Machu Picchu - Lake
Titicaca
(11
days/10 nights)
Machu Picchu - Lake
Titicaca
(12 days/11 nights)
Machu Picchu - Lake
Titicaca
(14 days/13 nights)
Colca Canyon - Machu
Picchu
Lake Titicaca
(16 days/15 nights)
Archaeological & Ecological
Treasures
Galapagos - Machu Picchu
Lake Titicaca (or Amazon)
(18 days/17
nights)
Colca Canyon - Amazon
Machu Picchu - Lake Titicaca
(22 days/21 nights)
Machu Picchu
(10
days/9 nights)
Machu Picchu
(13 days/12 nights)
Machu Picchu - Galapagos
(15 days/14 nights)
Galapagos - Machu Picchu
(18 days/17 nights)
Manu National Park
(8 days/7 nights)
Enchanted Isles of the Galapagos
Galapagos
(11
days/10 nights)
Galapagos & the Kingdom of Quito
Galapagos - Andes
(16 days/15 nights)
Galapagos - Amazon
(16 days/15 nights)
Historic Haciendas of the Andes
Cotopaxi - Antisana
- Otavalo
(7 days/6 nights)
© 2008
Inka's Empire Corporation.
All rights reserved.
Boatman sailing a traditional reed boat, Uros Islands, Lake Titicaca.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel.
Your guides, Sheila Robles and Alberto Gomez, were truly extraordinary...
-- Laurie Williams & Peter Pierce III
I would like to specifically mention the guides we had -- they were each unique and made our experiences very special -- Cesar in Lima, Raul in Arequipa, Sheyla in Cusco and Felix in Puno. Raul is a very impressive bird watcher and helped Joe identify many species of birds. We saw seven condors at Colca Canyon -- Raul knew just where to stand to get the best views of the birds. Sheyla made Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley and Cusco magical places. Joe will never forget his 60th birthday at Machu Piccho -- we saw a double rainbow and an incredible sunset. The boat cruise with Felix on Lake Titicaca was a perfect day.
-- Nancy & Joseph Costa
Our most fequently used guides in Lima and Cuzco (including the Sacred Valley of the Incas and Machu Picchu) are Ofelia Larco, César Rodríguez, Sheyla Robles, Eddie Pizarro, Vilma Zuñiga, Pascual Borda, José Angel Ayerbe, Martha Bustamante, Freddy Avales, Julio Cesar Camacho, Manuel Usca and Edison Aguilar.
Lima
Ofelia Larco
Born and raised in Lima, Ofelia grew up as a city girl. Educated in a bilingual school, she learned to speak English fluently at early age and formed an interest in foreign languages. In addition, she became fond of Peruvian history and art. All this, later on, led her to become an official tour guide. Today, her seventeen years of experience shows in her knowledge, efficiency, enthusiasm and concern for the needs of her tourists, and her desire that they have the best memories of their visit to Peru.
César Rodríguez
César has been an Official Tourism Guide since 1980. His academic studies range from linguistics to economics, archaeology and the arts. His interest is Peru's cultural diversity. Recently, he was granted a diploma in Cultural Management at the Catholic University of Peru. Through this study, he has refreshed and updated his knowledge about the use of touristic and cultural resources for social development. He lives in Lima, but for work and pleasure, he often travels through Peru and other countries in South America. He lived in Brazil during the 70s, and speaks English, French, Portuguese and basic Italian. His hobby is archaeology and he love interacting with people, learning and teaching. His roots come from the deep cultural diversity of Peru, and his main interest is in connecting and combining that tradition with modernity.
Cuzco, Machu Picchu & the Sacred Valley
Sheila Robles
Hailing from the highlands outside Cusco, Sheila completed her tourism degree eight years ago and has participated in a scientific study of the Choquequirao archeological complex. She has focused on guiding conventional tourism in the sacred Valley, Machu Piccu, Cusco and southern Peru. An avid mountain biker, lover of good music and active with an environmental organization in the outskirts of Cusco, Sheila's guiding trips have taken her all over Peru, Bolivia and Chile. She enjoys interacting with visitors from all over the world, and particularly likes teaching visitors about Peruvian culture. Given that she feels that tourism is important for the Peruvian economy, she works her hardest to show the best of Peru to her clients.
Eddie Pizarro
I studied at San Francisco de Asis School, in Cusco, where I loved to participate in basketball, soccer, volleyball, swimming and all that is related to sports. I finished school at the age of 16 years old, being one of the youngest in my class. Then, I traveled all over Peru, visiting all of the principal cities of the three regions, which has made me proud of my country. I worked in hotels, restaurants and travel agencies. I studied at the Universidad Andina del Cusco, earning a license in tourism. While at the university, I played basketball in the national tournaments. During half of my career, I worked and studied at the same time, which gave me more experience than my classmates. My hobbies include fishing, photography, all kind of sports, music and local cuisine. I now have 26 years of experience in tourism. I have an an open mind and can follow all kinds of conversations with a good sense of humor and the desire to share my culture with others.
Vilma Zuñiga
While her mother is from Arequipa, Vilma grew up in Cusco speaking Quechua, the language of the Incas. After having studied biology in university, Vilma decided to become a tour guide so she could travel. She knows most of Peru and has visited neighboring Brazil, Bolivia, and Argentina. With special interests in anthropology and biology, Vilma has participated in various scientific expeditions to Machu Picchu and biological reserves outside the city of Cusco. In addition to guiding the traditional routes such as the Inca trail, she especially enjoys visiting remote communities of the Cusco highlands. Her fluency in English and Quechua allows her to make a perfect link between two very different cultures. Vilma recommends that her clients leave behind the hassles of modern life and immerse themselves for a few days in the simplicity of life in Peru's highland communities.
Pascual Borda
Pascual's parents hail from the highlands of the provinces of Cusco and Puno, and he grew up in the heart of Andean culture. He has traveled extensively through the southern highlands of Peru and Bolivia. Having graduated from Cusco's tourism school five years ago, he specializes in guiding the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Machu Picchu, and different treks in the Cusco highlands. Fluent in Quechua, English, and Spanish, Pascual is the ideal guide to explain the Andean view of the cosmos. He believes that the spirit of the Incas is still present in the Peruvian Andes. He invites visitors to come and experience the Spirit of the Andes with him.
José Angel Ayerbe
José Angel grew up in Cusco, where he graduated from a tourism school and in 1999 became an official tour guide. Through his specialties of guiding adventure treks and river rafting expeditions, he has enjoyed his extensive travels throughout Peru and many other countries in South America. In his free time, Jose Angel enjoys reading history books and the Bible, and also playing with his dog Charlie.
Freddy Avalos
Although Freddy's parents are originally from the city of Ayacucho, he grew up in Cusco, where he lives today. With his intense love of orchids and birds, he very much enjoys guiding in the rainforest of Manu and Tambopata, but also finds it rewarding to guide travelers at the traditional cultural and archeological attractions around Cusco. His travels and love for photography have taken him all over Peru, including the Paracas National Reserve on Peru's Pacific coast. Freddy has participated in botanical studies in the Manu National Park. He enjoys being a naturalist guide and encourages visitors to visit, learn, and have fun.
Martha Bustamante
Having grown up in the rainforest of the Urubamba Valley, Martha has always been interested in birds and plants. Martha finished her tourism studies in Cusco, and is fluent in four languages: Quechua, Spanish, English, and French. She has guided all over Peru and is currently leading treks to Machu Picchu and to other areas outside Cusco. She encourages visitors to learn about the extraordinary biodiversity of Peruvian forests while simultaneously experiencing Peru's rich cultural heritage.
Julio Cesar Camacho
Having grown up in Cusco, Julio Cesar became a tour guide after graduating from university in 2002. When not working as a guide in Cusco and Machu Picchu, Julio Cesar works as a professional dancer. He specializes in folk dances of the Peruvian highlands and Afro-Peruvian dances of the Pacific Coast. He has a small nonprofit group called Pachacamac Munay Lupaca that supports cultural events to promote Andean culture. He learned English by extensive practice with visitors.
Manuel Usca
A native of Cusco, Manuel became an official tourism guide in 1997. He has participated in excavations in the city of Cusco and at the monumental archaeological site at Saccsayhuaman. He has traveled extensively in Peru and South America and is fluent in four languages: Quechua, Spanish, Italian and English. Manuel is an avid soccer player and animal enthusiast.
Edison Aguilar
Hailing from Cusco, Edison completed his tourism studies in 1998 with a specialization in adventure tourism. Besides guiding traditional treks to the Inca Trail, Edison frequently leads treks to remote parts of the highlands outside Cusco, including to the newly excavated Inca complex of at Choquequirao. While residing at Machu Picchu for a year, he took advantage of the opportunity to participate in various archaeological digs. In his free time Edison enjoys reading novels, listening to music and studying Peru's biodiversity. Edison has traveled extensively in southern Peru, both in the Andean highlands and lowland rainforests.
