Life experience by Ausangate

By: Ana Sánchez and family

I was looking forward to an adventurous family vacation; an experience that at the same time will represent a challenge for everyone; There are 6 of us in my family: my husband and 4 male children (22, 20, 20 and 16) and me.

I met Andean Lodges thanks to the You Tube channel “Alan por el Mundo”; After comparing other types of tours with other agencies, I knew that the one they offered us through Ausangate was what I was looking for.

From the first contact with Fiama, Sales and Operations Manager, he gave me complete confidence that I was dealing with a team of very professional people; In fact, they went above and beyond by asking them to coordinate our 12 days in Peru. They were in charge of proposing activities according to what we were looking for: “action and adventure”; He coordinated a bike and gastronomic tour of Lima for us; Internal flights to Cusco, a walk as a “test” for trekking in Ausangate; we knew Mares and Moray; We had another bike tour in Mares with an intrepid guide, who knew how to set the pace and challenge for my children (although I suffered a little… hahaha!!); We visited Cusco, Machu Picchu, Machu Picchu Pueblo (Aguascalientes), the 3 days of trekking, a train trip to Puno and the return to Lima to finally take the flight to Mexico.

We did all the activities with the help of our head guide Manuel Baca, “Manu”. It was a great satisfaction to visit all these places accompanied by Manu who had all the knowledge of the area as he was an anthropologist as well as a tourist guide and certified in mountain first aid.

Without a doubt, his accompaniment, his advice to adapt to the altitude, his care, his concern for us at all times made us feel cared for by not only a guide but also a friend that we ended up becoming after 8 days of living with him.

Our Yhosell was also attentive, as coordinator, who kindly and quickly gave us the confidence that anything that arose would be taken care of (forgotten things, change of reservations, etc.). I cannot fail to mention Boris, our assigned driver, who also showed care, concern and affection for us at all times. All the hotels and restaurants suggested were to our satisfaction.

The team that accompanied us on the hike through Ausangante was the best; a group of people from the community, simple, committed, responsible; of delicate and fine treatment that, with its small details, made the difference.

Living with them gave us the opportunity to know a little about the human warmth of the people from the communities that live in the mountains; These experiences make it not only a tourist trip but truly a life experience. Without a doubt, also walking with the llamas, alpacas and horses gave another touch to our mountain adventure.

At the last minute they told us that Arturo, a new member of the company, would accompany us; The coexistence, anecdotes and conversation about him was very pleasant; Knowing that the company trains its collaborators in this way, living the experience, gave me even more confidence; They not only sell a product, but they prepare their people to live the experience so that they know the product in depth and thus can contribute to improve and what better than living it with a group of clients to listen to and share their experiences first-hand.

I recommend this adventure 100%; I think it is something that we must live from a young age; Contact with nature gives us the opportunity to never stop being amazed by the simple things that at the same time are the most wonderful, as well as to get away from the big cities, the noise of everyday life, the stress, and connect with nature. and let ourselves be surprised by the great little details that exist out there such as the color of the earth itself, the stars, the water and the sound of the rivers and among many other things.