We love our Yampu Travelers and are always incredibly happy to assist return explorers year after year to find new and exciting experiences! In fact, Repeat Yampu Travelers earn VIP status which opens up a whole world of travel possibilities (literally) with new and exciting VIP destinations that aren’t featured on our website.

Paul and Joe Franzetti, a dynamic father-son creative duo, have traveled with us on numerous occasions to create gorgeous works of art to benefit those in need. Just recently, the Franzettis took an unbelievable trip to Finland, one of our many “hidden” destinations, for their 2019 project and had an experience of a lifetime!

Travel to FINLAND with YAMPU If you know that the capital of Finland is Helsinki but can’t quite place it on the map, or if you’ve heard that Santa Claus comes from Lapland but don’t know that Lapland is in the northern part of Finland; or if you want to hike with an expert guide in the spectacular Pyah-Luosto National Park,(where you actually do see Russia from Finland’s backyard), use Yampu to arrange the trip. My son and I recommend Yampu enthusiastically! They “tailor-made” our Finland trip this past July. There were a lot of phone calls and double-checking and e-mailing before it was finalized. Every hotel, from the Helsinki’s Presendentii (in the heart of the city) to the Kalevala Lodge on the lake outside Kuhmo, was excellent. Yampu’s staff is savvy and well-traveled does their homework. Even our drivers were knowledgeable and easy to get along with. For example, because they knew we wanted to see wildlife, they arranged for us to spend a night in a bear blind on the Soviet border to see brown bears, wolverines, and wolves in their natural habitat. I read that “In Finland, there is freedom to roam.” Finland’s wilderness is pristine, but the culture is interesting also We read up on the Winter War (Nov 1939) when the Finns, outnumbered 10-1, repelled the Russian army. A nice touch–our hotel Kalevala was a short walk to Winter War Museum. Finns love the sauna–it’s their invention. In a country of 5 million people, there are 3 million of them. Every hotel has one and it’s a must-do. The Finns have many sayings about the sauna, like: “The sauna is a poor man’s pharmacy.” “A house without a sauna is not a home.” Maybe the sauna is not as exciting as a bear blind but it is “educational.” Most Finns you meet in a sauna speak English and tell great stories. And you have to have their coffee–it’s better than any we ever in South America. –A lot of surprises, but all good ones. Two Thumbs up for Yampu on this trip.

After meeting Yampu’s Cofounder, Monica on a trip in search of elusive pumas for their artworks, the Franzettis have traveled with Yampu all over the world in search of new inspiration! Join our newsletter and be on the lookout for the duo’s second feature of “Franzetti’s Creative Adventures” for more on their Finland exploration…

Tags: