Thin Air and Ancient Trails

I had no idea, but our stay in Cusco coincided with Holy Week - a religious celebration marked by prayer, processions, alters, and shared meals. The markets were jammed-packed with people gathering food for celebrations.

My bike made it (thank you AirTag for your support) and while breathing heavily from the high altitude, I managed to build it up for the first day of riding.

Our first ride was considered a warm-up and it took us to the out skirts of Cusco, dropping us right back into the city centre at the end. The stoke was high when we found ourselves on super-fun single track with playful hits.

We wasted no time and went even higher into the Andes the following day. This time from our home base, The Lodge, located in the Sacred Valley. I was taken aback by the size of the mountains and the spectacular scenery. It truly was jaw-dropping. Tiny villages, alpacas, and flowers. My face was glued to the shuttle truck's window from start to finish.

The trails are all existing Inca trails. Don't let this fool you. We descended almost the entire time. Dirt single track, technical sections, and some Inca stairways made for engaging riding. Not to mention actually riding through old Inca sites.

The greatest threat to the Inca trails is actually road building. Through connecting communities and empowering sustainable tourism, guides and brothers Nico and Chente are ensuring Inca trails are preserved. They developed Senderos Forever aimed at maintaining, and promoting mountain biking trails in and around Cusco.

We weren't limited to flowy single track. There was everything, keeping each day fresh and exciting. We even rode down parts of the infamous Inca Avalancha Downhill trail.

You would be riding along, seemingly so far away from civilization and yet, still come across people living their lives. It was beautiful to witness.

The Salt Mines Of Maras.

So many Alpacas, a reminder of just how high in the Andes we really were. At our highest, we reached around 4500 metres.

A perfect blend of culture, adventure, and bikes. Peru, I will be back. You can count on it.