Casa de Guías

Casa de Guías ("House of Guides") is a Peruvian mountain-guiding institution based in Huaraz, in the Áncash region, at the foot of the Cordillera Blanca. It is not a single commercial tour operator but an umbrella body that brings together three related organisations: the Asociación de Guías de Montaña del Perú (AGMP), the Centro de Estudios de Alta Montaña (CEAM) and the Centro de Idiomas de la Casa de Guías (CI). Through this structure it functions as the reference point for professional mountain guiding in Peru. The AGMP is the oldest and largest association of professional mountain guides in Latin America. It was founded on 25 October 1980 in Huaraz, where its main office remains, and it groups regional sections of official mountain guides in Áncash, Arequipa, Cusco and Lima. Its members are the only professionals legally entitled to work as official mountain guides in Peru; the law provides sanctions for companies and individuals who practise the profession illegally. Guides qualify through a demanding three-year training programme that leads to the title of Guía Oficial de Montaña. Internationally, the AGMP is a member of the Union Internationale des Associations de Guides de Montagne (UIAGM/IFMGA), the global federation of mountain guide associations. The AGMP joined the UIAGM in 1990, ten years after its creation, and is one of only four South American member associations alongside Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador. This membership places Peruvian official guides within an international system of standards and reciprocity. Casa de Guías is also an educational and activity hub. Each year it organises courses for mountain guides and guide aspirants, rescue and first-aid training, and expeditions in the Cordillera Blanca and beyond, including high-mountain climbing and rescue expeditions in other Peruvian cordilleras and abroad. Its associated guides include well-known Peruvian mountaineers such as Richard Hidalgo, Saúl Luciano Lliuya and Víctor Rímac. As a non-profit civil association, Casa de Guías does not operate as a listed company. Its public identity is tied to safety, professional certification and responsible adventure tourism in the Peruvian Andes, and its website (agmp.pe) serves as the main channel for information about certified guides and training.

The origins of Casa de Guías lie in the effort to create a professional mountain-guide corps in the Peruvian Andes. In 1977 the idea of training mountain guides in Peru took shape, encouraged by the mountaineering friendship between Switzerland and Peru. In 1978 the first course for mountain-guide aspirants was held in the Quebrada Llaca, where rock-climbing routes were equipped on granite walls. In 1979 the first course for Peruvian guides took place in the Alps, sponsored by the Swiss Mountain Guide Association; eleven aspirants took part and eight passed. On 25 October 1980 the Asociación de Guías de Montaña del Perú (AGMP) was formally created in the city of Huaraz, which remains its main seat. The association initially grouped regional sections in Áncash, Arequipa and Cusco, and later Lima was added. A decade later, in 1990, the AGMP joined the Union Internationale des Associations de Guides de Montagne (UIAGM), the international federation of mountain guide associations. This step integrated Peruvian official guides into a global system of standards and reciprocity. Over the following decades the AGMP consolidated its role as the only body representing official mountain guides in Peru. It developed a rigorous three-year training programme leading to the title of Guía Oficial de Montaña, and it became the oldest and largest professional mountain-guide association in Latin America. The Casa de Guías structure emerged to group the AGMP with two complementary bodies: the Centro de Estudios de Alta Montaña (CEAM) and the Centro de Idiomas de la Casa de Guías (CI). Today Casa de Guías organises annual courses for guides and guide aspirants, rescue and first-aid training, and expeditions in the Cordillera Blanca and other ranges in Peru and abroad. Its associated guides include figures such as Richard Hidalgo, Saúl Luciano Lliuya and Víctor Rímac. The institution remains a non-profit civil association headquartered in Huaraz, Áncash.

• 1990

  The AGMP joins the Union Internationale des Associations de Guides de Montagne (UIAGM).

• 1980

  On 25 October, the Asociación de Guías de Montaña del Perú (AGMP) is created in Huaraz, grouping regional sections of Áncash, Arequipa and Cusco.

• 1979

  First Course for Peruvian Guides held in the Alps, sponsored by the Swiss Mountain Guide Association; 11 aspirants participated and 8 passed.

• 1978

  First Course for Mountain Guide Aspirants held in Quebrada Llaca, with rock-climbing routes equipped on granite walls.

• 1977

  The idea of forming mountain guides in the Peruvian Andes emerges, encouraged by Swiss-Peruvian mountaineering friendship.

The reference institution for professional mountain guiding in Peru, combining national certification authority with international UIAGM standards and a training centre in Huaraz.

• Curso de Guías de Montaña

  Training course for mountain guides, part of the three-year programme leading to the Guía Oficial de Montaña title.

• Curso de Aspirantes a Guías de Montaña

  Introductory course for aspirants seeking to become mountain guides.

• Curso de Rescate y Primeros Auxilios

  Rescue and first-aid training organised by Casa de Guías.

• High-mountain expeditions

  Climbing expeditions in the Cordillera Blanca and other ranges in Peru and abroad, as well as rescue expeditions.

1. 1Guías de Montaña AGMP / UIAGM – Un Guía de Oficial Montaña con la credencial de la AGMP / UIAGM es aquel profesional del montañismo que cumple los más altos estándares de técnicas…agmp.pe
2. 2Casa de Guías – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Casa de Guías – Wikipedia (Spanish)es.wikipedia.org