Spanish
Portuguese
THE OWNER
SAM (initials of Saul Alvarez Montalvo) Travel Peru is a family owned travel agency and direct local tour operator based in Cusco with personal experience over many years of trekking. SAM Travel Peru is a 100% Cusquenian Company without any shareholders.
My dream was to SPECIALIZE in small personalised tours & treks strictly and only operated by local professional staff catering in PERSONALIZED and HIGH QUALITY SERVICE. Our STRENGTH AS A COMPANY is taking alternative ways, trails and campsites that no other company provides, said Saul.
We as a company, take pride in having a reputation for being a RESPONSIBLE & SUSTAINABLE ECOTOURISM TOUR OPERATOR. My staff and guides are my extended family. I ensure they are supported financially by paying them well. I am proud of my team, without them I couldn’t give the best service and a once in a lifetime experiences to our clients. Saul continued.
THE VISION
- To create memorable and unforgettable experiences for our clients during their holidays
- To provide high quality outstanding personalised service, tours and treks
- To contributing as a company to the development of the tourism sector in Cusco, Peru
- To offer high quality treks and tours with small groups while maintaining a reasonable price
- To use only our own professionally trained staff and guides and high quality camping equipment
- To create in our clients an apreciation of the Inca Culture, their heritage and history.
THE COMPANY
SAM TRAVEL PERU is an innovative Adventure Trekking Specialist that offers unique experiences to unknown and untouched wilderness areas. Our adventure hikes are specific and carefully designed to cater for your needs.
Our PASSIONS are sharing our tours with you through the Andes Mountains. We can highly recommend our alternative treks to Machu Picchu and other locations as a wonderful and insightful way to experience the realness and authenticity of Peru.
We have the HIGHEST QUALITY SERVICE, an OUTSTANDING REPUTATION because we can GUARANTEE the best guality service by using only our SAM TRAVEL PERU staff and guides to operate our unique treks. We do not farm out our tours, treks or packages.
We are a local SUSTANIBLE and RESPONSIBLE tourism operator, for that we incorporate the universal principle of tourism,” Protect the environment and benefit the local communities respecting their culture and religion.” With this in mind, we have trained all of our local staff within these principles. They understand, feel and respect the communities and the wonderful people within them.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY:
SAM TRAVEL PERU believes and is committed to using ECO-TOURISM as a tool to encourage the protection of the natural environment. We endeavor to encourage love and respect of nature through enhanced understanding and awareness, both in our staff and clients. With local communities we create frameworks where the ECO-TOURISM promotes truly sustainable use of pristine environments and nature. These benefits are shared equally and fairly with communities, with no loss to the natural environment.
Here is how we on our tours and treks practice ECO-TOURISM:
- We have a clean-up policy that must be respected by all our employees, “taking out what you take in.”
- We use gas for cooking all the meals on the trek.
- We ensure local water is kept clean by avoiding use of pollutants near streams or springs.
- We limit deforestation; we do not make open fires and discourage others from doing so.
- We avoid activities which threaten wildlife or may be potentially damaging to our natural environment.
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY WITH OUR COMMUNITIES.
SAM Travel Peru is socially responsible by:
- We are actively involved in setting up social projects to benefit the local communities through which we trek, such as clothing, food, and education support etc.
- We train the locals in the isolated communities of the Andes in skills such as weaving, raising llamas, & agricultural production and much more.
- We are very committed to ensuring that the local people benefit through tourism.
- We create new jobs and opportunities to improve the living standards of the local people and their families
- We give fair treatment, decent wages for all our local employees and health insurance for our crew and staff.
- We use locally owned transportation and accommodation.
- We protect and ensure that the indigenous wisdom of the native Inca communities is not lost.
- We provide educational scholarships for individuals who lack resources to realize their dreams and reach their potential.
SAM TRAVEL PERU annually is committed to share the spirit of Christmas giving by participating in activities distribute presents, meals and hot chocolate to around 300 children.
All of these small activities could not happen without the support we have received from so many tourists “we could not have done it without YOU.” We want to thank you sincerely for providing us with children’s shoes, clothes, and educational materials, which have been so gratefully accepted by all the local communities and families
OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR CLIENTS:
Here at SAM TRAVEL PERU we understand that the time you spend with us is valuable, thus we work hard to be prepared and well organised for your arrival to ensure the best possible travel experience for our clients. Through the cooperation of our handpicked, well trained staff, and work system we want to guarantee our clients have a relaxing, smooth flowing, and enjoyable experience on their chosen treks or tours. Whichever program you choose with SAM TRAVEL PERU, we commit to exceed your expectations, while you’re on the trail and or at any time during your visit to ensure your comfort, safety, and total satisfaction.
