We understand the importance of extra safety measures to make sure our female guides and porters are comfortable at all times. Sexual harassment is real in all industries, but with women and men sleeping so close together, we needed to be clear on proper behavior. We decided to hire an outside coach to review with everyone on our team the Do’s and Don’ts. He helped to reinforce the rules we have at Alpaca Expeditions, like no drinking on the job (this leads to poor choices), no touching, careful language, be respectful to everyone. And a reminder that we are a team and we need to stick up for each other and ourselves. Speak up if someone makes you uncomfortable…let management know. Take care of your fellow employee as they are your little brother or sister. Make sure that nobody else is bothering them – from other companies or even clients.
Active in our Community
Social Consciousness
Alpaca Expeditions is a Peru-based tour company founded by Raul, an exporter. Peru is a great tourist destination highlighting the great Machu Picchu (The Old Mountain) and Inca trail in the Andes. To show off these landmarks to tourists in a socially-conscious way, Alpaca Expeditions opened its doors to the visitors to give them a tour of the Andes and to make their vacation unforgettable.
The list is large but it will never be enough, we have different kinds of social projects to contribute as much as possible. Gifts given to the kids in Christmas, education projects to improve the learning skills of our kids, gender equality by hiring female guides and porters, health campaigns to mention a few. We want you to be part of this and with that humble intention we will list the projects we have towards our community so you can join us in this dream.
How is Alpaca Expeditions “Socially Conscious?”
At our company, we hire local tour guides and porters – 400 local men and women – who have grown up in the hills of Cusco with the tales of Inca civilization and who are well versed in the terrain.
Local Hiring
We provide you with the right equipment for the journey. Additionally, we offer porters to assist you with your luggage, and boast tour guides who have diverse knowledge of Peruvian history.
Strong Bonds
We go directly to Andean villages with goods for families including medical equipment, food, and sports equipment. We try to show our gratitude every single day.
Worker Welfare
We take care of our employees, providing them with the right gear and personal protective equipment. At no time will you ever find one of our porters with worn-out boots.
Schools & Hospitals
We engage in school and hospital-building programs. Every three months, we provide schools with hygiene supplies and books, as well as computers.
Support & Scholarships
We assist children in need by giving them scholarships. This is part of Raul’s vision to give something back to the community that sustains us.
Eco Commitment
We follow state environmental laws, eliminate signs of our passing left after a trek, and plan regular tree-planting exercises in the Andes.
“"At Alpaca Expeditions, we have an unparalleled commitment to our community. We are a Peruvian travel operator with a main office located in Cusco, and we are the top-rated tour operators of the Inca Trail."”
Alpaca Expeditions Toy Drive for Christmas
Alpaca Expeditions has been working together with the small and secluded Andean village of Wakatinku, located deep in the Andean mountains. A village that supplies many of the porters whose tireless efforts ensure that your trek is the best it can be and a truly unforgettable experience. Many of the porters still have families who live in this village and who often lack even the most basic amenities that we take for granted. Because Alpaca Expeditions was founded on an altruistic principle we have been trying to give back to this village, and to say thank you to the backbone of this company – the porters, by supplying their families with some basic necessities.
Over the past we have given hygiene products, school supplies, sports equipment and many other small but necessary things. We have even paid for an extra teacher to be sent to the village since the local school was sorely understaffed.
This Christmas we want to bring the children of Wakatinku something special for Christmas and we would love your help. Imagine this:
Alpaca Expeditions “Sharing is also learning”
Our job is solely to make children happy. Can there be anything more purely good than that? Luckily a vacancy has just opened up and we want you to fill it! Imagine being Father Christmas for a day, being someone magical and exotic who will delight and enchant the children. Well, we would like to give you this opportunity.
