about us> testimonials 2

 

1= Very poor 5=Average 10=Excellent

** please note not all testimonials are listed on these pages. there are also testimonials on each individual hike page that pertain to that hike **

Route name Great Ruins and Adventure

How would you rate your overall enjoyment of your trip? 9

How would you rate your guide? 8 Felix did a great job in leading us He was very knowledgable about the trek, history, fauna, etc. My sense was that he prefers shorter trips as he was less engaged towards the end of the trip. He did an excellent job of dealing with the unexpected (we had an issue with our return train tickets home and he did a great job working out an alternative.) His english was excellent. He worked very well with the cook. I would recommend him as a guide and/or request him for a future trip.

Did trip meet your expectations/was the trip well described on the website?

Route was more challenging that I expected. I would classify it as "difficult"

How were your meals? 9 Our cook, Valario was EXCELLENT. He had such a great attitude and was always smiling. The food was always well prepared and there was a wonderful variety. The freshly made soup each day for lunch and dinner blew me away. The food definitely exceed my expectations.

What did you think of the route? I loved the route. I enjoyed getting away from the crowds. The mountains were beautiful and it was physically challenging.

What was the highlight of your trip? There were several highlights. When we crossed the highest pass, after the difficulty of that climb and saw that amazing vista. It was just an incredible feeling. The amazing night sky with so many stars. Seeing Choquequirao - no crowds!! Machu Picchu in the morning (before the crowds) was simply unbelievable as pictures do not do it justice. Meeting local people along the way. Including the children in the village of Yanama .

Any other comments? Everything was well planned. The equipment, the food, the route.

Lisa, USA, Great Ruins and Real Adventure June 2007

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First of all, it is an excellent trek and we had a great trip, this in spite of the fact that I had managed to acquire a fairly seriuos tummy bug just before starting and so was unable to eat much of the great food provided, and was very tired, but I did manage it!

Our guide, Mayra, was very personable and had excellent English. She interacted well with both us as the clients, and with the horseman and cook. The horseman (Francisco) and the cook (Ciro) were both excellent,
and very caring - they went out of their way to wait for me when I really slowed down in case I needed to ride a horse (I didn't) and they tried very hard to provide me with foods that would be palatable (tricky and I could barely eat anything for three days of the trek).

All the upfront planning went smoothly, including the pre meeting with Felix, and the public transportation (I was glad Mayra was with us on the return from Tinqui since we actually missed the bus and had to take a taxi
to catch up with it in Ocongate). Also, all your upfront emails were timely and specifically answered my
questions which went a long way to helping us to choose Apu's.
Chris & Peter Thomas, Ausangate Trek, June 2007

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How would you rate your overall enjoyment of your trip? 9
How would you rate your guide? 9
Did trip meet your expectations/was the trip well described on the website? yes
How were your meals? 7
Route name Choquequiraio to Macchu Picchu
What did you think of the route? One of the hardest and one of the nost enjoyable treks that I have done

What was the highlight of your trip? Seeing the ruins of Choquequirao and climbing over 2000m in a single day

Any other comments? Felix was an excellent guide and we appreciated his knowledge of the history, botany and geography of the region.

David & Pennie Briese, Great Ruins & Real Adventure, June 2007

David has a very detailed and interesting website of his travels - for beautiful photos and a good description of the hike please visit his website.

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Our overall enjoyment - 8 Our guide, Felix - 8 Quality of meals - 8 Quantity of meals - 9

We felt that the whole team of 5 from Apu's, including Felix and James, did an admirable job, and helped us enjoy the trip. The value of using a local guide lies in knowledge of the area, and the people along the way

Felix did a very good job, and he went the extra mile in finding a birthday cake for my wife, who celebrated her 30th while on the trek. The actual route had highlights and lowlights, as any multi-day hike does.

The actual route had highlights and lowlights, as any multi-day hike does.Day 1 and 2 were marvelous. The trail was excellent and the camping spots were also well situated. Most of days 3 and 4 was simply utilitarian - you've got to hike it to get where you are going. They could probably be collapsed into one day since Santa Teresa is a disappointing spot to spend a night after two nights in beautiful surroundings. It was loud and a road runs right beside the campsite. Since there was only about 2.5 hours of hiking on day 4, I would have preferred to have got to Aguas Calientes a day earlier. As you may know, there was a landslide shortly after our arival in AC. I think Felix handled it well and got us information as soon as practicable. I appreciated that he took the initiative to change rooms for us to somewhere farther from the immediate danger zone.

I think that everybody enjoyed the food, and if anything there was too much, although I´m sure none of it went to waste. Apu's team was friendly and very helpful. I hope that our tips conveyed our appreciation.

Lee & Angayla, Canada, Salkantay Trek April 2007

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From Thorntree post December: My partner and I were in Peru in June 2006. We went on a trek with Apus Peru. It was really good and we got off the beaten track. We were still walking Incan trails but not the main routes and we didn't come across a single other tourist until we had crossed the mountains and got back into the main tourist hub. In the mountains it was just the local people. We did the "Crossing the Villcabamba" trek and it was great as we were able to book for just the two of us, had the tour to ourselves and the price was really reasonable. being able to get away from it all and really feel off the beaten track was really good. Huancacalle (sp?) the town in the mountains that the trek starts from feels like another world and is tiny and intimate and not at all touristy. Ariana who runs the company is an Aussie chick based in Western Australia and is unbelievably helpful, I asked all sort of silly questions and she answered them - no dramas.

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"So sorry it has been so long for me to contact you again since my Ausangate trek. The problem is that I ended up with a pinched nerve in my back - a surprising occurrence for me which hampered walking very annoyingly (Felix and Jose, the cook, were very very patient and helpful with this) so when back in Cusco I did not get myself to an internet outlet for a while but limped to Lima instead to be with friends, and am now starting to get around again. I just thought I´d let you know I am fine, had a very special experience, was very ably taken care of and at no time felt unsafe or worried, just COLD, very, VERY COLD, which was to be expected. It was an amazing trip, the country and its scenery as magnificent as could be imagined though I was taken aback that I was still the only traveler on the trek .Thanks again for all the arrangements you made and the last minute fine tunings you fitted in. Warmest regards, Chris . (North Queensland, Australia) - 23rd October 2006

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The trip was really very good (attached a couple of photos). The walk down through the valley to Huchuy Qosqo was the highlight with the spectacular views of the Sacred Valley. Camping in the Huchuy ruins was pretty special (not sure you’ll be able to do that for much longer!). Simone was a very attentive guide and we appreciated the local “experiences” thrown in. The food was excellent and I was very impressed with the Cook’s (and his assistants) efforts in looking after us. Felt a bit like royalty!Thanks for all your help and correspondence, much appreciated. Simon (UK) August 2006 Huchuy Qosqo Trek.

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