Four-day riding tour in the Sacred Valley

Itinerary

Day 1

Our car will pick you up from your hotel in the ancient Inca capital of Cusco (altitude 3338 m / 10,952 ft) at 7:30 am. From here, it is a one-hour drive to our ranch in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Our riding centre is perfectly located in the heart of the Sacred Valley, between Cusco and Machu Picchu, the famous lost city of the Incas.

Today you will have the opportunity to become familiar with our beautiful Peruvian Paso horses and the traditional Peruvian riding gear. In the morning, you will get acquainted with the classical Peruvian riding style when we practice riding in the safety of our corral. We will take it easy because it can take a little while to become acclimatized to the altitude! Around 12:30 pm, we will enjoy a typical Peruvian barbecue at the ranch. A Pisco Sour (our national cocktail) is part of the Peruvian tradition and, of course, included. As the day cools, we will mount for a leisurely (2-3 hour) riding tour of the area. Before dinner, we will get together for an informal briefing and to watch a video about the Peruvian Paso horse. Have a good night's rest at the comfortable K’uychi Rumi Lodge, because tomorrow we will start our riding tour adventure.

Day 2

Today we depart at 9 am from the ranch for a wonderful riding day. We will cross the Urubamba River. Then on to Salinas, the saltpans from Inca times, still being used by the locals to extract salt from the mountain spring water. The saltpans consist of a series of platforms where the salty water is channeled through an impressive irrigation system and left to evaporate in the sun. Take plenty of film to capture this unique sight.

We will climb with the horses almost 1000 m (3,281 ft.) to the reach the Andean altiplano. The climb takes about two hours, and will be at an easy pace because the change of altitude does not only affect the horses. Once at 3700 m (12,140 ft.), the stunning scenery and the snow-capped mountains of Chicon, Veronica and Salcantay is impressive. We will stop for a picnic lunch at Maras, a typical Andean village.

After lunch we ride to the ruins of Cheqoq. At Cheqoq, the Incas constructed fascinating cold-storage depots (pre-Hispanic refrigerators) to conserve the agricultural products of the region. Cooling of the products was achieved by using a genius system of underground air-circulation. From Cheqoq we ride to the agricultural terraces of Moray. Hundreds of years ago, people in this region took four huge natural depressions in the landscape and sculpted them into levels of agricultural terraces that served as an experimental agricultural station for the development of different crop strains. This was possible due to a fascinating phenomenon: the climates of many different ecological zones were present at a single site. In the thirty or so meters of altitude between the bottom and top levels of Moray's main depression, scientist John Earls has recorded a full 15 degrees Celsius (59 deg. F) difference in temperature. That is equal to the difference between the mean annual temperatures of London and Bombay. It is likely that Moray played a key role in the original transformation of maize into a high-altitude crop.

There are no great ruined structures in Moray to impress; it is more for the contemplative traveler with an affinity for such phenomena as the Nazca Lines, the stone rings of Avebury and the menhirs of Brittany.

Not far away from Moray we will meet our back up car and staff. We will leave our horses with our staff for the night.

Our car will take you to your comfortable cottage at the K’uychi Rumi Lodge. In the evening will have dinner at the ranch and talk about the adventures of today in front of the open fire. Actual riding time: 5-6 hours approx.

Day 3

After breakfast, we will transport you to the point of departure. From Moray we follow primitive trails across the altiplano in the direction of Ollantaytambo. We will meet smiling Quechua children with their herds of sheep or cattle and see campesinos ploughing their fields in the traditional way, oxen hitched to a wooden plough. We make our way back down to the Valley floor before arriving at Ollantaytambo in the afternoon.

At Ollantaytambo we will leave the horses with our grooms at the end of the day. Late in the afternoon we will still have time to visit the ruins and the village of Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo is rare if not unique in Peru. Ollantaytambo is a massive citadel located 50 kilometers from Machu Picchu. The citadel served as both a temple and a fortress. At some time unknown, and for reasons unknown, work mysteriously stopped on this huge project. The village of Ollantaytambo is thought to be the only remaining example of pre-Columbian urban planning. The buildings and courtyards as well as the narrow lanes have their original form. The straight, narrow streets today form fifteen square blocks, or canchas, which contain one entrance to a central quadrangle which is surrounded by houses. A number of fine colonial houses are constructed on finely-worked Inca walls of dark pink rock. The original Inca settlement constituted an administrative, religious, agricultural and military complex. Actual riding time: 5-6 hours approx.

Dinner at a local retaurant. Overnight at the Hotel Pakaritampu in Ollantaytambo.

Day 4

From Ollantaytambo we will explore some of the ancient Routes of the Incas. We will ride through the Patacancha Valley. The slopes of the valley are covered with terraces created by the Incas and local people and have been in use long before the Spanish arrived. We will pass through small villages and farmland and by lesser known ruins and archaeological sites of the Incas. Our ride takes us to the village of Willoc, a Quechua-speaking village 15 km from Ollantaytambo. Four kilometers before arriving to Willoc, we will visit Markacocha, a archaeological Pre Inca Site.

The Ancestral Route to Willoc will transfer us to a past that continues alive in the traditions of its residents, whose red gears identify them as members of an unique ayllu. The village of Willoc is known for local weavers and a taste of mountain culture.

At the end of the day we will leave our horses with our grooms at Ollantaytambo and our back-up van will bring you back to the ranch. Actual riding time: 5-6 hours approx.

After a drink at the ranch, we say good-bye. A private car will bring you back to Cusco late in the afternoon.

The itinerary is flexible. Changes may occur due to weather and other unforeseeable circumstances.

Details

Price

$ 1125 per person (min. 2 pers.) — 4 days, 3 nights
Single supplement: $ 230
Price includes hotel accommodation (3 nights), evening meals (with one soft drink), lunch with wine, all trip gear, professional English-speaking guide and land transportation.

Weight limit: 90 kg. (200 lbs.)
Riding ability: intermediate & advanced.

Note: A 4WD vehicle will act as a back up vehicle to the tour.

Dates and availability on request

Note: physical fitness of the rider is required to participate due to the altitude of 3650 m (12,000 ft.)!

Responsibilities

All care will be taken, but we assume no responsibility for injury, loss or damage in any way.

The Monasterio Ride - Three-Day Ride
The Sacred Valley Ride - Twelve-Day Program
The Ride to the Pacific - Ten-Day Program
Custom Rides

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