If you are planning a trip to Machu Picchu, or have any other tours booked with us we ask you to bring along a small toy, or anything else that tickles your fancy, to give to the children of Wakatinku. If you want to feel like Santa Claus to children that will appreciate just about anything you give them then here is your chance. It is actually quite easy. See picture below for instructions:
We are planning to surprise these children with our own Santa Claus and to give them a true Christmas shower of gifts. If you would like to be a part of this then we would welcome any small gifts or tokens that you would like these children to receive at Christmas. Remember that thing you never really use – that would probably be perfect, or that stuff collecting dust in the attic – perfect. We want to make Christmas as truly magical for these children as this time of year is for us. In that spirit we invite you to bring anything – whether it is simply something useful (soap, clothing, school books etc.) or something that is simply going to bring them joy (toys, footballs (they REALLY love football over here) etc.)
Alpaca Expeditions will do this activity every year, so you are welcome to join if coming to Peru near these holidays dates. If not you can bring a toy and we will save it until it’s time to give it to a kid.
We look forward to welcoming you to Peru.
Cultural Sundays by Alpaca Expeditions
Nelson Mandela
Project Objectives:
To enhance the values and cultural identity of the new generations.
To facilitate mechanisms that guarantee equal opportunities and non-discrimination of economic and/or social grounds for children from remote communities.
To maintain our vision of supporting the local communities by reinvesting in them.
General Objectives:
This exercise was to promote the inclusion and rights of children and young people in situations of social vulnerability of remote populations, through the development of cultural interventions to the areas of the Sacred Valley of the Inca.
Training in basics of project management to implement a model of cultural intervention of the local areas that is sustainable over time.
Recipients:
Parents & children of the community of Lares
Objectives:
Encourage contact with nature, knowledge of our historical and cultural heritage of the different socio-economic realities that coexist in our country.
Value the importance of school excursions to experience and relate pedagogical issues with which to make human and natural.
Specific objectives:
Favor social, cultural and recreational exchange
Appreciate through direct experiences the applications and processes that have become the specific subject of classroom learning
Value teamwork and organizational techniques for the realization of all types of projects.
Our goal is to collaborate with the Andean communities to overcome social and cultural challenges through work on sustainable projects.
We started our tour on September 21, where we picked them up from the town of Lares at 7 in the morning. We started our journey to the archaeological center of Pisac, where they could learn more about the history there. They were full of questions, doubts, and were surprised while listening attentively to the explanations of our guide.
We finished our tour in Pisac and boarded our bus for lunch that was prepared by the cooks of ALPACA EXPEDITIONS. After our lunch, we went to the archaeological center of Ollantaytambo, where our guides shared with them the history of this archaeological center. In Ollantaytambo, our group could observe the hill of Puncylluna. This place hid the mysteries of the Inca era. They learned so much about the history of the region, but were a little exhausted and ready for dinner. The whole group was tired since it was almost 7 p.m. and it was time to take the train to the town of Aguas Calientes. Many of them were amazed as it was their first time on a train. They were filled with joy and laughter as they made jokes in Quechua on the way. Finally, we had reached the town of Aguas Calientes exhausted, so we took them to their hotel for much-needed rest.
It was precisely 5 AM, and our group was ready to begin their adventure, so our guides directed them to breakfast. Ready for our journey, we boarded the buses that would take us to Machupichu. Once there, tourists looked at us with amazement and happiness. We went through the entrance of Machu Picchu and had it almost all to ourselves. Once they were inside the majesty of the complex was so amazing that it left them in aw. It was a unique experience that they shared among families. We made the complete tour, and our group learned that the city was built around the harmony of “Pachamama” , the Inca deification of Mother Nature. That energy that it gives off is almost tangible that makes our group happy and satisfied. We set out to return to Aguas Calientes for lunch once our tour was over and then boarded the train to go to the town of Ollantaytambo. The group was so happy to have these experiences and adventure. It was almost time to say goodbye sadly as the company bus picked us up and we took them back to Lares and finished our beautiful trip. The residents of Lares gave us potatoes and other native products in gratitude. Without a doubt, it was a beautiful group and an experience that we will never forget.
Thanks ALPACA EXPEDITIONS!
