Day 1

Arrive in Lima, and take a bus to Huaraz (seven hours).

Day 2

Mountain bike downhill on the single track of the dry Cordillera Negra while looking out onto the high, glacier-covered Cordillera Blanca.

Days 3–7

An early departure from Huaraz will take you to the small village of Vaquería, the traditional trail head for the Santa Cruz Trek. Over the next five days, you will camp alongside glacial lakes, pass over 4,750-meter (15,625-foot) passes, and ring the infamous Alpamayo peak.

Day 8

Descend through verdant pastureland from the last high pass to Cashapampa, the end of the trek. Return to Huaraz and take an overnight bus to Lima.

Day 9

Early morning flight to Cusco. Spend a leisurely afternoon in town, touring the city’s colonial and Inca architecture.

Day 10

Take the train to Machu Picchu for a day tour of ruins and return to Cusco for one more night of city living before returning to the wild outdoors.

Days 11–13

Begin a four-day rafting adventure on the Río Apurímac, which cuts through a deep canyon and offers class III and IV rapids. For three nights you will fall asleep to the murmur and tumble of white water.

Day 14

Return to Cusco. Hop a connecting flight back to Lima to catch your international flight home or grab a flight to Juliaca, and head on to Puno, where you will overnight before your final kayaking adventure.

Day 15

Rise early to meet the launch boat that will take you out to the lakeside town of Llachón. Here you will transfer into a kayak, and then spend the next three hours pushing through the blue lake waters to Isla Amantaní or Taquile. Overnight on the island to experience the customs of a pre-Hispanic lifestyle.

Day 16

Return to Llachón and finally Puno. Have a celebratory dinner in Puno and spend the night.

Day 17

Flight to Lima. Spend the afternoon tandem paragliding above Miraflores’s cliffs in Lima before catching a late-evening flight home.

© Ross Wehner and Renée del Gaudio from Moon Peru, 2nd Edition