WHY THIS TRIP
The Inca Trail Multisport is an active and adventurous journey that gets you off the beaten path to explore the culture and history of the Incas and their descendants still living in the Machu Picchu area around Cusco and the Sacred Valley. You will visit the more popular sites in unusual ways, and at different times than most tourists, then you will hike the Inca Trail on the 5-day schedule so you avoid the crowds and have time to explore ruins along the way.
TRIP DESCRIPTION
From the get-go you’re on the perfect trip, beginning with an altitude acclimatization stroll around Cusco. Then it’s on to a relaxing pace of thrills a day. No kidding, your local guides know this area like the back of their hand and pace the days for maximum enjoyment away from the rush of a crowd.
So, relax, savor the day as you float whitewater rapids of the upper Urubamba River. Mosey about the colorful Pisac artisan market. Pick your speed as you mountain bike the Sacred Valley of the Incas. The height of the experience is a multi-day hiking journey on the iconic Inca Trail (*) to Peru’s most famous landmark, Machu Picchu.
Your professional guides are keenly aware that your hike of the Inca Trail is likely your only chance for a once-in-a-lifetime experience on the world-renowned trail. Focused on a memorable adventure from one end to the other, your guides assure comfortable camps and great meals on a five-day journey rather than a blistering three. For ideal on-trail exploration and viewing, your guides stagger the start of each day and follow a hiking plan to avoid crowds. If you want to relish your time on the Inca Trail to Macchu Picchu, this is your trip.
* If the Inca Trail permits are sold out for your dates, you can opt for the Lares Valley Trek for Days 4 through 7 (see itinerary below).
LOCAL OPERATOR: AMAZONAS EXPLORER
For more than three decades Amazonas Explorer has led high-quality trips and alternative adventures throughout South America. Based in Cusco, its professionally trained guides, cooks and support crew bring their passion and skills to the travelers they serve and, in turn, build rewarding careers for themselves. This talented staff of local experts is focused on providing you with safe and comfortable adventures, all centered on making your holiday as memorable as possible.
Alice –
We had a fantastic trip! I am so impressed with Amazonas Explorer…..they were 100% reliable, friendly, well equipped and well organized. Our guide Jimmy was so great….we did have him (and a cook, driver and other helper) to ourselves for the biking, rafting, Cusco tour and the tour of Inca sites around Cusco . He was so knowledgeable and friendly, spoke English well (and also Spanish and Quechua…we couldn’t absorb a quarter of all he told us about, it was so much. Perfect guide in every way. The meals were always delicious, hot and elaborate, way more than we expected in the field.
The trek was awesome; harder than we expected (for me the uphills, for Dan the fear of heights did get to him sometimes), BUT, we persevered and did just fine. Our companions were Brits that were about 30 years old; but the group did well together. I am still amazed at the porters running up and down in their sandals with huge packs on their back. And the rafting…Jimmy and Henry, in a kayak, were obviously VERY skilled; it was the most exciting whitewater I have ever done. We also got a chance to pedal through a number of villages in the Scared Valley away from the main highway….a real eye-opener.
I am SOOO thankful we didn’t sign on with one of those trek companies that did the Inca Trailin 3 or 4 days…..it would have been more miserable than fun to go so far in one day. And they left the last camp to go down the steepest places in the middle of the night, to catch the sunrise (which would have been clouded over)! No way!
And Macchu Picchu was of course, spectacular. Obviously. I feel particularly blessed that we were able to visit so many other ruins with no other people around, with a guide who knew all about them. Truly an unforgettable trip. Thanks for everything, Alice