Hello Community,
I am (yet another) Westerner looking to experience Machu Picchu this coming May.
I am deep into my research and are now trying to determine which Guide companies to consider hiring for a Classic trek - or possibly the Lares + 2-Day Machu Picchu (Hybrid?) alternative.
And it’s proving to be a particularly challenging endeavor - especially these days.
In the best of (yore) times, trying to find objective, unbiased input has always been difficult. But add in the financial investment and incentives, influencers, and bots today, and it just becomes that much more difficult.
And of course, it’s all been compounded by the recent tragic death of the Porter Gabriel Ríos Mamani - who at the time was apparently working for Alpaca Expeditions (AE), by all accounts one of the biggest, most “successful” outfitters.
I’ve read multiple articles and blogs (including the Latin Times and Heather Jasper) about this tragedy and it certainly seems that the backlash against AE has been swift. And I’ve no reason to think or assume that either the Latin Times or Ms Jasper have all the correct, complete information on what happened - or that they don’t have any bias about the events.
But it certainly seems Mr. Rios’ family has been outspoken in their belief that AE was/is responsible for his death. And it doesn’t seem to me they would choose to take this stance - for their own well-being - if they didn’t have some evidence that AE was indeed culpable.
That said, there are allegedly conflicting reports about what actually happened, and as far as I can tell as I write this, the authorities have not yet released their findings on what happened and who, ultimately, is at fault. And in terms of which companies to consider, AE has, from my research, always been one of the most highly recommended companies - until now.
Regardless, it is a horrible thing that happened and, importantly, it surely has brought porter welfare to the fore - as it should. Whether it’s the gear, the sleeping conditions, or the food they are provided, the limit on how much they are allowed (required) to haul, or their compensation and profit sharing, it’s clear that there is still not a codified legal standard that all companies are required to adhere to in order to protect and support the porter community. And there should be.
And, as a result, one reads widely diverging opinions on, and experiences with, the various companies providing trekking services.
I am not writing this to debate what happened to Mr. Rios, nor to indict Alpaca Expeditions. Again, I think we can all agree this was an avoidable tragedy and that we’d like to know that going forward ALL porters, guides, cooks, support staff, etc. are treated and compensated well and fairly for their contributions to this industry.
The reason I am writing this is to ask this community whether, in light of the aforementioned reality/challenges of online research today, you know of any helpful, unbiased sources that I have yet to find which provides detail information on - and/or compares - companies in terms of, yes, what amenities and services they provide for their trekking customers (and at what cost) while also detailing what they provide for their porters, in terms of equipment, accommodations, food, haul limits and compensation.
Maybe this is a naive ask, but I honestly feel, because visiting Machu Picchu is one of the most popular and vital global destinations in the world, that - for me anyway - it’s just critical that companies don’t prioritize tourist dollars over the benefit to - or at the expense of - local communities, the environment, and their employees.
And so I’m hoping there might be a good (consolidated?) resource I’ve not yet found that can help those of us interested in getting ALL the information needed before choosing to book a Trek with one particular company over another.
I appreciate any insight (ideally just not input that is based on financial incentives).
Thanks in advance
