• Marielle's Review
• Trip with Friends
• 3 Weeks in Peru
• Guide: Quique

What inspired you to visit Peru?

Generally speaking, we prefer mountain vacations to more traditional beach vacations. We’d wanted to take a trip to Peru for quite some time. Two couples we’re friends with had recently gone to Peru and met Quique by chance during their stay. They absolutely loved him! They went back for another 5-week trip with him afterward. Quique came to France two years ago. I got to meet him and was immediately hooked.

A traveler and her guide with hiking poles in the mountains of Peru. Thanks to him, we felt really reassured about our decision to go to Peru. We don’t regret our choice at all—far from it. Peru is a country of incredible richness; it’s magnificent. Everything is so colorful, and the people are lovely and always in a good mood.

“Peru is a country of incredible richness; it’s magnificent. Everything is very colorful; the people are lovely and always in a good mood.”

How did you plan your trip with Quique? For our trip, we wanted to do some fairly classic sightseeing that we felt was important, and also go on a trek and climb a peak. Six months ago, Quique came back to France and we invited him over to our place. He showed us the itinerary he’d put together beforehand for our stay in Peru. It met our expectations exactly and we didn’t change a thing: it was great!

“Quique came back to France and we invited him to stay with us. He showed us the itinerary he’d put together beforehand for our trip to Peru. It was exactly what we were looking for, so we didn’t change a thing—it was amazing!”

So, the six of us went to Peru for three weeks. Quique took care of everything. He booked our hotels, our bus transfers, and our domestic flights. We had to pay half the cost of the trip six months before our departure since he had booked everything. We paid the rest once we arrived.

A photo of travelers with a Peruvian woman in Peru Once you were there, how did your trip go? Quique’s itinerary was well-planned; there were no flaws in his organization. Our trip started in Cusco, where we visited all the essential Inca sites. There, Quique left us with a French-speaking guide who knew Inca history very well—she was really great. We took a bus to Machu Picchu with her; it was very early, and we saw the sunrise—it was truly wonderful. We had a 360-degree view of the entire site!

After our stay in Cuzco, we met up with Quique again to go on our trek with him. We were on Nevado Auzangate. We were very cold, with nights at nearly minus 15 degrees, but everything went well. During our journey, Quique was very professional; he set rules and stuck to them. He was also very cautious and very strict about safety; he didn’t let anything slip by and double-checked everyone’s gear every day. Meals were included during the trek, and the team was great.

“During our trek, Quique was very professional; he set rules and stuck to them. He was also very cautious and very strict about safety. He didn’t let anything slip by and checked everyone’s gear every day.”

Afterward, we went to Puno to visit Lake Titicaca; there, too, he arranged for a French-speaking guide who knew a lot about the lake and the region. Then, we made our famous summit attempt on a mountain in the Vilcanota Range, in the Andes. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate. Quique had warned us about the weather and took many precautions in that regard. Before we left, he had told us that if the temperature dropped to minus 20 degrees, we wouldn’t complete the summit. We set out at 3 a.m. in the cold, and shortly after, the temperature dropped to minus 20 degrees. Quique therefore decided to turn back.

The travelers and their guide, Quique, in the mountains of Peru To wrap up our wonderful trip, we went to Arequipa, a city built amidst volcanoes. We then returned to Lima to fly back to France. He truly accompanied us from start to finish, except when he left us with other specialized guides. We came back absolutely delighted!

What memories do you have of this trip with Quique? It was an emotionally rich experience. We took care of one another. Throughout the trip, we were able to admire Quique’s professionalism; he is very attentive to others, understands each person’s personality, and adapts to everyone. He pays attention to everything and doesn’t want there to be any conflicts. It’s true that living in these conditions for three weeks isn’t always easy, but Quique was there to make sure everything went smoothly.

A guide and a traveler with Peruvian women in Peru For all of us, he became a friend; we shared so many wonderful moments with him. I recommend him without hesitation; we ate incredibly well, and he took us to places where we could discover Peruvian cuisine. Quique’s French is impeccable; he also speaks German, Italian, and English. He is a highly cultured person who knows a lot about many things. He is passionate, which makes him fascinating to others. I loved chatting with him; he always has something to say and plenty of stories to share. He was always attentive to our needs.

He also did things for us that I really appreciated. When my headlamp broke, he went out to find me another one. On July 14th, he showed up with a bottle of white wine and said, “Today is your national holiday, so let’s toast!” In short, we came back more than delighted! We want to visit Bolivia soon, and to our great joy, Quique is up for taking us there.

A guide, his team, and the travelers toast together in Peru on July 14. What advice would you give?

“We recommend everyone go with Quique because you can trust him.”

We recommend everyone go with Quique because you can trust him. On the trek, we slept in real tents, so we were never disappointed by the quality of the hotels. The buses were just for us—we really have no regrets! Also, remember to budget for tips because in France we aren’t really used to that. In any case, we especially recommend visiting Peru—it’s a magnificent country.