SAM Travel Peru Reviews

Benny Poerwanto Leonardi 2023.12.17

     

Great company to book Inca trail with I did the Inca trail with SAM travel - everything went smoothly from the briefing right up to the drop off back to my accommodation in Cusco. Miguel (the guide) was very friendly, knowledgeable and I appreciate the experience so much. Even though it rained quite a lot during our hike, Miguel is always upbeat and optimistic - we were indeed rewarded with some great views when the clouds cleared up once in a while. I booked the tour online before coming to Peru and communication was smooth. We were a small group of 3, and despite that there were 8 porters coming with us so the service level is great.

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Iyvonne Rueb 2023.05.16

     

The most incredible experience of my life I did the 10-day tour with Sam's Travel, which was broken into three parts. Cusco - Sacred Valley - Tour Guide - Ray 4-day Inca Trail - Tour Guide - Jose Puno and Lake Titicaca - Grober Each section was beyond by wildest dreams. Sam's Travel took such amazing care of my daughter and me. Super responsive and assisted with everything we needed. Then our GUIDES!!!! Holy crap, each one was unique and fantastic. They knew their information and I came home with so much knowledge regarding the Incas. I feel truly blessed. Ray was funny and quick witty (which we loved) and created the most creative videos of our experience. We will treasure these forever. I would highly recommend trusting him with helping you hold on to your memories. Then there was Jose; this man was my rock!! I could not have finished the Inca trail without him. He had the most gentle energy that provided me the assistance I needed to have confidence I could finish the most difficult hike of my life. (Weirdly enough we had to hike through SNOW, which doesn't happen very often) He also is a mad scientist with a camera and takes the most incredible still shots. (Again memories for a lifetime) Then there was grober, this man was incredibly cute and took care of us constantly. He helped us navigate our homestay and the island of Lake Titicaca. Now, the true superheroes of our trip, the group of men who carried everything from our food to our tents and sleeping bags during our 4-day hike. OUR PORTERS!!!! (They even carried everything through ice and snow) Julio Cesar (Our cook) - Who's fantastic food kept us nourished, so we could survive the Inca Trail. He served us 4-course meals three times a day, with only a portable stove! (Including a cake!!!) Elias Leonidas Dionicio Ijidio Basilio Anselmo Teodoro Damaso Jesus Nieves This company treats its employees with such respect, and it shows. Because these men loved what they did and made us feel incredibly special, I will never be able to thank them all enough for giving my daughter and me the most fantastic vacation of our life. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

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Katherine Chui 2023.05.14

     

Sacred Valley, Classic Inca Trail, and Rainbow Mountain Highly recommend SAM Travel for their tours. They are a well run group lead by Saul and not only provide great tours but clearly care about all members of their staff including their porters and their community. Communication was fast and responsive with Junior and Saul during the past few months of uncertainty and we are so glad we trusted SAM Travel with our tours. First up, we had a wonderful time touring Sacred Valley with Ray! Super friendly guide full of knowledge about all of our sites. The tour was very well organized and informative. We did visit one co-op selling alpaca clothing at the start of the tour but it was very informative and not pushy -- plus we got to take pictures with all the alpacas, llamas, vicunas, and guinea pigs that we want! Ray is also a wonderful photographer and knew all the best spots and angles to capture great memories. Love love love the tour with Ray. Next we had the Classic Inca Trail with Jose D who took super well care of our group of 4 as well as coordinate with the support team of 10 porters which was extra challenging during some significant weather we encountered during the hike (3ft of snow and tons of rain..during dry season!). Thank goodness that meant we had some GORGEOUS weather when we finally arrived at Machu Picchu! We could not have completed the hike without this fantastic crew and Julio's fantastic cooking keeping us all more than well fed including a cake(!) on our last night. The porters also really supported us, keeping our stuff dry during the pouring rain, making sure we had hot water and tea whenever we needed, and so carefully setting up and taking down the camp every day. Jose went above and beyond guiding our group safely through the difficult hikes, telling us all about Inkan and pre-Inkan history to keep our minds off our aching knees and spirits up, taking WONDERFUL pictures, plus sharing his love of nature and photography. This team really made our trip unforgettable and we would not have completed the hike without their support. We also completed the Rainbow Mountain tour with Carlos. He made sure our group of 3 completed the tour safely and also took us to hike the Red Valley with amazing vistas with the snow. He supported us when one had to turn back due to the altitude (5,200M is no joke!). The tour also included a delicious buffet breakfast and lunch (with other tour groups). Overall highly recommend Sam Travel Peru when looking for a tour if you're looking for small tour groups, friendly and informative guides, and a highly organized crew of locals that care deeply about the history, culture and community.

