Thank you for helping us organize our trip to Iguazu Falls. We have been many places, but now Iguazu Falls ranks close to the top. We were especially pleased with our guide Paola Lovera. Paola’s personality, knowledge of the falls, fauna, and flora were exceptional. She taught us many things about the area, answered our questions, asked us questions about what we were learning as writers, and let us take our time and enjoy this remarkable part of the world.
If we could have Paola (her husband Junior) as guides we would be on our way back to Iguazu tomorrow!
Without your help, however, our experience would have been greatly diminished. We are Yampu fans forever!

Peter

I must tell you that our holiday was supremely brilliant. Yampu’s organization of all aspects (even the weather) was excellent. The guides and drivers provided were obviously totally dedicated and choice of accommodation was faultless. I would especially like to commend our driver guide Guido. His general knowledge and interest in botany and geology combined with his enthusiasm of the Patagonian culture resulted in an enjoyable, challenging and informative journey.

After three weeks away I was thinking we should go home as nothing more could compete with what we had already seen and done BUT then we went to Terra Luna Lodge! The marble caves on the way in, the actual location of the lodge, the accommodation/food and the excursions we went on and the friendly staff all combined to make this the “icing on the cake”

We certainly would like to return to South America at some stage. In all my travels I have never experienced such honest hospitality.

Thank you for your team’s time and energy. You certainly provide an excellent service and I have no hesitation in referring my friends to a holiday in Patagonia organized by Yampu

Luise and Anita (clients from Australia)

Not sure how much of the trip we can cover with you (3,000 pictures) but I can tell you that you and your group did an absolutely fantastic job of organizing it for us and custom-made to suit us. We kept expecting something to go wrong somewhere but it never did! We were always picked up and dropped off as per the agenda, regardless of which country, city, airport or bus station it was supposed to be at. The hotels we stayed at were also well chosen and the included meals were so much more than expected.

We will certainly recommend Yampu to anyone and everyone contemplating a South American tour. We just cannot say enough about the company or the services provided!

We also take this opportunity to thank you and all the Yampu staff involved in our travel arrangements and also to wish all at Yampu, a very Merry Christmas and the best of everything in the New Year!

Thanks again, Yampu!

Gil and Ray

Our holiday was very good, thank you. We think just about all went according to plan and we were well supported by the local offices, especially in Peru. As you would be aware, along the way we completed Yampu feedback questionnaires…I guess they will be passed onto Yampu.

In brief:
Local Guides – We experienced some excellent guides and a few whose English was basic. Some tours were presented in more than one language by the guides, as would be expected this was a bit challenging for guide and tourists. Overall good to excellent!!
Transportation – Great drivers other than one instance, which didn’t matter as we had plenty of time, drivers were very punctual. No instances of dangerous driving. Overall excellent!!
Hotels – a few gems and others basic. I think next time we would go up in grade equivalent of a star. Overall good!!
Restaurants (meals/service) – language difficulties and lack of advance notice in several instances about Dympna’s ‘no-salt’ food requirements created difficulties. Overall the food options were very satisfactory and we tried local foods often. We especially enjoyed (or over indulged) in Pisco sours. Overall good!!
Rating of the whole trip – simply wonderful. We had a great time and almost all per the itinerary went according to plan. We would (and we already have) recommend/recommended Yampu as a service provider.

Yampu’s professional and prompt service has been excellent and we thank you all. Special thanks to you.

Colin & Peter

We returned home safe and sound yesterday afternoon…...a bit tired.

Our itinerary work as planned. The weather was great, we got to see and do all the things we wanted, and more…....we climbed Wayna Picchu!!!!! We did get altitude sickness for 1 day, the day of our arrival in Cusco.

All the drivers were friendly, polite, and respectful. All the guides were knowledgeable, friendly, polite, respectful and accommodating. We were met and warmly greeted on all of our arrivals, and assisted with all of our hotel check-ins. Also, we were escorted and assisted with all our flight check-ins, without their help it would have been stressful.

Before our trip I had some apprehensions about the quality of service, at the conclusion of our trip these apprehensions disappeared: the quality of service we received during all phases of our trip was equaled or better than Abercrombie and Kent (we have travelled with A & K) and at a lesser cost. All of our hotels were 5 stars, and all had great locations.

We will strongly recommend Yampu to all of our families and friends. If you would like a personal endorsement about the quality of service, reliability and trust of Yampu, please tell us what you want us to do.

Again Irene and I would like to thank you for all your help and concern for the quality of service and our comfort. It was a pleasure working with you, it was like working with a trusted and knowledgeable friend.

Melvin and Irene

Let me start by thanking all of you for your endless efforts in making this trip a reality for us. In 2005 we used Kon-Tiki for our trip to Peru. All our dealings at that time were with Jose. That trip was flawless and we were impressed as can be – that stayed with us for 6 years and we did not hesitate to use the newly named Yampu for this trip. Once I saw Jose’s name was still associated with it we never looked anywhere else. Yampu has not let us down.

The Galaxy is an awesome boat and the itinerary was amazing. Both Karen and I said our only regret was that we didn’t do the 8 day trip. This is a fairly rough time of year in the water, but once we got snorkeling and exploring it was incredible. There really is no place like the Galapagos on earth. I found myself saying that a few more times once we left.

Lake Titicaca was a great experience. We were in the hotel in Lima when we first arrived and the phone rang. The desk clerk handed it to me and said, “It’s for you.” It was about midnight at this time so nothing good was going through my mind. It was your local office just checking that we got in okay and confirming that we would be meet in Juliaca tomorrow. And that is what Yampu is all about. You should all be very proud.

Our time on the Lake and the islands was like a dream. We were immersed a little more into the local culture by staying with people on the island – an opportunity not everyone gets.

Santiago is a beautiful, modern, very North American city. We were there for a total of 4 nights so I have to include it as being part of the adventure, not just a stopover. Patagonia was another “out of this world” destination. I think we were fortunate to have been there in the winter. The scenery was breath taking, especially with the snow. We were the only ones at the Hotel Remota and the staff treated us like royalty. There was nothing they couldn’t do for us. The food was incredible and the waiters became our friends very quickly. It is an incredibly interesting venue on its own.

We finished our journey on Easter Island and it was nothing short of fascinating. The history, the culture, the people of Rapa Nui are wonderful. In all the places I have been in the world this is one place that has the most amazing sunsets.

Yampu made certain that this whole trip came off without a hitch. All the people you contract with did a fabulous job. All the flights were scheduled well – some with a bit of a painful wait at times but that cannot be avoided. LAN is a terrific airline. Stephanie, the hotels you selected were wonderful. All these things made our trip truly the trip of a lifetime. We also got to see our son and daughter-in-law so that was the icing on the cake. We love South America and would like to return. We will certainly go with Yampu again. Who knows, maybe Africa beckons…

Eric and Karen

It has been a couple of days since our tour officially ended and Jerry just returned home so here is some feedback on our trip.

1. Rio – I did fill out a questionnaire in Rio, but to sum it up: Marcello was excellent (knowledgeable, personable, good English). Porto Bay Hotel was pretty nice and had decent rooms, balcony in room with a view, a nice roof top pool area, breakfast was good, and the location was OK. The Samba show and dinner were probably the least favorite of our trip; they were just ok. Lunch at Porcao was top notch; the food and setting were great.

2. Iguazu – On arrival in Brazil the driver planned to take us to the Sheraton, Argentina for a 2:00 pick up, to return then to see the Brazil side of Falls. This was supposedly because our flight was 25 minutes late. This made no sense to me considering travel time back & forth as well as customs twice. Then he suggested we could see both sides of Falls all the next day, which we didn’t like. Ended up we were left at a gift store on Brazil side for hour wait until tour guide picked us up. The store was large so it wasn’t a big deal for us, but I would not have been happy following their other 2 itinerary suggestions. Tours of falls on both sides were great. Shearton Hotel has a great location and good facilities. Food at Sheraton was not as good as the views. The Tour Guide here was ok. Boat ride at falls – itinerary says you will get wet. Yes I expected you’d get wet near the falls while viewing, but really it seems the point to get under the falls and drenched!

3. Buenos Aires – Matias was also an excellent guide. Personable, good English, and shared social / political information that was interesting. The Tango show and dinner here was very good. Professional show, beautiful facility, and delicious food. We enjoyed the great location of the Esplendor hotel but had mixed feelings on the hotel in general. The room size is on the small side with no chair or luggage rack. The decor and design were nice but could use more lighting. The continental breakfast was marginal. Rugs and sofas in lobby could use a cleaning. I think Jerry emailed you the clarification that the driver was to pick us up at 7:15 am and we checked out at 7:10 and waited in lobby until 7:30 when we took a taxi to ferry. We had VAT items to get stamps for refund and money exchange at terminal so we did not want to wait longer.

4. Colonia – Ana was an enthusiastic and pleasant tour guide. Colonia is a pleasant change from Buenos Aires. Plaza Mayor Hotel was lovely, enjoyed staying there. Our only issue: no lunch was provided. I showed Ana my itinerary from Yampu indicating lunch and she called her office and informed me it was not included.

Transfer to Montevideo was on time, helpful driver on arrival at winery.

We would recommend Yampu and this trip to our friends. It was a nice mix of beach, forest and falls, big city and little city.

