Banana tree

An out of model agency

Puka Nina Peru is a new agency, founded by a mother and her son, Nicole de Cartagena and Olivier Cartagena. Their strong points: to be official guides, perfectly bilingual, to know (because they live it) the national reality and (because they studied them amply) the cultures of the past, to have practised tourism of adventure and to want at all costs to make a success of your voyage.

And even if, for the moment, Olivier had to deviate from his way and leave, because of professional reasons, Puka Nina, his spirit remains, doing of this agency foundation a great and unforgettable adventure... 

Because your voyage is consequently that of Puka Nina, we want you before all to be satisfied . And even more than satisfied: we will absolutely take care that you receive more than you were waiting for. 

One of our objectives: your satisfaction...

That is to say that for us, the time passed on a voyage, in its conception, its preparation and its realization does not matter. We will be for you untiring interlocutors… And if you allow us this comparison, we propose to you made-to-measure and not ready- to- wear voyages.

A self- made travel, a la carte, here thus what Puka Nina can offer you. A travel which will allow you, moreover, to meet, if you want to, the local populations, to immerse you in a singular environment that many countries in the world would like to have, respecting and controlling of course the tourist impact that these trips, if you don’t take care, can impose in a negative way, to bring to you the knowledge of these various cultures which have impregnated the Andean world and especially to generate in you questions, to which we will be able or not to give answers...

The respect of the present populations and of their past, in their own environment, is what our agency seeks out at first hand, and it is for this reason that the effort does not matter!

What’s a Puka Nina travel?

There are in Cusco more than three hundred tourism agencies, which reveal the importance of such an activity in this city and this area... Then, why would you choose Puka Nina more than another to undertake a travel in this country, whereas a great number of agencies will be also able to propose you a satisfactory circuit?

Puka Nina means in quechua the "Red Fire", that is to say the fire of the sun of the Andes, the fire of the Incas as it were, whose emblematic colour was red. It is not strange, in addition, that the name chosen for this agency which wants to be dissociated by its spirit was drawn from the quechua language. That means that there is undoubtedly to await in the Puka Nina travels an inspiration of the cultures of the past.

Our first concern is, as you know it, yours, to make a success of your voyage and we are convinced that your satisfaction will be complete only if you have the possibility of travelling (of course, that is not always possible because of the tourism importance of Peru) well away from crowdy itineraries, researching before all the authenticity of human encounters.

Obviously, we cannot promise you a voyage with a few visitors, especially in the incontrovertible sites, like those of the area of Cusco, but we will always propose you solutions, according to your time.

As we know that the cheapest is often more expensive, we do not want at all costs to be the cheapest agency of Peru! You may find, of course, cheaper prices in other agencies, but a thing is certain: let us compare what is comparable. In no case it would not occur to us to reduce notably the costs in order to get back customers, that would mean to underpay transportation (thus to fail in safety), to underpay the guides (thus to fail in the information of the customers), to choose the less expensive hotels (thus to fail in the comfort)...

Puka Nina does not seek competitiveness at all costs, it seeks the satisfaction of the traveller.

Moreover, the Gold Book of the site is at your disposal to collect your praises but also your complaints and suggestions, in order to contribute to the improvement of our services. Aiming mainly as customers the people who travel in a single way, even in family or between friends and who create their route, most of the time, we are rather inclined to privilege the small groups (to the maximum from 12 to 15 participants) which are likely to do the visits in a personalized way.

Culture... Ecology... Respect of the local populations

Our favourite topic will include then three principal priorities:

• 1 - Culture
• 2 - Ecology
• 3 - Respect of the local populations

Peru is a crucible of cultures, of which we ignore still the major reach and the true antiquity.

The site of Caral, for example, brings us back 4500 years behind, whereas still little time ago we believed that Chavin (1000 years before JC) was the oldest of the civilizations... And it is not finished! The archaeological excavations give us each day reasons to astonish us or they formulate new interrogations for us.

Peru, with regard to its ecology, forms part of the most diversified countries of the world.

With its Pacific Coast, one of the most arid deserts of the world, the Cordillera of the Andes and its tropical mountains, the highest in the planet, its Amazonian Forest and its multitude of animal or vegetable endemic species, Peru gives to the world and to its visitors an incomparable richness.

As for its local populations, extremely diversified by their origin, they offer to the traveller a testimony of an incomparable past, a testimony of great civilizations which forged the history of the Andean man and whose greatest merit, if not the greatest intelligence, was to integrate himself into this hostile environment, or rather to adapt it to him...

They are the same populations that the traveller must respect and that Puka Nina will be proud to make you know.

Here is, in a few words, all that Puka Nina can bring to you: a know-how (the founders of the society, Nicole and Olivier, are guides and writers, they have chosen to live in Peru by love of this country). Nicole will be happy to guide you personally (The circumstances of life made that Olivier does not work for the moment for Puka Nina) on the ground when it is possible, if not, you can read her books, Herbert is an explorer, rich in ground experience). Puka Nina knows South America in general and Peru in particular. It will give you a cultural approach of the sites and inspire you a deep respect of ecology and local populations, all this in full safety, of course.