Aspiring Adventures

INCREDIBLE TRIP! We hiked to amazing waterfalls, biked down beautiful winding roads from 14,160 foot elevation to a drop of 6,000 feet. We ziplined, did a ladder rung bridge, adventure crossing river in pull cart, it was just awesome and an adventure. Also rafted in the river (they supplied wet suits with a dry suit top). And the rapids were maybe a 3, it wasn’t crazy, just fun.Seriously this was a blast. We love being off the beaten path and this was it.Machu Pichu was breath taking. It is HUGE! The amount of craftmanship is unheard of for todays standards. The hike to WaynaPicchu (mountain behind all the pictures) was super cool. 900 foot elevation gain in ½ mileVitkos is awesome and there was NO ONE there. Seeing Yuraq Rumi (white temple rock) was so cool. Amazing what the Inka have built.And it is a huge surprise there is cell service all over those mountains and little towns. That helped me stay connected for work and as needed, so i enjoyed the trip even more. I just use AT&T international day plan, i didn’t have to get a local sim. EasyFrom Katy and Steve booking and staying on top of things, to Aldo and his team on the ground, it was great! Really a trip your family would love. Our kids range from 11-16 2 boys and 2 girls and they loved it! Thanks again!THANK YOU SO MUCH FROM ALL OF US!!!

This was my first trip with Aspiring Adventures and it was way more than I was expecting. They take you on an adventure you would never be able to do without them. My wife and I experienced Peru through the back door seeing its majesty from the seat of a mountain bike with the amazing tour guide Wilhen. I can't say enough about our guide, he was caring and attentive and made the trip super fun. He was very knowledgeable about the area and made sure each of us were doing well riding at our experience level.I'd do another vacation with Aspiring in a heartbeat.

Best trip ever! The Aspiring Adventures team planned the perfect trip for our group! Our guides were amazing. I would definitely book another trip with Aspiring Adventures and hope to visit Peru again in the near future.

My words are going to be totally inadequate to describe the quality of our experience with Aspiring Adventures. We have just completed our travel adventure in Peru and my entire interaction with Aspiring Adventures was absolutely amazing. Save yourself time and energy. You must use them for your adventure. They will help you design the exact custom trip that you want giving you loads of advice based on their experience. You will never have to worry about the logistics of your trip. All aspects of our trip from the planning stage to the execution stage were exemplary. Everyone involved with Aspiring Adventures was so thorough, knowledgeable and professional. But, most importantly, they really cared about us as people and really cared about making our travel experience memorable. Katy, who is an owner, took a hands on active role in helping us plan and execute our trip. Her knowledge of the local area, hotels, restaurants and culture are beyond belief. She is a wonderful person and a treasure. Luis, our guide, was even more amazing. His knowledge of the area, the culture, the customs, the history, the plant and wildlife was incredible. They were always willing to alter the itinerary to accommodate our wishes. There were many extra special things they did for us that was not part of the agreed itinerary that made our trip even more special. I will never be able to thank them enough for making this trip one of the best experiences of our lifetime.

Aspiring Adventures knocked this trip out of the park. Angela was an incredibly knowledgable guide who was so kind and thoughtful, but also fun to hang out with and joke with us. The addition of the archeological site tours was an immense bonus as it brought the Incan culture to life throughout Cusco and the Sacred Valley. Raul crushed it as a mountain bike guide and was obviously well-versed in the trails and conditions. He constantly checked in with us yet let us ride to our hearts content each day. You could easily tell both he and Angela shined on this trip and took us on rides that covered all riding styles. The accommodations were A+ (minus the hostel in Cusco....soooo loud) and the locations for food stops were also on point.I highly recommend this trip if you are into mountain biking and want to see a great deal of Peru from your bike seat. The van was comfortable and drivers great, giving you options to take the ride or not.larga vida al Peru!

What an amazing experience! I have travelled to Peru before, but this time I brought my family with me. The hikes were catered to the abilities in our group, the tours were very informative, and the food was amazing! I always felt safe; our guide Natalia was so helpful, kind, and on schedule every time. Cusco and the surrounding areas has our hearts. Thank you Aspiring Adventures!

