Mountain Turtles Expeditions was founded in 2022 with an expedition by a group of friends from the United States—Sergey Tsekhanov, Don McMillan, Sergey Cabal, and local community member Victoriano Chino—who were eager to discover Hayuni, a traditional community in the Cusco region located at over 4,000 meters above sea level, known as &quotHAYUNI, PARADISE OF ALPACAS&quot because it is a community dedicated solely to raising alpacas. Hayuni is also home to the tourist attraction &quotLINEAS Y RUEDAS DE HAYUNI&quot (Lines and Wheels of Hayuni), a unique geological formation that is 358 million years old.

When visiting the community of Hayuni, the group named themselves &quotALPAKEROS DE HAYUNI&quot (Alpaca Farmers of Hayuni) because they identified with the community and the breeding of alpacas. From this name, the first logo of the company &quotALPAKEROS DE HAYUNI&quot was born.

The group&aposs second trip to Hayuni took place in 2024, where the expedition was a challenge above 4000 meters above sea level in the high mountains adjacent to Hayuni, the Apu &quotAusangate&quot. On this long and challenging 5-day hike, the group was nicknamed &quotMountain Turtles&quot because of their slow pace, enjoying the ecosystem of the Ausangate mountain. This is where the official name of our company, &quotMOUNTAIN TURTLES EXPEDITIONS&quot comes from.