I wanted my 2013 holiday break to be a totally new adventure, in a country and continent I had not yet been too. With my love for mountain biking, I also wanted to have that as a part of the trip as well.
The adventure to Peru started out as just my friend Leslie and I, but my envious family soon joined in after I shared our plans with them. I was very glad to have my mom, dad and two brothers a long for the trip, especially during the holidays. My brothers were especially great to have with me when we did the famous Inca Avalanche trail (link to YouTube video), but more about that in a minute.
We began our trek to Lima, the city that you have to fly into when traveling to Peru. The flight was very manageable as it was about 8.5 hours from Los Angeles and each passenger had a personal tv screen with 100's of movies to choose from. We caught a few hours of sleep at the airport hotel and then hopped on another plane to Cusco in the morning. We had a 2 hour plane delay, but this was nothing compared to the travel stresses my family had. I had considered bringing my bike along, but after hearing about my families 3 plane delays, losing their connecting flight and bags, I decided I would of had a heart attack if my Bronson was lost in route!!
Once in Cusco we met up with my family and enjoyed a relaxing massage and dinner to prepare for our 6-day adventure ahead with KB Tambo tours based in Ollantaytambo. The culture of Peru was a bit of shock. From the housing/hotels to the Peruvian's crazy driving and streets and my very small vocabulary of Spanish, I felt far removed from the US.
The drive from Cusco to Ollantaytambo (the Sacred Valley) was very pretty, but also sad at points. Unlike California, as we climbed the mountains out of Cusco, the housing was poorer and the number of stray dogs and trash/debris increased. The land, however, was beautiful and soon there was only land and animals with the Andes mountain peaks showing. Everything was so green and lush. (December is the start to rainy season so there was a lot of moisture in the ground and air. The heavy rainfall comes in late January and February so for the majority of the trip we had a solid portion of sun during the day and usually rainfall at night). We climbed up to about 14,000ft and then dropped down to about 9,000ft into the city of Urubamba. The roads condition changed, as they often do because many of the cities are places of historical interest (sites of old ruins, etc.) and therefore are not paved, just dirt and/or stone. Did I mention people drive crazy here!! The horn is an essential piece of driving.
We arrived into Ollantaytambo after about a 2 hour drive. The city is much smaller than Cusco and has more of a "local" feeling. The view from our KB Tambo Hostal was great!
We arrived into Ollantaytambo after about a 2 hour drive. The city is much smaller than Cusco and has more of a "local" feeling. The view from our KB Tambo Hostal was great!
My perceived thoughts of a staying in a "Hostal" were low, but this Hostal was nice, minus the lack of hot water our room had--try taking a 1 minute shower. The town had many restaurants with lots of Peruvian type meals--Alpaca, guinea pig, and potatoes as well as many familiar choices on the menu. The center market had tiny stores with bottled water (a must!), healthy local Peruvian snacks (Coca granola bars), and then some Peruvian junk food. Also, very colorful, hand made hats, gloves, scarfs, and bags with llamas, donkeys, "Cusco" or "Peru" stitched on. Most items were cheap, the currency used is Soles--about 2.77 to the dollar. I did like that nuts were cheaper than in the US because this was my go to snack when I didn't eat the mystery meat or grains that more than likely would make up the majority of the meal (corn or bread). Breakfast, which was included at every hotel/hostal, every time, was no joke 1 or 2 (if you were lucky) eggs, bread and and fresh squeezed juice. What was great was the eggs came in fresh every morning and the butter was bright yellow, which means it was real butter from grass fed and more than likely free-roaming cows. Thankfully, there is a lot of potato and rice used, so I did have some carb options too. My other favorite was the beef. All through our travels we saw the cows roaming through the mountains, grazing on grass. Not once did we see a cattle farm or a fence to trap them in.
The real adventure began the next day. Our guide Sal (Salvadore), who we would come to have many laughs and great times with, gave a briefing of our trip to our group, which at the time just included 2 girls and a guy from DC, aside from my family and Leslie.
