Our People

Salkantay Trek Machu was founded by Milagros Valery Toledo Sohakita, a professional tour guide and teacher with deep roots in Peru's Sacred Valley.

Valery grew up surrounded by the traditions of the Andes. As a child, she worked alongside her mother in Pisac, selling handmade textiles and Andean handicrafts to visitors in the local markets. Her family was also involved in tourism for many years, helping communities from Corao and the Sacred Valley sell their products directly to travelers. It was during this time, working closely with tourists, that she began learning English.

Her passion for teaching led her to study education at university. After graduating, she worked in several rural schools, sharing her knowledge with children in local communities. Later, driven by her love for the mountains, she trained as a professional tour guide and worked on some of Peru's most iconic routes, including the Inca Trail and the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu.

Her first experience in the tourism industry was with the agency United Mice, where she spent several years managing reservations and operations. Eager to explore her own country even further, she later traveled throughout Peru before deciding to create her own company: Salkantay Trek Machu.

Today, Valery continues to give back to the communities that shaped her. Through the Responsible People Foundation, she donates a portion of every sale to support reforestation projects and improve the quality of life in Andean communities. She is also an active voice in protecting Peru's natural trails, leading training sessions and talks on the importance of preserving routes like the Salkantay Trek.

Valery is a strong advocate against the construction of hotels and glamping domes along these trails. She believes that, in many cases, it is large tour operators — not local communities — who benefit from building along the routes, while the surrounding landscapes pay the price. This environmental damage is often irreversible, and its effects are already visible today. That's why Valery and her team work closely with SERNANP (Peru's National Service of Protected Natural Areas) and government authorities, standing together to protect these trails for future generations of travelers.