Sky High Andes team of experts creates exclusive adventures for hikers and climbers in Peru.

Sky High Andes was founded in 2012 by Nathan Heald, Official Tourism Guide accredited by DIRCETUR (The National Tourism Directorate in Peru). We are the premier mountain guides in the ranges of Peru. Trekking and climbing in Cusco, Huaraz and Arequipa, with expert knowledge leading expeditions for a decade. We go on many expeditions every year to Peru’s highest peaks and exclusive treks to Machu Picchu and remote areas. We offer everyone who who has dreamed of exploring Peru, their trip of a lifetime.

Our Philosophy

Our founding Philosophy has sustainability at its heart. Our team has worked together for many years as a family in the mountains around Cusco. We want to protect the mountain environments where we practice our sport.

We love the freedom of the remote, timeless regions of Peru and we want you to be able to experience this as well. There is nothing like having the mountains to yourself, time to contemplate and gain perspective from views of the soaring Andean peaks.

Certified Guides

Our guides are certified/ licensed to guide mountaineering and other adventure activities as well as cultural tours to Machu Picchu or other archeological sites in Peru. Each guide on our team has their own specialty, giving you a knowledge, professionalism and security while on your expedition. Some of are IFMGA certified, meaning that they are internationally certified mountain guides and have achieved the highest level of credentials in this field after years of experience, study and examinations. With Sky High Andes you are assured to have the right type of expert Guide conducting your trip.

Authenticity – Local logistics

We are the small, flexible team of locals who will provide this authentic experience and take you places the other agencies cannot. Our team is grassroots, made up of local families and guides, brought together by our love for the mountains and nature. We are able to maintain a sustainable model where all of our members benefit directly from your tour. You will get to know our team on a more personal level and get unique insight into the customs and traditions of the local Quechua speaking people.

Group Size

Our trips are based on small group sizes for SAFETY and user experience. For mountaineering having a climber to guide ratio of 3:1 on easy-intermediate peaks and 2:1 on harder climbs. Our treks have a maximum of 10 people per group that we take on any trail at a time. This gives each member a personalized experience, being able to learn at their own pace and focus on their personal goals. We do not “pool” people together unless the client has asked for others to join their trip to reduce the cost.

Unique Routes: Salkantay Ahobamba Trek to Machu Picchu and Vilcanota Circuit Trek

We specialize in trips designed to get you out of the tourist funnel that has become the Salkantay trek, Inca trail, Rainbow Mountain, Humantay lake, etc.

The Salkantay Ahobamba Trek is the best hike to get to Machu Picchu and only we do this trail. While the other side of the mountain can be packed with 500 people a day, our side receives only a few groups per month that go with us. We work with the families that have private property in this valley, staying at their homes on the way through. You will not see other trekking groups on this route for a few days until getting closer to Machu Picchu.

Another exclusive hike we do is the Vilcanota Circuit Trek which is a step up from the normal Ausangate Circuit. Except that it goes around the main 20,000ft peaks of the Vilcanota mountain range and not just Ausangate. Here you have a very high probability to see Vicuñas and Condors.

 “Plastic Wrapped Tours”

There are hundreds of agencies in Cusco and Peru that sell cheap, plastic wrapped tours designed to maximize quantity of hikers over the quality of hiker experience. Don’t be fooled by the websites trying to sell you an “exclusive” trip with “small group sizes” especially on routes like the normal Salkantay trek. For the cheap prices they offer, your group will be many people. Hiking next to 500 other people doing the same route in a long line. Many of these big agencies have tons of office overhead. They treat their guides, cooks, arrieros and horses as dispensable by paying them low wages and caring little about the environment they work in.