We´ll pick you up from your accommodation in Cusco at 7am and drive up to Abra Málaga (Malaga Pass), the high point of the trip at a chilly 4,350m (14,270 feet). Here we cross from the eastern to the western side of the Andes – we’re now on the upper slopes of the mighty Amazon Basin and will lose nearly 3,000m (10,000 feet) of altitude over an incredibly scenic 71km (44 mile) on-road bike descent.

It's not hard to see why this ride is one of South America's classics, and often favourably compared to Bolivia's infamous ‘Death Road’. It's pure fun – a long, gentle descent through some of the most spectacular scenery you'll ever see – and suitable for anyone who can ride a bike. By the time we get to Santa Teresa, at 1,900m (6,230 feet), we’re in high jungle – a whole different world from the icy Andean pass where we started.

There’s time this evening to visit the Cocalmayo natural hot springs, one of our favourite places in Peru and the perfect place to relax and celebrate our achievements today, and the adventures to come in the next few days!

Meals: Lunch and dinner included

Accommodation: Rustic eco-lodge outside Santa Teresa

Virtually untouched by tourism and rarely commercially-run, the Santa Teresa river offers the most exhilarating and beautiful rafting in the Cusco region, and today it’s our pleasure to initiate you into its mysteries!

In the afternoon we’ll drive to Huancacalle. The scenic drive up a remote mountain road through a vertiginous green valley is a treat in itself. We’ll spend the night in a family-run hotel in this tiny town, overlooking sheep-dotted paddocks and a rocky mountain stream.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: Basic lodgings in Huancacalle

In the morning we’ll take a short hike to Vitcos and the White Rock, two recently unearthed Inca sites set in scenic bushland. The two sites and the short hike between them are worth the trip to Huancacalle in themselves, but we came here with an even greater purpose – the bike ride out!

We’ll spend the afternoon riding out down the same dirt road we came in up yesterday, freewheeling through farmland and villages for hours as we gradually lose altitude and the passing scenery changes from llama pastures, to banana and coffee plantations. This is a spectacular, fun cruise off the beaten track through village life in Peru.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: Basic hotel in Quillabamba

Quillabamba is a sleepy jungle town that sees few tourists. Its main attractions are outside town and consist of a series of different swimming holes, each more awesome than the last.

Illapani is a spectacular waterfall that requires a steep, stiff jungle hike to get to – making the plunge into the refreshing waterhole at its base all the more rewarding! Siete Tinajas is a series of seven pools under a jungle cascade, where we can paddle, climb, and pluck jungle fruit straight off trees! Sanbaray and Echarati boast elaborate complexes of swimming pools, slides, landscaped lawns and trout restaurants where hours can go by just lounging, swimming, eating ice-cream and people-watching. This is a day of the jungle at its best, as enjoyed by the locals.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: Basic hotel in Quillabamba

We’ll drive back to Santa Teresa today and experience Cola de Mono, South America’s highest zipline (flying fox). After being harnessed up, kitted out and fully briefed, we’ll each whizz across six separate sections of line strung across the precipitous Sacsara Valley, a narrow fold in the Andes between Santa Teresa and Machu Picchu. The scenery is spectacular and the ride surprisingly serene; you won’t forget this experience in a hurry!

Later, we’ll either take a short train ride or hike the pleasant eight km (five miles) to Machu Picchu Pueblo (town), also known as Aguas Calientes.

Meals: All meals included

Accommodation: Comfortable hotel in Aguas Calientes

A spectacular stone city surrounded by incredibly steep, incredibly green mountains, Machu Picchu needs no introduction and is deservedly one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

We’ll be up at sunrise so there’s time for your guide to show you around Machu Picchu’s main citadel, as well as our favourite hidden nooks and crannies, before the crowds arrive. Then there’s time for your own exploration of the massive, still-mysterious site, before we catch the train back to Cusco.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch included