I received an e-mail last month from Jordan Harvey, who with his wife, Tara, operates a small, highly personalized private tour operator, Knowmad Adventures, which specializes in South America, with a particular focus on Peru and Chile, along with Argentina and Ecuador. His company primarily helps individuals to plan their own adventures, assisting with detailed itineraries; setting up transfers, hotels, guided tours, and so on; and providing expert guidance on every aspect of a trip, from safety to packing to interacting with locals. It's the sort of service that can help you navigate an unfamiliar place with ease, while allowing you the freedom to travel independently. Furthermore, Knowmad Adventures has worked with a number of GLBT clients in the past, and is quite able to help connect travelers with gay-friendly companies.
I've traveled a bit around Chile and Argentina but never to Peru, a country that's very high on my list. It's also a nation that's becoming increasingly popular with GLBT travelers. When I asked Jordan if he could recommend a particularly interesting, perhaps less-traveled Knowmad Adventures itinerary that would be a good fit with the GLBT market, he suggested the Incan Backroads trek, which takes in not just Machu Picchu, Cusco, and the Sacred Valley but also some exceptional Peruvian archaeological sites visited by few travelers.
Here's a bit more, in Jordan's words, about why this trip is so special: The Incan Backroads trip includes time at an "archeological site called Choquequirao, which is the scale of Machu Picchu, yet it remains partially uncovered, still requires a multi-day trek to get there, sees only a handful of visitors daily, and inspires that Indiana Jones, revert-back-to-a-five-year-old sense of wonder, astonishment, and discovery. This trip folds in the best of Peru and its 'must-see' highlights as well as including a small group trek to Choquequirao." Jordan adds that the company he works with to lead this tour is gay-friendly; the 11-day Incan Backroads trip costs from $2,155 per traveler--including accommodations, transfer, most meals, guide services, excursions (as indicated in the itinerary), and entrance fees.
And with that, I'm ever more restless to experience Peru, and encourage others with the same inclination to get in touch with the staff at Knowmad Adventures (877-616-8747) and start planning your own adventure.