Jerry and Carol

We had a wonderful time and barring the hiccup in flight delay at Lima; Yampu so promptly rectified the situation and in turn render such superb services to start off our holiday towards Machu Picchu. Yampu was so accommodating in changing our train schedule from afternoon to morning, so we could return to Cuzco to pick up what we had missed when we first arrived.
Our guide Darwin is very experienced and we had an informative and enjoyable day at Machu Picchu. The weather was sunny and a great day to be there. El Mapi is BEAUTIFUL!!!!! The dinner is commendable as well and the hotel staff are so friendly and helpful.

Yampu provided us with special transportation from the train station instead of traveling on the bus; that was much appreciated and we felt very special. The afternoon tour visiting the Cathedral, its art museum, and San Blas was equally detailed.

For us – Mike and myself, we enjoyed Argentina best and Rio least. Perhaps it was because we were at the end of our holidays.
Hotel Babel is a good choice and we would hope that you will continue to recommend them to your clients. It is my personal recommendation to anyone who wants to experience the old town of San Thelmo.

Again many thanks for the thoughts, care and concern, and planning you have put in to make this trip so beautiful.

Mike and Lisa

We had a great time — thank you so much for your help. Everything was very well organized and the local tour companies provided excellent services. Our favorite part of the trip was the Andean lake crossing — what a phenomenal experience. We were lucky to have great weather and loved the accommodations in Bariloche and Puerto Varas. We also really enjoyed the day trips to Chiloe and Valparaiso/Vina del Mar. The tour guides were especially informative on those outings. Additionally, we had two great day-trips with Regina from Turavion in Chile — the Santiago city tour and then a vineyard tour (which we decided to add on our last day). She took great care of us!

There were only a few glitches I can report. In Buenos Aires, the local tour company had our flight-time to Bariloche wrong on the itinerary, so we had to call and straighten that out for the correct airport pick-up time. We also missed the van to the tango show one evening, but were able to get a cab and then take the van back to Hotel Madero (great hotel).

The one disappointment was the location of the Santiago hotel — the Radisson Petra la Dehesa. It was beautiful hotel with great service and amenities, but the location was so far away from the city center and any of the main tourist spots. I think for first time visitors to Santiago, a more central hotel location would be preferable.

We would also suggest one extra leisure day in Bariloche. It was such a beautiful location and the hotel was wonderful, we were sorry to be there only one night!

Justin and I would definitely use Yampu again to book future South America trips. We felt like we maximized our time in Chile/Argentina and saw varied terrain: both city and countryside. All in all, a wonderful trip!

Kristen

We thank you for a great trip!

I am attaching our summary of our Ecuador and Peru tours. Edison (Ecuador) gave us a form but I hadn’t completed it. Carlos had us fill out a form when he dropped us at the airport in Cusco but LAN had changed us to an earlier flight (our motto is take the plane that’s there rather than wait for another one which isn’t) and so we only had a minute to fill it our form for him and so had no time to write detailed comments. Here they are now.

My only other comment is that we would have preferred to have another night at the Inkaterra. This would have allowed us to be more relaxed about touring Machu Picchu itself as well as insurance against delays in the trains (our “to” train was delayed about 4 hours taking a big cut out of our first day at the site).

In all we had a great trip! Thanks again. I would certainly recommend Yampu!

Donna and Jim

I had a truly fantastic time in Chile and Argentina. The trip went like a dream with absolutely no hitches. I had been promising myself this trip to Patagonia for some years and am happy to report that it has exceeded all my expectations. Thanks for putting together a great itinerary for me and taking the hard work out of planning my vacation.

I will be in touch to seek your help planning my next trip to South America whenever that may be.

Andy

It was a great trip. Your guide Samuel for Iguassa Falls was outstanding. We have been on a lot of excellent trips i.e. Smithsonian, national geographic, historical endowment, etc so to get such a compliment speaks volume about him. The Hotel was very good with great food, the only issues: it was hard to find someone fluent in English or German and Wi-Fi wasn’t free, both surprising for a 4 star hotel. The trip was well organized, Argentina first and then Brazil is the best way to do it. We had to cancel our scheduled boat tour, which wasn’t practical with my camera equipment. We did go to the Bird Refuge close to the Brazilian Park Entrance and for someone interested in animals it was a real plus.

Rio was fine…. the hotel was average but provided value and a great location. Another addition you might consider would be going to the Carnival presentation they do each Thursday.

Thanks for putting together a great trip. We are very pleased with the program you put together.

Jim

Iris and I enjoyed our trip immensely. The cities were very interesting and the scenery in the countryside was spectacular. The tango club and the wine tasting were highlights of Buenos Aires. By the way, I can’t say enough about the BA Four Seasons; the staff was really exemplary and the location was great for our own walking tours. We learned how fortunate we were to have good weather for the lake crossing, since it apparently rains or is cloudy much of the time, even in summer.

The hotels were all first-rate; the Puerto Varas hotel is really a gem and we were sorry we were only there for a few hours.

I would note one thing that was a surprise: when we arrived in each location, we were provided the paperwork (vouchers) for that location only, and at each pass off the guide professed no knowledge of our next steps. In fact, everything went fine but I hadn’t expected that and consequently was a little (but only a little) apprehensive. I probably would have felt more comfortable if I’d known what to expect ahead of time. The only mess-up occurred in Bariloche. The tour company left a message the night before that they’d pick us up to take us to the boat for the first leg of the lake crossing at 8 am, and by 8:30 no one had shown. Fortunately the Llao Llao hotel is very close and they offered to take us, so we didn’t miss the boat and no harm was done. The guides were all very friendly and also flexible so Iris and I were able to see some museums that we had read about but weren’t on the tour. One example is the Funk museum in Valparaiso which was extremely interesting.

We met some very interesting and very pleasant people on the trip and that is always a highlight. The only problem with the trip was there are now quite a few places that we need to go back to see.

Iris and Tom

Just completed our third vacation with Yampu in South America (November 2010 in Peru, Argentina and Uruguay) and once again it was excellent. The arrangements, attention to detail and responsiveness to questions are all first class. We thoroughly recommend Yampu to anyone planning a South American vacation.

Steve and Gail, England

A part from an unfortunate delay in our trip back, our trip has been a complete success. We enjoyed every minute. We visited amazing places, we did not have any problems whatsoever with people we met, communications, food, hotels, and above all with our health considering that for many days we lived at a very high altitudes.

Services provided by your local partners in Peru and Chile were up to our expectations. Both Metropolitan and Turavion provided us with a detailed itinerary, excellent drivers, and knowledgeable guides. We liked Metropolitan a notch better than Turavion because they prepaid all hotels instead of giving us vouchers, as Turavion did, to carry with us with the concern of losing them.

As I told you the only negative remark was about the flight schedule. Every flight we took in Peru and Chile was early in the morning so we had to get up at 4 or 5AM and beside the fatigue of that we missed the breakfasts at the hotels. Considering that we had to leave the hotels early in the morning for our excursions to Colca Canyon in Peru and to the Geysers in Atacama, basically we missed most of our breakfasts included in the hotel prices.

Here are some of my comments:
LAN : excellent services on board, always on time, new and comfortable planes. Lima airport is a kind of a zoo and LAN check in is just one line. You really risk to miss the plane even if you are two hours early. Thanks to our local guide, we were able somewhat to jump the line and make it. A part for that again excellent services from LAN. We highly recommend them.

Hotels: Alto Atacama in San Pedro de Atacama and Inkaterra in Aguas Calientes were outstanding. Amazing locations, excellent rooms, relaxing and fantastic atmosphere, and out of this world landscaping. Very glad of the choice made. The other hotels, Libertadores in Cusco and Casa Andina in Lima, Arequipa and Puno were also excellent but more traditional than the firts two. If I had to give marks, I would give a 10 to Alta Atacama and Inkaterra, 9 to Libertadores in Cusco and Casa Andina in Arequipa, a 8 to Casa Andina in Lima and a 7+ to Casa Andina in Puno.
Food: most of the time we ate at the restaurants in the hotels. Everywere we had excellent meals. Again Alto Atacama was our firts choice followed by Libertadores. One consideration about Alto Atacama. They do not offer a menu a la carte, they give you only two options for each course. On the other hand they offer you the possibility to have half day board included in the room price. We would not have minded that possibility being offered at the time of booking.

The welcome dinner at La Rosa Nautica in Lima was good but not as we were anticipating based on previous reviews we read about the restaurant. Maybe because our dinner was not a la carte. Next time, no more prepaid dinners.

Trains: we liked the Vistadome and the Andean Explorer. Both comfortable and very clean. Services on board were excellent. We just wished they were a little faster in traveling.

Communications: no problems whatsoever, almost everybody we dealt spoke English, and if not our broken Spanish mixed with Italian did it.

Excursions: Machu Pichu was of course intended to be the highlight of our trip and it really deserved it, despite the thousand of visitors the day we were there and the pouring rain at times. We also enjoyed Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Arequipa, Lake Titicaca in Peru, and the Atacama desert in Chile. We were just a little bit disappointed with the Colca Canyon excursion ( the condor showed up late and for very little time) and the geysers in the Chile (Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park in USA is better!) but still loved both trips in the rugged countrysides at a very high altitude.

In conclusions, thanks to Yampu Tours and its local partners for the excellent vacation arranged and provided. We loved Peru and Chile, we loved their people, their culture, their museums, their handcrafts (we bought lots of clothing made of wool in Peru). We will certainly go back!!
Many thanks to Karolina for her help in suggesting and preparing our itinerary and for her assistance before and after our departure.

Next is going to be Argentina, sometimes in 2012. Be in touch then.

Massimo

We had a wonderful trip! Thank you for your great suggestions. I think Iguazu Falls was my favorite, it was just amazing and I’m so glad we did both sides of the falls. The wine lodge was heavenly and I’m sure I’ve gained 20 pounds. Buenos Aires is such a fun city, I liked being right by Florida Street with all the things to do. I also liked Rio de Janeiro. It just worked out that we stayed on Copacabana Beach because that was where the Marriott is located, but that would have been my first choice anyway. The beach is gorgeous and seems to be in a good area. We took the city tour of Rio de Janeiro and went to the top of Sugar Loaf mountain to “see” the Christ statue, except it was so cloudy we couldn’t see anything at all! My visa for Brazil is good for 10 years, that gives me a reason to go back! I wanted to tell you the Grayline tour in Rio wasn’t very good, we spent at least 1/2 or 3/4 of our time stopping at various hotels picking people up and waiting around. I don’t know if maybe it was just an off day. Everything else was perfect though!

Nina

We had the most wonderful trip and it went so well, all thanks to Yampu Tour’s excellent organization and close attention to details.

At our arrival in Lima we were met by the very warm, enthusiastic, and lovely Patricia. She walked us the very short distance to our beautiful hotel across the street, ran through the details of the next day, and packed us off to bed agreeing to pick us up in the morning for our next flight.
Our arrival in Puerto Maldonado went smoothly and we were meet by an amazing open-air bus that took us to the butterfly house. At this destination we were given cool towels and drinks while the company organized our passports and paperwork while we looked at the butterflies. This was very smoothly organized and helpful information was provided.

Off to the port and the amazing frontier-like town of Puerto Maldonado. My first big surprise was the real canoe, th a motor, hich we boarded by walking a plank. The days at the Inkaterra Amazonia were really wonderful with great food, sensational activities, and friendly people. Our tour guide was Jesus, a highly intelligent young man who knew the jungle like the back of his hand. He was so helpful and made each activity both fun and an amazing learning experience. The canoeing trip around the lake, the night canoe looking for caimans, and the awesome canopy walk, about 30 metres above ground, were all fantastic! I highly recommend this wonderful 3-day experience. We saw many monkeys, birds, tarantulas, anteaters, squirrels, caimans, and agouti. We learned a lot about the surrounding region, its wildlife, and the local way of life. Thank you for suggesting this awesome experience.

Off to Cusco where once again all went smoothly. The guide was most helpful, knowledgeable, and accommodating. The trip manager, Julio was excellent. He appreciated our difficulties with the altitude, the early 5:00 am start, and the long travel to Machu Picchu. The hotel was really excellent, delicious breakfast choices, great beds, and a lovely view into a court-yard. Machu Picchu was awesome and everything I hoped it would be. We had perfect, sunny, clear, and hot (about 29 Celcius) weather. The mountains were fantastic, thank you so much for seating us right at the front of the train where the views of the river, mountains, and Inca ruins were amazing. We spent 2 days in Machu Picchu in the hotel Aguas Celiantes which was very good. The hotel was well located, very comfortable, and served authentic Peruvian food. Julio was very understanding and helpful on our return to Cusco. He organised the airport taxes and assisted us through the queues. I was quite pleased to return to Lima and sea-level. We didn’t use the oxygen, however we did feel the affects of the changes in altitude.

Lima was lovely and we enjoyed a quiet couple of hours exploring the markets before the city tour, which went very well. Thank you for suggesting private tours, they were excellent and more efficent loading us back into the bus/car. A great benefit was that the tour was in English and gave us a much better chance of learning. The personal tour was definitely worth the little extra cost.

The hotel in Rio (Porto Bay Rio International) was really excellent in all aspects including location, facilities, and sensational views. We had the most delightful tour guide in Rio named Cinthia. She was great personable, knowledgeable, caring, thoughtful, friendly and warm. The day tour was so well explained and interesting. We had a fantastic lunch and dinner at two different BBQ houses and thoroughly enjoyed a local samba club. During our day to ourselves we had a wonderful time at the beach, swimming in the Atlantic, and exploraing the area of St. Teresa and Ipenema beach. Cinthia, like Julio, was so helpful at the airport and helped us though to the point where we were ready to board. Once again the weather was exceptional, we were well blessed.

Iguazu Falls were really mind-blowing. Roberto was an excellent guide here. His local knowledge and manner enabled us to learn so much. The Falls view room at the hotel was really excellent at the hotel. It was wonderful to sit on the balcony and watch and hear the falls, which could also be enjoyed from the bedroom! Our wild adventure day was truly wild due to pouring rain and a long thunder storm! How amazing! We were really blown away by the never-ending falls and the deafening sound and enormous height of the lightening. A sensational day, one to be always remembered.

Buenos Aires was stylish, elegant, and full of locals enjoying the wonderful sunny weather in the parks. We had fun shopping on Florida Street and at the Recoleta area weekend markets. We enjoyed the hotel and the local area. The young man at reception, Andres, suggested a local restaurand, Don Julio, that was fantastic. The food was extraordinary and it was great to see what the locals enjoy. The following night, the tango show and dinner was very special, it was a great night out enjoyed by everyone.

It was the most amazing trip. We really can’t thank you enough for all your help and guidance and hard work. We will highly recommend you, Yampu and South America to our friends.

Penny

We have had a great time, it has gone far too fast! There have been many highlights along the way – Machu Picchu was spectacular as you can imagine and we have fallen in love with Brazil. It’s a really great part of the world.

For feedback – overall the itinerary was excellent, pickups/transfers were seamless, and the tour operators were fantastic. In hindsight, the only change we would have made is to spend an extra day or so in Cusco and less time at Iguazu Falls. As you say, it’s sad to be at the end of our trip. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we can visit again!

Thanks again for all of your help with making our honeymoon so enjoyable and memorable.

Jamie and Seth from Hong Kong

Thanks for the follow-up. My sister and I had a great time and didn’t want to come home! We have many great photos and great memories as well as a few extra pounds to remember our vacations by. Our favorite places to visit were Machu Picchu, Cuzco and Iguazu Falls. The beaches in Rio were also amazing. The guides were all excellent but our favorites were Edwin in Cusco and Christopher at Iguazu Falls. I would definitely recommend your travel agency and the tour companies used for future travel.

As a whole, things went pretty well and any problems/misunderstandings that arose were handled very promptly and satisfactorily by the local guides. Thanks again for your excellent work! I have many wonderful memories of the trip.

Rhoda

Thanks for the email. Overall our trip was great, specifically

All connections on time—-unbelievable considering the number of flights etc!
By location;

Quito—
Accommodations—great
Guide—great
Driver—great

Galapagos—
Boat—great
Guide and excursions—great
Food—-very good to great

Lima—
Guide—great, maybe the best, but all were great
Accommodations Airport Ramada—ok, very convenient, they would not supply bottled water, instead said that the unrequested Pisco sour they gave us on arrival was in lieu of water Miraflores—Park—great

Cusco—
Guide—great, was Quechan so was very good from that standpoint, the Spanish heritage did suffer a bit as a result, but then…..
Accommodation—very good, to some extent too noisy
Food—-very good

Macchu Pichu—
Guide—same as Cusco—was great here—no maybe better!
Accommodation—great—non-mountain view rooms were very, very noisy waking up at 3 as people gathered in line to get up strongly recommend mountain view
Food—-very good

Reserva Amazonica—this was definitely the low light of our trip. Accommodations were very close to each other and open air so you could hear your neighbor whisper. This seems to be a place for people with smaller children to come—with the corresponding noises of smaller whining, crying children which makes the close quarters very noisy.
Guides were good.

Overall the trip was wonderful though—guides were wonderful much more than I expected!

Now for next year—any suggestions for a Safari in Africa?

Steve

I did the South America combined country trip in June-July 2010 through Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Brazil. It was a really good way of seeing the highlights of each country in a very short period of time (nearly 1 month) to give you a taste of what there is to visit. This tour is well worth doing if you have energy and are happy to only see the most important parts of the country and fly off again to another. If you prefer to travel slowly and enjoy every aspect of a specific country, you will not like this trip.

In my case, I wanted to see the highlights so I could return to a specific country in the future that drew my attention as I am returning to live in Europe and I wanted to ensure future trips to this side of the world were correctly chosen.

Here is a very detailed explanation of my experiences the last month while travelling.

Yampu was really good at helping me chose and organize the trip as it was last minute (it was all done less than a week prior to travelling!!), they were the only ones who could book a last minute boat at the Galapagos which was the main reason for my trip. I was quite amazed at how confident they were they could help me out when other companies did not even try.

