We will meet you at the airport on Day 1 and transport you to the first night’s hotel (included), where we’ll conduct an orientation meeting at 5:00 PM the first evening (your flight should arrive before 3:00 PM). Our Peru communications team will be in contact approximately 45 days before your trip to coordinate your rendezvous and answer any last-minute questions you have.

Click here to see a printable, downloadable trip information packet with more detailed guidance about flights, shuttles, recommended lodging and more.

Trip Start 

Cusco, Peru

Closest Airport

Alejandro Velasco Astete Cusco International Airport, CUZ. Transporation to/from Cusco is the guest’s responsibility.

Day 1

We will pick you up from the Cusco Airport, Alejandro Velasco Astete Cusco International Airport (CUZ), upon your arrival on Day 1. Please plan to arrive no later than 3:00 PM in order to be on time for our 5:00 PM orientation meeting at our hotel.

Our pre-trip support team will be in contact approximately 45 days before your trip to coordinate your rendezvous and answer any last-minute questions you have.

Trip End

Cusco, Peru

Closest Airport

Alejandro Velasco Astete Cusco International Airport, CUZ. Transporation to/from Cusco is the guest’s responsibility.

Day 9

Breakfast is included today. Checkout from hotel is at 10 am. and you may depart anytime. Transfer to CUZ airport is included anytime today.

We secure limited amounts of pre and post trip lodging in Cusco, Peru as an optional add-on for guests of this trip. This lodging is on request, and is available on a first come, first serve basis. If interested, please reach out directly to our team to check availability.

Your safety is our top priority. Our hiking tours are led by professional hiking guides, all of whom are wilderness-certified first responders or EMT’s, each with years of guiding and wilderness experience. Guides adhere to standardized risk management protocols in case of any potential or actual incident, and all tours carry an emergency communication device and comprehensive first-aid kit. Additionally we have a “24/7” system through which guides or guests can reach Wildland support personnel at any time.

In the interest of your safety, it’s important to refer to the Center for Disease Control website for up-to-date recommendations on immunizations before your trip.

Our approach to international travel is to combine the best of two worlds: the dialed-in details, professionalism and consistency Wildland trips are known for; and the cultural immersion and intimate regional knowledge that only locals can provide. To excel with this approach, we vet and hire the best local guides, welcome them into the Wildland family and train them to meet our standard of excellence with every aspect of a trip. But along with managing logistics and safety, your guides will teach you about the area’s history and culture, and provide a level of familiarity and intimate detail only locals can.

Check out our Meet Our Team page for staff bios.

Who are our porters?

Wildland works with a team of 15-25 porters, mainly from two different villages: Willoq and Cuyo Grande, both located in the Sacred Valley of Peru. The ages of our porter team ranges from 20 to 55 years old. Our porter team is made up of farmers, meaning their main job is farming and the porter work is to supplement income. They grow crops such as potatoes, lima beans, peas, corn and also raise livestock such as cows, sheep, llamas, and alpacas.

Porters aim to work 2-3 treks per month. Each trek lasts for 4 days, so they are away from their families and farm duties between 8 and 12 days each month. They prefer to visit with their families, rest, and catch up on farm duties between treks, usually for 4-5 days. They choose when they want to be available for any given trek.

What do we provide Porter staff?

We believe that the main ingredient for any successful trip is keeping not only our guests safe and happy, but also our staff. We have created a set of standards to ensure the safety and happiness of our porter team.

• All porters are provided health insurance. It is purchased through a private company to ensure they are covered for any health-related issues while working for us. During a trek, our lead guides is in close contact with all our staff to ensure safety and wellness of the entire team. Any illness or injury to our staff is treated equal to and as importantly as any illness or injury to our guests. All lead guides are trained in wilderness first aid and can properly assist any staff or guest in the case of illness or injury. First aid kits are carried and readily available for staff, the same as they are for guests.
• We provide staff all the gear needed to keep them warm and safe during treks. This includes sleeping bags, sleeping pads, shelter/tent, warm fleece jackets, hiking pants, hiking shoes, hats, backpacks and a brace used for extra back support.
• We understand that the quality work and effort provided by our porters during treks deserves to be matched by the quality of food we provide to them during treks. Porters are provided 3 warm meals a day on treks and the food is planned for them specifically. They are not fed guest leftovers; their food is planned, purchased, and cooked by our chef during a trek. Meals are always planned with physical and nutritional needs in mind.
• Tips for porters are included in your trip rate. This ensures the tips and income to porters are fair and predictable each trip. Of course, you may tip more if you wish, but tips are already included in your rates and we ensure our team is tipped fairly, in addition to their normal salary.
• Also, we follow strict weight limits to not overburden our Porters. The maximum weight they can carry is 20 kilos/44 lbs.

School Project

Five years ago, Jose Condor, our partner and Peru Program Manager, started a small project called “Improving Education in the Mountains.”

This project was set up to support the schools and children in the villages around the region where our porters come from.  These small communities and villages have schools, but they are basic, and often do not have sufficient supplies.  Every year, we provide supplies for the schools to use for the school year.  We also supply some hygiene items and other gifts.  A portion of each reservation in Peru goes towards this project. The supplies are utilized by hundreds of children between the ages of 3 and 11.

Age restrictions on this trip are as follows:

• 12 and older to join scheduled or private trips

Field evacuation, repatriation, and medical insurance is highly recommended on all Peru trips (field evacuation and repatriation minimum coverage is a combined $200,000 USD).

We recommend IMG/iTravelinsured and their Travel LX product for this trip. They are one of the world’s leading providers of travel insurance.

For information on the recommended IMG/iTravelinsured policies please click here.

If you already have insurance or wish to purchase from anyone other than IMG/iTravelinsured, we recommend careful consultation with the provider to ensure appropriate coverage. This is because many providers have a number of policy exclusions.