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Alix Martin 2022.08.18

     

Mil gracias SAM Travel! I just did the 4 Day Classic Inca Trail To Machu Picchu from 8/10-8/13 with guides Raymer and Maribel! It was the most incredible experience I’ve ever had. 10 out of 10 would recommend SAM Travel for your visit to Peru. Ray met our group right at the Cusco airport in a large van and spent two days with us before the Inca Trail in and around Cusco, helping us acclimatize and guiding us around Incan sites like Sacsayhuamán and Ollantaytambo. On Tuesday evening he gave us a briefing on what to expect on each day of the trek, so we felt super prepared. Wednesday morning we got organized, entrusted our <7kg duffels to the amazing porters, led by head porter Rosalio, and began hiking. We were stunned when we reached lunch on our first day to realize just how beautiful and gourmet meals could be while hiking – our chef Timoteo and sous chef Danilo truly outdid themselves. We sat down to every meal with real silverware, a tablecloth, and new origami napkin (shout out to at least one of the young porters I saw folding napkins into pinwheels). A few of us are vegetarian and another had dietary restrictions that seemed to be no problem for Timo. Some of my favorite dishes included the jackfruit ceviche, all the vegetable soups, yucca fritters with elderberry sauce, Peruvian potatoes, corn with cheese, and strawberry pancakes for breakfast! We also loved the popcorn and hot cocoa happy hours, and obviously were especially impressed by the cake (yes, a frosted layer cake) for dessert on the third night. Hot tip though – don’t over-stuff yourselves while at elevation (though it’s easy to do bc the food was SO amazing)! I’m an archaeologist and work in both a museum and a university, so I had a lot of questions for Ray about Incan culture, heritage, and the sites along the trail, and he was SO kind, enthusiastic, and generous with sharing information. I really appreciated that he kept us informed, and he was always ready with a fun fact or funny story. Ray also is an amazing (and patient) photographer – it was such a gift to have him there to help document our memories (he knows all the best spots and poses). You can tell Ray and Maribel are absolute ninjas at hiking the Inca Trail – but they set such a comfortable, safe pace for our group. They were so patient and attentive and provided us with all the mental and emotional support we could have needed (plus various physical amenities). Raymer & Maribel really became part of our team and it was difficult to say goodbye at the end of our trip. Mil gracias SAM Travel!

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Sofia vE 2022.08.16

     

Verified

Fabulous and full filling This being my first international trip, I was pleasantly surprised, I even got altitude sickness at one point, still one of the best experiences of my life! Both of my guides (Johnny and Luis) were so informative and encouraging. I came with my mom, and it was a great time to bond and now we know we can travel well together. Even being so tired after this trek, the waterfall and the sites (and sights) and everything else were so worth the trip.

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Gabriel S 2022.08.16

     

Verified

Best guides ever! Johnny and Luis were the best guides anyone could ever have. They informed you of all the stops and made everyone feel like family. If i come back to Peru I’m going to make sure to find Jonny or Luis again to do another tour!!! 10/10 experience

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Marissa Martino 2022.08.16

     

Verified

Best tour ever. Just magic! I LOVED this experience. It was so magical. The hike was challenging but well worth it. Our guides, Johnny and Luis, were excellent. They were so knowledgeable about Machu Picchu. You could feel their passion for their job and for their heritage. It was beautiful. Everything was taken care of and I would recommend this trip, Sam Travel, and these guides to anyone!

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Karen v 2022.08.16

     

Verified

Family Adventures Sam Travel is the best! Second time in Peru and went with Sam Travel for both the Sacred Valley Tour and Short Inca Trail. All of our guides were amazing!! Daniel was very knowledgeable on the Sacred Valley Tour. For the Short Inca Trail we had 2 guides, Johnny and Luis they are both phenomenal. They both bring great energy and are extremely supportive for the challenging hike. This was a special trip with my 14 year old daughter and I. She was not feeling well at the beginning of the hike so We went very slowly. Luis stayed with us and Johnny came to check in us a lot. They call the trekking group a family and you really feel like that after the amazing journey. I highly recommend Sam Travel!! Would give it more stars if possible!!