Steve and Katy at Aspiring Adventures were amazing to work with. From the initial phone call with Steve to the day we received our final itinerary, they were both very responsive. Though we used a basic itinerary to get started, every detail that we wanted to change to personalize the trip was handled without question: hotel changes (if you have the extra dollars to stay at the JW Marriot in Cusco, DO IT!), adding an extra day to get acclimated to altitude before the hike (I certainly recommend this for other travelers if they have the time – it also made the time in Sacred Valley les rushed), going to mass at the Cusco Catherdral, having square rather than coffin sleeping bags (it's a thing ... seriously ... it's a thing), etc. If we had a thought that Katy had not considered, she discussed it and gave her opinion, but ultimately, she respected our wishes and made them happen.Our driver for the three days in Sacred Valley was the best: Paul aka DJ P(squared). Very friendly and played the best music in the car.The Chef and Chasquis on the trail were the best. We were floored the first time we sat down for lunch as we were expecting picnic-type food (sandwiches, chips, etc…). Then, the meals kept getting better! I am not one that likes to get doted over, but they all took exceptional care of us. The help they provided at each lunch and camp site far exceeding our expectations.Finally, Aldo … the best guide. What was obvious from the beginning was that Aldo has a great passion for the native people. Watching him deal with the people made evident his connection to the locals and his love of the culture. There were a few times during the days in Sacred Valley that we felt rushed; however, in the end we realized that he was trying to make sure that we experience everything we needed to. He picked up on the fact that we were beer drinkers and suggested an extra stop at Cerveceria del Valle Sagrado (Brewery of the Sacred Valley). Conscious that we needed to keep alcohol intake to a minimum before the hike, it was still am extra treat that he could have not mentioned. During the trail hike (40 day Inca Trail), he was absolutely amazing. He kept a good pace and was like a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. He was very patient for the many, many, MANY stops we made to take photos ... or just to stop to soak up the views or look back and be proud of the progress we’d made. ON the 4th day he pushed us hard to get to the Sun gate then on to Machu Picchu (.. the pace he forced us through was grueling .. I wanted to throw him off of the mountain … LOL); however, it was VERY worth it. There were very few people in the site and we were able to enjoy and take some photos without the crowds bugging us. Aldo is definitely an asset to Aspiring Adventures.I had three different companies quote me for my trip. Aspirin Adventures was not the cheapest, but was not the most expensive either. I chose them because of the following:- Steve’s almost immediate phone call to me to discuss what I wanted. I knew next to nothing and he asked good questions to get a sense of what I wanted.- Steve and Katy’s responsiveness to email and willingness to schedule further calls if needed.- FLEXIBILITY: After my initial contact, I bought guide books and did a lot of internet research. When I saw something that I wanted to do that was not on their basic itinerary, they added it with no questions asked. If there was something I did not care to do or see, it was removed. Other companies seemed initially a bit more rigid.I will definitely use them again for other trips.

Embarking on the trip to Peru, we weren’t sure what to expect. Katy had given us a lot of information to prepare us but we wondered, “what if she forgot some details?”Thank you Katy, we were WELL prepared! Aspiring adventures went above and beyond and made this an amazing trip to remember. Our guides (Wilhen & Raul), our driver (Walter), the chefs, porter....all very professional and personable throughout the entire trip. And the food....wow!! Very well done by Johan and his crew! To tell you how amazing Wilhen and Raul are....I celebrated my birthday while we were on the trip and they went out of their way to find a Gluten-free, dairy-free birthday “cake!” They showed up with it in the morning when they came to pick us up for the days adventure. The celebration continued throughout the day and ended with a special dinner presented by Gigi, the profiteer of an enchanting bed & breakfast.Wilson and Raul paid close attention and customized our rides to our level of riding and showed us so much of the Peru countryside and shared their incredible knowledge of the history and customs of the regions. Recounting the trip there were so many “high points” that it’s difficult to pinpoint which to share.Traveling along many of the branches of the Inca trail, encountering “traffic jams” comprised of herds of sheep and Andean villagers, experiencing the true flavor of Peru! Every detail was to be treasured.We had an absolutely memorable trip and felt like we got to experience a side of Peru many will never see.Thank you to all of you at Aspiring!! You all rock!!

If you want to see Peru thru the back door then Aspiring Adventures is the team you want to use. Each day we took the road less traveled allowing us to enjoy everything Peru has to offer.Aspiring Adventures takes care of the logistics of each day and compliments each day with magical surprises and experiences.The Mt Biking trip allows you to be closer to the scenery, the people that we run across along the way and really experience the country. A bit like trekking except that you get to cover more ground.Our chiefs during the 2 nights of camping where absolutely amazing. I would say the meals they created for us was the best food we had during the whole trip.Our guide Wilhen was an absolutely wonderful person to be around. The perfect guide for our trip. We felt like we had known him for years and felt like family by the end of the trip.It was truly a wonderful experience!I would highly recommend this company to anyone wanting a fun epic adventure that you will never forget.

I worked with Aspiring Adventures for months leading up to our recent trip to Peru. Katy never tired of answering my emails or making changes to our working itinerary. When we were actually on our trip, unanticipated road bumps ( a very late arriving flight due to weather, a national strike) were deftly handled by the team. The drivers and guides arranged by Aspiring were absolutely top notch - kind, knowledgeable, and flexible. They felt like family as soon as we met them. These folks are the best in the business.