Meet Wilfredo “Big Willy” Tunquipa
An authentic Peru tour operator doesn’t come any more “Real” than Saqra’s Trek by Auqui Peru. Every trekking company has a story. Ours begins long before Saqra’s Trek by Auqui Peru was ever created.
Wilfredo “Big Willy” Tunquipa was born in the highlands of the Cusco region, where the mountains have always been part of everyday life. Long before he became a trekking guide, he grew up walking the same landscapes that he now shares with travellers from around the world. Living in the Andes taught him to respect the mountains, understand the weather and appreciate the traditions that are still part of life in many rural communities.
People often ask about his surname. Tunqui is the Quechua name for the Andean Cock-of-the-rock, Peru’s national bird. The ending -paq in Quechua is linked with the idea of abundance or “the place of”. In his family, it has always been said that the original surname was Tunquipaq, which over the years became Tunquipa as names were adapted into Spanish records.
Years later, that same connection with the Andes led Willy to a career in trekking. Today, he shares not only the famous routes around Cusco but also the history, traditions, and communities that have shaped his own life.
Before Big Willy was a business owner and Authentic Peru tour operator, he lived in a remote community of Cusco. For Willy, the Andes were home. The mountains shaped everyday life, from the changing seasons to the long walks between neighbouring communities. Those early years created a connection with the landscape that no classroom could ever teach, and that same connection still influences the way we introduce Peru to our travellers today.
Many visitors know him as Big Willy, a nickname given to him by travellers over the years because of his height. Among friends and local people, however, another name has followed him for much of his life: Saqra. That nickname eventually became part of our identity. And we are proud to have experienced Peru trekking guides who form part of our dedicated team.
More Than Twenty Years on Peru’s Trails
Before founding Auqui Peru, Willy spent years working with trekking companies throughout the Cusco region. He guided groups on some of Peru’s best-known routes, from the Classic Inca Trail and Salkantay to Ausangate, Lares, and Choquequirao, learning something from every trek and every traveller he met. Working with companies of different sizes gave him a clear idea of the kind of experience he wanted to create himself.
He didn’t want visitors to feel like another booking on a departure list. He wanted them to travel with local people, hear real stories, meet Andean communities and discover a side of Peru that often gets lost when everything runs to a tight timetable. That idea became Auqui Peru and, as the company evolved, Saqra’s Trek by Auqui Peru.
Today we are proud to be a locally owned Peru travel company, built on local knowledge, genuine relationships and a passion for sharing the Andes with visitors from around the world. This makes us an authentic Peru tour operator.
Our Experience As An Authentic Peru Tour Operator
Willy studied Adventure Tourism at the Túpac Amaru Higher Technological Institute in Cusco between 1995 and 1997 before qualifying as one of their professionally experienced Peruvian trekking guides. He is also a registered member of Perú Pro Guías, one of Peru’s professional guide associations, holding official guide licence number 253.
Saqra’s Trek – Peru Travel Experts
Since those early days, thousands of guides have entered the profession across Peru. What continues to make the difference isn’t the licence; it is knowing the mountains in every Andean season. Understanding how quickly conditions can change, recognizing the small details most visitors walk straight past, and knowing when to stop. Because an explanation of the Cusco region deserves to be told. Those things only come with experience.
Why “Saqra” As a Name For an Authentic Peru Tour Operator?
Visitors often smile when they hear the name Saqra. This is especially so after discovering that it is sometimes translated as “devil.” In reality, the meaning is much more interesting.
Within Andean tradition, the Saqra is a well-known character found in music, dance, and religious festivals throughout the Cusco region. One of the best-known examples is the Virgen del Carmen festival in Paucartambo.
The name Saqra has a very personal meaning for our founder, Wilfredo “Big Willy” Tunquipa. For seven years, Willy performed the traditional Saqra dance during the pilgrimage to Qoyllur Rit’i, one of the most important religious and cultural celebrations in the Peruvian Andes. Many of the porters, horsemen, and cooks who worked alongside him during those years began calling him “Jefe Saqra.” In Quechua, Saqra is often associated with someone who is mischievous, playful, and full of energy rather than its literal translation.
When the company evolved, the nickname felt like the perfect fit for the adventurous spirit of our team. Originally, however, the company was founded as Auqui Peru, a name inspired by the Inca title Auqui, the chosen heir to the Sapa Inca, representing leadership, responsibility and a lasting connection with Peru’s ancestral heritage.
Willy earned this nickname after performing the traditional Saqra dance during celebrations linked with Ausangate. This is the highest mountain in the Cusco region and one of the most sacred peaks in Andean culture. The name stayed with him.
When the time came to give the company a new identity, it felt like the natural choice. Especially given that this is a locally owned Peru travel company. Although adventure should have personality, and few names reflect the spirit of the Andes better than Saqra.
The Indigenous Peruvian Guides Team
No Peruvian trekking company is successful because of one person. Every trek relies on a team working together long before the first day on the trail. At Saqra’s Trek by Auqui Peru, our experienced Peru trekking guides don’t work alone. They are accompanied by assistant guides, cooks, horsemen, and office team who all play an important role in creating each tour and trek in Peru.
Local Mountain Guides Peru
Many local mountain guides Peru graduated from tourism institutes in Cusco. Others come from the mountain communities where we operate and bring knowledge that has been passed down through generations.
Our local mountain guides Peru know these trails like the back of their hands. This is because they have walked them for most of their lives. In fact, Several members of our team are indigenous Peruvian guides. They share not only the history of the Incas but also the traditions, language, and customs that continue to shape life in the Andes today.
Training and Capacitations
Training never stops. Therefore, throughout the year our team takes part in courses to improve our service. These cover wilderness first aid, environmental management, responsible tourism, customer service, food safety, and the correct use of trekking equipment. Keeping those skills up to date allows us, as an authentic local Peru travel company, to provide safe, well-organized adventures. All the while, protecting the landscapes we work in.
It Is All About The Journey
As Cusco trekking experts, we believe that a great trek is about so much more than reaching the final destination. It is about travelling with people who know things that cannot be taught. Things like when to pause for a story, introduce you to a local family, or explain why a mountain has been respected and worshipped for centuries.
It doesn’t matter if you are looking for an authentic Peru tour operator. Or even trusted Peru travel experts. Or a family owned trekking company Peru that still believes in personal service. Our principal aim is to help you leave Peru with something so much more valuable than photographs. We hope you leave understanding real Peru a little better than when you arrived. Thus, having the best time in the Andes possible!