Katy Shorthouse

Great adventures from the Amazon to the mountains. We visited the Tambopata for the first 4 days of our trip. There is something magical about macaws flying over head while you fish for piranha as a family of river otters play in the water a short distance away. Once we left the Amazon, we met up with our guide, Orlando and driver, Paul. We especially enjoyed our time with Orlando and Paul. They were always looking out for our family to have an amazing time. We can't believe everything we experienced in the two weeks in Peru. The food was amazing, Orlando knows all the good places! One of the highlights of the trip was our home stay in Raqch'i. The family was welcoming and happy for us to experience their community. We were so honored to be a part of their family for the night. We all had a great time dancing by the fire. Our hike on Rainbow mountain was the most challenging part of our trip. Orlando had us take it slow, with lots of breaks.

This was an absolute once-in-a-lifetime experience! Everything that Aspiring Adventures did for us was fantastic - all of our needs were either anticipated (in style!) or someone bent over backwards to meet them at the drop of the hat. I don't think we could have possibly been in better hands.

Our guide for the main part of the trip, Orlando, is one of my new favorite people. He was super knowledgeable about everything on the trip from astronomy to archaeology to Andean spiritual beliefs to geology and everything in between.

If you want a challenging (and we aren't a group that shies from a physically demanding hike in Colorado) and rewarding trek, the one we did is a tall (but awesome) order.

If you're wondering if you should book a trip with Aspiring Adventures, I say you should for sure. They only thing at all (and I really mean the only thing) I would have changed about the trip was our little jaunt at the end to fly over the Nazca lines - it ended up being a ton of driving for not a ton of Nazca line time. This was more of a function of COVID-19 than Aspiring Adventures though since the Ica airport was closed. Our guide for this portion out of Lima, Arturo, was great and did his best to make it fun even though some of us mostly just slept in his car.

Aspiring Adventures did an awesome job on our recent trek in the Andean high country. Over 8 days we did 23,000' of vertical ascent (and matching descent) including one ascent to 14,000' elevation and another to 15,000' elevation and covered about 63 miles. Our guide, Orlando Ugarte was phenomenal -- he made sure that we had a great experience on this very challenging trek. Our trek took us off of the beaten path; for the last few days, we experienced the power of this special land in complete solitude. The chef, Johan, provided the most delicious meals imaginable and introduced us to a lot of the high country cuisine. Late in the trek, he even purchased a chicken from a local farmer and butchered it so we would have fresh meat in the soup! We were so grateful for the early morning wakeup calls accompanied with piping hot tea. On a trek like this, there are a lot of variables that can make the difference between a great treak and a disaster -- Aspiring Adventures did not miss a beat!

We had an amazing time exploring Cusco, and our 10-day trek from Capiluyoc to Cochiquirao to Huancacalle before traveling to Machu Picchu was an adventure worth remembering. Our guide was absolutely wonderful and our camp chef, crew, and horsemen worked so hard and made our trek amazing. We were so grateful for all of the hard work that went into such an unforgettable experience. Aspiring Adventures is definitely the way to go for any South American adventure!

This was one of our best trips of all time. We had never planned a trip through adventure/tourism companies, but this trip has changed our perspective towards that.
First, we would love to thank our trip specialist - Katy who planned an amazing itinerary customized to our needs and interests. She was very prompt, accommodative, patient and we could not have had a better plan of our trip.
The accommodations, the inter city travel and even the food was all brilliantly arranged and as per our preference.
Our most memorable time was our trek to Huchuy Cusco which is a beautiful and secluded trek and we are glad that it was in our itinerary as we would not have come across it if not for Katy!
Both of our guides Yuri(Balareso) and Justino were fantastic. They were professional, knowledgeable and very passionate about their work. We would specially thank our guide Justino who was incredible and made our Cusco trip even more memorable. He was professional, accommodative, interesting and quite funny :). We could not have been more fascinated by the Peruvian history and culture, especially the way Justino delivered it. He was patient with us on the treks, very motivative, did not rush and even gave us private space. We still can't get over his interesting stories and all the laughs that we shared throughout our time with him.
Peru is a beautiful country and felt a lot like home! It was a wonderful trip and we would definitely visit again.
Once again, thank you Katy, Kimkim and Aspiring Adventures for this magical trip!

