
Katy Shorthouse
I've been guiding and designing tours all over South America for 18 years. I detest large buses, bored guides, and above all, numbers on sticks. I'm passionate about Peru and have lived here since 2004.
What places and activities do you specialize in?
"Authentic cultural encounter in Peru, especially Cusco and Lake Titicaca. We also specialise in family and luxury trips."
How did you get involved in travel?
"I studied journalism unenthusiastically and without distinction, so my career in communications didn't exactly set the world on fire. In my late twenties I found myself writing junk mail about tax and accounting software for a job (for good money, I might add). I suddenly looked around in horror and thought "this can't be my life!" A few months later I became a hiking guide, and I've never looked back!"
Please share a unique travel experience you will never forget.
"My first time in Bolivia, in 1996, my friend and travelled through the rainforest with a large bundle that held her stilts. Whenever anyone asked, we claimed in our minimal Spanish that the mysterious bundle was the bones of her grandmother. Even though I guess nobody really believed this, the pair of us were a pretty big sensation in the tiny villages where we'd stop, and usually a crowd gathered, at which point we'd whip out the stilts and do a really mediocre circus show. (She would wobble around on the stilts, and I was learning to juggle). The idea was to collect money for our travels. Nobody ever gave us any, but usually somebody would take pity and let us sleep at their place."
Featured trips & expertise

Ancient & Modern Peru: Lima, Colca Valley, Lake Titicaca, the Sacred Valley & the Amazon - 15 Days
With its pre-Inca farming terraces, 15th-century temples, and Baroque architecture hewn from volcanic stone, Peru is steeped in history. Take in just a fraction of all the country has to offer during this 15-day itinerary. Catch up with modern times, savor ceviche in Lima, and visit an animal sanctuary at the edge of the Sacred Valley before spending a few days in the Peruvian Amazon.

Peru Sacred Valley Trek: 15 Days
This 15-day trek through Peru's Sacred Valley invites you to explore as the Inca did. From Lima to Cusco, get a glimpse of the country's past and vibrant present, then trek through Amazon cloud forests to marvel at Machu Picchu before you. Learn about Inca culture in Cusco and Ollantaytambo, see modern and energetic Peruvian life in Lima's Miraflores district, paddle board on Lake Piuray, and follow the Inca trail as you hike through Soraypampa.

Galapagos Islands, Machu Picchu & the Amazon - 14 Days
Revel in outdoor adventures and once-in-a-lifetime wildlife viewing on this epic two-week journey around Peru and Ecuador. You'll start with a few days of boating and birdwatching in the Amazon rainforest, then move on to Cusco and the famous "lost city of the Incas," Machu Picchu. Then cross the border to Ecuador and spend the rest of the trip exploring the incredible Galapagos Islands. Snorkel with penguins, hike around the natural habitats of giant tortoises and blue-footed boobies, and relax on pristine beaches — this colorful itinerary has it all!

Peruvian Amazon Adventure - 4 Days
If you enjoy observing animals and birds in their natural environment–along with spending time on the water–this four-day Tambopata trip was designed with you in mind. Explore the incredible Amazon, go fishing for piranha, enjoy a kayaking excursion, and embark on a nighttime nature hike on this action-packed adventure.

Tambopata Amazon Adventure - 3 Days
Take a quick detour into the Amazon on this three-day itinerary. You'll fly into the frontier town of Puerto Maldonado, just a quick flight from Lima or Cusco, and head up the Tambopata River to experience the scenery and wildlife of the Amazon rainforest.

Best of Peru Tour & Galapagos Cruise - 12 Days
Discover ancient ruins, colonial architecture, fantastic food, and folk culture in Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and iconic Machu Picchu. Then hop aboard the luxurious Galapagos Legend—the only cruise boat in the Galapagos with an on-deck swimming pool—for a multi-island expedition to observe the birds, iguanas, and sea creatures that make this place so special.
Recent trip reviews for Katy
Great adventures in Peru
Peru
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Jun 30 - Jul 11, 2022

Great adventures from the Amazon to the mountains. We visited the Tambopata for the first 4 days of our trip. There is something magical about macaws flying over head while you fish for piranha as a family of river otters play in the water a short distance away. Once we left the Amazon, we met up with our guide, Orlando and driver, Paul. We especially enjoyed our time with Orlando and Paul. They were always looking out for our family to have an amazing time. We can't believe everything... read more

