Many foreign visitors to Peru are happy with a relaxing few days travelling around ancient Inca archaeological sites, kicking-back in luxury hotels, and riding exclusive trains to Machu Picchu. But if your dream getaway is a taking things to the max in search of extreme thrills and fun, then you won’t be disappointed either! Peru can offer it all! Here are the 5 best extreme sports in Peru.
Extreme Mountain Biking
Peru was made for mountain biking, after all the Andes – the world’s longest mountain chain runs right down the centre of the country, peaking at 22,132 feet (6,746 m) in the Cordillera Blanca in central Peru. Possibly one of the most extreme sports in Peru with locals and foreigners alike, there are literally thousands of places to find fast fun down-hill thrills. In Cusco there is a handful of specialist travel agents that offer a range of different day (and multi-day) trips, with full suspension Kona bikes. Our favourite extreme ride is the 1 day Mega-Avalanche single track ride, that starts at the top of Abra Malaga in the Sacred Valley (close to Cusco) and descends 1600 meters to the village of Ollantaytambo. Oh, and you can do it three times!
Surfing
You wouldn’t think so, but yes, Peru is actually one of the world’s best surfing spots. Along the northern coastline, Peru offers waves for everyone from beginners to pros. Peru has produced many world surfing champions, and it’s easy to see why when you understand just how good the waves are. Chicama has the world’s longest left-handed wave in the world at 4km’s long, and Mancora (close by) has the world’s largest left-handed point-break in the world. Extreme sports in Peru don’t get much better than this!
Sand-boarding
During the 1960s, the small oasis town of Huacachina was once a holiday hot-spot for rich limenians. Nowadays, this rather less glamorous place is the home of one of the most fun and extreme sports in Peru – Sand-boarding. Located 7 km’s from the main city of Ica, Huacachina is surrounded by vast sand dunes which stretch as far as the eye can see. There are only a handful of hostels in the town, but all of them will rent you sand-board for a few soles per day. Cover yourself from head-to-toe in sun-block and start climbing! It’s fun, cheap, thrilling and often painful!
White Water Rafting
With so many mountains, there are bound to be quite a lot of fast flowing and rocky rivers to enjoy. Rafting is probably one of the most common extreme sports in Peru, and in the region of Cusco, there are many expert travel agencies that will take you out on the river. The Urubamba River (in the Sacred Valley) offers a thrilling full day experience which is suitable for beginners through to intermediary rafters. But hard-core rafters looking for the ultimate thrill need to go a little further afield. Cotahuasi Canyon is the deepest canyon in the world, and is also home to one of the world’s toughest rafting challenges. The route includes 6 days of full-on, technical class 4 – 5 rapids, uncharted pre-Inca ruins and spectacular campsites. Extreme sports in Peru don’t get much better than this! But be warned the Cotahuasi raft is for only the toughest travellers!
Zip Lines in the Jungle
15 Km’s from Machu Picchu, close to the village of Santa Teresa is Peru’s first canopy top zip line (also known as flying fox). A series cables with a total length of 2500 meters are broken up into six sections, with the longest section being 400 meters in length. At the fastest point on the wire it is possible to reach speeds of 60 Km/h (37 mph), which is enough to give the sensation of flight! Make sure that you are not scared of heights either, as part of the line hang 150 meters above the jungle floor. Extreme sports in Peru don’t get much more fun than this!
Of-course there are a whole bunch of other great things to see and do in Peru, but if you think that there are better extreme sports in Peru than the ones listed, we would love to hear your thoughts!