At Responsible Trekking, we have a team we're genuinely proud of, and every single person on it brings something real to your trip. We're Peruvians from the city of Cusco and from the communities down in the valley: guides, mountain cooks, porters, horsemen, drivers and the office team. A lot of us grew up walking these trails long before we ever worked in tourism, and it shows in the way we tell their stories and in the way we look after anyone setting out on them for the first time.
The company was founded in 2026 on one simple belief: a trip can only take good care of the traveler if it first takes good care of the people who make it happen. That's why 2% of every sale is shared across the whole team, and 1% goes toward protecting and preserving the environment we travel through. It isn't a nice gesture tacked on at the end. It's the foundation the whole team is built on.
Jose Inquiltupa, CEO and Founder
I'm José Inquiltupa, and my story starts in the mountains of Cusco, in the highland farming community of Salkantay. That's where I learned early on the value of hard work, of sticking with something, and above all a love and respect for our land.
Through hard work and dedication, I studied Accounting and Finance at the Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco (UNSAAC), and later went on to earn a Master's degree in Auditing at the same university.
My professional career began in hospitality, spending two years with Inkaterra Hotels in Machu Picchu, where I saw firsthand a way of doing tourism built on respect for nature and conservation. After that I spent five years with Marriott Hotels, which gave me a close look at the standards, processes and demands of international hospitality.
Later on, I worked as finance manager and chief accountant for some of the leading tour operators in Cusco. That chapter gave me a deep understanding of the travel industry, its challenges and its opportunities, as well as what travelers are really looking for when they want authentic experiences connected to our landscapes, our communities and our culture.
With the support of my wife and children, bringing together my professional experience, my Andean roots and my deep knowledge of our land led me to found Responsible Trekking and Travel, with a clear vision: to build responsible tourism that delivers real benefits for people, for communities and for nature.
Who's looking after you at every stage of the trip
From the first email to the very last transfer, there's always someone on our team keeping an eye on you. Here's who they are and what they do.
- Before you book: Your travel advisor puts your itinerary together and will also tell you straight out what isn't worth doing. They'll sort out permits, entrance tickets, trains, hotels and schedules with you, so everything is taken care of before you arrive.
- The day you arrive: Your transfer driver will be waiting right outside the airport doors holding a sign with your name, and will take you by private vehicle to your hotel or wherever you need to go.
- During the tour: Your guide is with you the whole way, keeping an eye on how you're feeling and ready to show you the most incredible archaeological sites out there.
- On longer treks: Your professional chef, trained in Cusco, specializes in cooking on the trail with portable equipment. They'll adapt the menu to any dietary needs.
- On every trek: Our porters and horsemen come from the high Andean communities of Cusco and have known these mountains since they were kids. They set up your camp and look after your belongings.
- The whole time: Our office staff follow your itinerary day by day and answer any question that comes up along the way over WhatsApp.
Our guides
The guides at Responsible Trekking grew up in Ollantaytambo, the Sacred Valley and the communities that sit alongside some of the most beautiful places you'll visit. Many of them spoke Quechua before they spoke Spanish, and quite a few started out as porters on the very trail they now walk you through. It's the difference between someone telling you when something was built and someone explaining what it was for, who built it, and why they picked this particular mountain. The stories they'll tell you didn't come out of a book. Someone told them first.
All of them are officially licensed guides with current wilderness first aid certification, and they speak several languages. They also handle on the spot whatever the itinerary can't plan for: a change in the weather, a pace that's different from what was expected, someone who needs to stop for a while. That's why the guides at Responsible Trekking are the reason people fall in love with Peru.
Our porters
While the camp is still asleep, a group of men and women is already taking down tents and working out how to divide up the load. By the time travelers step out of their tents to a breakfast that's ready and waiting, that work has been going on for two hours.
These people are our porters: "the heroes of every trek." At Responsible Trekking we don't call them "support staff." To us, they're the team that makes a trek feel like a real immersion in Inca culture.
Our porters come from the high Andean communities of the Cusco region. Most of them are Quechua speakers and farmers.
Peruvian regulations for the Inca Trail set a maximum weight limit per porter, with part of it allocated to the group's gear and part to their own personal belongings.
The office team
The team that plans, coordinates and takes care of every detail long before your adventure even begins.
Rosmel Roque
Travel Specialist
Jesus Ccasa
Marketing Manager
Morayma Cabrera
Community Manager
Arusha Castro
SEO Specialist
Ayde Pedraza
Copywriter
Elvis Anaya
Web Master
How we reward our team
This comes straight from the founders, and it's our way of saying thank you for the incredible work they do: they're rewarded with 2% of sales, shared across the entire team. Guides, cooks, porters and office staff. It's paid out every month and split evenly. This is on top of the fair wage we already pay them; think of it as a second income.
On top of that, 1% goes to environmental projects along the very trails you'll be walking. It's the same offering of coca leaves to the Pachamama that our guides make before setting out, turned into a real commitment.
Traveling with us leaves something behind in the hands that looked after you and in the land that welcomed you. You take the trip; we make sure the whole team is thanked for it.