Responsible Travel

Yampu’s mission to give back:

Yampu Tours is always looking for opportunities to give back to the local communities in Latin America. At Yampu, we believe that responsible travel is a means of not only experiencing other cultures, but supporting these destinations and sustaining their environments and communities. Yampu Tours employs only local expert guides and local personalities who are equally committed to their communities and the quality of the client’s experience. By using local guides, Yampu’s clients receive firsthand knowledge of the communities and are able to truly interact with the locals.

Yampu’s ‘Give Back’ Programs

Yampu offers several different opportunities for their clients to give back to the communities they visit in ways that are most needed in the region.

The new ‘Give Back to Peru’ program brings each Yampu Adventure Tour client to the Sacred Valley. Here clients have the unique opportunity to support the local community of Cachiccata. In Cachiccata clients are given a tree that they can plant in order to help the ongoing reforestation process in Peru. If the client does not have the ability to plant the tree on their own, a member of the Yampu team will do so for them. During their visit in Cachiccata, clients will enjoy lunch at a charming and locally operated restaurant. The money the clients spend at lunch is put directly back into the community in order to complete projects such as: the Vilcanota river cleanup, environmental education, resident training, and assisting the continued reforestation and protection process of the Qeunua relict forest.

If the client wishes to stay longer in the village Yampu can arrange other volunteer opportunities such as working in the local organic gardens or participating in the regional education programs. Volunteer opportunities range depending on the clients interests and the needs of the community at the time of the visit. For example, clients who wish to work in a local school will be provided a list by Yampu of what the school needs specifically at that time. Client wanting to help construct new houses will receive an individualized budget that stays within the client’s means; Yampu will arrange the logistics at that time.

Yampu clients visiting the Peruvian Amazon can arrange for visits to local schools and communities brining donations that are requested directly from the community. “Things we take for granted like pencil sharpeners, colored pencils, and erasers can be a treasure for a child from an Amazon village”, says Monica Irauzqui, co-founder of Yampu Tours. “I remember once seeing a group of kids happily playing with a bicycle with only one tire. The village is a two week walk from the nearest town so a new tire is not something you just run out and get.”

All of Yampu’s volunteer efforts work to support the areas of the community that need assistance. Yampu works hard to ensure that its volunteer efforts do not diminish the community or take away any jobs from the locals.

OUR COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS

with the Rainforest Alliance:

Yampu Tours has recently developed a collaborative agreement with the Rainforest Alliance to promote sustainable travel in Latin America. As part of the agreement, Yampu will continue to support sustainable tourism by prioritizing hotels, tour operators, and other tourism businesses that have been verified by the Rainforest Alliance. The Alliance ensures these operations have met comprehensive criteria for socially, environmentally, and economically sound tourism management. This continued effort will allow Yampu to promote responsible tours and itineraries to its clients.

“We are delighted to be working with Yampu Tours to further promote sustainable travel in Latin America”, said Thomas Enderlin, Marketing Coordinator at the Rainforest Alliance. “By prioritizing businesses that have achieved the Rainforest Alliance Verified mark, Yampu is supporting businesses who have demonstrated their commitments to sustainability – businesses that conserve natural resources, protect plants and wildlife, and contribute to the well-being of local communities.”

with IGTOA

Yampu is a proud member of IGTOA, the International Galapagos Tour Operators Association. The IGTOA and Yampu are dedicated to responsible travel in the fragile ecosystem of the Galapagos Islands. Clients traveling to the Galapagos Islands with Yampu will have a donation of $7 given to the IGTOA in their name from Yampu. These contributions help create benefits and educational opportunities for the locals, strengthen the drive towards responsible tourism management, and promote high professional standards for the industry.

CORPORATE GIFTS

Yampu purchases client gifts through a local Burlington, Vermont organization called Hope for Women. Hope for Women is a socially responsible organization committed to providing sustainable employment for economically disadvantaged women worldwide. Yampu supports this cause by purchasing the fair trade products created by Latin American women artisans. The artisans at Hope for Women are all paid fair, livable wages and work under safe and healthy working conditions in order to help them take control of their lives and futures. Yampu is proud to offer their clients gifts from these strong and talented women in a way to support positive conditions in their lives.