- Priya & Balaji

We enjoyed this part of our trip very much. Though, I was surprised to know Kim Kim was not our tour guide but hired out Jungle Pro to be our guide. This outfit was very professional and catered to our every need. Our accommodations were very comfortable and we kept plenty busy watching for the many animals. One observation to note...sometimes, a guide could be in the same position too long. It took our guide some 3 days to finally warm up to us but we finally broke him in and the trip couldn't have been better. Unfortunately, it should have worked the opposite way.

This trip was a unique experience based trip that we enjoyed as a family and will treasure the memories for years to come!! It balanced lots of different opportunities to enjoy the fabulous nature in Peru, with the history and amazing sites. Add great company and guides and Peruvian food and it left us looking forward to a second trip to visit other areas in the country!

Our personal guide, Chen, was absolutely wonderful! He was kind, considerate of our acclimation needs, and he had a terrific ability to motivate all of us to achieve our full potential on the rigorous hikes. We thoroughly appreciated Cheo’s sense of humor, as well as the detail of his cultural presentation of the sights throughout the entire trip.

Katy and KimKim were wonderful with the timely updates of our travel plans, payment schedule, and perfect packing list.

Thank you!

Our local specialist, KATY from Aspiring Adventures, arranged our local experience carefully, based on our preferences as a party of 6 adults with various levels of fitness ability and 2 active children. She got us a trip to experience Peru from the Pacific coast to the Andean mountains to the Amazon jungle. She arranged for us to taste Peruvian local cuisine at luxurious restaurants, a farmer's house, an Amaru village house, a boat picnic setting, and a set-menu dining in a jungle lodge. She got us to experience local lifestyle by having us to stay at hostels, Amaru village house, and a jungle lodge. The Muresan family also appreciated our 'green' experience in Peru.

The Muresan family appreciated Katy's list of What to Expect When Traveling to Peru and List to Bring. Perhaps Katy can add:
1. Amaru, the village experience living, is super cold, so please bring seriously warm clothes to be comfortable.
2. Riding ATV is super dusty, so please bring a face mask to cover up, and a backpack cover/plastic to cover yourself and your backpack.
Other than those, Katy was spot on. Please bring gifts for your host families. Something small from your country. From Indonesia, we brought keychains. From the US, we brought t-shirts and keychains. They cost $2-5 a piece and will last a lifetime for your hosts and friendship.

Aldo Sanchez was our ultimate BEST guide! He was patient, quietly listening to our needs, courteously adjusting our trip based on our requests, happily taking our pictures as a group in 'Instagram-worthy' places :), and most importantly, very passionate and knowledgeable about his mountains! He did not push us to buy anything from any merchants. He did not force us to do anything we were not comfortable with. He also made all those hiking and walking a pleasure because he carried a book with him and he kept on stopping to tell stories about the places we passed as we were walking. He was like an audiobook. No suggestion to improve for Aldo. Keep up your great work and service, Aldo! Thank you for your service to our family.

The Muresan family found Wilhen, the cyclist guide, fun, and careful with ensuring our safety on the trails and road. He went as far as we wanted to, as fast as our kids pedaled, and was willing to take several breaks to give Elisa a break because she was running out of gas from not eating proper breakfast. Her fault totally. Luckily, Aldo got a piece of Amaru potato for Elisa to munch and get a little more energy. Thank you, Wilhen.

The Muresan family enjoyed paddleboarding with David at Lake Piuray. He was competent, patient, and more than happy to have fun with my extremely happy kids. Our kids are fish in disguise. I thought they were goofing around a little too much, but David encouraged them to have serious fun. The kids ended up feeling ecstatic, I ended up relaxing, and the car ended up being quiet because both of them fell asleep after our water activity. Thank you, David. Stay safe, keep traveling, and carry on.