Trujillo, Chiclayo & Cajamarca
Ana Hueda
A native of the Peruvian coastal city of Chiclayo, Ana spent most of her childhood in another Peruvian coastal city, Trujillo, where in 2002 she completed her degree in tourism. Ana has specialized in northern Peru, including the Huaraz area (which includes the world's tallest tropical mountain peaks) and in Chachapoyas, the capital of the mysterious realm of the Cloud Forest People. In her free time she has explored the Peruvian coast all the way to Peru's border with its neighbor to the south, Chile. She is fluent in English and Italian and currently is studying Mandarin.
Carla Pajuelo
Carla grew up in the Peruvian coastal city of Trujillo. Trained as a lawyer, she runs her own legal firm specializing in family law. Having studied English and French during her childhood, she decided to become a guide because she felt it would give her the opportunity to become an ambassador for Peruvian culture. She simply loves to interact with visitors and also enjoys learning about other cultures. When she is not working, she enjoys decorating her home in the company of her two dogs.
Joe Rodriguez
Having grown up in Trujillo and after studying law for three years, Joe ventured all the way to Germany to study music at the Conservatory of Detmold. After extensive travels through Europe, he decided to come back to Peru, where he has been playing the flute with symphony orchestras of Lima and Trujillo. Currently based in Trujillo, Joe volunteers with the Swiss-funded group AVINSA to promote social development through art. When he is not guiding in English or German, Joe teaches music to orphaned children in Trujillo. He encourages music lovers to donate used instruments for his work with the orphans.
Vilma Bada
Vilma is originally from the city of Cajamarca. In Trujillo she studied archaeology and tourism, and since 1990 she has been working as an official guide. As one who loves to travel, she has ventured throughout most of Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. Being trilingual (English, French and Spanish), she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge of Peruvian archaeology with visitors from around the world. When she is not working, Vilma enjoys raising her daughter.
Martha Samillan
Born and raised in Chiclayo, Martha earned a degree in chemical engineering before traveling extensively throughout Europe and North America. After living in Switzerland for six years, Martha now is fluent in German and enjoys guiding German-speaking visitors in tours that showcase the wonders of the Moche culture of the north coast of Peru. She feels very strongly about volunteering to help the elderly and hopes to be able to build a retirement home.
Meche Castillo
Meche grew up in Trujillo and since 1987 has been working as an official tour guide for Chiclayo and Trujillo. Having traveled through most of Peru, Meche is one of the most knowledgeable guides in Northern Peru. She is fluent in English and enjoys traveling and spending free time with her daughter.
Ruth Proeglhoef
Ruth is originally from Austria. Having studied art history, archaeology, and museum science in Salzburg, she now lives in Trujillo with her husband and their five-year-old son. Having owned her own art gallery in Trujillo, Ruth enjoys organizing cultural events and interacting with people from all over the world.
Puno
José Berdejo
José was born and raised in Arequipa, Peru, and was educated in Peru and Costa Rica, obtaining a degree in Farming and postgraduate in Sustainable Tourism. Jose has a deep understanding of the people, life and land-based economy of the Andes. He later studied tourism, English and French, and developed a strong interest in ecology, wildlife and birding. His knowledge, love and interest in his country and its culture provide clients with a fascinating insight into life in Peru.
Francisco Quispe Flores
Francisco was born in Tiquillaca, near Puno. He grew up in Puno and speaks Runa Simi or Quechua, the language of his ancestors. From 1989 through 2002, he studied to become a tourist guide, attending many lectures about archaeology, ornithology, the flora and fauna of the Altiplano, colonial art and architecture, and Andean cooking. He has been in Arequipa, Cuzco and Lima as a student and tour guide; went to Bolivia to study Bolivian cultures and customs; knows most of the Department of Puno; and has studied English and Italian, which allows him to make a perfect link with Quechua and Aymara speaking people. Three years ago, in 2003, he graduated as an Official Tourism Guide.
Angel Quispe Pineda
Angel was born in and lives in Puno, a city located next to Lake Titicaca, on the Collao Plateau, the highest of America. Puno has unusual and beautiful scenery. That, along with its sculpted colonial temples and mysterious pre-colonial tombs, called "chullpas", make it, Angel believes, one of the most interesting places in Peru. He has worked in Puno for twenty six years, starting when very young. Angel speaks English, Portuguese, German, Quechua and Spanish.
Alfredo Espezua Clemente
Alfredo was born in and lives in Puno. He speaks Aymara, English and Italian, has studied tourism in the Altiplano University of Puno for five years and has visited most of the Department of Puno. He was a teacher in a private institute for three years before working as a tourist guide during the past nine years.
© 2008 Inka's Empire Corporation, Luxury Peru Tours & Travel. All rights reserved.
