***5 Day Ride Only Cusco to Cusco for only $ 2180 USD ***
We give you the option of a fully inclusive package or the option of taking the Ride only

Ride from Mountain Lodge to Mountain Lodge

A unique riding experience in the high Andes with the
comfort of Mountain Lodges using Llamas as Pack Animals

[SUITABLE FOR FAMILIES]

This will be a travel day from home and most flights from North America and Europe arrive in the early to late evening. We greet you off your flight and take you to a small safe hotel just 12 minutes from the airport or you can ask for the available upgrade to the 4* Ramada Airport Hotel right next to arrivals.

Transfer to the airport and flight to Cusco. We will meet your arrival at the Cusco airport and escort you to our centrally located hotel. Time off and then lunch with your guide. The afternoon is scheduled for a walking introduction to the archaeological and colonial highlights of the old capital of the Inca’s and the nearby important ruins... This 3-4 hour tour takes you to all the important Inca sites in Cusco town and environs. We start with a visit to the most sacred of Inca sites - the Koricancha. Winding out of town we will take in the megalithic fortress of Sacsayhuaman where our ride leader describes the rituals and ceremonies that would have taken place at the massive walled limestone constructions and sculptured terraces surrounding the immense central plaza the strange temple of Kenko and the water fountains of Tambomachay. We gather for dinner and discussion at our favorite restaurant near our centrally located comfortable lodging in Cusco. B: L: D.

After a substantial breakfast we’ll take the short drive to the traditional village of Lamay near Pisac. Here we’ll meet our Horses and wranglers at our Lamay stables and get to know our horses who will be taking us around “Apu Ausangate” and then we’ll head off up the pleasant Lamay Valley, as peasant farmers using traditional foot ploughs, till the fields. This will be a full day ride through the Andean countryside past the traditional village of Sahua and following the Del Carmen River up past Poques, carrying a gourmet picnic lunch with Chilean wine. We’ll be visiting isolated farming communities with stunning views of the Cordillera Vilcanota and visit deep blue high Andean Lake full of waterfowl such as Giant Coots and Andean Geese. As we drop back into the Lamay valley our horses will pick up speed as they know they are heading home and we’ll arrive at our stables in Lamay in the late afternoon The scenery is unsurpassed, as are our string of horses which are well trained, well groomed and well looked after. Our van will be waiting to drive you back to your hotel in the Sacred Valley. We provide a gourmet picnic lunch with plenty of liquids, Dinner with your guide. B: L:D

The Sacred Valley is the location of the major Inca temple/fortress of Ollantaytambo. Probably built by the great Inca ruler, Pachacuti in the 1460s, it was the site of Hernando Pizzaro’s defeat by Manco Inca in 1536. Constructed of finely cut polygonal stones and rhyolite blocks, the fortress and nearby town represent the best of Inca architecture and construction. Large worked blocks, some weighing as much as 100 tons were quarried from a site more than a thousand vertical feet above the valley floor using a technique of pecking with hammer stones, then skidded down and across the Urubamba river several kilometers to the temple site. Inclined ramps were built to raise the blocks several hundred feet up hill to the construction area. We have ample time to examine the complex and ponder its many mysteries. We will also undertake a hiking tour of the extensive Inca hill top complex of Pisac. We spend the night at our selected country hotel Dinner and good conversation follows...we slip off to our rooms to ponder the mystery of the last Incas and the upcoming ride, before drifting into undisturbed slumber. B:L:D

We board the morning narrow gauge Orient Express train heading down valley. An interesting hour or so of click, clack and sway with all of the accompanying sounds and smells of rural Peru takes us to our final destination, Machu Picchu and the bustling backpacker town of Aguas Calientes, located some 2,000 ft. below Hiram Bingham’s great 1910 discovery. MACHU PICCHU is one of the most magical and mysterious places on Earth! Situated on the spine of a jungle cloaked granite peak towering some 2,000 ft. above an entrenched meander of the roaring river below, the site is frequently shrouded in misty clouds pierced by the powerful equatorial sun, the INCA GOD INTI. Constructed from precisely sculptured granite blocks carefully joined with the projecting exposed stone of the surrounding mountain, the site may well be the finest architectural achievement of the new world. The day is yours to explore and photograph. We’ll meet later at the Intihuatana stone. Our guide concludes the story of the raise and fall of the ancient civilizations of the Andes with the tragic end of the Inca and the unresolved mystery that this "lost city" remains. We bus back down to Aguas Calientes. Boarding the Cusco bound afternoon train we arrive back in the Capital of the Inca and comfortable rooms at our selected hotel, near the central plaza. Our ride guide will help us prepare for to-morrows adventure. B: L: D

RIDE STARTS HERE: Leisurely departure from Cusco along the fertile Vilcanota Valley to the town of Checacupe (1 hour and a half, 100 km) and we are reunited with our horses and Quechua Wranglers. After a visit to the colonial temple of the Immaculate Conception, we start the ride, ascending the Pitumarca valley, along the spectacular Japura gorge that leads to Chillca, where we will be greeted by the community. From here it is a short and easy ride to the first “Tambo” (45 minutes). Once at the lodge there will be time to relax and enjoy the music provided by the locals of Chillca. Riding time 2 hours.

Our Ride to-day begins at 08.30 in the wide valley of Upis where impressive glaciated mountains loom above the valley offering majestic views. The trail narrows as we make our way towards the waterfalls descending from the Santa Catalina mountain. This path is mostly used by the wandering llamas of the area and once we reach the small Paloma lagoon the countryside will be dotted with these animals, and also a large number of alpacas. After riding along a second lagoon and crossing a long series of moraines, we will reach the Machuracay Tambo, located right at the bottom of the Apu Ausangate. Riding time 5 hours

After a demanding ascent of the Palomani pass at an elevation of 5,200 m. / 17,000 ft., we will descend to Ausangatecocha. Tremendous views of the glaciated south face of the “apu” will inspire us as we continue towards the red sandstone formations of the “Nevado del Inca”. Overnight stay in the Anantapata Tambo. Riding time 5 hours

A spectacular part of the trail finds us riding in the middle of mountains with red, ochre, and blue strata. This section offers a glimpse of marvelous geological wonder and natural beauty. Also, be on the lookout for groups of gracious vicuñas, as they are frequently spotted in this isolated area. We will sleep that night in the Huampococha Tambo, in the heart of large rock formations near a lagoon where “huallatas” (Andean Geese) make their nests. Riding time 5 hours

After a last climb over the Anta pass, we will gradually make our descent. In this section the first crops and houses come into view. The landscape changes quickly as the red sandstone formations are followed by the carsten erosion of limestone, forming a one of a kind stone forest, and a perfect habitat for “vizcacha” (members of the chinchilla family). Spectacular descent on the Pitumarca valley to Huito By the time we get down the valley, our bus will be waiting for the return trip to Cusco and our centrally located hotel. Riding time 5 hours.RIDE FINISHES HERE:

This is the day to rest, shop and wander around Cusco. The city abounds with small shops and street side vendors selling their wares. Colorful weavings and hand made alpaca sweaters are popular gifts for friends at home. Most migrate to the Cross Keys, Cusco's only authentic English Pub, for drinks and lively conversation with the resident congregation of guides, expatriates, adventurers, treasure hunters and smugglers from far corners of the universe. B.D

Morning to enjoy Cusco and we take you to the airport for connecting flights home. B

In Cusco and Lima we use comfortable 3 star inns and hotels but if you want to upgrade to 4 or 5 star hotels – just let us know!