The Muresan family had a great time in Amaru. We loved the welcome 'ceremony' when we arrived. We enjoyed working the field for Fredy's family, using the tools that the Inca farmers had been using for centuries. We loved the cooking in the ground procedure that we witnessed and graciously devoured. We admired the camaraderie amongst Fredy's neighbors, who came to help and showed us how devoted the women were to care for their children. We adored the view from hiking 4000 m hill near Fredy's house. BUT the chill was down to every single tiniest bone in our bodies. It was extremely cold during the night that when we had to pee, we almost decided to pee on ourselves to warm our bodies up. But no, we walked down to the toilets, like proper ladies and gentlemen, to release ourselves. What a reward we got. We looked up the sky and saw what the Inca people saw many centuries ago, with our naked eyes, the clear sky with beautiful formation of the stars and the milky way. It was one of our moments of: man, we were glad we had to pee in the middle of the night. Thank you for your hospitality, Fredy. I will send you the printed picture, as I promised.

We loved the Amazon jungle that we got to experience from Puerto Maldonado. Oscar's lodge was pleasantly clean, rustic, and relaxing. The architecture and landscape looked to be carefully designed for ultimate enjoyment of the city people like us. (Juan) Carlos the chef was strict with dining timetable, but we loved his creations, every single time! Oscar's staff members were courteous and very honest. Perhaps, at the bar, for people who don't drink, Oscar can add selling chips, candies, or small muncheries. We enjoyed the common rooms very much, playing games and getting to know other guests, while swinging at the strong hammocks and imagining a leopard or a snake or a monkey or even a sloth peeking to watch us, humans.

Yuri is a passionate and competent guide. We appreciated that even with his stomach problem, he still stayed upbeat and strong to help us enjoy our time in the jungle. He spotted many animals for us when we couldn't even see the creatures! He found the best place (spots) for us to enjoy the clay-licking birds of Peru, had a picnic breakfast, and walked to another spot to enjoy those beauties! He skillfully took us for long day and night walk through the Amazon jungle and to Condenado Lake. He caught 3 piranha fish with ease and graciously shared 1 with us at the lodge. We 4 are still jealous at Yuri for catching those piranha, because none of us could do that! We appreciated Yuri taking us to try to find an Anaconda (or two or a few) at Tres Chimbadas Lake. Yuri knew Reserva Nacional Tambopata very well and was always being green and environmentally conscious, at all times. Thank you, Yuri. Keep up your great service!

The Muresan family would also like to acknowledge the super boat driver Carlo! Carlo drove very smoothly on Tambopata River, without light, at 4 in the morning!, maneuvering through deep and shallow spots, and avoiding fallen trees! WOW! Carlo also managed to stop his boat, to show us a small monkey hanging on the top of a tree, and several families of Capibara, cleverly camouflaged amongst the mudbanks of the river. To top it all of, Carlo ALWAYS kept his boat clean and tidy, every time we got on board of it. You are the man, Carlo! Thank you for showing us a great time at your Tambopata River.

The Muresan family enjoyed the kayaking down the Tambopata River on the last day at the jungle. Next time, please consider arranging this activity to NOT be on the last day, so that we could dry our wet clothes and not bringing those wet clothes back to the US, in our suitcases, for 2 days.

The Muresan family had a glitch with Mayli. She was not able to answer any of my questions during our trip in Peru. She was not helpful and was incompetent at Cusco airport, prior to our departure to Puerto Maldonado. She needed more training to help clients with their airport experience. I wish we had Aldo sending us off from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado. He would have known what to do!

In conclusion, our trip to Peru was a blast! Thankfully, Mayli is just a little insignificant glitch. Our family had a once in a lifetime experience and will be sharing our reviews (minus Mayli) in Social Media, to promote Peru, Kimkim Travel, and Aspiring Adventures. Thank you.

This was a great trip from start to finish. Aldo, the guide, was a pure delight to spend 4 nights and 5 days with. He covered every detail and more; bring hot water bottles to each of us as we were sleeping at 14,000 feet in the Andes to stay warm, bringing coffee or tea to each of us before we got out of bed. The highlights for us were to reach the summit of the Salkantay trail at 15,200 feet, the coffee plantation where we picked the coffee beans, roasted, ground and made coffee and camping by the mineral hot springs, soaking our tired bodies. The food was gourmet dining, the two cooks were splendid. Manchu Picchu was a day to remember with Aldo providing a tour. I would recommend this trip to anyone, I still have that vacation glow!!!!!