Mountain Biking

Mountain biking is just really beginning to catch on in Peru, and tour operators are rapidly expanding their services and equipment. Cusco's nearby ruins and the towns, villages, and gorgeous scenery of the Sacred Valley (and the Manu jungle, for more adventurous excursions) are the best areas. Peru Discovery, Triunfo (Sunturwasi) 392, of. 113 (tel. 054/247-007; www.perudiscovery.com) is the top specialist, with a half-dozen bike trips that include hard-core excursions. Amazonas Explorer, Apumayo Expediciones, Eric Adventures, Instinct Travel, and Manu Ecological Adventures, Plateros 356, Cusco (tel. 084/261-640; www.manuadventures.com), offer 1- to 5-day organized mountain-biking excursions ranging from easy to rigorous.