We began with a drive up a fire road about 5 miles and then riding the mountain bikes back down. Of course, cameras were snapping like crazy at the scenery, the group was slow to pick bikes and figure out seat height, how to shift, etc... Ughhh my patience was already being tested. My brothers, much like me, asked Sal for a real mountain bike ride. Sal, who loves to mountain bike, was excited to have people in the group who could mountain bike well and took us 3 on the Inca Avalanche trail. The race is every year in May/June and from the videos, is pretty gnarly race! We only had a few hours of sunlight so we only went half way up. The trail was super rocky and wet and the DH bikes were nice... 5+ years ago when they were bought. I was on a Kona which worked well, but the brakes were a bit weak and the shocks needed some TLC. Where are my Mike's Bikes mechanics when I need them?? We made it to the bottom with no falls, except for Sal who lead and missed a steep sharp turn, alerting us to not do the same! The trail had many turns, rocks, steep sections and road crossings that freaked me out because cars have crazy drivers behind the wheels. When we got to the bottom we had convinced Sal we were above the road ride slated for tomorrow and he set it up for us to do the full Inca Avalanche trail instead,while the rest of the group took the road.
We began with a drive up a fire road about 5 miles and then riding the mountain bikes back down. Of course, cameras were snapping like crazy at the scenery, the group was slow to pick bikes and figure out seat height, how to shift, etc... Ughhh my patience was already being tested. My brothers, much like me, asked Sal for a real mountain bike ride. Sal, who loves to mountain bike, was excited to have people in the group who could mountain bike well and took us 3 on the Inca Avalanche trail. The race is every year in May/June and from the videos, is pretty gnarly race! We only had a few hours of sunlight so we only went half way up. The trail was super rocky and wet and the DH bikes were nice... 5+ years ago when they were bought. I was on a Kona which worked well, but the brakes were a bit weak and the shocks needed some TLC. Where are my Mike's Bikes mechanics when I need them?? We made it to the bottom with no falls, except for Sal who lead and missed a steep sharp turn, alerting us to not do the same! The trail had many turns, rocks, steep sections and road crossings that freaked me out because cars have crazy drivers behind the wheels. When we got to the bottom we had convinced Sal we were above the road ride slated for tomorrow and he set it up for us to do the full Inca Avalanche trail instead,while the rest of the group took the road.
The top of Inca Avalanche trail added a unique portion of open grass field with some rocks that was steep and and SUPER wet. Al and I spent a little time sliding down on our butts, whereas Chris managed to make this portion keeping it on two wheels. If Peru was just a little closer, I would love to do the race! Al and Chris had fun hitting many of the jumps on the trail. Strava link.
In the afternoon we headed to Moray, the site of the benched, circular systems of terraces built to test the microclimates for different crops. Those Incans were so smart! From there, we rode our bikes on a Peruvian flat (uphill) at first and then downhill. The path was wide but there were some berms and little jumps off to the side that made it more fun. We reached a huge gap jump that my brothers inspected before deciding that getting hurt here, means a helicopter ride to the nearest hospital that is 2 hours away.
In the afternoon we headed to Moray, the site of the benched, circular systems of terraces built to test the microclimates for different crops. Those Incans were so smart! From there, we rode our bikes on a Peruvian flat (uphill) at first and then downhill. The path was wide but there were some berms and little jumps off to the side that made it more fun. We reached a huge gap jump that my brothers inspected before deciding that getting hurt here, means a helicopter ride to the nearest hospital that is 2 hours away.
The trail became more rocky and technical and a few of our group members hopped back in the van to meet us at the salt mines of Maras. Since pre-Incan times, about 3,000 pools fill up with salt water. the summer, dry season, the salt becomes thick at the surface and is scraped off and filtered. In the Incan days, the salt was special to only the elite. We continued down riding from the salt mines and only my brothers and I were left to ride this section as the trail became more rocky and and technical with sharp switch backs. Strava Link.
Our next day was a hike to the sungate. In our group of 10, 5 of us would be offered a horse. 4 jumped on the offer and so I said, what the heck, I'll ride up. I now have a new appreciation for the Western States 100 mile horse race. We did 4.5 miles straight up and I was saddle sore. Our horses were funny as they were competitive and we jockeyed for position the whole way up.The views from the top were amazing of the sacred valley. We checked out the rock quarry there. This was a place where 10,000 Inca workers would cut rock from the mountain and then throw down the mountain to use in building. I gave up the horse and hiked down (how nice am I??). Strava Link.
Going into the following day we knew we were going to be wet. We headed to the top of the glacier (~14,000ft elev.) and began our ride down to the amazon high jungle (drop of ~8,000ft). Of the 35 miles, I'd say about 5 were with no rain. However, the rain was not as bad as we crossed the half way mark down as the temperature rose and it was much warmer. Around the switch backs we would have to ride through the waterfalls path which crossed road. Some sections were deep and fast moving water. I saw these sections as fun and enjoyed the extra attention needed to cross. I was very impressed with my mom and rest of the group making all these tricky crossings! Strava link.
