Cuzco: Activities

• hiking

  The Inca Trail is on most hikers' minds, but there's a dizzying array of alternate routes to Machu Picchu, as well as other rewarding Andean treks in the mountains around Cuzco. Many agencies will organize trips to more remote ruins, such as Vilcabamba, which the Spanish conquistadors called Espíritu Pampa, or Choquequirau. The best time to go trekking in the Andes or the Amazon is during the colder dry season, which lasts roughly from May until September.

• rafting

  Rafting down the Río Urubamba is the most popular trip - it's not too wild and offers some spectacular scenery, as well as a chance to visit some of the best Incan ruins near Cuzco. Three sections of the Río Urubamba are regularly run. The Huambutiyo-to-Pisac section is the easiest, the Ollantaytambo-to-Chilca run is also very popular, but the most exciting section is the short but action-packed Cañón Huaran.

• mountain biking

  Mountain-biking tours are a growing industry in the Cuzco area. Rental bikes are not always up to scratch, so serious bikers may prefer to bring their own. There are awesome mountain-biking possibilities around the Sacred Valley. From Ollantaytambo, go by bus to the Abra de Malaga then do the two-day ride downhill to the Amazon jungle. The descent to the Río Apurímac also makes a great burn, as does the journey to Río Tambopata.

• horse riding

  Most agencies can arrange a morning or afternoon's riding for a set fee, or you can walk to Saqsaywamán, where many of the ranches are, and negotiate your own terms. However, choose carefully as many horses are in a sorry state. Select agencies offer multi-day trips to the area around Limatambo, and there are some first-rate ranches with Peruvian paso horses in Urubamba.

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