My first stop was Quito… The hotel was nice and very well located. Next was Galapagos, the boat I was on (Athala) was fantastic and I was upgraded!!!! I had my own room right next to the captain on the top deck. The staff was fabulous and the islands incredibly beautiful. it was a short trip but very enjoyable and saw the basics of the Galapagos islands. The number of sea lions that surround you is incrdible and I was really happy with the number of times we were allowed to snorkel during the trip. All in all, great. Oh, and the food was AMAZINGGGGGGGGGG

Next stop Peru. I had a very short time spam between arriving in Lima and leaving for Cuzco. I arrived at the hotel at nearly midnight (thankfully it was only by the airport) and left really early in the morning again to catch the flight to Cuzco. The hotel was basic but for the few hours, ok.

Cuzco was outstanding. To be there during the Inti Raymi was incredibly exciting (thank you Jose for extending my stay in Cuzco!). The atmosphere in town and the celebrations were spectacular. I coincided with other travelers in various tours as stayed in town for a few days which was great as I was travelling alone and during the whole trip I had many lunches and dinners on my own. Machu Picchu was great, the town was really nice. The hotels in Cuzco and Machu Picchu were great and the guides as well as ground help were the best of the whole trip. A very organized process all the way through and the only time I ever really had a package with detailed timetables which I really appreciated, particularly after the terrible organization in Ecuador.

Next country, Chile. I fell in love with this country. Santiago was incredibly beautiful and the people polite and nice. It was cheap through the all country and the sights spectacular. My favorite country in this trip, the people’s attitude, the guides knowledge and care as well as the hotels made it all the more enjoyable. All hotels in Chile were spectacular! The food very enjoyable with sea food being their primary meals. All in all, 10 out of 10. Loved it!!!!

First Santiago, then Puerto Montt and Puerto Varas (best hotel I have been in years) and finally Peulla were I had a wonderful time zip-lining and horse riding (again the hotel was great). I will be returning to Chile at some stage in the next couple of years so I will be in touch. I really liked your organization there and the trip could have not been better.

Next, Andean crossing through the lakes from Peulla (Chile) to Bariloche (Argentina). The sightseeing was fabulous and unforgettable. The staff’s attitude and boat cleanliness was very different in Argentina to Chile but still all good. The hotel in neither Bariloche nor Buenos Aires were very good but it improved once in Iguazu.

The guide through Iguazu was fantastic and the transfer over to Brazil very easy.

Finally Rio de Janeiro. I could have easily have returned home without this stop. The hotel was basic and the guided tours crowded and basic again. I asked the ground transportation if I could cut my trip short but they didn’t sound too happy about it. I am glad they convinced me to stay at the end as I had time to relax but I would have preferred to have spent those 3 extra days in Chile so I would have done more and enjoyed it better. On the other hand, the ground transportation guide was really nice and his English was impeccable.

Thank you so much for organizing the trip so quickly. It was great and unforgettable, all timetables were followed to the point and information was given in a timely manner (Argentina could have been slightly better too). Accommodation was amazing except the hotels I have mentioned and the guided tours were mostly on my own so really absorbed information except in Rio de Janeiro were I missed most for what they were saying as it was confusing in 3 different languages and really quick.

Thanks again for all your help

Melody

I hope this email finds you happy and well. I am so sorry, I have been meaning to call you for so long to give you feedback on the trip to Central and South America late last year, but as John Lennon once said ‘Life’s what happens while you’re busy making other plans’. My heartfelt apologies.

Overall, due to your wonderful expertise, the trip was fantastic. Thanks for your troubles, and needless to say, we’ll be in touch when we’re ready to hit Latin America again.

Domit from Australia

We just arrived in Philadelphia – always hard to come home after a spectacular trip. Everything worked out very well. While we are glad we visited Bariloche we would not however go back as we think it is very overdeveloped and overrated and also pricey.

We were in Chile 4 years ago and things have really changed (e.g., the quality of food for example is so much higher than before) so in comparison to Argentina which is really struggling – you could tell there are stark differences between the countries.

We loved Hotel de Los Volcanoes and Puerto Varas and we also loved Hotel Natura in Peulla – as we were extremely lucky – not one drop of rain and only sunshine the entire time and everywhere we went – Peulla was beautiful. We understand in the rain it is difficult to be there but we were indeed lucky. We can’t wait to go back and next time we will go in Chile’s summer so we can visit S. Patagonia – so stay tuned!.

Thanks again for a successful trip. It was extremely helpful to know that we could call or e-mail you at any time if we had any difficulties.

Laura, Ph.D.

I am home again after the most fantastic trip. Of course my feet have not touched the ground yet, so much to do & mail a meter high. My heartfelt thanks to you especially, but also all the crew both on the ground & manning the desks.

We were never let down once. Always a smiling face in the foyer or standing at the airport gate. I don’t know how you pulled it all off especially with our last manic changes. It was hard work at times I will not deny it. The last 2 weeks were tight & we were both very tired, but getting to Machu Picchu was a highlight & completed the lifetime package. We stood there in awe. I will get Jenny to send you a photo to prove it, she is better at photos than me.

I am so glad I booked those 5 nights in BA at the end & enjoyed the Tango show, shopping & galleries, high tea at a posh hotel. I will not hesitate to recommend both you & Yampu. I hope we cross paths one day or certainly when I return to that magical part of the world I will contact you.

Jenny and Penny from Australia

Sorry about the delay in letting you know about the great trip you put together for us. Our trip went extremely well – all connections worked and the weather cooperated by giving us 18 consecutive days with sunshine (see some of our enclosed pictures! If I had to select three highlights (which is very difficult due to the great experience we had at each of the locations on our trip), I’d say the Lake District, the glacier cruise and Iguazu Falls stand out. We did note that folks in Santiago were very much aware of the fact that they’re living in earthquake country (as are we in California!) so we were sorry to see the devastation the latest quake caused. I hope you didn’t have too many clients in the immediate area during the quake. The Wrights join me in thanking you also for helping us put together this great itinerary.

Klaus and Erika

Sorry for the delay but time has been tight since our return. No need to worry though, we had a great time.

Buenos Aires was great – very sophisticated and reminded us of Paris a bit. Tours were very good and the guide was pleasant and informative.
Tango Rojo show was just wonderful – skilful, creative and a great spectacle.

San Telmo Flea Market was fine

El Ombú de Areco was fun. The Estancia was very basic (no air con), but colorful and fun. Barbeque lunches were good and there were nice snacks and drinks all day on demand, but breakfast and supper were OK. Staff were very nice and helpful and the horse riding was brilliant apart from the huge numbers of mosquitoes!.

Iguazu was just amazing – worth the whole trip on its own. Fantastic views both sides, good hotel etc

Rio de Janeiro was great – not as refined as Buenos Aires but just the buzz was brilliant. Corcovado and Sugar Loaf were spectacular. Champions parade inside the Rio Sambadrome was just amazing – not to be missed.

All the hotels were fine, but to be honest did not spend much time there. So all together a great success and would recommend to our friends.

George and Magda from the UK

I am writing to tell you that the Lassiter’s were absolutely delighted with everything that was done for them and by the experience of your excellent ground providers in Argentina. You helped to make a repeat client for me and established your agency as the first that I will call for South America itineraries. It would be an honor to be used as a reference to any of your future clients!

Joseph (Travel Agent)

We only returned to Paris yesterday since we stayed a few more days in Buenos Aires after the trip to Iguazu you organized for us. For your information: Tierra Atacama was extremely enjoyable, almost perfect. The hotel was very good, the staff exceptionally helpful, the excursions well organized, the guides very competent. Iguazu was also very good, a level below however. The Amerian Portal was beautiful, very well situated and comfortable, the excursions were convenient

S.Levy from Paris

As Norm said, we had a great time. Overall, everything ran smoothly and we were impressed with the level of attention we received. So, thanks very much for your planning and organization and we will certainly recommend you to our friends.

Diane from Australia

Overall we had a really good time. Peru was probably the highlight for us. The guides and the people were very friendly and attentive. The sites we visited were very interesting. Having only travelled in relatively wealthy regions before it was a little confronting to see the poverty of some of the people and it made us realize that we are very fortunate to live in Australia. We were lucky not to have been caught up in the problems at Machu Picchu. Given the very difficult terrain that the train and roads pass through it is understandable that flooding in the valley could cause the problems that occurred. We had some minor landslides as we went out via the Andean Explorer to return to Cusco. That trip was more than 13 hours. The trip to Inkaterra was great and the eco lodge was very well set up and managed. The tree top walk was a highlight as was the actual boat ride to get there.

Argentina and Calafate were great. Seeing the glaciers and going on the boat trip was very good. Damain was a great guide and made us feel very welcome in Buenos Aires. It is interesting to compare the size of the cities and the general standard of the public infrastructure to Perth. The waterfalls were well worth seeing and the boat trip up to the base of some of these was fun. I took a lot of pictures and will be able to use some of these in future geography textbooks.

We were impressed by the organization and the way the system worked with someone to meet us at each point. I would not like to travel first up into South America without this support. As you mentioned the planes are not that reliable. It is probably not a good idea to schedule connecting flights. We were lucky on the connect to Lima from Calafate. Our luck ran out when we went from Lima to Sao Paulo with TAM. That made the connect to Rio a problem. It was also the same when we came back to Australia. Interesting to compare the responses. We spent about 5 hours in the airport in Sao Paulo while they sorted out our luggage and accommodation and new flights. In Sydney we were met by a Qantas rep with details of new flights and accommodation as we stepped of the plane from Buenos Aires.

