It started at a dojo in Cedar Park, Texas.
My co-founder, Scott Nicholson, and I met back in the early 2000's when I was teaching the Korean art of Tang Soo Do in Cedar Park, Texas. His family quickly became an integral part of our school and our lives. I still remember his wife Laura holding my newborn son while I taught their boys' class. Outside of the school we bonded over outdoor adventure, Mexican food, philosophy, and conservatorship. It's no wonder we've wound up here 20+ years later.
The idea of us crafting amazing Peruvian adventures started years ago. Scott, a former rock climber, avid backpacker, caver, and NOLS-trained Wilderness First Responder was already leading backpacking trips through some of the most beautiful wilderness in North America. After a few visits to Peru, and a budding friendship with a local named Guido, his love for the landscape and the culture of the Incan people, he and Guido decided to create authentic experiences that go far beyond the typical tourist route. His eldest son and family have been living in Arequipa for the past 20 years and Laura (his wife) and he plan to retire in Peru’s Sacred Valley, where they're designing their future family home.
After leaving the martial arts school I went into the corporate world helping companies like Electronic Arts (EA), Atlassian, and Cigna Health Care uncover opportunities to improve their customer experience. The balance I was missing there was direct contact with my customers, an immediate feedback loop about the experience they are receiving and the ability to address it in the moment. So when Scott approached me with an opportunity to take people to unforgettable places, with great people, and deliver experiences they'll remember for a lifetime, how could I say no.
To that end, you will never speak to or need to engage with an AI at Renavira. All communication with our customers is authentically human. Scott and I believe a trip built this way gives you back more than any vacation you've taken. So much so, we are not doing any advertising. We'll let the trips, and the people who take them, do the talking.
— Chris Carter, Co-Founder of Renavira Travel Group