| By :
Terry Philips
The Sacred Valley, located just outside the city of Cusco in Peru, is one of the most beautiful places in the world. The altitude is lower than Cusco itself which makes it a favorite location for visitors to begin their altitude acclimatizing more easily. The gorgeous scenery with its many hills also makes it a great location for adventure tours, such as off road mountain biking. The Sacred Valley, which follows the Urubamba River away from the ancient city of Cusco, past Machu Picchu and towards the Amazon Rainforest, is a stunningly beautiful part of the country. It was the heartlands of the Inca Empire and is therefore rich in ancient indigenous history. The region is dotted with ruins, many of which can be visited during biking tours. There are a number of locations where it is common to bike to in the Sacred Valley. Depending on the amount of time you have, you can choose a single day tour and go to just a couple of them or you can combine several into a multi-day tour. For a single day tour, a popular destination is the Inca ruins at Moray and the saltpans of Salineras. Moray is a fascinating site of circular agricultural terraces. The Incas used this area to grow crops - and many different varieties at that - which isn't able to do unless you are at this altitude. Some also believe that the site had some spiritual significance. Salineras, from a distance, looks like a vast quilt made up of squarish patches of salt. You can see around 3000 salt pans in total. During the dry season, they are filled with salt water from a natural spring located above them. As the water evaporates, the salt is left. Fascinating as these two sites are, if you have more time, to get a more varied view of what the Sacred Valley has to offer, you can include the Lares hot springs. The springs are located at around 4400 meters above sea level. An overnight stay and a relaxing time is perfect here. On the way down, you can have the opportunity to ride on trails and steps that were once used by the Incas. Around Ollantaytambo, there are various opportunities as well, such as the Inca quarries where the stones were taken to build the Ollantaytambo site. Heading to Abra Malaga is yet another option, when you can head up mountain pass to 4400 meters. There are a few different ways of descending from here, some of which are more challenging than others and meant for expert riders only. Any level of biker can enjoy the tours thanks to the fact that there are so many possible trails - so, whether your a beginner or an expert you can have fun up here. As with everything, always be cautious and ensure that you are able to do what you sign up for. It's also a good idea to pay attention to reviews of the various agencies, particularly in terms of the quality of the equipment. Going on these tours on bikes that are not of good quality or in good condition will clearly affect your ability to enjoy the experience to its fullest.
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