It’s no secret that we work with some of the best local guides in the business. And it’s thanks to their passion, keen expertise and unrivalled local knowledge that we’ve been able to create and run incredible adventures for the past 50 years. To celebrate our fantastic global network of expert guides we put the question to you, our community of travellers, to choose who you think should win our annual coveted Exodus Adventure Travels Leader of the Year Award. Every year, you’ve chosen a leader whose dedication and skill go above and beyond what is required, and this year, we’re delighted to announce that Edwind Colque, one of our expert leaders in Peru is our winner of the Exodus Adventure Travels Leader of the Year Award 2023. So read on to find out more about our wonderful winner, Edwind, and what exactly he does that sets his Peruvian adventures apart.
Born in Iquitos, a Peruvian port city situated in the Loreto Region, Edwind and his family later moved to the cosmopolitan city of Cusco. It’s here, that a job opportunity opened up for him to become a porter on the Inca Trail. As he trekked through the dense cloud forests, traversed over Dead Women’s Pass (4,215m), walked through the iconic Sun Gate and on towards Machu Picchu for the very first time, Edwin knew in that moment that all he wanted to do was to train to become a fully qualified tour guide. “I knew it wouldn’t be easy, as it’s a big responsibility to be accountable for human lives, but I saw first-hand how rewarding it was and the great experiences the tour guides had. On my second trek around the Inca Trail as a porter, one of the tour guides took me under her wing and showed me key parts of the job and I said to her that one day I’ll be trekking alongside her as a guide – I’m so glad life took me in this direction.”
Our local operator in Peru, Fernando Rodriguez, praised Edwind for being, “committed, organised and surprisingly funny.” He explained, “Edwind began working with us as a trekking guide back in 2011. His strong sense of responsibility and unrelenting passion for his work meant that he swiftly climbed the ranks to tour leader. If I were to describe him, some of the first words that come to mind are humble and hard-working. Edwin always pushes himself to excel in everything he does. He’s also a great ambassador of the Andean culture, as he speaks fluent Quechua, which by the way is his mother tongue.” He even ran the first-ever Quechuan-language guided tour in Machu Picchu for the porters, as part of Exodus’ Inca Trail Porter Project, which aims to take groups of Peruvian porters to see Machu Picchu for the very first time – undoubtedly a pivotal and poignant moment in his career.
Working as an expert local guide in Peru for 12 years, many of our customers have commended Edwind for his attentiveness, unwavering enthusiasm and extensive local knowledge of his country’s history, folklore and unique customs. Azra Ghani, an Exodus customer who voted for Edwind this year, summed up her experience by explaining, “It was my first trip with Exodus. I have previously travelled extensively, so I had fairly minimal expectations of what a team leader would provide – assuming they would primarily be there to simply guide us through the walk, but I could not have been more wrong!” She elaborated by saying, “The first thing that struck me was Edwind’s broad knowledge about his environment – ranging from history through to the environment, local politics and of course everything related to the trip itself. I learnt far more than I had expected, and Edwind did it all without feeling at any point that we were having a “lesson”.
When it came to his character, Azra said “ he was friendly, unassuming and reassuring. To be so naturally sociable but not overbearing is quite a skill and something that Edwind has clearly mastered – and he did it all in his third language!” Azra also pointed out Edwind’s effortless ability to look after the group, “I had not appreciated the extent to which he would need to check on us all regarding the altitude; it was only towards the end of the trip that we got a sense of how carefully he had been checking on us, both with the daily testing/symptom logging, but also quietly by observing how we were coping. It was almost like he was managing a separate clinical role alongside the more expected activities of a tour leader.”
Edwind’s excellent organisational skills is another cornerstone of his guiding style that customers continuously comment on. Azra explained, “It became clear that he was also managing a much larger operation. This involved ensuring that we were picked up and dropped off at the airport, managing facilities at the hotels, and the most demanding, organising the team of porters and chefs during the trail. This is really complex and the fact that it all worked so smoothly is a testament to his management skills…Edwind made our trip a real pleasure and one that we will never forget.”
Another Exodus Customer, Rannveig Snorradottir, was keen to echo Azra’s comments by saying that Edwind played a crucial role in helping her complete the journey to Machu Picchu. “He may be the best tour leader I’ve had in all my travels. Edwind was attentive, funny, and informative and continuously demonstrated tremendous care for his group members. He is the only reason I managed to conquer Dead Woman’s Pass – I could never have done it without him.”
Not only is Edwin attentive, compassionate and encouraging to every group he leads, but he always ensures that he puts the safety and health of his group above all else. Although many customers have praised Edwin for his sense of humour, great rapport and team spirit, he always maintains that his responsibility and accountability for everyone in his group is the most important thing to him – and it stays at the forefront of his mind at all times. No one knows this better than Exodus customer, Deborah Orsini, as she saw him courageously spring into action when her sister-in-law suddenly fell ill on their trip.
“He was the epitome of courage and leadership. His skill in negotiating the trail in the dark, while also leading his team who were all exhausted after having already hiked 10 hours that day certainly saved my sister-in-law’s life. We are forever grateful to Edwind.”
So, there you have it. Edwind’s effortless combination of strong leadership skills, caring nature and incredible examples of courage in the face of adversity when trekking through the Andean mountains are all key reasons why we believe, he stands out as an expert leader and we’re extremely proud to name him as our winner of the Exodus Adventure Travels Leader of the Year Award 2023. When asked what this award meant to him, Edwind said, “As a tour leader from Cusco, I am so grateful to Exodus for this award because it’s an acknowledgement of my dedication to the job, my professionalism and my depth of local knowledge that I share with every customer. It really is an honour for me. With the prize money, I’m going to book a trip to the UK this year, walk across Tower Bridge and hopefully see a castle in real life – that’s been a dream of mine for a long time!”
If this has inspired you to join our winner, Edwind, on a once-in-a-lifetime trekking trip in Peru, he runs selected departures on our The Lost City of Choquequirao, Inca Trail, Titicaca & Nazca and the Inca Trail and the Amazon Rainforest adventure.
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