New partnership combines the expertise of two of the finest adventure travel operators, with the inaugural cycling tour, “The Sacred Valley & Machu Pichu,” set to roll out in August 2019 

Santiago/Chile, January 2018 – Trek Travel, a leading cycling tour operator, is teaming up with outdoor travel company explora to add a new series of trips to South America for 2019. The partnership between the renowned adventure travel outfits will launch its first new Sacred Valley & Machuof many offerings, a new multi-sport adventure through the heart of the ancient Inca Empire in Peru, scheduled to roll out in August 2019.

“We are thrilled to partner with Chile-based explora, a company known for their excellent South American lodges and trip planning services. We look forward to teaming up to introduce bicycling adventures in an area so rich in history and culture,” says Trek Travel president Tania Burke.

Founded in Santiago, Chile in 1993, explora owns and operates hotels and Travesías (nomadic journeys) in seven remote destinations within South America, from explora Valle Sagrado in Peru to explora Rapa Nui on Easter Island, to explora Patagonia near the southern tip of the continent – and much more in between. Along with its travel philosophy of “the luxury of the essential” and luxury base camp hotels, explora has mapped out more than 2,200 miles of routes and 100 different explorations to engage travelers on foot, bicycle, horseback, boat or van across South America.

Formed in 2002 and recently voted one of the Top 10 Tour Operators in Travel + Leisure’s 2018 World’s Best Awards, Madison, Wisconsin-based Trek Travel offers luxury cycling vacations on four continents for cyclists of all abilities. Every Trek Travel tour seats travelers atop the latest Trek bicycles, while offering boutique accommodations, gourmet meals, daily route support and much more to ensure inspiring and memorable adventures on two wheels within beautiful and culturally significant destinations.

Pedal to the Partnership

The multi-sport Sacred Valley & Machu Pichu adventure will be the first of several offerings from the new partnership. Travelers will stay in the heart of the Sacred Valley with accommodation at the beautiful explora Sacred Valley property and cycle on Trek bicycles through towering summits that sheltered the Inca civilization and along the waters of the Urubamba River. There will be endless possibilities for exploration along more than 75 miles of cycling and hiking, with destinations revealing colonial history and the architectural magnificence of Machu Pichu; isolated villages and archaeological sites such as Ollantaytambo, Moray, Chinchero and Pisac; as well as traditional towns and ancient ruins that have been preserved from the passage of time.

Travelers hiking and pedaling on The Sacred Valley & Machu Pichu will enjoy Peruvian cuisine throughout the adventure, as well as opportunity to soothe their hard-working muscles and reinvigorate their spirits with treatments at the restored and remodeled Pumacahua Bath House, the onsite spa of explora Valle Sagrado that once belonged to Inca cacique Mateo Pumacahua, a hero of Peru’s Independence.

The Sacred Valley & Machu Pichu will be offered in 2019: August 18-23, August 25-30, September 1-6, and September 8-13 for $4,999 per person, double occupancy.

All programs offered by explora Valle Sagrado are based on an arrival-to-departure experience, which includes accommodations, transfer to and from the airport, meals, beverages and the option to carry out one full-day or two half-day explorations every day.

For more information on the partnership between explora and Trek Travel, or for more information or reservations for The Sacred Valley & Machu Pichu, please call Trek Travel toll free in the U.S. at 1-866-464-8735, email sales@nulltrektravel.com or visit TrekTravel.com.

About Trek Travel

Based in Madison, Wisconsin, Trek Travel is an award-winning cycling vacation company offering cycling tours around the globe for cyclists of all abilities. Each vacation includes the use of the latest Trek bicycles like the Domane SL 7 or XM700+ electric assist, featuring Garmin GPS devices and Di2 electronic shifting; boutique accommodations; most meals; snacks and drinks for each day’s ride; daily route support; social hours; entrance fees to group events; transportation during the tour; complimentary Trek Travel merchandise, and more.

About explora

explora is not so much a hotel group as a travel experience.  Founded in 1993, it is an enterprise whose principal aim is to encourage a new attitude towards travel for those who have a passion for discovering new places and new people, in remote and relatively unexplored regions of the southern tip of South America.  For well over twenty years, explora has enhanced the travel experience within South America; firstly, at explora Patagonia in the Torres del Paine National Park, then at explora Atacama in an oasis in the heart of the Atacama desert, at explora Rapa Nui on Easter Island and most recently explora’s first lodge in Peru, explora Valle Sagrado. Other explora destinations include the Travesias explora, inspired by the ancient ideal of the nomadic journey and the freedom of discovery it affords.

(Photos available upon request –please email susanmaier@nullwernerpr.com for images).