Founder's Story
From Inca Trail porter to founder of Incatrekkers
My name is Juvenal Iturriaga, and I want to share my story with you – from growing up in a Quechua-speaking community near Urubamba to carrying loads on the Inca Trail and founding my own company.
I was born in the Yanahuara community near Urubamba, where I spent my early years with my parents, growing our own food such as corn, potatoes and vegetables. In this close-knit community I grew up speaking our mother tongue, Quechua, and gradually learned Spanish at primary school.
To continue my education, I left my community and moved on my own to the larger town of Urubamba for high school. My parents could not afford to support my studies, so I had to pay for them myself. For about two years, I worked as a porter on the classic Inca Trail for a modest wage.
But I knew that being a porter was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Driven by a passion for tourism and the dream of becoming a tour guide, I moved to Cusco to continue my studies. In Peru, becoming a tour guide requires dedicated study of tourism and English. I worked all kinds of jobs to pay for my basic needs and my education. After five years of hard work, my dream came true: I became an official Peruvian tour guide.
Since 2004, I have worked as a tour guide for many companies, constantly learning from the travelers I have had the pleasure of guiding and from the local staff – cooks, porters and colleagues – who joined me on the trails. I have hiked the classic Inca Trail many times and explored many remote trails in the highland communities where our porters come from.
These journeys reminded me again and again how hard life in the Peruvian mountains is. I also saw that many tour companies were owned and run by foreigners, so a large part of the income from tourism left the country without benefiting the local people or contributing to Peru's development. That is when I decided to found my own company, with the vision of supporting my people. This purpose guides me every day. I carry the memories of my humble roots close to my heart and am committed to making a positive difference in people's lives.
Today, with Incatrekkers, I want to offer authentic, responsible and immersive travel experiences that not only show the breathtaking beauty of Peru's landscapes but also contribute to the well-being and empowerment of the local communities we visit. With deep respect for Andean culture and a commitment to sustainable tourism, I strive to create opportunities for economic growth, cultural preservation and environmental protection.
Juvenal "Juve" Iturriaga, Founder & General Manager