OUR SPECIAL TREATMENT OF OUR GUESTS
We treat our guests special from the moment they arrive at the aiport, by picking them up at the aiport and taking them personally to their hotel in Cusco. We want them to feel welcome, safe and comfortable as they arrive. We pay close attention to all of the details of their tour or trek, adding personal touches, customizing them as needed.
At end of your visit, we want you to take home “a one of a kind” rewarding positive experience, that will resonate throughout the rest of your life. We also hope we have encouraged and motivated our guests to learn more about the amazing Andean and Inca Civilizations, through sharing with each of you the sacred Inca wisdom, spiritual thoughts and practices. We hope you return soon to learn even more!
For years to come we expect to continue providing an exceptional service of this enchanted part of our earth, Peru. “FUN, EDUCATIONAL, FULL OF ADVENTURE, SAFE & UNFORGETTABLE”
OUR FRIENDLY OFFICE STAFF
Our office staff, Saul, Yesenia, Junior, Edison, Tony and Maribel are the backbone to our whole operation at SAM Travel Peru and it’s them whom we can be thank for a problem free and relaxing holiday for all. From the moment you are in contact with us till the moment you leave on your tour or trek they organise everything down to the finest detail, so that your trip goes off without a hitch.
In relationship to guides, we have a policy that all potential guides spend at least one year working in the office to make sure they know our operations from the inside out and are of sufficient calibre and quality before they can take a trekking group out with clients. Our goal is to insure the best quality service for our clients on the trail. For this reason many of the office staff are also aspiring guides who are working alongside the permanent office staff.
SAUL ALVAREZ
Owner and Founder of SAM Travel Peru
Saul prior to becoming owner and founder of SAM Travel Peru, worked as a porter for a couple years, and then over the next 4 years he worked as a guide, guiding more than 200 Inca Trail treks and other treks throughout the Andes Mountains. He has also escorted groups throughout the country of Peru. His passion and enthusiasm for the Andean mountains, Incan culture and knowledge of plants is always highlighted and appreciated by tourists. He has accomplished his childhood dream to become an owner and founder of a tour agency to share with people from all over the world his beloved Andean Mountains and Incan Culture and hertitage. As a part of this he wants to give back and improve the lives and living conditions of his people through employing his people, and social projects that help his people restore their pride in their history, heritage and culture.
Because of Saul´s experience as a guide and porter he has an appreciation of what works and does not work well on the trail and in the tourism business. Now as owner of SAM Travel Peru he is involved in every aspect of making sure the business runs smoothly, which certainly keeps him on his toes. Despite his impressive workload he keeps everything ship shape and all with a smile on his face no matter what the challenge.
OUR GUIDES
Our team of guides are all local to the Cusco area and speak both Spanish and English fluently with the majority of them also speaking Quechua (the native language of Peru). With degrees in tourism and with a minimum of 2 years experience under their belts, they are full of energy. Information about the native flora and fauna, the Inca sites with a vast knowledge of ready sourced stories and legends told by the Andean people.
Our guides come highly recommended, speak clear English, and are experienced guides and very knowledgeable, and passionate for the Inca heritage/ history. They are dedicated to continued personal development and learning to ensure you receive the most accurate information about the Inca Andean culture. They are fun loving, great sportsmen, some of them are good entertainers and the best “Salsa Dancers” this side of Machu Picchu. Some have degrees in Archaeology, Botany, History or Anthropology.
OUR COOKS
Our gourmet professional Cooks create delicious and abundant Buffet style meals on our treks. They prepare both Peruvian and International Cuisine and they prepare their delicious meals from a mixture of local and exotic products. They are also knowledgeable in the preparation of vegetarians meals and special diets.
Our Porters
We employ around 90 porters. They all are farmers by trade and are native quechua speakers. They are mainly from the three villages of Huacawasi, Calca and Patacancha. Along the Inca trail they are called our “Orange Machine” our Super Porters. Our incredible porters are ready to carry your camping gear, food at all times and they are happy to help you with your necessities. It is important to us that we employ porters from the local villages, because by doing so we are supporting their local economies and supplying them with a reliable income.
Most of them have more than 6 children and need employment. SAM Travel Peru makes sure that all of our porters families are supported and ensure the children are educated and supplied with necessary equipment like books and notebooks.