We hopped on a new van and sent the bikes and wet clothes back to Ollantaytambo on the other. Our new driver was an animal. We nicknamed her Danika because she was fast and thankfully really good at driving. They say the most dangerous road is in Bolivia, but I would challenge this road we took is a close 2nd. The single lane, dirt road winded along a cliff side with huge drop offs down to the river. As I mentioned before, people in Peru are crazy drivers. So as we would wind around corners we gripped the seats hoping another car wasn't doing the same the opposite direction because one of the cars was not staying on the road! We finally landed at the Eco Lodge in Santa Teresa. A really cool, natural looking lodge that I was digging until I found this guy in my room.
Lelsie and I had a fully enclosed room, whereas the others had open rooms with mosquito nets. If I could go back Id take the outside. Our room for got hot at night and we were afraid to open the windows. I slept without covers and have counted since 34 mosquito bites. No Beuno!
We took a short ride over to the hot springs where relaxed for two hours until all pruned out. The scenery was beautiful with the Andes surrounding and the Urubamba River roaring full of water. On our way back to the Eco Lodge the rain began to pour. There was a rock slide and our van couldn't make it through. However, Danika, in a hurry as usual, jumped out of the car and in the dark and rain started moving the big rocks from the road. This was very dangerous as more rocks were falling. She cleared enough road and were quickly raced through arriving safe back at the Eco Lodge.
We took a short ride over to the hot springs where relaxed for two hours until all pruned out. The scenery was beautiful with the Andes surrounding and the Urubamba River roaring full of water. On our way back to the Eco Lodge the rain began to pour. There was a rock slide and our van couldn't make it through. However, Danika, in a hurry as usual, jumped out of the car and in the dark and rain started moving the big rocks from the road. This was very dangerous as more rocks were falling. She cleared enough road and were quickly raced through arriving safe back at the Eco Lodge.
Zip lining the next day was the highlight for some in our group. This was my first time and from what the experienced said, probably the best place to go! The lines were super high and we crossed mountain to mountain. The guides were great and let us spin, go upside down, and superman style. Hungry for lunch we headed to the hydroelectric dam area just inside the Machu Picchu historical boundaries. These hydroelectric waterways are quite amazing. Holes are cut through the mountain to a river that is higher on the other side. The water runs through the mountain and drops down a tube creating great force as the water reaches the bottom.
We ate lunch and it was still sunny skies, but Sal said it would rain soon, which means our 10k walk along the train tracks to Augus Callientes (Machu Picchu) will be a wet one. You can only walk or take the train to get there. The majority of the group decided to take the train, but Leslie, Al, Brian and I decide to walk. It was a mostly flat, beautiful walk by the river and through the valley. It did indeed rain, but we felt it was refreshing. During the walk Brian, a humorous and welcomed late addition to our group, realized his passport was no longer in his pocket. He stayed calm and convinced himself it was in his back pack and would check later. We got to Augus Callientes to find he had really lost it. The most amazing story comes next, though. The whimps who took the train arrived and my brother Chris explained that after we started our trek, they moved from the lunch table and walked around. They returned 30 min later, before catching the train and sat down for a few minutes. Chris saw a stray dog (they are everywhere) and it was licking what appeared to be a US passport. He reached down to grab the passport and took a look at the photo to see it was Brian!! I told Brian if he could sell his luck, he would be a billionaire.
Dinner that night meant goodbye to our guide Sal. We had a great Peruvian dinner and then headed to bed early because we wanted to get an early start to see Machu Picchu, one of the 7 wonders of the world. We all had pre-bought the necessary and limited to only 200 people tickets to Huayna Picchu (the smaller mountain looking over the Machu Picchu site). Leslie and I wanted to be the first to the top and for good reason--we don't like tourists. We had an advantage over people because the climb was straight up and strenuous. We passed the few people who managed to get ahead in the line to enter and reached the top to enjoy the amazing views to ourselves!!
Dinner that night meant goodbye to our guide Sal. We had a great Peruvian dinner and then headed to bed early because we wanted to get an early start to see Machu Picchu, one of the 7 wonders of the world. We all had pre-bought the necessary and limited to only 200 people tickets to Huayna Picchu (the smaller mountain looking over the Machu Picchu site). Leslie and I wanted to be the first to the top and for good reason--we don't like tourists. We had an advantage over people because the climb was straight up and strenuous. We passed the few people who managed to get ahead in the line to enter and reached the top to enjoy the amazing views to ourselves!!
