My husband and I had a wonderful 3-day tour through the Sacred Valley. This wasn't like other tours with a van full of tourists and a set itinerary. Instead, we got a personalized tour for just the two of us, tailored to what we wanted to see and do. Want to add a visit to the preschool in Pillaray and eat an amazing Pachamanca lunch with chef Roger and the school kids? Want to experience Roger's delicious cooking again in his quinoa cooking class? No problem. Valentin's staff has you covered.
Our trip to Peru just wouldn't be the same without Ernesto as our local guide. Whether we were learning about the majestic ruins of Machu Picchu, looking over the burial caves at Pisac, or picking vegetables on Valentin's farm in Yanahuara, Ernesto was a wealth of knowledge and a great companion. He took care of our transportation and tickets throughout our 3 days in the Sacred Valley and made this a wonderful getaway for us. We experienced so much of the culture and learned so much in such a short time.
Highlights
Flexible and fully customizable tours.
Dedicated guide and driver for entire tour.
Extremely experienced guides, e. g. Carlos had been on the Inca Trail 600+ times.
Quality, clean and comfortable accommodation options with breakfasts included.
Responsive, knowledgeable office staff.
Company gives back to the local community, e.g. building village schools.
We felt more like friends than customers.
Details
We could not be more pleased that we selected Valentin’s Pachamama Journeys as our tour guides for our Peru adventure. The outstanding reviews are totally warranted due to their personal, customizable tours with knowledgeable guides.
Our tour was nearly two years in the making, and throughout it all, Zenaida (office project manager) was extremely responsive and flexible. She flawlessly rescheduled our trip while providing real-time communications.
We toured the Sacred Valley (Chinchero, Maras Salt Mines, Moray, Ollantaytambo, Farm visit, Urubamba Market and Pisac), Machu Picchu, Cusco (San Pedro market, Plaza de Armas, Cusco Cathedral, Coricancha Temple and Sacsayhuaman ruins) and Rainbow Mountain, five days in total.
All our days were fully packed. Our guide, Carlos, was extremely knowledgeable in the history of all the sites we visited. He graduated university with a five-year degree majoring in tourism. He fully explained the significance of all sites while patiently answering our questions and allowing plenty of time for photographs. Our driver, Julio, was equally professional. He kept our vehicle in immaculate condition, cleaning the floor mats between each stop, holding the doors open for us, protecting bags we left in the vehicle and being on time, every time.
While visiting Machu Picchu we asked Carlos if he ever got tired of visiting sites that he had seen so often. In response, he held out his arms and said, “how can one get tired of this beauty and grandeur.” Visiting was truly an emotional experience. I became choked up upon first seeing Machu Picchu, and again when leaving, knowing I may never see it again.
We highly recommend staying at the Tierra Viva hotels while in Cusco (San Blas neighborhood) and Agua Calientes (Machu Picchu). Both were impeccably clean with outstanding staffs and good breakfasts.
One of the many highlights of our trip was visiting the farm in the village where Valentin grew up. While walking along a community irrigation canal, on our way to his farm, we came across a friendly donkey, a bonus to an already wonderful walk. Valentin’s brother is a chef on the Inca Trail. He and his wife made us a spectacular lunch while Carlos showed us the latest village school they were building for the local kids. It will incorporate classroom learning with technology and traditional farm work. They already build another school that is up and running.
To top off our wonderful vacation, Valentin himself took us to the airport. As I mentioned at the start, we became friends during our time together and extended invitations for Carlos, Julio and Valentin to visit us in the United States. Valentin assured us that, “100%” he would visit us.
Our tour could not have been any better. Valentin's Pachamama Journeys exceeded all our expectations!