THRILLGROUNDS Ground 46 · Cusco, Huacachina & Lima: Peru · Sacred Valley · Poroy · Miraflores · Ica · Maras · Cusipata
Pulse –/5
My day →
The Huacachina oasis from above: a green lagoon ringed by palms and hotels, enclosed on every side by high sand dunes

13° 20′ S · 72° 10′ W · From a glass capsule 400 m up a Sacred Valley cliff to the rapids of the Urubamba · Ground 46

Cusco, Huacachina & Lima: Peru

Three and a half thousand metres up
before you even start climbing.

Peru's thrills live in two places. Around Cusco, at 3,400 metres, the Sacred Valley cliffs carry a via ferrata to glass capsules and Latin America's highest bungee tower stands at Poroy; the Urubamba runs Class III and IV below. On the coast, the Miraflores cliffs launch paragliders over the Pacific and, four hours south, the dunes around the Huacachina oasis are the country's most-searched adventure: buggies and sandboards on sand a hundred metres high. Below, every stop by how far you are above the ground, with real prices from the platforms that sell them.

1 · the view3 · sweaty palms5 · heart in your throat
Jump
A climber on a via ferrata, clipped to the steel cable, on iron rungs up a vertical rock face (symbolic image, not the Skylodge route)

Stop 1 · Via ferrata & ziplines · Natura Vive, km 82–84 Urubamba–Ollantaytambo road, Sacred Valley

1,312FT · THE CAPSULES ABOVE THE VALLEY

Iron rungs up a 300-metre wall to glass capsules bolted to the cliff

The rungs start at the roadside and go straight up. Ninety minutes later the valley floor is 400 metres below, the Urubamba a brown thread, and three glass capsules hang off the rock beside you. The way down is six ziplines.

Pulse 4/5 our editors' rating
The climb
about 300 m of iron ladders and cables up the cliff, plus a 100-m rope-assisted descent; 4–5 hours on the route
The capsules
three transparent Skylodge suites suspended 400 m above the valley floor – lunch stop by day, hotel by night
The ziplines
six lines from 150 m to 700 m long back down to the road
Where
km 82–84 on the Urubamba–Ollantaytambo road; pick-up from Cusco 8:00, from the valley 9:00
Who
minimum age 8 for the via ferrata, 7 for the ziplines; no climbing experience needed
Price
day trips from about $140 with lunch; a night in a capsule with dinner and breakfast from about $1,200

Photo: a via ferrata elsewhere, not the Skylodge route.

↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling

A bungee jumper in free fall head-first from a tower platform, the cord trailing above (symbolic image, Macau Tower, not Poroy)

A steel tower in a field above Poroy; the cage lifts you 122 metres, the thin Andean air makes the count feel slower. Then the fall, four seconds of it, and the valley floor rushing up before the cord snaps you back.

Pulse 5/5 our editors' rating
The height
122 m by most listings and the operator's older material; Action Valley's site now says 128 m – either way the highest bungee in Latin America
Also here
the Slingshot: a 125-m tower fires two riders 140 m up in about three seconds
Where
Action Valley, Poroy, 11 km / about 20 minutes from Cusco at 3,570 m
When
daily, slots 9:00–16:00; 2–3 hours all in
Who
minimum age 10; not for pregnant women or recent back or limb injuries; over-70s advised against
Price
$89 jump only, $99 with transport, $119 with videos direct; bungee-plus-slingshot combos about $179

Photo: a tower bungee at Macau, not Action Valley – Commons has no usable picture of Poroy.

↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling

Stop 2 · Bungee & slingshot · Action Valley, Poroy, 11 km from Cusco

400FT · THE TOWER

Latin America's highest bungee, on a tower in a field at 3,570 metres

Two paragliders over the Miraflores cliffs in Lima, the Costa Verde highway, the surf and the city high-rises below

Stop 3 · Tandem paragliding · Parque Raimondi, Malecón Cisneros, Miraflores, Lima

262FT · THE CLIFF

Off an 80-metre cliff in the middle of a city of ten million

Three steps on the grass of Parque Raimondi and the cliff falls away: the Costa Verde highway, the surfers, the Pacific. The sea breeze hits the cliff and lifts you 45 metres above the malecón, past the apartment balconies.

Pulse 2/5 our editors' rating
The cliff
70–80 m above the Pacific; flights ride the updraft about 45 m above the cliff top, up to 250 m on a good day
Flight
10–15 minutes, some operators 20; take-off and landing on the same lawn
When
from 10:00 daily, wind permitting; December to April clearest, winter fog can ground flights
Who
from about 6 years with a parent; weight limit 100–130 kg depending on the operator
Price
about 250 soles / $45–80 with HD video; walk-up possible, book ahead on weekends and December–March

↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling

A driver at the wheel of an open-frame dune buggy on the sand at Huacachina, roll cage and knobbly tyres in the sun

The arenero climbs the ridge in low gear, hangs on the crest for a second and drops. Then the driver stops on a slope, hands out waxed boards, and you go down lying flat, face first, the oasis a green dot far below.

