Australian couple, Carmel & Daryl Benham, from Cheltenham, Victoria, booked two tours with PeruNorth as part of a longer trip around Northern Peru in June / July 2025. Here are their comments, along with some of the great photos they took:
Who were your guides? How did they perform?
‘We had Julio for the Hidden Chachapoyas Tour and Virgilio for the Santa Cruz Trek. Both were excellent guides. They were very knowledgeable, interesting to talk to and looked after us very well.
With Julio at Kuelap.
On the Hidden Chachapoyas Tour there were only the two of us with the guide and driver. This facilitated a level of flexibility and Julio enabled us to spend longer at sites that we were finding particularly interesting.
On the Santa Cruz Trek Carmel was not as fit as the three males on the trek and Virgilio stayed with her and paced her to ensure she got through the experience at her own pace and safely.’
What was your favourite cultural destination in the itinerary?
‘It is hard to pick a single favourite from the first tour in Chachapoyas as the sites were all different and amazing in their own way.
Outer walls at Kuelap.
Keulap was remarkable. We were fortunate that Keulap was not crowded and having a guide made a huge difference to our experience. We spent several hours there and it was so interesting to learn about the history.
We also enjoyed visiting the sites around Leymebamba and going to the museum there.’
What was your favourite natural destination in the itinerary?
‘The trekking in the Cordillera Blanca was an absolute highlight. The scenery was spectacular, with breathtaking glaciers and glacial lakes.’
Dawn view of Llanganuco lakes & valley from near Portachuelo de Llanganuco Pass.
Which was your favourite accommodation and why?
‘On the tours all the accommodation was excellent. We especially enjoyed the Rangra Wasi Eco Lodge at Leymebamba. The food was excellent and it was very quiet and comfortable. The views were amazing and there were facilities to have a cup of tea in the room which was very nice after being out trekking.
We also really enjoyed our stay at Mamaq Tambo [Cocachimba]. Again, the food was very good and the views spectacular. We were also well looked after by the owners here. The only downside was that the showers were cold and we had an unexpectedly cold spell at the start of our stay.’
What forms of transport did you use during the tours? Pros/cons?
‘For the Hidden Chachapoyas Tour we had a private car and driver. The driver was excellent and we felt safe the whole time we travelled. It was also very convenient given the remoteness of many of the destinations and enabled us to see more locations.
During our independent travel we flew to Chiclayo and then used buses (including overnight buses for long distances), colectivos and tuk tuks. Occasionally we hired a private taxi.
We travelled to the towns where both tours started via overnight buses which we found to be excellent for getting around the country.
We were transported by a small bus to the start of the trek. It was comfortable and also driven by a very good driver. We felt safe.’
How would you rate the hiking involved during your trip in terms of difficulty?
‘Daryl found the hiking easier than Carmel as he is stronger and fitter. Parts of the hike were more challenging than others.
We allowed plenty of time to acclimatise and had done several day hikes before the trek started so we were well prepared.
Carmel & Virgilio on way to Punta Union.
Carmel took slightly longer each day than the estimated time frame to finish but not much. (Eg: the guys did the final ascent to Punta Union Pass in about 25mins and it took Carmel 40). It was manageable and probably moderate for anyone with a good level of fitness.
The fact that we did a guided hike made it manageable for Carmel as it meant that our gear was transported.’
What were your favourite natural encounters?
Marvellous Spatuletail Hummingbird at feeder in Cocachimba.
‘Seeing Spatuletail hummingbirds was very special. Julio is a bird watcher so he pointed out lots of birds, and we saw some rare species which was a bonus.
Carmel also really enjoyed the stunning bromeliads spread throughout the forests that we walked and drove through.’
Did you suffer any insect bites? Other physical discomforts?
‘Daryl suffered insect bites on both tours but we had come prepared with anti-histamines.
Carmel was bitten by a dog on the first night at Mamaq Tambo. The owner of the accommodation was very good at following up and made contact with the local vet and the owner of the dog to confirm it was vaccinated.’
Did you have much interaction with locals? Where and how did this occur?
‘We had a mix of independent travel and guided tours.
During our independent travel we met lots of locals on the various forms of transport that we used to get around. We also chatted (with the aid of translation apps) to people at places where we stayed, in restaurants/cafes and while out and about.’
We found people very friendly and helpful.
Did you feel your money was going to local businesses and people?
‘Yes. Part of the reason we travel with smaller local companies is to support the local economy in places we visit. The places we ate, stayed and visited were all local businesses.’
Were you given any information regarding sustainability during the course of your trip?
‘Yes, we learned a lot on the trip from our guides about the culture and the environment. We also had very interesting conversations about issues facing Peru and some of the challenges. Julio in particular enjoyed engaging in conversation about local issues.’
‘Thank you again for all your assistance, not just with the tours but also with suggestions and advice about the rest of our trip. We had a fabulous time.
Both tour companies that you used were excellent and we cannot recommend/rate them and the whole experience highly enough.
We have loved all our travels in South America and are keen to return.
We have been recommending PeruNorth to others.’