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Albert B 2022.08.16

     

Verified

Machu Picchu babyyyyyyyy! The views, the hike, and meeting different people from around the world. I enjoyed both days of the tour and definitely recommend it to everyone. Luis and Johnny were amazing tour guides. We got lucky to have Johnny and Luis guide us these past two days.

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Alex S 2022.08.16

     

Verified

2 Day Ina Trail Johnny and Luis were THE BEST guides for the 2 day guide. If I ever do the hike again, I would choose Sam Travel Peru before any other tour company.

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AJ C 2022.08.16

     

Verified

Amazing with our guide Ketty!! Ketty, our guide, was AMAZING! What an experience from start to finish! Very knowledgeable, highly recommend booking with SAM Travel! The history learned throughout the entire hike makes the challenging sections worth every step! Ketty is worth a second mention, she made the entire experience a bucket list checker!

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Simone 2022.08.16

     

Verified

Amzazing Inca trail It was a great experience to walk the inca trail an to see the Macchu Picchu from several viewing points. Our tour guides Luis and Johnny were really nice, attentive and gave us also plenty of time to enjoy the amazing views and to take many photos. They were the best guides I had during my 4 weeks in Peru.Totally recommend to do this tour. If you have enough time, do the 4 days trek.

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Tyler 2022.08.16

     

Verified

Best way to see the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu! We couldn’t have had a better tour guide for our trip to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu! José was extremely knowledgeable, helped with absolutely everything, and made our trip extra special. A tour that we will never forget.

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Laura C 2022.08.16

     

Verified

The most amazing tour EVER José was our guide for the 2 day sacred valley tour, and there are not enough words to describe how amazing he made this experience for us. His in-depth knowledge of Peruvian and Incan history is astounding, and gave us background so we could fully appreciate what we were seeing and touring. We are so sad to say goodbye to him as we have enjoyed every minute of our time together. José took care of our luggage and every other detail you can imagine. In addition, Aurelio, our driver for day 1, was fantastic and skilled. We felt perfectly safe as we traveled from Cusco to Ollantaytambo. If you want to visit the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, you must use SAM Travel, and José!!

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Chip 2022.08.16

     

Verified

Awesome Sacred Valley/Machu Picchu Trip This tour was fantastic. I highly recommend Jose Deza. He is extremely knowledgeable with the culture and history. It is obvious he loves his job. Sacred Valley was beautiful as was Machu Picchu.

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Ryan R 2022.08.16

     

Verified

Beautiful Lares Trek/ short Machu Picchu hike My partner and I did the Lares and short Machu Picchu combined trek with Ketty Ttito. We loved the experience and the personable approach that Ketty had. Ketty is such a lovely person and she truly looked after us, catered to the different fitness levels of the group, and I felt completely safe in her capable hands. She also had a brilliant knowledge of the land and was passionate about Incan culture.The Lares trek was spectacular and we had almost the entire track to ourselves which added to the experience. The trek was moderate to challenging in some places, but we were constantly encouraged to go at our own pace, meaning the hike always felt achievable. Overall I would absolutely recommend SAM travel, the hike was seamless.

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Gretin 2022.08.16

     

Verified

Best agency for Inca trail Miguel, Bernie, the 2 chefs and all the porters crew have been amazing. They supported us in every single moment of our 4 days Inca trail, given us a 5 stars service. All perfect, suggested 100%

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André M 2022.08.16

     

Verified

Amazing trip to Machu Picchu Johnny and Luis were excellent guides. Everything was well organized, communication was great, and they are very friendly, accommodating and knowledgeable. We had an amazing experience and would absolutely book with them again.

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Fabian S 2022.08.16

     

Verified

Machu Picchu Inca trail This tour was by far the best tour I’ve ever had. We got to explore deep into the mountains of Peru and saw so much. The jungle was amazing and Machu Picchu was breathtaking. Johnny and Luis were by far the best and gave us all the help we needed. They told us so much about the history of Machu Picchu, guided through the jungle and gave us an overall AMAZING tour! Would highly recommend Johnny and Luis!!!!

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Sonia G 2022.08.15

     

Verified

Do It! I loved everything about the short inka trail! It was a once in a lifetime experience that I’ll never forget. Our guide Armando was amazing. Very informative and knowledgeable

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