DAY 3

50 SHADES OF COLOUR

With its traditional vibrant fabrics and fantastical rainbow mountains, Peru is known as one of the most colourful countries in the world, and today’s activities lived up to the claim.

Craig and Josh’s ride began in the fields of the Chinchero plateau where potato, bean, corn, kiwicha, and quinoa crops create a patchwork of colours across the land.

With the snow-capped Urubamba mountain range in the background, it was a ride to remember, full of fast descents and glimpses of local culture in the Sacred Valley.

Outside the town of Moray, they hopped off the bikes to explore the Incan terraces, a luscious green paradise of concentric circles that took their breath away.

While no one knows the exact purpose of the terraces, they’re thought to be an early feat of scientific engineering by the Incans, an in-situ laboratory where they could study crops and experiment with different microclimates to see what conditions were best suited to what species.

They also managed to modify, adapt, and hybridize some crops, just one of the reasons that today, Peru is home to 2,000 different varieties of potatoes.

Thankfully, while potatoes did make an appearance on trip (you can’t visit Peru without feasting on a rainbow of organic chips served as an appetizer at virtually every restaurant), there were myriad other delicious dishes for Craig and Josh to try during lunch at the home of Tat, a local friend of B&R and a pretty fantastic cook.

After lunch the boys headed to the Maras salt pans where they discovered just how many shades of pink there can be. For hundreds of years, local Peruvians have been harvesting pink salt from the geometric pools that cascade down the valley like a series of uneven steps.

I scheduled some time for Craig and Josh to walk among them, observing their methods and marveling at the ancient tradition, even getting to sample some of the goods!

DAY 4

INCAN TRAILS & TOMBS

Since Craig and Josh were avid mountain bikers, I knew they could step things up on Day 4 with an amazing ride through the Lares Mountain Pass to the village of Calca. High altitude pedalling is no joke, but both father and son were up for the challenge, settling into a steady rhythm high above the Sacred Valley.

The climb paid off with one of the best descents in all of Peru – a mix of dirt roads and ancient trails that wind through small farming communities and across original Incan steps, ending at the tombs built into the cliff face of the Totora Canyon.

All in all, the gents completed a mighty 1,400-metre descent, earning a very well deserved rest at the evening’s hotel, the luxurious Tambo del Inka, a spectacular respite in the middle of an enchanted region.

DAY 5

THE LOST CITY OF MACHU PICCHU

When a traveller makes a request on a Bespoke trip, it’s my job to make it happen, but in true B&R style I didn’t just want Craig and Josh to visit Machu Picchu, I wanted them to experience the Lost City in all its glory.

The morning began with a train ride along the Urubamba River through the Canyon of Vilcanota to the Lost City of the Incas.

At KM 104, they met up with Carlos, a local Machu Picchu expert, who led the guys along the final passage of the Inca Trail through impressive archaeological sites as he explained the history of Incan engineering and architecture.

They arrived at Inti Punku, Machu Picchu’s impressive gate, after lunch, and, as most people were leaving the site, they were able to sit in silence and watch the sun set on the citadel, marveling at one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

DAY 6

SCALING NEW HEIGHTS

Before saying goodbye to Machu Picchu, Craig and Josh took one last opportunity to take in the majestic 360-degree views from Machu Picchu Mountain, the site’s highest peak.

Skyscraping Andean peaks tower in the distance while the Urubamba River wraps itself around the mountain site.

Inca priests once performed rituals on this site, and when you stand there now, you can almost feel their power electrifying the air.

DAY 7 to 9

A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT

Aside from being fit, fierce, mountain biking fiends, Craig also revealed during one of our discussions that he and Josh are avid white water rafters.

They couldn’t have picked a better spot than Peru and, as the cherry on top of an already exhilarating trip, I planned a three-day rafting adventure that would send them off on a high.

They set out from the Huallpachaca bridge, spending three days, paddling and exploring the Apurimac River through intermediate- and advance-level rapids. They drifted past granite cliffs and portaged across rocky trails.

They ran infamous rapids including – “The Purgatory”, “Space Odyssey”, “Tooth Ache”, and “Babalua” –traversed canyons and ate like kings before ending each day on a sandy campsite.

Up for anything, father and son “roughed” it, B&R style, because while five-star hotels may not always be necessary on a B&R trip, unique, breathtaking, immersive experiences certainly are.

DAY 10

ADIOS PERU

Having travelled back to Cusco the night before, Craig and Josh were ready to start their trip home, sad to say adios to Peru, but excited to share stories with their family and friends about their adventures in this magical Incan land.

And I was thrilled that, with this one-of-a-kind Bespoke father-son adventure, we had once again made dreams come true.

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