Peru has endless riches to offer those who wish to find them. They are not confined to the archeological legacy of its illustrious past but also in the way that you choose to enjoy your visit.
Within the varied Peruvian touristic offering, in the region of Cajamarca, there is a very particular way of enjoying its beauty while doing something 100% healthy: the bicycle tour.
Cycling through Cajamarcan lands
Cajamarca is a region of the northern Peruvian sierra that is located between 2300 and 3500 kilometers above sea level. It is famous, among other things, for having been the scene of the capture of the Inca Atahualpa- last of the Tahuantinsuyo dynasty-by the Spanish conquistadors headed by Francisco Pizarro.
Cycling is a common practice in Cajamarcan lands for transportation and competition, but also, bicycle tours are organized so that the tourists can travel to the main attractions in the city and its surroundings.
The tour
One of the most complete travel options is the one offered by the Peru Travels Net travel agency, which organizes mountain biking schedules in Cajamarca that last three days and two nights.
On the first day, you start by biking to the Windows of Otuzco, a necropolis that dates back to the pre-Incan era and is composed of excavated crypts shaped like tiny windows in the mountain in order to bury the dead that were later used as granaries during the Inca reign.
After visiting Otuzco, you pass by the suspension bridge, the Tres Molinos hacienda, a beautiful garden of hydrangeas and the Fundos Los Alpes, where you can try some delicious dairy products and relax traveling on horseback.
The second day of the tour is dedicated to traveling through the Granja Porcón, where you can visit the woodworking, knitting and tinting workshops, the mini-hydroelectric plant, the vicuna look out, the mini trout nursery and small zoo.
Finally, on the third cycling day, there is a journey through the Conjunto Arqueológico de Cumbemayo, which possesses the Mirador Bella where there is a privileged view of the Cajamarca valley.
In this trajectory one also gets to know the Bosque de Piedras, a place of rock formations of rather peculiar shapes. As well as, being able to observe the sanctuary with the inscribed petroglyphs, the so-called Tunel de los Deseos (Tunnel of Wishes), the ceremonial altars and the aqueduct of Cumbemayo which is more than three thousand years old.
The service
Departure for all three days of the tour is 8:30 in the morning, returning at approximately five in the afternoon. The agency offers private transportation services, the trip with an official adventure tour guide, cycling equipment (bicycle, elbow pads, helmets and bottled water to calm your thirst), two night stay at the Hotel Cajamarca* and transportation to the airport.
If you cannot do the full three days on the itinerary, you may coordinate with the agency to do the journey for one or two days, according to the available time.
