Since we totally understand your concern about the differences
between our services and those of other companies, we are
more than happy to give you more details about it!
We are always here for you. We are dedicated to providing you with the
best services. We are a family willing to show our best and give our best;
you will definitely receive 100% personalized service from us.
Because we love what you love, we are more than happy to incorporate feedback from our clients into our services.
Other companies take more than twenty and even 30 people and, of course, the cost is a lot less. With us you will have personalized services closer to a private trip.
Other companies claiming daily departures operate their treks jointly with other companies in service rotation. Hence, you book a departure with tour operator A with the risk that it will actually be operated by tour operator B without you knowing. Even if we only have a single traveler for a set departure date, this will be operated by us.
As a result we choose routes to avoid big groups on our way. This way we can get closer to the mountains and the landscape. (If you check our itineraries, they are different from those of other companies)
Sometimes other companies hire people that have recently finished their studies and permit these guides to lead groups of more than 20 people. In our opinion, this is very dangerous, and, additionally, having just one guide for a big group is definitely something we don’t agree with. If we do have a client who requests that we take a larger group, we have very experienced guides as well as assistants.
As part of our commitment to responsible tourism, we try to schedule guides, cooks and muleteers programs at the beginning of each month. This means that they have more balanced programs (beneficial for those with families) and also have guaranteed work days for the month.
We follow both ecologically and economically sustainable and responsible business practices, including above-average wages for our guides, cooks, muleteers and porters. Our policy of booking treks and tours in advance means that our staff can anticipate and depend on Apu Andino’s income. Our staff participates in environmental policy training, and follows these guidelines on our treks. From biodegradables materials to communities inclusion we do our best in order to impact at minimum with our actions on the mountains.
Instead of local buses, which other companies use to reduce their costs,
we always provide private transportation. This service allows our clients
flexibility and privacy.
Your will not have complaints about our equipment as everything is new!
We check every detail and give high quality service, and for us, having
great camping equipment is part of it!
You won’t have canned food at all: everything will be fresh! It will be so
good that someone in your group will want to marry our cook! 🙂 (It
happened once to us! Hahaha… of course the client was just kidding). If
you have food restrictions, or allergies, this is absolutely no problem. As
long as we know in advance our cooks are ready for every challenge!
In case of alternative treks (not Inca Trail where animals are not
permitted), if someone is not able to walk due to sudden illness or injury,
we have an alternative to get the person safely out. Or, it could be that
someone needs to ride just one day and then feels better later.
Many companies charge extra for porters. We assume that you will want
to carry your camera and water, snacks and raingear and we take care of
all the rest, up to 8 kilos.
On alternative treks our horses and mules will carry your belongings.
Some companies just tell you to carry your own things or they give you
up to 7kg or 8kg limit. Additionally we provide you a duffel bag for your
things and a poncho for you to wear in case of rain.
For treks that include accommodation at Aguas Calientes, we stay at La
Pequeña Casita which is a very nice place to rest after several days
walking! In comparison to other companies, we will not be staying in
basic shared rooms or sharing showers.
We really want our clients to have a complete experience. These climbs
get you way above the ruins of Machu Picchu and from both vantage
points you will be able to have great views of Machupicchu. Including
the opportunity to climb these mountains is not a service included by
most companies.
We believe in paying good wages but we also believe that exceptional
service on the part of our staff deserves special recognition by our clients.
Our hard working staff survive on their wages but they live on their tips.
They work amazingly hard and you will be pleased with their work. And
tips help them keep their high morale when working with our groups.
We treat everyone the same: clients and fellow colleagues alike – the way
we ourselves wish to be treated, with integrity, respect and sincerity. We
are passionate about mountains and love what we do. We are proudly:
“Apu Andino”
Thank you for taking the time to read this. We hope this gives you a
better idea about the way we give our services and why!