Taking a Tour to Machu Picchu? Use a Local Peruvian Tour Company

Written by: Sam Travel | 13 June, 2019

If you’re planning trek or tour to Machu Picchu, choosing a local Peruvian tour agency can make a substantial difference in the success of your trip.

This trip is life-changing for virtually everyone who visits but, when you experience these wonders through the eyes of a local guide, you won’t believe how much richer the adventure becomes.

Not only do local Peruvian tour operators have invaluable insight but they also give back to their community and take exceptional care of this sensitive environment. And, with new Machu Picchu entrance restrictions and schedules in place, you risk missing out if your tour guide isn’t up to speed with these new protocols.

Peruvian Tour Operators Provide Authenticity & an Insider’s View

Anyone can lead a tour or trek but, when your guides are local, you enjoy a more authentic adventure. Seeing the sights through a local’s eyes is an experience you will never forget.

Local tour operators and guides know how and where to take their clients off the beaten path and, whenever possible, they are willing to be flexible to provide a truly customized experience. Larger tour companies simply aren’t willing or able to accommodate those requests or stray from the usual script.

Local Machu Picchu Trekking Companies Give Back to the Community

When you choose a locally owned and operated Peruvian tour operator, you can rest assured that your dollars will stay in the community and benefit its residents.

Rather than take advantage of inexpensive local labor, as many foreign companies do, local companies understand the importance of taking care of their staff. They also understand how fragile the Andean eco-system is and how to best preserve the environment while still providing an exceptional trek or tour experience for their clients.

Why Choose SAM Travel Peru for Your Machu Picchu Trek?

When you book with SAM Travel Peru, your adventure guide will take you on a tour that is unique to our company. Our college-educated guides are expert English speakers trained in CPR, first-aid and the treatment of altitude sickness. We are focused on safety at all times, with satellite phones and emergency horses at the ready.

We take our social responsibility to our community and the environment very seriously and pay all our team members – from guides and chefs to our porters – a true living wage.

With the new regulations for entering Machu Picchu now in place, it is critical that you choose a tour operator who understands these stringent and potentially confusing rules. As the top tour operator in Peru, we coordinate our tour schedules appropriately to provide guests with the experience they came for.

Visit our website to learn more about the upcoming four-day classic Inca Trail trek. Booking depends on the new entrance restrictions and the availability of permits. Contact us today to learn more about our local Peruvian-led treks and tours to Machu Picchu..

Join the thousands of satisfied customers who rate us #1 on TripAdvisor

Bernie s 2023/03/02

Had a great trip with our guide Ray Herrera and driver Alfredo. Lots of good experiences in a short period of time 4 days. Learnt a lot not just about the main tourist destinations but Peru in general by Ray. Ray has a passion for Inca history and local produce. Ray knows all the good photo spots and we managed the sun out every day .. Good culture and if you want to get on a tour ask for Ray at Sams Travel = amazing

Tanya H 2023/03/02

Ray was our Tour Guide and Alfredo was our driver for a 4 day tour we did with SAM Travel Peru. Ray's knowledge of the history of Cusco and Machu Picchu was outstanding. Ray was very accommodating with all our needs. He stayed alongside us when trekking and helped where he could. His sense of humour was pleasant to be around. Ray spoke very good English. He is such a nice guy. I would strongly recommend Ray to be your tour guide to visit Machu Picchu. Ray explained everyday what the plans were for the next day, which was reassuring what we needed to take etc

Captanjack 2023/01/012

Our 1 day tour thru the Sacred Vally with Danny was wonderful. He was very knowledgeable and able to answer all our questions in detail. I would recommend asking for him personally if you are able.

Sherry 2022/12/26

We booked the Classic Cusco to Machu Picchu tour with SAM travel which we really had a good experience. SAM travel is very responsive during the communication and cater to our changes needed. Our guide is Ray who is also an very awesome guide. He is knowledgeable, patient, humorous as well reliable, he help us take many good photos and also go extra mile to help with our request. Thanks Ray! Thanks SAM travel that gave us good memories in Peru! Highly recommend if you consider booking any tour in Cusco.

Reviews by Trip Advisor

5.0 4,204 opiniones

C Clark 2023/01/20

Wow. We had such an incredible experience in Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. Our guide, Dayvit, is the most knowledgeable guide we have ever had. He has such an extensive knowledge of the history and is very friendly and helpful. If you are planning a trip to Peru, I highly recommend SAM travel and be sure to request Dayvit!

Emma Dinzebach Clark 2023/01/10

2 day tour sacred valley / Machu Picchu highly recommend! David was the best tour guide. He knows an incredible amount about Incan culture and is personable and funny. He also kept us up to date on a political situation happening when we were there and was informative. Overall, this tour checks all the boxes. Thank you!

Nupur Joshi 2023/01/02

We used SAM Travel for a 2D/1N trip from Cusco to Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu on Dec 25-26, 2022. The team was good with communication from the start - both Saul and Junior were very helpful and professional with answering any questions and clearing up any misunderstandings. Our guide, Miguel, was prompt, pleasant, and quite knowledgeable. We enjoyed his company and insight over the 2 day trip and recommend him to anyone booking with SAM Travel.

Xueying Chen 2022/12/20

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5.0 329 opinions

Brandon Slater 2022/09/30

My wife and I just completed two excursions with SAM Travel Peru and we absolutely loved them. We did the 4 Day Salkantay Wilderness + Machu Picchu and then the 2-Day Rainbow Mountain + 7 Lakes trek with guide Carlos Estrada, chefs Nerio & Lucio, and horseman Unarato. Over the last 6 days we have learned so much about the Inca culture, discovered some of the most incredible sights, and ate delicious food every step of the way. We would definitely recommend SAM Travel (especially with Carlos!) to anyone that wants an incredible Peruvian adventure. The Wilderness trek is a much quieter trail than the standard Salkantay and goes a bit higher elevation, but camping at the base of Salkantay was incredible. Carlos's guided tour through Machu Picchu was so informative. We would have missed so much without him taking the time to share his knowledge.

Kellie Taylor 2022/04/06

Big thanks to David he was an amazing tour guide who really cared for our group. He allowed us to go at our own pace and was a brilliant photographer He was really funny and is full of interesting information & his passion for his inca ancestors is very obvious and warming. He also brought us to great restaurants! This company are very good and from what I can recall were cheaper than most. Thank you!

Mike Geelhoed 2021/06/10

They took care of everything! Saul the owner is very responsive and helpful. Johnny our guide was fantastic, as were our chef, assistant chef and horsemen. I can’t recommend them highly enough and will definitely use them again if we return to Peru!

Janice-Kaneki Chen 2020/01/28

Three of us decided to choose Sam Travel Peru, reason being is it is a local travel company that help indegenious communities. We picked Lares Trek 4D3N to have cultural experience while hiking. Good foods provided by talented Mario Chef! Johnny is our tour guide, very helpful tour guide. He even helped me to carry my daypack as I was too exhausted to carry it on day 1 hiking. Strongly recommend to those like to have local experience while hiking.