Peru | Trek Hoppers | Sacred Valley Homestay Trekking

‘Trek hopping’ is a unique and different way to explore and experience the Andes regions by foot. We offer to get you from A to B in day stages, whilst visiting and staying in local communities along the way. Our group sizes are ideally from 4 – 14 members as we want to keep an intimate number of people trekking these routes, where accommodation within the communities may be limited. We do not want to arrive ‘en-mass’ everywhere we go. Thus giving as a better control group dynamics and pace. We contribute back to the places we go and have the opportunity to pick up trash too, trying to be as culturally and environmentally conscious as we can!

Top Five Sights

The three glacial lakes near Paro Paro
The agricultural terraces and farming at Amaru near Pisac
The salt terraces of Maras
The Inka test farms of Moray
The Eucalyptus forests and waterfalls along the Huchuy Qosqo trail

Ethics

At Terra Incognita we support tours that do good in the world. They must help to conserve the environment, support local people, and educate their guests. Here’s what Simon & Niki from Inglorious Bustards Birding & Wildlife Tours said to us…

What conservation activities do you support through the tour, and your wider operations?

We help communities benefit from our visits by advocating traditional organic farming techniques that most of these communities already practice. We inform communities of our ethics and pro-activeness, respectfully encouraging and supporting them to approach tourism more sustainably as well.

We are working towards enforcing a zero-plastic policy. Plastic is all too commonly used and often locals see plastic as an economic benefit, for example when tourists purchase bottled water. We hope to help change this by instead including the cost of boiled water as part of our tours and requiring that guests use reusable containers. We would also like to work with local municipalities and, where opportunities exist for trail conservation or tree planting in the areas where we visit, to offer our help in whatever way is useful.

How does the tour support local people?

The money we pay for homestays directly benefits local families. In some cases it is a cooperative set-up, so more than one family benefits. Wherever possible we choose homestays that offer workshops so we can support people in continuing their traditional lifestyles and customs.

What type of environmental education activities do you incorporate into your tour?

We promote local, organic farming and zero-plastic usage. By staying and conversing with local families and attending workshops (such as traditional farming), guests have the opportunity to learn directly from local people about local environmental issues.

Reviews

“I had the great pleasure of going on a few day hikes with Trek Hoppers, back in March, before I did the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu. They were a great warm up to get me acclimatised gradually in preparation for what was to come! Matt was a great guide, with lots of local knowledge and always happy to answer any questions any of us had for him. The accommodation he organised for us, staying with local families and communities, gave us a great insight into the lives of the Peruvian people and an experience that you will jot find with your regular, run of the mill tour companies. I am already planning my next adventure with Trek Hoppers for my birthday next year!” Robert Black, June 2018

“In March this year I had the pleasure of joining Trek Hoppers in some treks around the Sacred Valley from Cusco, followed by the Inka Trail. Matt was very helpful and knowledgeable and did a great job showing us some beautiful spots, a little off the main tourist path. Great care was taken to ensure all levels of experience were catered for. The included homestays made the experience so much richer, to experience the food, culture and warmth of the locals. Prices were very fair. Highly recommend if you are looking for some trekking, adventure and local experiences that you cannot find in an average tour. I had a great time with this crew!” Teri Asker, March 2018