All in all we had a great time and the organization was excellent from your end. Your suggestions of locations was very good. I will CC this to Diane so that she can make her own comments. I am still trying to get back into local time and am writing this at midnight in Perth.

Norm (Group of 4 from Australia)

Sorry for the late reply. Trip was great. We enjoyed ourselves. We enjoyed ourselves very much, and your organization of the trip is 5 out of 5 stars. Thanks for everything, we’re very grateful for all your hard work, and maybe one day we’ll contact you again for a South America tour.

Bille from Australia

Fantastic trip——forced 1st. day tour of B.A. was helpful. 2nd. day to estancia was a push so early in the trip, after a long few weeks of work, and a long flight, but the ranch was well worth the effort, and if we had tried for one of the next 2 days we would have been either denied, or trapped by freak floods.

Hotel Alvear was special—Fran had stayed in the Paris Ritz a few times, and other like hotels in London, etc., and the Alvear was, to her, nicer. It was grand. Do tell people to eat before the very fun show at Senor Tango, as the food is dreadful. The B.A. guide, Alicia was very personable and accommodating, as was Paula in Montevideo. The side trip to Colonia was also very nice, however, it led to quite a long

The hotel at Punta del Este was also excellent, albeit more rustic (which we very much appreciated ). The service was always perfect, and the views of the sunsets and the views of miles of fireworks from the vantage point of the mountain top on New Years.

All in all, we were really happy with the vacation, South America, the people, the ‘digs’, and wouldn’t hesitate to return.

Fran & Dan

We really enjoyed the trip though it seems like an age away now…......All in all everything went fairly smoothly. Buenos Aires was great for food and shopping (the credit card bill has just
arrived. Enjoyed the tango lessons though the 2nd class was better as less
people and no intermediate class with us so actually got to dance with men!! The tango show was great.
Iguazu falls were amazing, much better than Niagara and the zodiac boat ride brill if very wet. The estancia was gorgeous, wish we had a bit longer there, it was so beautiful. The accommodation was all good , with the Mendoza hotel being a bit more basic but it was fine and we had great weather all the way through. So thank you for your organization and I would certainly recommend your
company.

Julie (UK Client)

Thank you for your recommendation, time and patience. Cheers.

Janet

Thanks for everything you did to make our honeymoon fantastic. It was absolutely the best 10 days I could have imagined! My wife and I are very appreciative of your hard work, and we’ll definitely recommend you and Yampu in the future! Everything on the honeymoon went great. The guides, excursions, and hotels were wonderful. As were your suggestions about nightlife and relaxation activities. Thanks!

Steve

We are home after a fantastic trip. We will be in touch in greater detail before too long, but I just wanted to respond to your message. We so appreciate all that you all did for us – your flexibility before our departure as well as your quick response after we were diverted to Cancun. We will certainly recommend you all to everyone who will listen!

Denise
Moss Beach, CA

Our trip was WONDERFUL!! We got back on Tuesday and I have been trying to write a couple of reviews each day for all the places we stayed on Trip Advisor. I will certainly be writing a GREAT review for Yampu in the coming days:)

Cavas was an amazing place!! This is one of the best hotels/lodges I have ever visited- truly an amazing experience. The property was gorgeous and the service is great. It was very cold when we were there (we had snow one night!) and it was always such a treat to return to our cozy room with hot water bottles placed in our bed- amazing surprise! As a recommendation to future clients, I would say the Special Programme is not really “worth it”, but Cavas will still arrange tours for you at a reasonable a la carte price.

Miravida was also great- a perfect part of town and a great boutique hotel. The host was so helpful and we enjoyed time in the wine bar with other guests every evening!

Teresita’s cooking class was a great day! It was great to get out of the city and explore the markets in the suburbs and then do some cooking…and eating!

Anavalhinas was great as well…the most luxury one could hope for in the Amazon without sacrificing the natural beauty. Their services were great and well organized.

Porto Bay was a fantastic place to stay- overlooking the gorgeous beach!! If we ever return to Rio, I think I would stay in Leblon or Ipanema for the great walking neighborhood, but I am glad we stayed in Copa for this first visit. Our tour guide was also great for the city tour.

Overall- we were VERY pleased with how organized everything was. There was always someone to meet us at the airport and everyone was very helpful- THANK YOU!!!

Thank you so much for all of your hard work in making this a great vacation. I will post a review on Trip Advisor soon and e-mail it to you as well, if you wish you add it to your website. I will definitely recommend Yampu

Trip Advisor Posting on Yampu: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294314-i3023-k2747786-Yampu-Cusco.html

Monica
San Francisco, CA

We appreciate your follow-up very much just as the service you provided. We could not be more satisfied, everything went so well. We have submitted very good evaluations in every country (Peru, Bolivia and Chile) respectively. Everything was well organized, the hotels were good and everyone showed up everywhere on-time providing valuable service. If we go again, we definitely would contact you and recommend your service to our friends as well. Feel free to post our comments and we will contact you again when we start planning our next trip to this region.

Katalin and Denton
Reston, VA

We got back last night after a fantastic trip. I think Georgie would agree that it was one of our best trips we’ve been on. I am rushing all over the place today as off on holiday again at 4.30am tomorrow. Nothing like another holiday to get over the post holiday blues! All in all a fantastic trip. Overall I think what really worked well was that we felt we spent just the right amount of time in each place.

Thanks again for all your help. It was much appreciated, particularly given the limited time we left to organise it all!

Prudence
UK Client

We are all home safe and tired. You did a fantastic job. The hotels were fantastic as well as the food and service. My kids were over whelmed with all the service and the guides. We had the trip of a lifetime, so glad we got upgraded to the Legend as we met so many nice people on our tour group. All the guides were so nice and very professional. I had some struggles with all the steps in Machu Picchu and they were very helpful and considerate. We could have stayed on the boat for a week. Thanks for all your help!!!

Patricia
Prescott, AZ

Scott and I got back on Tuesday. I have to tell you that we had the best time ever! The Amazon was amazing, Machu Picchu was great and our guide there was awesome. The Andean explorer to Lake Titicaca was great too. Thank you for arranging a once in a lifetime trip for us. Everything was really smooth and stress free because there was always someone to meet us at the airport and take us to our hotel. Gabrielle at Quito was the best. She got us in and out of Quito airport to the Galapagos without us having to stand in line for anything! She was incredible. Diving in the Galapagos was the best ever! I don’t think we are ever going to beat those dives. We saw eleven whale sharks, hundreds of hammerhead sharks and Galapagos sharks, not to mention the dolphins , turtles , sea lions and eagle rays. it was the best trip we ever had!.
Of course you can use my comments. I felt you were always on top of everything and when we had questions or a problem with the scheduling, you always got back to us promptly. We would recommend Yampu to any of our friends.

Ann
Las Vegas, NV

Thank you very much for helping me to organize trip to South America.
Trip was very good, we like it a lot and service was excellent. I will recommend friends this trip without any hesitations.

Alla
Tenafly, NJ

The Briggs and we have just returned from our 4 week trip to South America. In general we are extremely happy and pleased with how well it all went. Your agency is to be commended for doing such an excellent job. Initially we thought the price was a bit high. However with everything that we experienced along with all the services you provided, we now feel that you earned the money. The service you provided was excellent. We were met at every stop, there were no delays from the tour people, the one problem we did have was resolved quickly and more importantly, in a timely manner. People were kind, pleasant and in the mood to please. We were treated very well. I would rate your agency very highly and would recommend you to anyone. That may happen as we do have a lot of friends who travel. I thank you personally for the service that you provided. We have traveled a lot, both on our own and with agencies. This was one of the best trips that we have ever had.

We can’t thank you enough. In today’s world, with complexity of this trip, it was nice to see such efficiency and competence. If we were to grade your service (after all we are all teachers here), we would give you an A. The trip itself for us was A+ because everything else worked out so well for us including weather, food, people we met, etc. We appreciate the quality of the service you provided and immensely enjoyed the entire trip.

Yampu rocks!

Candy and Keith
Carlsbad, CA

I have to admit that the both of us were very impressed by the tour. Obviously the (Iguazu) falls themselves are unbelievably beautiful but also the tour itself was fantastic. Honestly we did not envision that we’d have a private tour guide all weekend but we found this to be extremely valuable. All in all it was a great trip and I will make sure to recommend it to everybody planning to go there!

Carsten
Erding, Germany

Thanks for your email. My mom and I had a wonderful trip. We can’t thank you enough. The accommodations were great, especially the Casa Andina properties in Peru.

We were also very impressed by the knowledge, professionalism and kindness of our tour guides. Damian (BA); Gracie (Bariloche) and Flora (MP) really stood out. They made sure that we knew all the details of our upcoming activities and answered all of our questions. Also the restaurants that were included on our trip were great-Lima, BA & MP.

Thanks again for all your help in making this trip possible.

Karin & Coral
Pflugerville, TX

My mom and I had a wonderful trip. We can’t thank you enough. The accommodations were great, especially the Casa Andina properties in Peru. We were also very impressed by the knowledge, professionalism and kindness of our tour guides. Damian (BA); Gracie (Bariloche) and Flora (MP) really stood out. They made sure that we knew all the details of our upcoming activities and answered all of our questions
Also the restaurants that were included on our trip were great-Lima, BA & MP. Suggestion for future guests would be to have cash available, as several nice places did not accept credit cards Thanks again for all your help in making this trip possible.

