Join this quest
Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu at first light
An Explorer's Side Quest

Infinite Players in Peru

Alive on Purpose
1 to 11 September 2027 ·
Cusco to Machu Picchu
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What kind of game of life are you playing?
Every great game has a main mission, the one that moves the story along. Then there are side quests. You don't need them to beat the game. They're often the most fun, weird, quirky, amazing parts of it.
Peru can help regain that spark you may have lost. Or add an element of fun to an already great game you're playing.
Eleven days with a small group of people who live on purpose and play on purpose.
Begin the trail ↓
The Mountain House: a stone arch and a garden path above Cusco
Day 1 Arrive
From the airport to the fire, the plan is held. All you have to do is arrive.
The Mountain House sits beside the Temple of the Moon, just above Cusco. Coca tea is waiting. The first evening is a welcome, a fire and dinner together.
Cusco sits about 3,400 m up, so the first days are slow on purpose.
Day 01 · Wed 1 Sep
The Mountain House, above Cusco
Altitude
About 3,400 m
The day
Picked up whenever you land, then the welcome and dinner by the fire.
Carry
Nothing yet. You've arrived.
The Temple of the Moon above Cusco
A stone passage at the Temple of the Moon
Day 2 The Circle
Whether it's your first time or your 25th, you're among friends.
The day belongs to Wachuma, the cactus some know as San Pedro. The circle gathers in the Maloca, with Lane in it beside you. In the afternoon you walk out to the old stones beyond the door: the Temple of the Moon and its portals. It's a day for the game you want to play next.
Day 02 · Thu 2 Sep
The Mountain House
Altitude
About 3,400 m
The day
The Wachuma day, then an afternoon walk among ancient stones.
Carry
A warm layer. Your choice, as everything here is.
The Sacred Valley in late light, from end to end
The terraces at Ollantaytambo
Day 3 The Valley
If the best days you remember had some dust on them, this one will.
Four-wheelers through the Sacred Valley, a picnic with a view, then Ollantaytambo, the old Inca town that still lives in its own streets.
Day 03 · Fri 3 Sep
The Sacred Valley to Ollantaytambo
Altitude
About 2,800 m
The day
Four-wheelers and a picnic, then the old town.
Carry
A daypack is all.
Abra Malaga above a sea of cloud A mountain road winding down through green slopes under cloud
Day 4 The Descent
You like finding your edge.
Up to the pass, the highest point of the journey, in the cloud. Then the bikes, and the long ride down into the green.
4,350m
Day 04 · Sat 4 Sep
Abra Malaga to Santa Maria
Altitude
4,350 m down to 1,250 m
The day
Up to the pass by vehicle, then down through the cloud forest by bike, with a support vehicle alongside. If you can ride a bike, you can ride this.
Carry
A daypack. Your duffle rides ahead.
A raft of paddlers in the rapids of a green mountain river
Hot springs
Day 5 The River and the Springs
You laugh easily, including at yourself, and a long day goes easier with you on it.
Rafting in the morning, when the river runs. Then the jungle trail, with the hot springs at Santa Teresa waiting at the end of it.
Day 05 · Sun 5 Sep
Santa Maria to Santa Teresa
Altitude
About 1,500 m
The day
Rafting if you like, the jungle trail, the hot springs.
Carry
A swimsuit.
Riding a zip line through the jungle canopy
Day 6 The Line
When the plan changes, you're the first to laugh about it.
The zip line first, the quickest minute of the trip. Then a few hours on foot along the river into Aguas Calientes, and pizza together that night. If your legs have had enough, the train's right there, and nobody keeps score.
Day 06 · Mon 6 Sep
Santa Teresa to Aguas Calientes
Altitude
About 2,040 m
The day
The zip line (optional), the walk in, pizza together.
Carry
Your daypack and your appetite.
Machu Picchu, Huayna Picchu above the ruins
A group hand in hand, watching the sun rise over the peaks
Day 7 Machu Picchu
The wonder of the world, reached the long way.
Up early to meet it at sunrise, with a guide who knows its stones. Then time on your own among them, and the train back to the valley.
Day 07 · Tue 7 Sep
Machu Picchu at sunrise
Altitude
About 2,430 m. Lower than Cusco: the high point was three days back, in the cloud.
The day
Sunrise, the guided tour, time on your own, the train back.
Carry
Your passport. The entrance is in your name.
The terraces above Pisac
Knitwear shops on a Pisac street
Craft shops in Pisac
Woven bags at the Pisac market
Stalls inside the Pisac market
Day 8 The Market
You know a great deal about some things and very little about others, and so does everyone at this table.
A free day in Pisac, its market loud with color. Back to Cusco by late afternoon, and dinner with Lane.
Day 08 · Wed 8 Sep
Pisac to Cusco
Altitude
About 3,000 m
The day
A free morning, the market, dinner together.
Carry
Room in your bag.
Fitted Inca stonework against the sky
Day 9 The Old Places
You came to compare notes with peers, not to be fixed or taught.
A day among the old stones near Cusco, chosen closer to the time from the few we love most. Somewhere along the way, a Despacho, the Andean offering of thanks. And the conversation about the game each of us is playing, and how we'd design it.
Day 09 · Thu 9 Sep
Ancient sites near Cusco
Altitude
About 3,400 m
The day
The old places, lunch on the way, a Despacho.
Carry
Curiosity.
Cusco Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas
Days 10 and 11 Carry It Home
You leave with what you came for, in your own words, and friends still in it with you.
A free day in Cusco, then the last supper together. On the eleventh, the airport, whenever your flight is. A week or two later, the group meets once more, on a call.
Days 10 and 11 · 10 and 11 Sep
Cusco
Altitude
About 3,400 m
The days
A free day, the last supper, the ride to the airport.
Carry
The stories.
Base Camp