Alpaca trekkers visit Llullucha school
OUR COMMITMENT
Our goal is to collaborate with the Andean communities to overcome economic and social challenges through a working association that directs resources towards sustainable projects. Special attention is given to support the children and their educational efforts.
Itinerary
This year, Alpaca Expeditions chose the small town of Llullucha, at the base of Apu Ausangate, one of the highest snow-capped peaks of Peru. In the Ocongate region, accompanied by two of our international tourists Anna and Melissa expressed interest in connecting with the local children and providing them with a truly authentic Peruvian cultural experience. We were very excited to do this project with the children of Llullucha with teacher Chang Wagner who is directing the English and Computer programs on behalf of Alpaca Expeditions, who until then has given so much interest in learning of the students of the school of LLullucha, It goes without saying that times have changed, and that the parents of these communities want to see their children have some of the opportunities offered to the people of the largest cities.
So on July 26, we embarked on this community to have a unique experience and that our passengers can see these children on their own and confirm that they are already learning to master the English language and the computer course , we were greeted with a beautiful ceremony full of drums and flutes played by the children’s parents; they sang the national anthem of Peru in Quechua (mother tongue), as a sign of pride for their land in the same way we made dynamics that helped us to live this day with these little children from the initial grade, to the sixth grade, and then ready to give delivery of the school supplies we had brought for them, having finished the delivery, and about to return to the city of Cusco, the parents surprised us with a rich Cuy al Horno which is a typical dish of the area. Grateful for such beautiful hospitality of children and parents and eager to stay in that place both for the people and the family atmosphere that they felt.
Alpaca Expeditions Hires First Female Porters and Guides in Peru
EMPOWERING WOMEN
In these days of women’s empowerment around the world, Peru has fallen very short. Especially in our villages and poorer areas, women are expected to be quiet and obedient. They are less educated, expected to marry young and raise their children. Very sadly women are mistreated every day and do not feel confident enough to speak up or get help.
Alpaca Expeditions is trying to give a voice to these women. Give them a safe place to say “I want more.” We have opened our doors for women to enter tourism in every and any capacity they feel fit to handle. In 2017 we hired our first female guides. We followed that in 2018 with female porters. Now we have women working in every role: chefs, managers, porters, guides, sales, accounting.
Safety and Respect First
“We understand the importance of extra safety measures to make sure our female guides and porters are comfortable at all times. Sexual harassment is real in all industries, but with women and men sleeping so close together, we needed to be clear on proper behavior.”
We decided to hire an outside coach to review with everyone on our team the Do’s and Don’ts. He helped to reinforce the rules we have at Alpaca Expeditions, like no drinking on the job (this leads to poor choices), no touching, careful language, be respectful to everyone.
And a reminder that we are a team and we need to stick up for each other and ourselves. Speak up if someone makes you uncomfortable…let management know. Take care of your fellow employee as they are your little brother or sister. Make sure that nobody else is bothering them – from other companies or even clients.
Whatever the reason, the women of Alpaca Expeditions are leading the way into a new era in Peru. We support them at home with services for their children while they are working, good salaries to help support their family, and healthcare for them all. These women amaze us every day with their strength, courage and disposition as they are making mountains move with a smile on their face every day. #hikelikeagirl
Empowering Women and Opening the Door to Women in Tourism
Alpaca Expeditions: Social Consciousness
Alpaca Expeditions is a Peru-based tour company founded by Raul, an exporter. Peru is a great tourist destination highlighting the great Machu Picchu (The Old Mountain) and Inca trail in the Andes. To show off these landmarks to tourists in a socially-conscious way, Alpaca Expeditions opened its doors to the visitors to give them a tour of the Andes and to make their vacation unforgettable.
How is Alpaca Expeditions “Socially Conscious?”
