Customised Trip Planning & Local Tour Operator Services
Who we are
My name is James, I’m 46 years old, love to explore and for the last 7 years (and counting!) I’ve been living and working out of Cusco, Perú. I’ve spent the last 20+ years exploring and travelling throughout South America.
I love great adventures and trips that are unexpected or have a ‘surprise‘ element to them. We always plan our own trips, working with local guides & sometimes small operators in each country, this helps us maintain an excellent level of quality and gives us adaptability for plan alterations.
Our ‘basis of existence‘ is to continue developing overland expeditions and bespoke trips, for our travelling groups, that often venture from the traditionally trodden paths offered in guidebooks; with the aim of taking you further into the incredible countries & environments that exist in the continent of Latin America.
We spend a lot time exploring, trekking & climbing in the Andes, venturing into the Cordilleras Principal, Vilcanota, Vilcabamba, Blanca & Huayhuash.
These are located around the Cusco Region, north in Huaraz, Ancash & Argentina, Mendoza. They are immense ranging mountains, all with stunning trek & climb routes, natural environments & community cultures that you’re unlikely to experience elsewhere in the world.
How did you get involved in travel?
“Having lived in Cusco over 20 years ago, learning and working for a few different tour operators here, I decided to return to get involved with the travel industry here again because the excitement of travel in this continent draws you in. The atmosphere, culture & local traditions, make Cusco the destination for all travelers to South America.
We like to approach travel & expeditions in a way that all things are possible and when the opportunity arises we get great satisfaction designing tours for adventurous travelers who like to go off the beaten path.”
What places and activities do you specialize in?
«Trekking & Climbing in the Andes & customized Expeditions in South America. This year, and next, our aims are to continue expanding into Ecuador & Bolivia along with breaking new trips & expeditions to Mexico, Cuba, Colombia & Guatemala.
More recently we have been exploring the Peruvian Amazon, both along the Madre de Dios & Amazon Rivers in Puerto Maldonado & Iquitos, looking for new places and adventures for our travelers. The scale of the jungle here is vast and the people that inhabit the jungle are just as friendly as those you find in the Andes.”
Where we can help you plan your trip
Regions of Speciality & Personal Travel Achievements
- Cusco & Sacred Valley (Machu Picchu)
- Cordillera Vilcabamba (Sacred Valley)
- Cordillera Vilcanota (Ausangate Region)
- Puno & Juliaca (Lake Titicaca)
- Lima & the South Coast (Paracas, Ica, Huacachina & Nazca)
- Arequipa (Cotahuasi & Colca Canyon)
- Cordillera Blanca
- Cordillera Huayhuash (Ancash Region)
- North Coast (Tumbes, Mancora & Punta Sal)
- Mendoza & Cordillera Principal (Mt. Aconcagua)
- El Chalten (Mt. Fitzroy)
- El Calafate (Perito Moreno Glacier)
- Torres del Paine (Patagonia).
- Nevados Qampa I & II (5,475m).
- Nevado Huayruro Punco (5,550m).
- Vilarica Volcanoe (2,860m).
- Qelcaya Glacier, Ausangate (5,650m).
- 3 Peaks of the UK in 24 hours (Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, Brecon Beacon).
- Technical climbing training on Nevados Chumpe, Vallunaraju, Percocaya (6,106m).
- ‘W’ Trek, ‘O’ Circuit & others in Torres del Paine (Chíle)
- Exploration of San Pedro de Atacama (Chíle)
- El Chaltén, El Calafate, Baríloche & Mt. Fitzroy (Argentina)
- Aconcagua Base Camp Trek (Argentina)
- Nevado Ausangate Trek, Salkantay to Machu Picchu Trek, Vilcabamba Trek, Lares Valley Trek, Choquequirao to Machu Picchu Trek (Perú)
- Manu Reserve (Mt Piñipiñi) & Amazon Jungle (Perú)
- Kayaking the Amazon River, Timicuro Grande (Perú)
- Sugarloaf Mountain (Brasíl)
- The Haute Route (France & Alsáce)
- Snowboarding & Black Ski Routes (France – Meribel, Les Deux Alpes, Les Arcs)
- Garden Route: Cape Town to Port Elizabeth (South Africa)
- Florida Road Trip: Miami to Key West (USA)
Our Service
At Unu Raymi Expeditions; we’ll always keep our commitment to deliver the best customised experience created from your own personal & group requirements.
