even just home.