We continued the trek around the mountain to the hidden moon cave or cathedral. This was straight down. The cave was neat and not having anyone else around was very peaceful. We continued around where the trail was back up again then down and then up and then down. Bring your climbing legs. We finished this treak in 2 hours and 15 minutes. It's slated for 4 hours round trip. Yeah, we were proud!
We hiked around the terraces and buildings, amazed by what Incans built by hand some 600+ years ago. We thought about getting a guide to tell us about the Incan village, but opted to read a book later about it and hike back down to Augus Callientes versus taking the bus back down, which was straight down as well, so I would recommend taking the bus up! Strava Link.
Our trip was not yet done, but the consensus from the group was that it would be nice if we could just teleport back home to the US at this point. The adventure and experience had been awesome, but we were tired, with a suitcase full of stinky clothes, and feeling like we just had the best 6-7 days we could have here Peru.
We spent the whole day in the Cusco airport Saturday when our 11:30 am flight to Lima had been delayed to 6pm. Word of caution, this happens often, so allow for a day to get back to Lima before headed back home from Lima. I had my standard Peruvian 2 egg breakfast at the hotel that morning and continued to have bacon and eggs with rice for lunch and dinner. I had escaped any stomach issues thus far in the trip and didn't want to jeopardize my luck with Cusco airport food.
Our trip was not yet done, but the consensus from the group was that it would be nice if we could just teleport back home to the US at this point. The adventure and experience had been awesome, but we were tired, with a suitcase full of stinky clothes, and feeling like we just had the best 6-7 days we could have here Peru.
We spent the whole day in the Cusco airport Saturday when our 11:30 am flight to Lima had been delayed to 6pm. Word of caution, this happens often, so allow for a day to get back to Lima before headed back home from Lima. I had my standard Peruvian 2 egg breakfast at the hotel that morning and continued to have bacon and eggs with rice for lunch and dinner. I had escaped any stomach issues thus far in the trip and didn't want to jeopardize my luck with Cusco airport food.
Our last day was one more mountain bike ride. I really wanted to do the Ride Olleros downhill trail from 10,000+ ft in the mountains down to the ocean that is north of Lima about 4 hours, but in an effort to keep the family together I picked a XC ride south of Lima 1 hour in Pachamac. The ride was hot and dusty.
Only Leslie, my Dad and brother Chris came with me for the ride, the rest were not in for the adventure of heat and having to pedal yourself uphill. At first, we were all tired and agitated from the trip and the heat and uphill fire road was less than impressive. Chris and I went off onto some more advanced terrain that turned into single track. This made the ride more fun and the views became better as we were up higher and could see the sand dunes and further out to the ocean. We traversed up and down and took a skinny trail which had a water canal drop off to one side and then a sand cliff drop off. Our guides advice: do not fall. We thankfully stopped in a tiny town and pounded a Sportade and grabbed an extra water. Chris and I decided that we were in Egypt. After all, Lima is the seconds at driest Capitol city after Caro. At the 2 hour mark I could feel my face full of heat and water low again. I told our guide in basic English and hand signals I knew he would understand. "Take us back. We are done". He did and that made me happy. All in all, it was a good ride and I would choose it any day over sitting around a busy city like Lima! Strava Link.
Only Leslie, my Dad and brother Chris came with me for the ride, the rest were not in for the adventure of heat and having to pedal yourself uphill. At first, we were all tired and agitated from the trip and the heat and uphill fire road was less than impressive. Chris and I went off onto some more advanced terrain that turned into single track. This made the ride more fun and the views became better as we were up higher and could see the sand dunes and further out to the ocean. We traversed up and down and took a skinny trail which had a water canal drop off to one side and then a sand cliff drop off. Our guides advice: do not fall. We thankfully stopped in a tiny town and pounded a Sportade and grabbed an extra water. Chris and I decided that we were in Egypt. After all, Lima is the seconds at driest Capitol city after Caro. At the 2 hour mark I could feel my face full of heat and water low again. I told our guide in basic English and hand signals I knew he would understand. "Take us back. We are done". He did and that made me happy. All in all, it was a good ride and I would choose it any day over sitting around a busy city like Lima! Strava Link.
Peru, you have been really great! If I make a return it will be with a bike I trust in hand and a full schedule of free riding exploring on your many trails!! For anyone looking to travel to Peru, I highly recommend lots of clean underwear and socks. Oh and having a guide :) KB Tambo and Sal were awesome!
Salvattorecarlotto.com
http://kbperu.com
By Amy Morrison
Salvattorecarlotto.com
http://kbperu.com
By Amy Morrison