By Ellen Lutwak

Voluntourism is more than simply scheduling some volunteer time along with sightseeing. It is a purposeful activity – at its very best, enhanced by cultural sensitivity and responsible travel. For the traveler, such a journey can provide a deeply meaningful experience.

Where do you begin when you want to venture out on a journey that includes service opportunities? Start with Yampu Tours, of course!

Volunteering is already at the heart and soul of the Yampu family. With professional relationships with community organizations and locals around the world, our Tour Consultants can connect you with opportunities that match your skills and interests – and fit your itinerary.

All of our volunteer efforts work to support the areas of the towns or villages that need assistance and those efforts do not diminish the community or take away any jobs from the locals.

• Tell us your goals, interests, budget and time-frame.
• Leave it to us to find a meaningful experience for you, something that is needed by those at your destination. Because of our customized and personal approach, each of our Yampu adventurers does something different.
• Consider a group project or a private guided tour for a meaningful team-building experience with colleagues if your trip includes business.
• Share your passion with your friends and colleagues who may be able to further support you and the organization state-side.

Here are some of the favorite experiences we helped arranged for our Yampu explorers:

• Teaching English to youngsters in the Amazon and surprising them with fruits from a local market as well. It was a sure bet everyone loved the school time.
• Painting a schoolroom in a Vietnam village, cheering up students and teachers alike.
• Upgrading and painting the interior of a home for disabled residents in South Africa, helping to create a comfortable environment that they requested.

“My favorite traveling moments are the meaningful interactions with other families around the world and sharing this with my kids. Volunteering allows us to have this experience together…”

“Pack for a Purpose” in Peru

Pack for a Purpose provides a detailed list of their current needs to take requested supplies for community-based projects around the globe. When you take your selected supplies, you can drop them at your accommodation knowing they will be delivered directly to the project. Another option is to visit the school in person to interact with the local children and hand deliver your generous donations.

The new “Give Back to Peru” program takes our travelers to the Sacred Valley – where there are unique opportunities to support the local community of Cachiccata.

• Plant a tree in order to help the ongoing reforestation process in Peru.
• Engage in scholarly projects and experience the Amazon Rainforest.
• Get your hands dirty in the local organic gardens.
• Construct new houses – in a capacity like Habitat for Humanity® volunteers. Yampu will arrange the logistics for your visit and work within your budget.

Love animals? Learn about the plight of rhinos and how to help; find out how to protect cheetahs and embrace elephants that need TLC. Unsure of what animal sanctuary or orphanage to visit? Allow Yampu’s experts to direct you to the best managed, most ethical, informative and interactive animal sanctuaries. Take a look at some of our suggested organizations below.

The Giraffe Centre

With Yampu’s Kenya’s Capital and the Serengeti tour make a visit to the Giraffe Centre, a Kenyan non-profit organization. This fantastic organization’s primary purpose is to educate Kenyan youth on their local wildlife, as well as give visitors an opportunity to witness the world’s tallest species firsthand.

Camp Leakey Orangutan Foundation

The fauna rich journey of Monkeys Galore in Indonesia is a perfect introduction to the up close and personal interactions you’ll experience at Tanjung Harapan Orangutan Rehabilitation Center and Camp Leakey Orangutan Foundation. Spend the boat ride spotting gibbons, macaques, long nosed proboscis monkeys and wild female orangutans building their nests in the trees lining the river. Upon arrival you’ll have the opportunity to witness the rehabilitation of adolescent orphaned orangutans and interact with the protected primates.

Pinnawella Elephant Orphanage

Discover Sri Lanka’s History and Elephants and enjoy tours to the millennia old city of Anuradhapura, the magnificent rock palace of Sigiriya and the cultural capital of Kandy. Additionally, enjoy a visit to the world famous Pinnawella Elephant Orphanage. Established in 1975, the PEO is now home to over 90 orphaned elephants who enjoy being fed and bathed by their foreign visitors.

Here’s what some of our Yampu adventurers have said:

“Visiting the Phiri School had to be the one of my best moments of the trip! The kids are so sweet and the teacher has the patience of a saint… It was so completely sweet.”

“The students were enthusiastic and appreciative.” 

Yampu-sponsored MEDLIFE student Ian studies Biology and Community & International Development at the University of Vermont. He is also a UVM Medical Center volunteer and veteran MEDLIFE volunteer intern who headed to Lima, Peru for the summer. With the help of our “Give Back” initiative, he has pursued his dream of working in community development and applied his community and international development and medical volunteer skills to help those in need in the outskirts of Lima.

Once we know your interests, our Yampu family will keep our eyes open for other programs or projects for your next journey. There are endless options and opportunities to benefit these inspirational destinations. Volunteer more. Learn more. Experience more!

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