Karin & Coral
Pflugerville, TX

We are back from our trip and I wanted to say a special thank-you for everything that you have helped us with. The trip was unbelievable; we had the best time of our lives. If I had it over I would not change a thing!

We are definitely interested in a Central American tour, maybe in a few years time and I would not dream of going anywhere but straight back to you to help me plan it!!!! I’m also more than happy for you to use me as a reference; I would love to encourage people to enjoy the same amazing experience as I had!

Thanks again for everything :-)

Cheers

Jodi
Australian Client

Our holiday went very well indeed – we loved every minute of it! That’s why we went back to Yampu. : ) The Explora lodges in Atacama and Torres del Paine in particular are both standouts – the service was fantastic, the lodges themselves superb and the guides are amazing. Have never met a bunch of people so passionate about and eager to show off their environment. We learnt a lot.

Elaine and Eu Han
Third time repeat clients from Hong Kong

We would love to give you some feedback from our trip to Ecuador, Peru and Chile. We can only congratulate you and Yampu for having organized a superb holiday. We had one small problem on the return trip from Machu Picchu that the train only went until Ollyantaytambo and not Cuzco, which was very quickly resolved by one of your local staff members arranging a private transfer for us within 30 minutes. We especially loved the Galapagos Islands and wished to have a few more days there, but also loved the beautiful Amazon Lodge in Peru with excellent guides, the Atacama Desert, Machu Picchu and the beautiful Andean Explorer train journey from Cuzco to Lake Titicaca.

Many thanks for the fantastic organization of such a long trip. We are happy to recommend Yampu Latin America Tours to anybody.

Stephan and Marianne
Aargau, Switzerland

We’re back from our very enjoyable trip across South America. Here’s an update on how things went.

What would we do different ? Nothing; it was a great trip. Thanks much for organizing it for us. It’s ok to post this for others, if someone has questions on any part of the trip, they can call us at 651-731-2263.or e-mail us.

Evelyn & Gary
Gold Canyon, AR

The Peru/Chile trip was great, from the minute we arrived in Lima and being met, to our hotel, to organizing the trip to the Nazca Lines and from then on. We think we saw all we possibly could have, utilized our time by being organized as to what we wanted to do and what we wanted to skip. We feel your organization has a great group of hosts, including the outside guides that were organized for us. As for the accommodation, we felt we were provided as good as or better than we expected.

Thank you

Joe and Wendy of West Vancouver, Canada

I returned home from my visit to South America last night. It was perhaps the most fabulous trip I have taken, especially the Australis Cruise. I had no idea the accommodations would be as nice as they were which made the trip that much nicer. We had requested simple and unique and that is exactly what we got. It was also a good value too. It seemed as though your team worked hard at keeping all of our desires in mind while planning the trip. I appreciate all of the work your team went into to set up all of our excursions and guides. Everyone was where they should be at the designated time which gave an added sense of security to the trip.

Again, it was a wonderful trip and if I ever go to South America again I will use your company and recommend you to others who plan to travel there.

Elizabeth
Colorado Springs, CO

Thank you. Home and well. I’m holding on to the peaceful moments. Both countries were incredible. I must say I fell in love with Chile. I wasn’t expecting that but the people, history, culture and the open air were all breathtaking. I really enjoyed Torres Del Paine National Park. The hiking was great and the entire park is exactly how it should be. I really got excited on the Mare Australis cruise. What a spectacular opportunity. I’m so glad I stumbled upon your website and found out about this one of a kind trip. The food was delicious, the staff was super friendly, and the excursions were way more that I expected. We saw so many birds, penguins, and even a few dolphins. Thank you for setting up a very safe and organized trip. It was worth every penny and then some. Can’t wait to book my next trip.
Sincerely,

Nicole
Stamford, CT

We had a wonderful trip and it was everything we had hoped it would be.

Our experience with Yampu was flawless and every transition from hotels, airports, tours, etc. was without complications and very smooth. No complaints and I would certainly recommend Yampu to anyone interested in traveling to Latin America. Everyone was very welcoming and accommodating. Peru in particular was a very enjoyable and we would definitely go back again.

Our guides were very good and a few, Marcia in Rio de Janeiro, Lisset (sp?) in Machu Picchu, Cusi (sp?) in Lima and her driver Jose, and Jesus in Inkaterra Amazonica Lodge were excellent. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and are very thankful for the service you have provided us.

Robert

Back to the USA from a fantastic trip to Antarctica, Easter Island and Lake Titicaca. Thank you for all you did to make this trip work so smoothly for us. You may use me as a reference…a very happy, repeat
customer.

Tom and Kaye

Trip was incredible…..see the attachment…This says it all! I also have an Equator shot and a super cool picture of a giant Tortoise and baby sea Lion in the Galapagos too. Everything was great, everyone on time- hotels good..Especially Machu Picchu!

Diana

Just wanted to drop a note and let you know that we returned from our South American journey, and it was great. The arrangements that were made by Yampu/Yampu were perfect! The airlines were on time, the hotels great, especially the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel! That place was amazing, sorry we were only there one night. We stayed at the Diego de Almagro Hotel in Santiago, Chile. It was a very good accommodation and great location too.

The local authorities in Peru: Carlos in Cuzco, is to be commended, he and his crew did an excellent job. Thanks so much for making part of our dream vacation come to life.

Clients from Hollywood, FL

We are back from what was a truly memorable and a wonderful holiday to South America and would like to thank you and Yampu for all the hard work, flexibility and support towards making this happen for us. We will definitely recommend Yampu to everyone we know who wants to embark on a trip to South America and are ourselves contemplating a second holiday to the region next summer.

I think the most important aspect of working with you has been the flexibility offered by you in accommodating our dates, flight availability, rescheduling the itinerary back-to-front which all helped in making this dream holiday a reality. All arrangements were as planned, there were no delays, no glitches and we never felt we were on our own in the foreign land.
Finally a sincere thanks from both of us for everything.

With Best Regards

Ashish
UK client

Thank you for your phone call – it was nice putting a voice to an e-mail. Yes, of course, I’ll add to the testimonial collection but I’ll never do my trip justice!

Here it goes. It is difficult, impossible, to exaggerate how impressed I was by Emma’s organisation of what was a very open ended, possibly over ambitious South American adventure for a loner.
The route planned – Santiago, Easter Island, Atacama Desert, Iguazu Falls and the Pantanal was perfectly coordinated with superb hotels and brilliant guides, especially in Easter Island. Ernest, our guide in Iguazu has to come in for special praise, also.
The two glitches, both minor, were completely my fault. I especially appreciated Emma’s recommendation of background reading, her prompt response to my often stupid questions and the very personal approach to the whole experience. It meant a lot. If all this sounds rather fulsome -it’s not meant to be. I’ll be singing Yampu’s merits until my friends are fed up with me.

Megan
UK client

We were planning to contact you but you beat us to it. We had a fantastic holiday and everything was well planned. All our contacts were great and well informed. Edison (our guide in Quito ) was very helpful as Peter needed a pharmacy and he took us to one and translated to the pharmacist. The catamaran was great as it was rough most nights so glad you recommended it.
We were so delighted with the holiday and all the hard work that went in to planning it. We would like to thank everyone and if you want any testimonials we would be happy to give them.
Regards,
Two happy holidaymakers.

Pat and Peter
UK Clients

Please do not be surprised about the late feedback report. My husband and I were in LA for the past few weeks due to work commitments. So here comes my feedback report for you: THE HOLIDAY WAS A DREAM!

I would like to start by giving Meike a big compliment for booking our anything but easy flight itinerary. I would give you an Oscar for it, if there would be such a thing. All went super smooth and we had no problems whilst flying from one country to another. Compliments!

And then the Galapagos Islands – whilst I am a journalist, I am short for words. That is something one must experience! The holiday was amazingly organized, and even in such a short time we achieved a very good and comprehensive understanding of flora and fauna. I feel like I experienced Galapagos and not just visited. Your guides were very good and also deserve a big compliment. We felt like Yampu was spoiling us!

Also absolute perfect were all our hotels. And what a total surprise that Lima airport hotel is such a little designer gem, whilst other airport hotels in the world are the total opposite. The accommodation on the Galapagos Islands were typical Ecuadorian hotels and very clean. So very different to European hotels in the best possible way. The NU-House in Quito is fantastic and Ecuador has so much to offer.

Meike did a great job and made it so easy for us to realize a dream. We will recommend Yampu to all our friends and one thing for sure: The next trip we do will again be with Yampu – there is no other choice. We can just say: Thank you!

Monika
Austrian client

We had a truly fantastic time in the truly amazing continent and of course it was nowhere near long enough to really appreciate everything. We want to thank you for a holiday which in the most part went off without major problems. All of the hotels were friendly and helpful (as were all of the people we met in South America).

My leg problem had got particularly bad by Puno and the hotel staff went out of there way to make us comfortable, they sent extra pillows, found a restaurant who would deliver food to our room, and sent staff to the pharmacy with my husband to ensure the correct translation to get the drugs I needed for my leg. Please please thank them on our behalf we felt they went way beyond just doing their job and really accommodated my health problems how very very kind of them.