Thanks for your lovely review Sheri! I'm so happy you enjoyed meeting the community at Raqchi - it really is a very special experience, isn't it? And what a contrast from sharing space with otters and birds in the jungle - you really did get a great taste of the amazing contrast of Peru! Thanks again for your review and for travelling with us :)
Absolutely amazing. Spectacular. Splendiferous.
Peru
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Aug 29 - Sep 15, 2021
This was an absolute once-in-a-lifetime experience! Everything that Aspiring Adventures did for us was fantastic - all of our needs were either anticipated (in style!) or someone bent over backwards to meet them at the drop of the hat. I don't think we could have possibly been in better hands.
Our guide for the main part of the trip, Orlando, is one of my new favorite people. He was super knowledgeable about everything on the trip from astronomy to archaeology to Andean spiritual beliefs to... read more

Thank you Jesse! I'm so glad you felt well taken care of .... after waiting THAT long to take a trip, I know your expectations must have been pretty high, so it's brilliant to know we managed to surpass them!
Anything, even the Nazca lines, could be an anticlimax after such a long hike through the remotest Peruvian mountains, and the continuing closure of the Ica airstrip certainly didn't help the cause! It's lovely to think that is literally the only thing you would change about your trip.
Meeting the three of you was a great pleasure, and I hope to see you again someday!
Cheers, Katy
Aspiring Adventures is First Class!
Peru
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Aug 29 - Sep 15, 2021

Aspiring Adventures did an awesome job on our recent trek in the Andean high country. Over 8 days we did 23,000' of vertical ascent (and matching descent) including one ascent to 14,000' elevation and another to 15,000' elevation and covered about 63 miles. Our guide, Orlando Ugarte was phenomenal -- he made sure that we had a great experience on this very challenging trek. Our trek took us off of the beaten path; for the last few days, we experienced the power of this special land in... read more

Hey there Gail,
After so many months planning, then postponing your trip, the 'variable' that had me worried was your altitude issues when you arrived to Cusco... but like an absolute legend you got over them and went out there and smashed that long, hard trek - I hope you feel proud of yourself! The fact that your guide Orlando then went and got tattooed with you is possibly worthy of even more pride.... that's not the kind of thing that happens very often! I'm pretty sure this is one of the... read more
Wonderful 10-day Trek thru the Andes
Peru
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Aug 29 - Sep 15, 2021
We had an amazing time exploring Cusco, and our 10-day trek from Capiluyoc to Cochiquirao to Huancacalle before traveling to Machu Picchu was an adventure worth remembering. Our guide was absolutely wonderful and our camp chef, crew, and horsemen worked so hard and made our trek amazing. We were so grateful for all of the hard work that went into such an unforgettable experience. Aspiring Adventures is definitely the way to go for any South American adventure!

Thanks for your kind words Carolee! Sharing Peru with you and your family was a pleasure, and I feel like both myself and very clearly Orlando have made three friends for life. I hope we meet again someday!
Cheers, Katy
Trip to Peru (Nov 24 - Dec 1)
Peru
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Nov 24 - Dec 1, 2019
This was one of our best trips of all time. We had never planned a trip through adventure/tourism companies, but this trip has changed our perspective towards that.
First, we would love to thank our trip specialist - Katy who planned an amazing itinerary customized to our needs and interests. She was very prompt, accommodative, patient and we could not have had a better plan of our trip.
The accommodations, the inter city travel and even the food was all brilliantly arranged and as per our... read more

Hi Priya and Balaji,
Thanks for the lovely review! There's nothing I enjoy more than setting up trips for engaged, motivated travellers like yourselves and working with you was a pleasure from start to finish for me, Justino and Yuri. I'm delighted to hear you would definitely visit again - we have plenty more to share with you! We hope to see you again sometime!
Cheers, Katy
Our trip to Tambopate Nat'l Reserves in the jungle
Peru
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Dec 1 - Dec 5, 2019
We enjoyed this part of our trip very much. Though, I was surprised to know Kim Kim was not our tour guide but hired out Jungle Pro to be our guide. This outfit was very professional and catered to our every need. Our accommodations were very comfortable and we kept plenty busy watching for the many animals. One observation to note...sometimes, a guide could be in the same position too long. It took our guide some 3 days to finally warm up to us but we finally broke him in and the trip couldn't have been better. Unfortunately, it should have worked the opposite way.
Group departure - Peru Family Tour - 13 Days
Peru
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Jul 24 - Aug 4, 2019
This trip was a unique experience based trip that we enjoyed as a family and will treasure the memories for years to come!! It balanced lots of different opportunities to enjoy the fabulous nature in Peru, with the history and amazing sites. Add great company and guides and Peruvian food and it left us looking forward to a second trip to visit other areas in the country!