Every answer, in one place

Who it's for

You live on purpose, and you play on purpose. Maybe you've built something real and you're still curious. Maybe you're the one who makes a stranger feel like an old friend by dinner. Maybe you go looking for the edge of the map, or you notice what's underneath a place before anyone says it. Most people who'd love this trip are more than one of those.

Some of you have sat in ceremony many times. Some never have. Both belong here. Past journeys have brought together founders, veterans and people deep in their own self-mastery. Some arrive with passports full of stamps. For some it's the first time out of the country.

Around the table, politics stays at home. We'd rather hear how someone sees the world than win the point.

We can't promise who will come. We know who we're inviting.

Your host, and who holds the ground

Lane at Machu Picchu, Huayna Picchu behind him

Lane Belone

Lane has led journeys in Peru since 2019: some built around ceremony, some around the trail, all of them around the people. Every one has shown him the same thing. The magic is the people you go with.

A Green Beret veteran who has travelled to more than forty countries, he holds the plan so everyone else can play. If there's ever a moment you don't feel safe, you can always come to him. On the Wachuma day, he sits in the circle with you.

Lane and Simon above the Sacred Valley

Simon Myburgh · Another Planet Peru

Lane has worked with Simon since 2019. Simon's family founded Another Planet Peru in Cusco in 1991, and their Mountain House is where the journey begins. Simon and his team carry the logistics, the guides and the local knowledge. You trust a plan more when you know who's holding it.

The eleven days at a glance

Keep scrolling to travel the trail
Day 1 · Wed 1 Sep

Cusco · The Mountain House

Picked up whenever you land. The welcome, and dinner by the fire.

Day 2 · Thu 2 Sep

The Mountain House

The Wachuma day, then the walk to the Temple of the Moon.

Day 3 · Fri 3 Sep

Sacred Valley · Ollantaytambo

Four-wheelers, a picnic, the old Inca town.

Day 4 · Sat 4 Sep

Abra Malaga · Santa Maria

Up to the pass, then the bike ride down.

Day 5 · Sun 5 Sep

Santa Teresa

Rafting if the river runs, the jungle trail, the hot springs.

Day 6 · Mon 6 Sep

Aguas Calientes

The zip line, the walk in, pizza together.

Day 7 · Tue 7 Sep

Machu Picchu · Pisac

Sunrise, the guided tour, the train back.

Day 8 · Wed 8 Sep

Pisac · Cusco

The market, then dinner together.

Day 9 · Thu 9 Sep

Near Cusco

The old places and a Despacho.

Day 10 · Fri 10 Sep

Cusco

A free day and the last supper.

Day 11 · Sat 11 Sep

Cusco

Home, whenever your flight is.

Download the full itinerary (PDF) No form, no email.

The days are set. If anything shifts, you'll hear from us as it happens.

The price

$3,500 per person, shared room (a double or two twin beds)
$4,200 single room

Included

  • Airport pickup and drop-off in Cusco, whenever you fly
  • Ten nights of lodging
  • Private ground transport, guides and helpers
  • The four-wheelers and picnic
  • The bike descent, the trail, rafting (optional), the zip line and the hot springs
  • Machu Picchu: the bus, the entrance and a guided tour
  • The train and bus back to the valley
  • The day among the ancient sites
  • The Wachuma day
  • Most meals, with the group dinners and the last supper

Not included

  • Flights to and from Cusco
  • Travel insurance
  • Dinner on Day 3, lunch and dinner on Day 7 and lunch on Day 8
  • Nights before 1 or after 11 September
  • Your own spending and tips

It's one journey, priced as a whole. Sitting a part out changes neither the price nor what comes back to you.

How to join

Twelve spots in all.

How many of you?
Room

Pay in full

By card, in one go.

$3,500 shared · $4,200 singlePay in full

The payment plan

$500 today, then equal monthly payments by card, the last on 1 August 2027.

$500 today

Start the plan

Wire or check

$100 less. Write to Lane and he'll send the details.

$3,400 shared · $4,100 singleWrite to Lane

One room type per checkout, so a party in different rooms checks out once for each. Checkout asks one question: who invited you? You'll agree to the terms there too. Machu Picchu entrances are bought in each traveller's name around 1 June, so that's the month to be in.