All of the guides throughout the holiday were understanding and supportive and changed the trips to allow us to enjoy the best of the countries without putting more stress than necessary on my leg. This ranged from booking us onto different trips, down to finding wheelchairs or asking for me to go ahead in queues to save the standing, these were kind and appreciated gestures. In fact no one ever made me feel my inability to walk far was a problem for them, even at Machu Picchu. In fact the personal guide we had paid for here was perfect, taking me on a very quick route straight to a seat in Machu Picchu from which I could venture further if I wished and Ian to the long walk, It would be worth letting other frailer traveller know this is a possibility at Machu Picchu it may mean some people who could be put off by a walk will be able to go.

The (Iguazu) Waterfall was out of this world, and although sadly I couldn’t reach the boat the rest of it was still truly incredible. In Brazil we were met by such a lovely guide called Carlos. He was kind, friendly and supportive and a true proud ambassador for his country. What a delight to be ferried around by such a lovely man. Again he took every care to ensure that my leg was catered for and he really made our short but sweet stay in Brazil special. Again securing a wheel chair and aisle seat at the airport, to enable me to travel back in as much comfort as I could. We really recommend you continue to use him in your trips.

Reading the literature you sent we were shocked and concerned for our safety in Peru but while we always took sensible precautions our experience of the people of Peru was of friendly kind and hardworking people, their sales techniques were highly visible but not too pushy if you said no and we were left with a wonderful experience of these lovely people.

All in all the holiday was wonderful, we would recommend to others to go, and we felt you arranged a good and wide ranging experience for us.

Thank You

Jacqui and Ian
UK Clients

Our trip to Peru and Ecuador was just completed. We so appreciated all the things your staff did to make it an exceptional experience. We want more – and the first place we will call will be Yampu.

The team in Lima was outstanding. Kuzi met us at the airport at some awful hour and made sure we got to our hotel and were briefed on next steps. She even was there when we did not show the night before due to weather delays. The staff jumped in to rearrange things when our plans changed (due to the weather delays in DC and Atlanta) and the Cusco staff was outstanding. We loved the hotel accommodations we had and the friendship we found everywhere.

Your staff throughout was eager, helpful, fun and very knowledgeable. We have already mentioned the Yampu name to many on the Galapagos leg so we hope that will turn into new business for you. We want to explore SA some more. Whether it is next year or the next, we will be back (the upper Amazon in Brazil or Ecuador, Argentina and Chile to ski and explore and Patagonia are all high on our list. Plus we did not get to Lake Titicaca due to the weather situation so of course we have to get there too!).

So you are not done with us yet! Thanks for all you did to make this one of our favorite family adventures ever!!

Valerie and John

I had three major concerns about going to South America –

1. Travelling with my children, would it be safe in Ecuador, Chile and Peru? – Well, of course you have to take sensible precautions anywhere in the world, but in just over three weeks there we always felt perfectly safe, and found all the locals very friendly and helpful. In Lima and Santiago our hotels were in nice neighbourhoods, such that it was fine to walk back to our hotel after dinner in the evening. In most of the tourist areas there was always a reassuring presence of lots of local police, who were always happy to help with advice and directions.

2. We were cramming in lots of sights (Galapagos, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, Nasca Lines, and Easter Island). With such a busy schedule involving lots of transfers and flights, would delays and / or cancellations cause problems? – In fact everything worked perfectly. We were met by Yampu representatives at every change and all tickets and hotel bookings etc were managed excellently at every stage. The only problem came when our flight over the Nasca Lines was cancelled a few days before. However the local representatives talked it through with us and promptly arranged an alternative drive to a different airport and made sure we did not miss out (special thanks are due to Kusy in Lima, who was fantastic)

3. As none of the party could speak any Spanish would language be a problem? – Firstly, all the Yampu representatives and guides spoke excellent English and for much of the time they accompanied us and sorted out all the arrangements. They were all knowledgeable and genuinely made us feel welcome. We soon picked up enough simple words to manage in shops and restaurants, and even if the locals could not speak any English they were all happy to converse in sign language!

All in all, the holiday exceeded even our most optimistic expectations. We saw so many fantastic things that it is simply impossible to select a highlight. I would have no hesitation in recommending the services of Yampu.

Paul, UK family of 5

Our trip was fantastic and we all had our own favorites. The girls loved Galapagos, Filip’s most memorable experience was fishing piranhas in the jungle as was Kaj’s, and I enjoyed meeting the local people and tribes especially in Lake Titicaca and Amazon.

Finding the most suitable hotels during the journey is always a challenge and I think we were lucky. The Hotel Fasano in Rio was perfect with a great location and a beautiful, contemporary style. In Iguazu Falls we were really happy to stay inside the park and on Argentinean side. The Hotel Sheraton isn’t maybe the fanciest one, but the location was perfect for the tours. The boat tour under the falls is just awesome, a must do! Hotel in Lima was a bit disappointing. Miraflores as an area was nice and safe, but next time I would upgrade the hotel to 4-5 stars. We had an extremely delicious lunch at The Rosa Nautica restaurant. It was above all expectations. Cebiches and pisco sour are our new favourites!

The hotel chain “Casa Andina Private Collection” was a good choice in Cuzco and Machu Picchu, especially the big suite in Cusco. The Andean Explorer train to Lake Titicaca was a great experience. The Casa Andina hotel in Puno was perfect, as we stayed there only one short night. If we had stayed there longer, we would maybe upgrade it. The tour to Taquile and Uros islands was one of the highlights on our trip. The cruise on MV Galapagos Legend was also a great experience. Our guide Joffrey, as a native from Galapagos, was fun and very knowledgeable. He managed to keep the children entertained and interested in the beautiful flora and fauna during the several excursions. The bigger balcony suites onboard made the journey even more enjoyable, highly recommended. Swiss hotel Quito, with several good restaurants, pool and sport facilities, was a safe choice for the days at leisure and relaxing between the Galapagos and Amazon excursions.

And last but not least we enjoyed some of the most memorable days in the jungle at the La Selva lodge. It’s a bit rustic, but that made the whole experience even more exiting. Our local guides were fabulous. Having grown up in the jungle they know the area, its plants and animals so well and were able to give us an experience of a lifetime.

Before the trip we were a bit concerned if traveling with the children would be safe in these countries. Thanks to your great and experienced guides we always felt perfectly safe, and found all the locals very friendly and helpful. Even the accident with a raccoon was dealt with swiftly and efficiently. Our guide Gabriel in Iguazu Falls dealt superbly with the situation doing his best to get Christine professionally treated. The whole complex rabies vaccination program, which Christine had to take during the rest of the journey, was arranged promptly. Although we had a very tight timetable, your guides Bruno and Natalia managed to arrange all the doctor appointments in Peru and Ecuador so that we could continue our journey without any major interruptions. A special thanks to Bruno and Natalia!

The itinerary proved to be well thought out. Everything was organized beforehand. Without a good scheduling and experienced guides we wouldn’t have been able to enjoy this much of the beautiful South-American continent. Although the schedule was partly very intense, wake up calls sometimes even at 5 am !! , we all loved this exciting program, where one highlight followed the other!

Thank you Meike for a very well organized trip and a special thank you to all our tour guides who were exceptional and spoke great English. After we sorted out our 9.000 !!! pictures taken on the trip we’ll start to plan the next one – maybe Patagonia and the Antarctica.

We can highly recommend Yampu for family expeditions in South America.

Hilkka & Kaj, Family of 5

All the guides were excellent and the hotels were also very good. I really enjoyed myself. It was a completely stress free 2 weeks – which is rare for me. Thanks and look forward to working with you again,

Jodi

I wasn’t sure who to email, as I dealt with several people on the staff at your office, but I want to thank everyone for the trip you put together for us in February to Chile and Argentina. All the connections and reservations went without any glitches or delays, rather amazing considering all the transfers we made. The guide service was all very good. We particularly enjoyed the people we had out of Santiago, Francisco the guide and our driver, Carlos. All of the accommodations were quite adequate. The only change I would make from what we did would be to add a few more days here and there to look around on our own time.

Alan & Nancy

I have been meaning to write, but have been so busy now that I am back to work.
The trip was great! Thank you. I had no troubles. I loved Bolivia-wished I had stayed there longer. My guide, Marco, was wonderful there. I enjoyed Peru very much, too. Especially Cusco. The people at there were really excellent. Very helpful and reliable. When my flight from Lima to Cusco was canceled, my guide Elena came back to the airport to look for me and assist me. I was very impressed with that.
Already thinking of my next trip, but of course I will need to save money and time off from work again. Thanks to everyone at Yampu,
Best,

Jennifer

Had a really fantastic time! All the connections worked smoothly; All the hotels were good; several were great; Most of the guides were top class; The scenery and overall experience were superb.
Personal highlights were:
Cusco and Machu Picchu; Sun Island, Bolivia; Lake crossing Chile/Argentina; All of Argentina especially Iguazu falls. And, of course, Carnaval.
A truly great and memorable trip. Thanks for all your support.

Dave & Penny
UK Clients

We recently returned from a trip to South America. We had booked a cruise and wanted to extend our S. America experience by visiting Iguazu Falls and Rio de Janeiro. We arranged this through Yampu (Yampu). Your staff was very helpful and the agents in Iguazu (Carlos and Julia) and Cynthia in Rio de Janeiro were great. Every arrangement was perfect! Thank you for everything.