Hola Cristina! Que bueno que tu y Enrique lo pasaron bien en Peru! It was a pleasure working with you to set up your trip, and we'd love to see you back again - there is so much more left to explore!
Trip to Peru
Peru
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Jun 22 - Jun 30, 2019
Our personal guide, Chen, was absolutely wonderful! He was kind, considerate of our acclimation needs, and he had a terrific ability to motivate all of us to achieve our full potential on the rigorous hikes. We thoroughly appreciated Cheo’s sense of humor, as well as the detail of his cultural presentation of the sights throughout the entire trip.
Katy and KimKim were wonderful with the timely updates of our travel plans, payment schedule, and perfect packing list.
Thank you!

Hi Joan, thanks for your review! I'm so glad you, your girls, and other family members had a wonderful trip to Peru... what an awesome birthday celebration for your daughter, and what an incredible way to build shared memories for you all. It's a pleasure to be part of such an endeavour, so thank you!
Family Trip to Peru
Peru
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Jul 3 - Jul 14, 2019
Our local specialist, KATY from Aspiring Adventures, arranged our local experience carefully, based on our preferences as a party of 6 adults with various levels of fitness ability and 2 active children. She got us a trip to experience Peru from the Pacific coast to the Andean mountains to the Amazon jungle. She arranged for us to taste Peruvian local cuisine at luxurious restaurants, a farmer's house, an Amaru village house, a boat picnic setting, and a set-menu dining in a jungle lodge. She... read more

Hi Elisa, wow, thanks so much for your detailed review and all the photos! Thank you too for leaving me a package in Cusco, that is incredibly generous and thoughtful!
You have some great feedback here on things I should add to the packing list for the trip and I will be actioning them!
Thanks for your feedback about our staff members - both those you loved and those you didn't - it's all super-valuable for us!
Finally, let me say how much I love what you have to say about the... read more
Group departure - Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu - 5 Days
Peru
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Jun 1 - Jun 5, 2018
This was a great trip from start to finish. Aldo, the guide, was a pure delight to spend 4 nights and 5 days with. He covered every detail and more; bring hot water bottles to each of us as we were sleeping at 14,000 feet in the Andes to stay warm, bringing coffee or tea to each of us before we got out of bed. The highlights for us were to reach the summit of the Salkantay trail at 15,200 feet, the coffee plantation where we picked the coffee beans, roasted, ground and made coffee and... read more

Hi Kyong
I'm so glad the Salkantay trek lived up to your dreams and you're still glowing from the experience!
Aldo told me the coffee was a highlight... he really enjoyed this trip with your group!
You've been such a pleasure - all the best to you and Mike!
Cheers
Katy
Connie's birding trip, May 2018
Peru
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May 8 - May 19, 2018
We had a wonderful trip and experience in Peru. Our guides were everything we expected and more. Nestor, and Alex the chef, in the Amazon, safely and comfortably guided us through the splendour of Manu National Park. Luis in the Sacred Valley educated us regarding the Inca wonders of Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Cusco and the spectacular Machu Picchu. They were very knowledgeable, attentive, helpful and welcoming. They made the trip extra special. Kim Kim took care of all the details that made... read more

Gordon, thank you for your kind words. It is so awesome to hear there is nothing about the experience you would change... that makes us all feel so great! We wouldn't change you and your group either - you're a lovely group of people. We hope to see you again someday!
Birding Tour and Machu Picchu
Peru
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May 8 - May 19, 2018
We were 7 members of one family , all over 55, who wished to go on a birding adventure in Peru. Katy Shorthouse of Aspiring Adventures listened carefully to our requests . She did an amazing job of meeting our needs and desires so in the end we had an exceptional trip. Our guides Nestor and Luis were wonderful, the food provided by chef Alex was fantastic, the accomodations were comfortable and the tour ran like clockwork. Katy provided personalised service at every stage of our trip. Both... read more

Connie, it's a pleasure to work with appreciative people like you and your family! As you saw we love to work closely with our guests to develop an itinerary that's perfect for them, and all the hard work is more than worthwhile when we receive such lovely feedback. Come again any time!
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu - 5-Day Itinerary
Peru
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Jun 4 - Jun 17, 2017
The Peru trip was amazing! It beat expectations and was a marvel on so many levels. Our guide, Aldo, was a huge bonus as he was an amazing person to spend two weeks with escorting us through his magical country.

Hi Gretchen
Thanks so much for your kind words. It was a pleasure to organize a trip for you and your boys. We always aim to pass expectations and when Aldo's on the trip, we can't go wrong - he is indeed the eighth wonder of the world!
All the best for your future travels!
Katy