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Our Proyects

The Misminay Project

Mullakas-Misminay is a farming community located at 3,700 m.a.s.l. (12,140 feet), an hour from Cusco and right near the beautiful Maras salt mines and the pre-Inca Moray agricultural center.

Our first contact with the sector of Misminay was in the 90s, when we began to offer our own services on the Inca Trail. We needed porters to carry tents, food and other equipment as only humans are allowed to travel along parts of the trail to Machu Picchu.

We wanted to hire strong men who could do the job, but we also wanted to help a community that would otherwise be stuck in its current situation of poverty. You see, many communities are spread apart throughout the mountains and the government does not always reach them with good medical, nutrition or educational services and supplies. That is where companies such as Condor Travel step in. Our first effort was to train the men so that they would be able to work on the trail and give a good service to our passengers. Today, our porters receive yearly training on first aid, evacuation process, the use of harnesses and other camping equipment, taking care of the environment, and cooking. They all have insurance and have their own uniforms, tents and sleeping bags to use on the trail.

Throughout the years, our Condor Travel Cusco office did a great job with our porters’ families. They worked with the community to bring vaccination campaigns, a nursery school, eradicate methyl alcohol, and converting water into drinking water. We also began to buy their agricultural products. This is a great example of a win-win situation. They sell their products, our passengers taste local food that gives them more energy and is gentle on their stomachs, and we get happy clients which makes us happy.

In 2007, we decided to focus more energy and resources on this community. We would turn 30 and it was time to give back. So we set up an area that would develop opportunities for poor communities to enter the world of tourism. The Misminay Project is our pilot project and the community is already seeing how visitors can increase revenues, teach them to be proud of their ancestry, and open their eyes to other cultures.

This year, we are working along with SNV (www.snvworld.org) and the IADB-MFI (www.iadb.org and www.imf.org) to develop more inclusive businesses in Misminay. In a nutshell, we are focusing on four programs:

  • Porters’ program
    • a. Improving their training.
    • b. Improving their equipment.
  • Handicraft program
    • a. Teaching more people (mainly women, who are now empowered) how to weave.
    • b. Improving techniques and the quality of products.
    • c. Creating new designs and products.
    • d. Teaching them how to manage their business.
    • e. Contacting them with shops.
  • Agricultural program
    • a. Improving agricultural techniques.
    • b. Improving irrigation.
    • c. New products.
    • d. New markets.
  • Experiential Tourism program
    • a. Fixing and adapting homes and the community centre.
    • b. Housekeeping and cooking lessons.
    • c. Organizing visits to other communities to learn from other experiences.
    • d. Teaching them how to manage their business.

Other projects:

Part of our vision includes the support and development of sustainable projects in different areas in which we operate, such as:

  • El Aromo – Ecuador
  • Del Mar a la Cordillera – Chile
  • Alfarcito – Argentina