The Ambassador
of the Incas

Adrián Yabar Luna, known to the world simply as Wayra, meaning wind in Quechua, discovered his calling at 28, guiding an American couple on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. The journey was grueling: cold nights, thin air, aching feet. But at its end, he found his life’s purpose. «You can also call me Wind,» he says with a smile.

Wayra is a small-framed man with slanted eyes and light wrinkles that appear on his face when he sings in Quechua. He walks in front of the Qorikancha, the temple built by Pachacútec to worship the sun, which now receives thousands of visitors daily. His pace is slow and cautious, just enough so that the tourists following him do not suffer the effects of the altitude.

They walk behind him, convinced that this leader knows the path, the history, the rituals, and the traditions. The memories of this trip will be condensed in his words.

For Wayra, a guide must be more than knowledgeable. They must be mystical. Walking before Qorikancha, the great temple of the sun, he leads travelers not just through places, but through layers of history, spirituality, and living tradition. His tours last 8 to 10 hours, and every moment is intentional.

«One must be mystical to be a guide,» Wayra says as he pauses, lifts his head, raises his voice, and calls out to his visitors. Times have changed, and history has become his tool of work. Tour guides, with their words and gestures, are the messengers of what once existed.

His historical knowledge, his Quechua songs, and his charisma have become a bridge between tourists and the land of the Incas. «To transmit culture. Also, friendship. If you treat a tourist as if they were family, they will come back,» he explains.

This great guide, son of the Andes, says tourists look for three things: to see, to learn, and to feel moved.

«People want to open their hearts; they open to the sky, to the Pachamama, to the Apus,» Wayra explains. Among his favorite places to guide are Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo, Sacsayhuamán, the Sacred Valley, and the Inca Trail. His work has also taken him beyond Peru, guiding tourists in Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile.

«I like talking about what I know. It has been a gift from the land,» he says.

With his Chanka heritage and more than three decades of experience, Wayra has built a family of guides and a company rooted in authenticity. Four members of his family are professional guides. Every tour at Wayra Adventures carries that same spirit: «If you treat a tourist as family, they will come back.»

In Peru, there are around 30,000 tour guides, most concentrated in Cusco. Wayra distinguishes himself by his style: his tours last 8 to 10 hours, and he usually earns about 250 soles per day.

Wayra wakes up early every morning, grabs his guide’s bag, and sets off on another journey. For him, Cusco is not just a city, it is a living museum. Each street he walks is a new lesson, another chapter in the story of his ancestors.

And yet, after more than three decades of guiding, he admits that he has still not discovered it all. «There are always corners, details, and stories that surprise me. You never finish knowing Cusco completely,» he says with a smile.

He works from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., day after day, leading groups of visitors who, through him, touch the spirit of the Andes.