The demanding parts

  1. The trail is real: four days through the mountains and the high jungle, from a pass at 4,350 m, with early starts. Our ground team rates it 5 out of 10.
  2. The plan is set before you arrive, and it isn't yours.
  3. Nobody has to perform.
  4. The ceremony is sincere, and taking part is your choice.
  5. You set how deep you go.
  6. Some days start early and leave a place before you're ready to.

Your body, the altitude and your safety

The physical ask

If you can ride a bike and walk a long day, you're ready. You carry a daypack and nothing more: duffels are provided, and a support vehicle carries the rest. There's one bike day, down from the pass, and a train for anyone who'd rather not walk into Aguas Calientes.

Altitude

It's the thing most people wonder about, so the journey is built around it. The first two nights at the Mountain House ask nothing of you but to settle in. Coca tea is always on, there are local herbs for the altitude and oxygen is on hand. Being fit helps on the trail, and the slow start helps with the altitude.

Safety

If anyone needs care, it happens straight away. Simon has guided on this ground for more than two decades. His team knows exactly where to go.

The ceremony. Your choice, before you travel and on the day. Questions about the ceremony? We'll talk it through on a call. The price is the same either way.

The terms in plain words

The $500 deposit holds your spot. If you cancel, it becomes a credit toward another Explorer's Side Quest. The rest works like this:

Before 1 June Everything else comes back
1 June to 1 August Half comes back, and your deposit stays as credit for another Side Quest
After 1 August No refund, and your deposit stays as credit for another Side Quest

You can pass your spot to someone else until 1 August, as long as a Machu Picchu entrance can still be booked in their name. The full terms

Questions

Coming on your own?

Most people arrive knowing Lane, and often one or two others. At the shared rate we'll pair you with care, matched by gender and by fit. And if you find your roommate yourself on day one, even better.

Will I be the only first-timer?

No. First stamps and full passports sit at the same table.

I've never sat in ceremony.

You're welcome, and you won't be the only one. Join in, or spend the day your own way.

Is this a healing retreat?

It's an adventure first. If a healing retreat is what's calling you, there are beautiful ones, and this is a different journey.

Can I skip something?

Anything optional, any time. It's one journey, so nothing's refunded for a part you sit out.

What if I get hurt or sick?

On the spot, by a team that has worked this trail for more than twenty years.

Will the altitude get to me?

It might, for a day. For most people it asks nothing more than taking it slow for a day or two, which is why the first two days are easy. The Mountain House keeps the remedies on hand.

Do I need travel insurance?

It isn't required, and it's recommended. Check that it covers biking, rafting and the zip line.

When do I fly?

Land in Cusco by the morning of 1 September and leave from the afternoon of 11 September. The pickups are included whichever day you fly.

What about food?

Tell us what you eat and don't when you join, and the kitchens plan around it.

Can couples or friends come together?

Yes. Book a shared room together.

Ask anything, any time before we leave. Most people's best questions arrive after they've said yes. There'll be plenty of conversations, and a full travel guide, along the way.

I've been bringing people to Peru since 2019, and every journey has taught me the same thing: the magic is the people.

This time we're going to play. Ride down out of the clouds, walk into Machu Picchu the long way, sit in circle with one of the oldest ceremonies in the Andes, and talk properly about the game each of us is playing and how we'd design it.

I've worked with Simon and his family's team since 2019. They hold every detail on the ground, so you can go with the flow.

If something in you said yes on the way down this page, I'd love to have you on the trail.

Lane · Enjoy the Journey
Lane in Peru, in a woven poncho and hat, the mountains behind him
The door

Infinite Players in Peru

Join this quest

Pay in full, start the plan, or write to Lane first.

Someone you'd bring? Send them this page.

Write to Lane

Have a question, or want to pay by wire or check? Your note goes straight to Lane.

Not these dates?

Peru comes round again, and so do other trails: Nepal, and places we haven't announced yet. Leave your email and tell us what calls you.

Photo credits Photos and the Machu Picchu footage by Lane Belone, unless named below. The Mountain House: Simon Myburgh and Another Planet Peru, with thanks.
From Pexels: a river, Ayşegül Aytören, Pexels License · a mountain road, Shiwa Yachachin, Pexels License.
From Wikimedia Commons (skies cut away or framed in stone shapes for this page): Machu Picchu at first light, Martin St-Amant, CC BY-SA 3.0 · A zip line in Thailand, Sgt. Jamean Berry, public domain · Clouds, Lance Vanlewen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Clouds, Rasbak, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Clouds, Toby Hudson, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Abra Malaga, Dominic Sherony, CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Temple of the Moon, GeraldFoster, CC BY-SA 4.0 · A passage at the Temple of the Moon, GeraldFoster, CC BY-SA 4.0 · A hot spring, TMbux, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pisac terraces, PsamatheM, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pisac and its market, H.dav.are, CC BY-SA 4.0, CC BY-SA 4.0, CC BY-SA 4.0, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Inca stonework near Cusco, Colegota, CC BY-SA 2.5 es · Cusco Cathedral, Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0.