Claire from Newport, Oregon

I just returned from the Galapagos and Easter Island Tour last Friday and wanted to let you and the Yampu staff know what an AWESOME trip it was!

The plane connections, meet and greet, and hotels were really good and the entire trip went off without a hitch. One of the highlights was the evening of Febuary 6th (my 48th birthday) when the staff of the Galapagos yacht Aida Maria brought out a trimmed birthday cake with my name on it for the evening dessert! I was really surprised.
Thanks to all of you and your staff for such expert planning and coordination. This trip was “over the top” and made for a wonderful birthday!!

Ben

We had a great trip and were happy with the service provided by Yampu. You can use my name as a reference. I have traveled to over 30 countries and your travel company made our trip to Peru, Argentina and Brazil one of the best and hassle free.

Ed

We just got back from our dream vacation to Peru, Argentina and Brazil. Everything was perfect! Your suggestions as well as your attention to every detail made this a most memorable vacation. Even the weather worked out well. I can’t think of anything that I would change if I had to plan the trip again. The hotels were beautiful as well as very accomodating. I must make special mention of a few of the guides that were delighted to have- Alejandro Epstein in Buenos Aires as well as Tamara Levenson in Uruguay. They are experts in their fields and were able to give us real insight – adding to the overall experience. I would highly recommend your services to anyone
who is planning a trip there. Once I get my pictures sorted I will forward a few to you.
Once again – Gracias
With best wishes,
Vivie Golubtchik

Vivie

Just to let you know that we returned safely and that we had a wonderful time. All the local guides were most gracious and so were the hotels. Our favorites were Buenos Aires, Iguazu, the tour of the Lagos, Puerto Varas is spectacular with its lake and volcanos. Pedro Neruda’s home in Isla Negra was a site to see. We certainly will consider going back to these
countries.

Berta and Herb

We just got back from our trip to Peru, Argentina and Brazil. I do not know what to say. How should I thank you guys for such a pleasant and beautiful trip? I found Yampu on-line completely by chance, never knew how great it turn out to be. The trip was excellent. My husband and I travel a lot, but this trip was something else. Machu Picchu and Iguazu cannot be described in words. We enjoyed every second of this trip. Your organization was excellent. You hotels and agents were great. I recommended you to all my friends here in California. Thanks again and look forward to work with you again in the future.

Saba

Hi Jose,

Just to let you know myself & Kiran had a great time in South America, we didn’t want to come home! The whole trip ran smoothly and we were impressed with Yampu, we especially thought Yampu in Peru was excellent.
Unfortunately the weather was not that good but we had a great time anyway. Thanks for everything

Sarah

Dear Kathryn, Jose, Cindy and Chris,

I just wanted to tell you thanks for all the work ya’ll did to put together a perfect vacation package together for me not once but twice. Everything was superb in Peru, Argentina and Chile. It was just as I expected and more. I will recommend to anyone that they experience a vacation tour with ya’ll. If you want me to go into any details I can burn your ears for hours but thought I would just let you know that You all did a fabulous job and that the guides and workers there did a really great job to keep us happy. I want to especially commend Ivan
on the Jungle portion of our tour He is an exceptional young man and treated everyone with equal interest and concern. I loved him. Isabella in Buenos Aires was a brief encounter but she took very very good care of us. Thanks
for all our wonderful memories. P.S. The food was awesome especially in Peru. That was my favorite.

Geralyn

My husband and I have just returned from our fabulous trip to Ecuador and Peru. We wanted to thank you for the excellent itinerary, services and guides that your agency provided for us. Everything went so smoothly. We loved both countries and their people. We certainly will recommend your agency to friends in the future.

We wanted to mention our guides personally. In Ecuador, Desiree Vinueza and her husband Mauricio Cordova were wonderful. Their English was excellent and they were very knowledgeable about all aspects of Ecuador and our travel stops. Spending eight days with someone you’ve never met could be a difficult experience, but not with Desiree and Mauricio. We felt very quickly that we were traveling with friends. When we think of Ecuador, we will always think of them.

In Cusco and Machu Pichu, Edwin Medina was a wonderful guide. He, too, was very knowledgeable about this very historic region and he spoke very good English. When we wanted to make an itinerary change and attend the Virgen of Carmen festival in Pisaq, he made the arrangements with Carlos and was very amenable to the change. We also want to mention that Carlos and Henry also provided us with excellent service while in this area.
In fact, we had the opportunity to meet Carlos at the Virgen del Carmen festival in Pisaq!

We only spent a short time with Alfredo Rombro in Lake Titicaca, but we were very impressed with him. He took us to this excellent out of the way restaurant on Tequile Island that we thoroughly enjoyed. Moreover, the day we flew out of Juliaca, there was a strike. When we arrived at the airport, we found that the flight was delayed. Alfredo remained at the airport with us until he was sure the flight would arrive. This was very reassuring for us because I would not have wanted to navigate back through Juliaca alone if the flight had canceled! The strikers there seemed to take things very seriously! My husband highly recommends given all the guides and personel a raise!!
We were thoroughly impressed by all your people here in the U.S. and in Ecuador and Peru.

Again, let me say that our trip was fantastic. We really like South America and hope to travel to Brazil and Argentina, as well as return to see the Galapagos Islands. We will contact your agency when we are ready to make more travel plans in the future.

Bravo to you all!!

Jean and Michael
Scottsdale, Arizona

Jose:

We’re back from our trip to Peru and Chile— everything went great, without a hitch. This was certainly a trip that we’ll always remember.
Regards,

Tom Van Laan, PE
President

Tom

Jose and the rest of the team.
I arrived safely back in the UK Saturday Morning at 6.30 AM. I would like to express my thanks and congratulations to organising a most fantastic trip to South America. Everything from beginning to end was fantastic. Every city, every trip, the people, the culture, the food need I go on?

Whilst you had nothing to do with the beautiful scenery and wonders of these countries and their people you did organise my travel and that was perfect. Everything went without a hitch which was a wonder given that I did so much. There was always someone to meet me and I always felt safe, a very important thing to a woman travelling alone.

I found it was the right balance of travelling and days of leisure. I do not tire of travelling so that was fine.I was always picked up on time. Hotels were good. Some better than others but all clean tidy and suited my purpose. The Amazon was amazing, wish I had longer. Machu Picchu everything I had dreamed. Everything was great, everyday something different and a new wonder to see. I cannot say which was my favourite bit as it all was special.

Watching the people in the cities, the countryside in the mountains was all an experience I will never forget. A very big thank you for the perfect trip. The only down side was I had to come home.A very big thank you for the perfect trip. The only down side was I had to come home.

Regards and many thanks

Janet

Janet
Swindon, UK

The trip (to Ecuador and Peru) was really over the top – so much more than was anticipated. We enjoyed the market at Otavalo and took quite a few pictures. After going to the other markets, we thought that it was the best as far as merchandise and colorful costumes went. As you know, we stayed at the Hacienda Pinsaqui and enjoyed ourselves at a welcome cocktail party with 23 Italian tourists.

The Beluga was very comfortable and we can’t say enough about the staff. They were all from Ecuador and so proud of being able to help their visitors enjoy the trip. The Galapagos Islands are a wonderful destination and I can’t imagine someone not being thrilled to be there and learning what is being done. There were a total of 15 guests on the boat – six Brits, a family of four, two Americans, one German girl. All were easy-going and compatible with everyone else.

We flew to Guayaquil and had a great tour and wonderful dinner at a restaurant that the guide recommended. We went to the airport for our flight to Lima but it was delayed for a couple of hours. We finally arrived in Lima at 2:30 AM and there was our guide at the airport to meet us. Since our flight was leaving Lima airport at 7:30 AM, we decided to just stay there and not go to the Pardo Hotel.
Our flight arrived in Cuzco and we were taken to the wonderful Monasterio Hotel. This is probably one of the best hotels we have ever stayed in.

We went to the Sacred Valley and after overnighting there, took the surprising modern train to Machu Picchu. What a fun time that turned out to be!

Machu Picchu and the Sanctuary Lodge were both one of the highlights of the whole trip. Can’t figure out how people can just go there for a few hours and take the bus back down to Aguas Calietes.

Back to the Monasterio for two nights and we were upgraded to one of the Royal Suites. The trip really got better and better. Enjoyed the tours from Cuzco and when we went back to the airport to go to Lima, we found out our airline – Aero Continental had gone on strike. There were three people from Peru Vacations trying to get us on another airline. They worked at it for about three hours and finally we were able to go on one of the other airlines. If we had been there by ourselves, we would have still been trying to get to Lima.

All the people that were involved with meeting us were there. What impressed us was that the communication between each office was excellent. Everyone knew what we were supposed to be doing.
When we filled out the questionnaire asking for a rating of services, locations, etc., etc., we marked everything excellent which is truly a first for us.

Thanks for making all this happen. It was really such a complicated itinerary but both you and Jose made it all work.

Your efforts are very much acknowledged and appreciated.

Kathy & Frank

Just wanted to let you know that my vacation (to Argentina and Uruguay) went great. I will be recommending you in the future. You may use my comments and I would happy to give recommendations via email.

Thank you!

Jennifer, New York