Ebiking in Cusco and the Sacred Valley

Ebiking from Cusco to Pisac ride is an enjoyable and environmentally friendly way to get from Cusco to the Sacred Valley, It is mainly flat and on quiet roads or wide dirt tracks.

While possible to start to Ebike in Cusco itself, we find it best for your safety and enjoyment to begin this Ebike ride 20 minutes outside Cusco at Saylla. We will transfer you by vehicle to the starting point.

At Saylla you take a quiet road, then climb easily with the help of your Ebike battery assist, to the Inca site of Tipon. This was a water temple and has some delightful stone canals.

After exploring Tipon you mount your Ebikes and descend back to the valley. A quiet dirt road takes you to Lake Huacarpay and a lunch spot with a view.

If there is time, there may be the option to visit the Wari archaeological site of Pikillacta. The Wari were one of the cultures that existed before the Incas and these ruins are very different from the Inca sites you will see.

You continue your Ebike tour along the San Salvador valley, which is the start of the Sacred Valley. Quinoa is grown in this area as well as corn. At certain times of the year, the fields will be full of the purple quinoa seedheads.

The ride ends at Pisac.

Lunch along the way

Included: English-speaking guide, transport, lunch, Ebike, helmet, gloves, equipment 

This Ebike ride starts at Chinchero, 45 minutes from Cusco and half an hour above the Sacred Valley. It is one of the most popular Ebike rides in the Cusco area. Chinchero is famous for its weavers. You can visit one of the weaving cooperatives or the Inca site and colonial church, depending on time.

Once on your Ebike, you ride an easy trail to Lake Huaypo where you will have lunch.

You continue to the Maras saltpans, which have been worked by local families for centuries. Recently the salt has risen to prominence for its health benefits and it is sold throughout Cusco, and used by top Peruvian chefs.

You mount your Ebike and contiue to Moray, a set of concentric circular terraces built by the Incas as an agricultural research station.

From here, you carry on Ebiking into the Sacred Valley, coming out at Pachar, home to the Sacred Valley craft brewery. If open you could enjoy a drink here, or alternatively carry onto Ollantaytambo.

Included: English-speaking guide, transport, lunch, Ebike, helmet, gloves, equipment 

We start this ride just outside the town of Urubamba on a rarely used dirt road.

Following a full instruction in the art of E biking (Full suspension Electric Assisted Mountain bikes), we set off along the Sacred Valley, passing small hamlets, through fields of potatoes and giant corn and enjoying the views as we effortlessly whizz along.

We cross the Urubamba river on an old railway bridge and then take what used to be an Inca trail but is now a virtually untransited dirt road. Soon we see our first vestiges of Inca ruins, vast terraces beside which we cycle. Passing Pachar, we continue on to the Inca town of Ollantaytambo and so to our lunch at el Albergue farm.

A Pachamanca is a traditional way of preparing food in the Andes. In the absence of a stove an oven is built out of stones, the stones are heated with a wood fire and once brought to a very high temperature. The meat and vegetables are then carefully covered with the rocks.Herbs are then added and the whole mound is covered by wet sheets and finally a mound of earth.

While the meal is cooking, you will be shown around this organic farm, working to sustainable methods to provide food for the Cafe Mayu restaurant. After 45 minutes the meal is ready and we have the pleasure of digging our delicious potatoes, yams, corn, fava beans, lamb, pork, alpaca, and chicken straight from the earth.

You can enjoy your meal under a thatch roof in the middle of the farm with views of the Inca temple of Ollantaytambo, mount Pinkulluna and the Veronica glacier. Food is served family style accompanied by chicha, fresh salads and a variety of sauces, including our tasty uchucutas. Beer and wine are available upon request, and we offer our signature Matacuy as a complimentary digestif after the meal. This is made in the on site distillery, where you can also taste Caña Alta, a sugar cane spirit being distilled here in an attempt to revive lost traditions.

This afternoon, we visit the Inca town of Ollantaytambo with an optional visit of its impressive Inca ruins ( you must have a tourist ticket for this). Ollantaytambo was the site of a huge battle between the Spanish and the Incas and the village remains almost intact from Inca times.

We then return to your hotel for the night (or your onward journey to Machu Picchu)

Included: English-speaking guide, transport, lunch, Ebike, helmet, gloves, equipment 

You start by visiting Pisac ruins with your guide.

You then Ebike down to the village of Pisac home to a handicraft market.

Crossing the river on a bridge you reach the quiet village of Taray which is the start of the cycle trail that runs through the Sacred Valley. While there are a few cars, it is mostly traffic free. You Ebike along the side of the Urubamba River past a series of rural villages. This area is where the UNESCO protected giant white corn is grown.

Lunch is included along the way.

You Ebike past the villages of Qoya, Lamay, and  the town of Calca to reach Urubamba where you end the ride.

Included: English-speaking guide, transport, lunch, Ebike, helmet, gloves, equipment 

You begin Ebiking high above Ollantaytambo at 4000 metres. We drive you to the start, past the small communities of Huilloc and Patacancha, famous for their fine weavings. Most locals still wear handwoven red ponchos and distinctive hats.

We have been reforesting this area with the locals since 2007 with native trees. You will be able to see how these areas are progressing. A percentage of the cost of your trip goes to this project.

You Ebike downhill from the pass to the village of Huaca Huasi, set amongst the Lares hills. From here, you take the dirt road to Lares hot springs. Bring your swimming costume and a towel to enjoy a dip in the relaxing medicinal waters.

From the hot springs, you can choose to drive or Ebike to the Lares pass at 4300 metres. Once at the top of the pass you Ebike down to Calca and the Sacred Valley, some 1300 metres below.

There is a choice of routes, depending upon abilities. Either down the tarmac road or on old trails through the Totora Canyon where you can spot the holes in the cliffs, used in Inca times to bury their dead.

Both routes end up in Calca, where your Ebiking tour ends. Our car will take you on from here.

Included: English-speaking guide, transport, lunch, Ebike, helmet, gloves, equipment 

In order to fully enjoy Ebiking in Cusco and the Sacred Valley, it is very important that you choose the right trip for you and fully understand what it involves.

There are risks inherent in travelling in Peru, as indeed there are in most of the activities that we provide. Many of the activities we offer also involve a significant level of effort on your part.  After all, it is called Adventure Travel for a reason.

It is really important that you read both the trip notes above and the Risk and Safety Section on our website, to enable you to choose the best trip for you. Once you have read them both, please make sure you ask if there is anything you do not understand. We classify these trip,  as:

• Mountain Bike ‘Intro’… These trips are as much about experiencing Mountain Biking as they are about the time spent not on the bike – the scenery, the culture, the environment.

• The only pre-requirement is that you can ride a bike. Clearly it would be good if you’ve ridden recently. Our experienced guides will help you with gaining experience and confidence on your bike – there may be times where you (but maybe not others) are asked to walk a section of trail… Please follow the advice of the guide, they really do know what they are doing.