High in Peru’s Sacred Valley of the Incas, I found myself in a circle of women who, on paper, couldn’t have been more different. Different ages, different backgrounds, different lives – and yet somehow together, thousands of miles from home, in front of the most beautiful lake we’d ever seen.
We were taking part in a healing ceremony led by Zenovia Cruz, a shaman from Cusco. The stop was organised by our guide during this week-long expedition through the area. She began creating a handmade offering to Pachamama (Mother Earth) using flowers and other trinkets, before asking each of us to close our eyes and hold a wish in our minds.
My eyes unexpectedly filled with tears. I felt an overwhelming sense of connection to the women around me. A feeling I hadn’t experienced before.
There is something so freeing about being with people who know nothing about you, beyond the version of yourself you’ve chosen to show up as in that moment. Without the expectations that come from people who have known you for years, you’re given the space to let go and discover parts of yourself you never knew existed.
But how did I end up in a circle with strangers in the first place?
I’d been to Peru before, having travelled around South America with a friend after leaving secondary school. Admittedly, a fair amount of my time in Cusco back then was spent in hostel bars and Irish pubs (I was young!), but the city quickly became one of my favourite places from my time there. Years later, when Intrepid Travel reached out to me about one of its ‘Women’s Expeditions’ in that same city, I jumped at the chance to rediscover it.
I signed up without knowing who would be joining me – which I had reservations about, especially because we would be spending days on end together. I now realise that is exactly what makes a trip like this work.
I arrived in Cusco after a journey of more than 24 hours, where I met two others joining the trip, one from Toronto and a fellow Brit. We climbed into the car and swapped stories about how we’d ended up here. One had been on a similar trip to India last year and spoke so highly of the experience she knew she had to try another. I began to feel at ease.
By the following morning, after some much-needed sleep, the group came together – we’d travelled from all over, including Australia, France and the US. We headed out on a walking tour of the city and met our guides: Norma and Maritza, who would quickly become integral to the trip.
Norma had been part of the Intrepid family for more than 20 years and was one of the company’s first guides in the region, while Maritza was one of the first women guides to lead groups along the Inca Trail. She told us that, when she first started out, her presence was seen as a threat: male guides would deliberately put rocks in her backpack in an attempt to tire her out and make her fail. If women could prove they were just as capable of completing the trail, it would open up opportunities in an industry that had traditionally been dominated by men.
Beyond the personal connections we formed with our guides, seeing Peru through their eyes made clear what these trips are actually built around: the communities who host them. Intrepid says women now make up 36% of its global tour leaders, with a target of 40% by 2030. In Peru, however, women currently represent just 18% of Intrepid’s tour leaders, with the company goal of 50% by the end of 2027.
Our itinerary was packed – but it never felt overwhelming or, as I’d half-expected, like being on a school trip. Every day was different, but there was always enough time to take it all in, meaning across the six days, we had many opportunities to connect with Peruvian culture.
Beyond the personal connections we formed with our guides, seeing Peru through their eyes made clear what these trips are actually built around: the communities who host them.
We started the week with an early-morning yoga session beside the Temple of the Moon just outside Cusco, before spending a day trekking along a quieter, lesser-walked section of the Inca Trail. (Stopping at the Poc Poc waterfall was a highlight.) We also visited AMA, a social enterprise where we took part in a chocolate-making workshop and learned about its work creating employment opportunities for single mothers in rural mountain communities. The brothers who run the organisation shared that their own mother inspired it – she raised them alone and sacrificed so much to give them opportunities. In turn, they are now creating greater support for the next generation of mothers living in similar areas.
Looking around the table, every woman had the same expression on her face: awe at what these two young men were doing for their local community.
The trip culminated in a visit to Machu Picchu – the ancient Incan citadel, built high in the Andes mountains.
By this point, it was one of our final outings together as a group and we had got to know each other well. I’d found a friend in Lucy Blakiston (you might know her as the founder of platform Shit You Should Care About), who turned out to be my Kiwi soul sister. We formed a bond so strong that when Norma noticed we’d been seated separately on the Inca Rail to Aguas Calientes, she actually placed with me so we could sit together. (Part of her motivation was probably also to avoid having to listen to us shouting across the carriage to each other!)
When we finally reached the top, we understood why Machu Picchu is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Norma told us that, despite having visited so many times, she still discovers something new. We gathered around her as she brought the history of the city to life, before we dispersed to take it all in for ourselves.
There were selfies with the mystic-looking Machu Picchu llamas and group photos from every possible angle, forming one final, incredible memory with a group of women who, just a week earlier, had been complete strangers, were now experiencing this sacred site together.
I came back to London buzzing to tell people about the week I’d had. The trip had completely changed my perception of group travel and it had made me think differently about thoughtful tourism. Seeing first-hand the opportunities Intrepid creates for local people, and how deeply that matters to the communities they work with, has made me re-think my approach to travel entirely.
I came home with a new perspective – on where I wanted to visit next and who I wanted to experience it with. First up: a flight to New Zealand. My Kiwi sister is waiting.
