(USA)
We had an amazing trip to the Cordillera Huayhuash in Peru and credit goes to Carlos and his team at Aventura Quechua.
For months before the trip, Carlos was supremely patient answering all of our email questions. His answers were always clear, detailed, and accompanied by consistent and accurate pricing. We really appreciated his input because he always provided rationale for why he would choose one route over another.
We stayed at Mi Casa in Huaraz where his mother, Francisca, and sister, Patricia, took excellent care of us and coordinated all of our acclimatization trips. Although we were worried about the altitude, the schedule we ended up with (coming from Cusco and doing 2 acclimatization day trips to Chavin and Laguna Charup) worked well for everyone in our party (we also took gingko biloba and drank coca mate on the trail).
On the hike, Esteban was a great cook - hardworking and very consciencious in ensuring that all of our logistics worked like clockwork. He always had lunch or snacks ready for us on the trail or when we got to camp. He also has great local knowledge of the mountains and offered several tweaks to improve our route. We were able to communicate with Esteban with our limited Spanish enough to get by (he spoke Spanish slowly, and we had 4 people listening, plus a dictionary).
The burro drivers were some of the hardest working guys we met in Peru. They would be up hours before us, readying camp for breakfast and departure, which allowed us to hit the trail without delay in the morning. They were such fast hikers that they would pass us on the trail each day and have camp set up when we arrived.
Overall, the trip to the Huayhuash was one of the most scenic and culturally interesting trips we have been on. Our experience with Aventura Quechua is proof that a guided trip can work well for typically independent hikers like us.
Thanks for everything!