Peru Favorite Adventures

OUR FAVORITE ADVENTURES

Peru

Our Peru Favorite Adventures

Peru is full of opportunities to complete world class outdoor adventures and visit fascinating indigenous communities. Here are a few of our favorite adventures.

# 1. Completing the Ausangate Circuit

The Ausangate Circuit is a 5 day, 4 night circuit around the massive Ausangate Massif to the south of Cusco. This is a hard core, high altitude hike that shouldn’t be taken lightly. But if you do complete it, you will be rewarded with amazing scenery. And even better, you’ll likely have it almost all to yourself. There are two ways to do it: solo or with a trekking company. You can also bikepack it. On the way to Ausangate from Cusco, don’t forget to visit Rainbow Mountain, or Montaña de Siete Colores.

# 2. Exploring Gaucho and Mapuche Communities

In our opinion, the mountain biking in Cusco is some of the best in the world. From long enduro trails in the Andahuaylillas and Sacred Valleys to high altitude bikepacking routes like the Ausangate Circuit, Peru has it all. There are a few guides we’d recommend using if you chose to mountain bike in the region. The first Ramon Murillo Castro, who owns Aventura Andina in Andahuaylillas (which you can find on Facebook), is a great guide for long enduro routes in the Andahuaylillas Valley. He has developed around 30 amazing and long trails in the Andahuaylillas Valley. If you ask, he’ll bring you on one of his “secret” rides as long as you promise not to use Strava! Ramon also has a nice lodge in the Andahuaylillas Valley. The second guide we’d recommend is Robert Pacheco who owns Peru Biking and is the great guide for bikepacking trips, including the Ausangate Circuit. He can also arrange local enduro rides in Cusco. Here’s a video of Robert’s Ausangate bikepacking trip and another video of his trips in and around Cusco. And the third guide we would recommend is Vicente Chirinos (“Chente”) who owns Peruvian Mountain Rides (http://peruvianmountainrides.com) and has an amazing lodge where you can stay and ride in the Sacred Valley.

# 3. Exploring Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca is not only the birthplace of the Incas, it is also one of the highest lakes in the world and the spiritual center of the Andes. The islands in Lake Titicaca provide amazing opportunities to experience indigenous Peruvian (and Bolivian) culture. We spent a few nights with an indigenous Taquileño family on Taquile Island, a small island on Lake Titicaca. If you would like to stay with Hector and his family here are the details.

# 4. Exploring the Indigenous Communities, Ruins, and Waterfalls of the Northern Highlands

The Northern Highlands is an amazing off-the-beaten-path region consisting of unexplored jungles and mountain ranges. It is also full of the relatively unexplored ruins of the Chachapoyas or “Warriors of the Clouds”, a mysterious and sophisticated pre Inca civilization. Some of the highlights of the Northern Highlands include the Gocta Waterfall, a 2,500 foot waterfall and the third highest waterfall in the world, Kuelap, an amazing Chachapoyas ruin, and the indigenous towns of Cajamarca and Celendín. If we could only go to one region of Peru this or the Cordillera Blanca would be it.

# 5. Exploring the Sacred Valley

The Sacred Valley to the north of Cusco, which is formed by the Urubamba River, is packed full of amazing ruins. The biggest are Ollantaytambo and Pisac which are well worth it. But the Sacred Valley is also full of additional ruins that are worth exploring including Huchuy Qosqo and Moray. One way to explore these ruins is to stay in Cusco and jump on a tour. Another way to explore these ruins is to stay in the Sacred Valley and take colectivos or taxis to visit them. The later approach enables you to get to the ruins early in the morning before the tour buses arrive.

# 6. Giving Back to an Indigenous Community

As described in our adventure report we teamed up with a local couple to buy and collect donations of clothes and toys to give to kids in the poor communities surrounding the Ausangate Massif. Doing something like this may sound a bit complex but it really isn’t. You can buy clothes and toys for kids in markets throughout Peru. We’d recommend teaming up with a local in Cusco or elsewhere in Peru to identify an indigenous community or communities that could use your help and then turning the donation process into a single or multi day adventure.

# 7. Hiking in the Cordillera Blanca

The Cordillera Blanca is one of the most beautiful areas of Peru. It also offers amazing high altitude hiking. These day hikes include beautiful day hikes like Laguna Paron (from Caraz) and Laguna 69 (from Huaraz), which are great for acclimatization. Longer hikes include the Santa Cruz Trek and, if you want something really tough, the longer Cordillera Huayhuash Circuit.

# 8. Running the “Apu”

The “Apu” is considered to be one of the top 5 rivers in the world for kayaking and rafting. And to make it even better, trips down the Apu are cheap. But the Apu can still be dangerous so we’d recommend booking with Apurimac Explorer. Their guides (both kayakers and rafters) are some of the best in the world.

# 9. Visiting Machu Picchu

Despite its continued rise in popularity, Machu Picchu is still worth visiting. We were struck by the energy we felt there, and we were happy we made the effort to witness the magic for ourselves. To make visiting Machu Picchu more adventurous, you may want to drive or hike there.

# 10. Visiting the Amazon

There are multiple ways to visit the Amazon in Peru. Exploring the Amazon using Iquitos as a base, which Leah did, is a popular option, but you have to fly from Cusco or Lima to Iquitos. Another option is to explore the Amazon using Manu as a base. We’ve heard good things about the Manu (specifically the Manu Cultural Cultural Zone), but haven’t been there ourselves. One of the benefits of the Manu Cultural Zone is the fact that it can be reached via a full day drive from Cusco.