Extreme Adventures in Cusco and the Sacred Valley of the Incas

Cusco will forever be known as the former Imperial City of the Incas and famed for its Incan and Colonial architecture and historical sites, but the city can also make a strong claim to being one of Peru’s adventure sports meccas.

Today, we’re compiling our fave favorite activities for thrill seekers:

Bungee Jumping

South America’s highest bungee jump is located on the road to Poroy (the small town 20 minutes outside of Cusco. Intrepid thrill seekers leap from a steel box 122 meters high (on a site already located 3,600 meters above sea level. Jumpers are restrained with an elastic cord attached to ankle harnesses and a safety belt.

Vía Ferrata

If you’re looking for thrills and stunning views of the Sacred Valley, but have no rock climbing experience, you can still tackle a sheer rock face along the Vía Ferrata (Iron Way), a route equipped with permanently installed iron ladders, holds and bridges that allows non-rock climbers to tackle a sheer rock face. A double-carabiner system and steel life-line provide additional security. The 300m vertical ascent is followed by a hanging bridge 200m above the valley floor and a 100m rappel. It takes 3-4 hours to complete the hiking and climbing.

Zip Line

If you’ve climbed the Vía Ferrata, you can choose to zip line back down the mountain (arriving at the zip line after a 40 minute hike), or you can do the Zip Line, which is a system of 6 lines or cables totaling 2,000 meters.

Downhill Mountain Biking

Mountain biking enthusiasts can tackle a variety of routes where views the bucolic landscape of the valley and visits to archeological sites are interspersed with some hair-raising downhill paths. One route takes you past the Tambomachay waterworks, Sacsayhuamán Fortress with its giant stones, and other sites. Another popular option takes you to the circular terraces of Moray, a former Inca agricultural laboratory, and the Maras Salt Pans, where an interior mountain stream diverted through thousands of small stone terraces has been used by the local community to create salt since Inca times.

ATV Adventures

If mountain biking seems too demanding for you (and you will feel it more in the Cusco area, unless you are already used to the altitude), consider going on an ATV (all-terrain vehicle) excursion– you get to tackle the same excitingly rugged paths with scenic views and the occasional ruins (depending on the route you choose).

White Water Rafting

One of the most popular adventures for travelers to the Sacred Valley is white water rafting along the Urubamba or the Apurímac rivers. There are various trips along the Urubamba River, which descends from the high Andes through the Sacred Valley, past Machu Picchu and into the Peruvian Amazon. One trip focuses on the Cusipata section of the river, which is cleaner and provides mainly Class III Rapids. Trips along the Chuquicahuana sector offer Class II and III rapids in the dry season and Class III and IV rapids in the rainy season.

The Apurímac River is considered one of the world´s best rivers for whitewater rafting. Rising from melted glacial water, it flows past Cusco and through narrow gorges twice as deep as the Grand Canyon before finally feeding into the Amazon River. With its occasional falls, only two people have ever been able to travel the river in its entirety, but you can conquer your own small section of the river by joining three-day trips from Cusco which let you advance from Class II and III Rapids to Class IV and V.