Pulse 3/5 our editors' rating
The dunes
the sand around the oasis rises 100 m and more; Wikipedia gives up to 500 m for the highest
The ride
about two hours: buggy runs with three or four sandboarding stops, most tours timed for sunset (16:00–18:00)
Sandboarding
lying down on a waxed board for beginners; stand-up boards and sandskis on request
Where
Huacachina, 5 km from Ica, about 300 km / 4–5 hours south of Lima
Price
group buggies $18–25, small-group $22–40, private buggy $100–195 per vehicle; plus 4 soles local tax

↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling

Stop 4 · Dune buggy & sandboarding · the dunes around the Huacachina oasis, Ica

0FT · ON THE SAND

Areneros over the crests, then head-first down a hundred metres of dune

A rider on a quad bike on the dirt track to Maras and Moray, a flock of sheep filling the lane ahead, eucalyptus and Andean hills behind

Stop 5 · ATV · Cruzpata to Moray and the Maras salt pans, Sacred Valley

0FT · ON THE DIRT

Twenty-six kilometres of dirt track at 3,500 metres, between two Inca sites

You ride your own quad across the high plain between Chinchero and Maras: dirt tracks, snow peaks on the skyline, the Moray terraces opening like an amphitheatre. The salt pans come last, on foot – quads aren't allowed down.

Pulse 2/5 our editors' rating
The ride
about 26–27 km (16–17 miles) on your own ATV, about 45 minutes of riding each way at around 3,500 m
The stops
Moray, the concentric Inca terraces 30 m deep at 3,500 m, and the Salineras de Maras, thousands of salt pans on the hillside
The day
5.5–6 hours from Cusco with practice session, helmet and gloves; entrance tickets to Moray and the salt pans extra
Price
about $27–38 per person on the platforms

↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling

A red raft with five paddlers in helmets and life vests punching through a white-water wave on a green Andean river (Chili River, Arequipa, not the Urubamba)

The Urubamba above the Sacred Valley is steep, cold and clear. Two hours through The Knife, The Siphon and Hawaii Bombay – Class III in the dry season, IV and more when the rains come – with snow peaks over the canyon rim.

Pulse 3/5 our editors' rating
The water
Class III with Class IV sections; Class IV+ from December to early March; about 10 km (6+ miles) in roughly two hours
Where
Cusipata (3,385 m) to Quiquijana (3,210 m), 80 km / about 1 h 40 south of Cusco
Season
April to December is the classic season; the section runs all year
Who
from 9 to 13 years depending on the operator; wetsuits, helmets and a safety kayak included
Price
shared trips $45–85 with lunch; rafting-plus-zipline combos $79–100

Photo: rafting on the Chili River near Arequipa, Peru's other rafting river – not the Urubamba.

↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling

Stop 6 · Rafting · Chuquicahuana section, Cusipata to Quiquijana, upper Urubamba

0FT · ON THE RIVER

Class III and IV at 3,300 metres, with rapids called The Knife and The Siphon

Touchdown. Now build your day on these grounds.

    Also on these grounds

    Inca Jungle Trail: bike, raft, zip, Machu Picchu

    Pulse 3/5

    The four-day alternative to the Inca Trail: a mountain-bike descent from Abra Málaga at 4,350 m of nearly 2,500 vertical metres, a rafting day, the Santa Teresa ziplines (five lines, 3 km in total, the longest 950 m), then Machu Picchu.

    Chili River rafting, Arequipa

    Pulse 2/5

    Six kilometres of Class II–III (up to IV in the wet season) on the river below El Misti, about 75 minutes on the water, three hours door to door, and the cheapest rafting in the country.

    From Lima: Paracas and Huacachina in a day

    Pulse 1/5

    The country's most-booked tour by far – Ballestas boat, a pisco vineyard and the Huacachina buggies with sunset, 15 hours out of Lima and back. Fine if you have one day; better to sleep in the oasis.

    The grounds in numbers

    ActivityPulseThe numberDurationFromReviewsBookable online
    Via ferrata & ziplines · SkylodgeBook now →
    Bungee · PoroyBook now →
    Paragliding · MirafloresBook now →
    Dune buggy & sandboarding · HuacachinaBook now →
    ATV · Maras & MorayBook now →
    Rafting · UrubambaBook now →

    Before you jump

    Where is the highest bungee jump in South America?

    At Action Valley in Poroy, 11 km from Cusco: 122 m by most listings, 128 m by the operator's current site, marketed as the highest in Latin America. The tower stands at 3,570 m, so you jump in thin air. $89–119 direct, 2–3 hours all in, minimum age 10.

    How do you get to the Skylodge capsules?

    By via ferrata: about 300 m of iron rungs and cables up the cliff at km 82–84 of the Urubamba–Ollantaytambo road, 1.5 hours of climbing, then a 100-m rope section. Day trips stop at the capsules for lunch and return by six ziplines; overnight guests sleep in one of the three transparent suites 400 m above the valley floor. Minimum age 8 for the climb.

    How high are the dunes at Huacachina?

    The sand around the oasis rises 100 m and more above the lagoon; some guides say 200 m and Wikipedia gives up to 500 m for the highest in the area. Tours run the buggies over the crests for about two hours with three or four sandboarding stops, most timed for sunset.

    Is paragliding in Lima safe for beginners?

    It is a tandem flight with a licensed pilot off the 70–80 m cliff at Parque Raimondi in Miraflores; you run three steps and the sea breeze does the rest. Flights last 10–15 minutes and land back on the same lawn. Children fly from about 6 with a parent; weight limits are 100–130 kg. Winter fog (June–September) can cancel flights.

    Do I need to acclimatise before the Cusco activities?

    Yes. Cusco sits at about 3,400 m, Poroy at 3,570 m, the Urubamba put-in at 3,385 m and Rainbow Mountain at 5,036 m. Give yourself two nights in Cusco or the Sacred Valley before the bungee, the via ferrata or the quads, drink plenty and go easy on alcohol the day before.