Explorandes

Explorandes describes itself as the first adventure company in South America. It was founded in 1975 by Alfredo Ferreyros Gildemeister, a keen trekker who wanted to open the Andes to the world, and its first office was in Cusco. The company has since expanded with an office in Huaraz, opened in 1977 for the Cordillera Blanca and Huayhuash, a main office in Lima from 1996 and an office in Puno from 2003.

In the Cusco region Explorandes runs treks such as the Inca Trail and Choquequirao, and it operates adventure hubs including the Piuray Outdoor Center and Titikayak. Beyond Cusco, it runs treks in the Cordillera Blanca and the Cordillera Huayhuash. Its founders explored uncharted rivers in the early years, it launched its website in 2000, and the company's blog covers subjects from San Pedro Market to Cusco's coffee scene, which gives a sense of its local knowledge.

Sustainability has been part of the company's story for decades. In 2002 it gained ISO 14001 environmental certification, which it describes as the first in the Americas, and in 2013 it gained Rainforest Alliance certification for tour operators. It offsets the carbon of all its operations and says it has run plastic-free trips for more than a decade. It was named the World's Leading Green Tour Operator in 2018, received a Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence the same year, and it holds APTAE and Regenera certifications and is a member of the Adventure Travel Trade Association.

The guides are a strong point. All are certified Wilderness First Responders, with decades of combined experience, and the company names several of them, including Abel Santander, Celinda Humilde and Disnarda Aragón, on its own website.

Explorandes suits travellers who want an experienced, environmentally minded operator for treks in the Cusco region and beyond, and it is a good option for combining Cusco with other parts of the Peruvian Andes, such as the Cordillera Blanca around Huaraz or the Puno region. Contact is by phone from Peru, the United Kingdom or the United States. Allow time to acclimatise in Cusco before setting out on a high-altitude trek.