At our company, we hire local tour guides and porters – 400 local men and women – who have grown up in the hills of Cusco with the tales of Inca civilization and who are well versed in the terrain. Many people from all over the world arrive in Peru annually to learn more about Inca Ruins. If you want to get the most out of your trip, you should trek with us. At Alpaca Expeditions, we will provide you with the right equipment for the journey. Additionally, we offer porters to assist you with your luggage, and boast tour guides who have diverse knowledge of Peruvian history. Our company has created strong bonds with the community, so when you hire us, we will help you to interact with the locals who live in the mountainous terrain.
The founder of the company created Alpaca Expeditions to try to give something back to the community. Alpaca Expeditions employs many locals. At our company, we take care of our employees, providing them with the right gear and personal protective equipment that they need for their duties. At no time will you ever find one of our porters with worn-out boots. We also make sure that porters carry reasonable weight and give them personal time.
When it comes to the surrounding community, we engage in school and hospital-building programs. We assist children in need by giving them scholarships. Every three months, we provide schools with hygiene supplies and books, as well as computers. When it comes to the environment, we are very cautious. First, we make sure we follow environmental laws set by the state. We eliminate any signs of our passing left after a trek. We also plan tree-planting exercises.
At Alpaca Expeditions, we have an unparalleled commitment to our community. If you are interested in booking one of our tours, or have any questions regarding special accommodations, then feel free to contact us at Alpaca Expeditions. Alpaca Expeditions is a Peruvian travel operator with a main office located in Cusco, Peru, and we are the top-rated tour operators of the Inca Trail.
Our Female Porters Visit Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu as Tourists
When one starts talking about visiting Machu Picchu, they quickly learn it’s full of history and culture. Machu Picchu is an amazing place to visit, but not always an easy place to get to for all. For most locals, the expense to just get to Machu Picchu is too much for them.
At Alpaca Expeditions, we try to open these amazing ruins up for all our team – inviting them on a weekend vacation as a tourist. For an entire weekend, our employees become clients…and their eyes and hearts open to their own history, seeing their traditions come alive.
Alpaca Expeditions employs at least 350 male porters and about 20 female porters. 150 of our male porters have visited Machu Picchu with us so far. We include everything – logistics, entrance tickets, guides, food and lodging – all paid by the company.
On February 16-17, 2019, Alpaca Expeditions took our first group of female porters on this trip. These women are ground breaking in this male dominated industry and they have led the way for other women to find employment in all jobs of tourism. These women have conquered all of our treks working the Inca Trail, Lares, and Salkantay. This is not an easy job, but they do it with so much pride and happiness – you notice their smiles right away. This is just a small step for us to acknowledge how amazing they are: our super ladies and thank them for being such an inspiration and important part of our team.
Watching these women walk inside Machu Picchu for the first time was incredible. They have a different energy and emotion and it’s very clear how impressed they were immediately. They were not only so overwhelmed by being inside Machu Picchu citadel, they also were so proud for people to see them and ask them about being a female porter.
We first invited women onto our team of porters in January 2018. We assumed it was too hard of a job, only men can do the job. We were so wrong. Of course having female porters introduces new challenges for us as a company. While they are learning this new trade from us, we are learning so much from them and trying to make Alpaca Expeditions a home for them. We hope to grow the number of women in the company and look forward to a day where we are truly 50/50. A few have started training to be a chef and later this year we hope to have a few female trekking chefs in our groups.
We started Alpaca Expeditions not only to do a better job for clients, but even more so for the local people here in Cusco. Our team is as important as our clients. We provide every single one of them with all of their uniforms, including jackets and boots, for free. Each gets a down sleeping bag and sleeping pad for treks. All equipment they need is given for free as well as food.
All of our porters – men and women – come from Andean villages where life is more difficult. We go directly to their villages with goods for their families including medical equipment, food, even sports equipment for their children. They are such an important part of our company and we try to show them our gratitude every single day.
As a company, we are so excited that we made their childhood dreams come true to visit the most important place in our history, Machu Picchu.
TRIPADVISOR RECOGNITIONS
Our goal at Alpaca Expeditions is to create the best experience for all of our clients. We create journeys that are to be remembered for a lifetime. Journeys you can be proud of and can share with everybody around you.