We’ll provide as many available custom options for planning your ideal trip; operating & incorporating many off-the-beaten path experiences for your trip or expedition. Before your trip begins we’ll work with you to ensure you are fully prepared and happy before setting off; we’ll continue this once you’re inland with us responding to your individual needs & requirements.
Throughout your time and experience with us; one of our main goals is to help you expand your own boundaries both physically & spiritually. We want you to go away feeling as though you have been challenged to achieve optimal success and enjoyment from your trip.
We work with guides who are reputable, respected, well-qualified and that know how to look after our travellers. Our guides are fun, friendly and always maintain a sense of humor even in the toughest challenges. We access regions and summits many guides are insufficiently trained to go. For high-mountain expeditions, all of our guides have extensive high-altitude & expedition experience.
We will always put our traveller’s safety first and foremost as we take your health & safety as the most important part of the trip.
- Radio Equipment: On the expedition we will use radios to assist with evacuations or to do reconnaissance on expedition conditions.
- Medical: Oxygen is always available on our expeditions, oximetro (to read oxygen levels in your blood), diamox (to combat any bad effects of altitude sickness), along with a complete medical box set for expeditions.
- Health: Your health will be checked at regular intervals along the route (e.g. at every camp). All of our guides are fully trained in first aid and mountain rescue.
- We have an on-call Nurse available in Cusco and the Sacred Valley to care for any ailments you may have or any requirements for localised treatments.
- Pacing: It is important to go at a pace you are comfortable with and our guides will help support you in this.
- Insurance: We advise that you have travel adventure insurance for any kind of trip or expedition abroad. For high-altitude expeditions (5,500m +) we also highly recommend emergency evacuation insurance.
We’ll always work with any traveller to develop their dream trip no matter how big or small. We pride ourselves on being very competitive whilst not compromising on quality aspects of any trip. Investing in the best available equipment, guides, assistants, accommodation, transport and food ensures we can deliver the best trip plans.
There is a solution to most trips and budgets, we’ll work with you to ensure we get it absolutely right. Transparency with all trip quotes is how we like to work and we will be clear throughout the trip planning process.
We are a very small company working out of Cusco, Peru; investing in our communities and the local people. Utilising natural resources & people throughout our trips; we pay very fair wages and above the average market conditions to assure quality and loyalty in everything we do.
We are working with the latest protocols issued by the Ministerio de Salud (Ministry of Health) to ensure our operations are safe and compliant for the future. All hygiene standards that are being developed will be adhered to in compliance with state legislation and protocols.
For any medical emergencies which may occur during your trip, we highly recommend you have a travel insurance policy to cover any unexpected costs related to your treatment. For high-altitude expeditions we also recommend a policy to cover evacuations.
Our service is unique in that we offer a customised trip planning service & operation with an experienced travel operator throughout South America. We are aware that there are operators available who have presence on the internet with the same name and that purport to offer similar services. You will always receive a personalised message from us and follow-up communication as necessary to begin the planning of your trip, we ask you to please be careful when communicating with other operators.
Tell Us Your Ideas
We'll Plan Together
We'll Operate to Suit You
Mission
We are a local Tour Operator, that seeks to offer a personalized tour service of quality, reliability through good attention & by creating unique trips to exceed the expectations of our travellers.
Vision
To become a Tour Operator recognized in our region, for the confidence and security we offer our travellers, presenting innovative services and ensuring stable tourism for the local economy, promoting an atmosphere of good relations and obtaining the highest satisfaction of our travellers.
