Welcome to Our Yampu Family!
Welcome to our Yampu Family. At Yampu Tours, we strive to get to know our clients very well in order to provide them with travel products made for them, their interests, and likes. For example, I have clients who always prefer that upgraded room with a view, others need a balcony, some don’t like to leave their hotel too early in the morning, some want to see wildlife every day, and others want help getting them into the best restaurants in each area. These clients come back to us each year and are very much a part of our Yampu Family. As a Yampu Family member, we like to take care of our clients, surprise them, and be there for them as needed.
Our clients say this best, here is a review a client posted online.
“Our travel designer, Stephanie, was phenomenal. Not only did she put up with the 7 of us as we worked to plan this trip for months…..she had excellent suggestions and provided superior service and care when making arrangements. She really listened to what we wanted/needed and made sure everything was PERFECT. Honestly, she helped give us a once-in-a-lifetime family experience.”
The Travelers Experience
The Traveler’s Experience is something that we focus on. We strive to introduce you to the people of a country, its food, its history, and culture. Our guides are storytellers, good listeners, time managers, and flexible. They are happy when our guests are happy and have a nice way of managing the experience for our guests.
Every guest we have is different, and the guide’s job is to adjust to each guest’s pace and interest. They may introduce you to different foods; perhaps you’ll try a fruit from the Amazon, engage in arts, such as learning calligraphy in Japan, or experience local musicians. In Uruguay, our guide introduced us to a musician who plays all his music using objects he found in the street. Another guide in Uruguay taught us how locals really drink Mate. Are you a history buff? Ask as many questions as you like; our guides are here to satisfy your thirst for knowledge. We aim to exceed your expectations in terms of experience.
An example of a client letter on experience is:
“My father and I travelled to Svalbard, Norway, this summer. This was our third arctic circle trip in 8 years set up by Monica at Yampu (Iceland, Finland and now Norway), and were each outside the normal Yampu destinations (showing their flexibility). Our itinerary was originally prepared for Greenland but evolved into the Svalbard expedition. Since our interest was in wildlife, Monica made sure that we would be satisfied in our quest for photographing animals–from a remote lodge in Costa Rica, to a remote outpost on the Finnish-Russian border in a bear blind; to a reindeer farm in Alaska; and this time a walrus colony in the Arctic. Yampu mixes luxury and comfort where possible along with a rugged experience that endears you to each location. Every transfer was met, and even small details (like my birthday) were accounted for in surprising way. In a short number of days (9 days total), time was given to visit Oslo and experience the city and culture on the bookends of the trip. Ultimately, after using other travel firms in the past, we will never look back. Yampu is AMAZING!!”
– Franzetti Art
We Are Your Logistics Team
We specialize in the difficult travel itineraries, the things that not everyone gets to do, but they can do with Yampu. This may be combining countries, delving deeper into one country, finding routes that are unique, or very often, your family or group may want to come at different times, leave at different times, fly in from various cities, mix up the room types, cater to multiple dietary preferences, have a few people in your group with different activity levels, all this and so much more we can handle with ease. We have phone meetings with you before you travel to make sure all the logistics are understood before you leave. We have several eyes, on everyone’s itinerary and in most cases, we can catch any mistakes before they happen. Then when unexpected issues arise while you are traveling such as a natural disaster or civil unrest, our team jumps in to problem solving mode and helps you navigate the unexpected.
“I have had Jose at Yampu as my travel agent for over 20 years. On our most recent trip in addition to all his usual great service and detailed planning we reached him in the evening on New Year’s Eve when our flight was delayed and we missed our connecting flight. We were stranded. Jose got us another flight with another airline…and our travel insurance picked up the cost.”
We want you to be surprised and delighted when you travel with us. Behind the scenes we are adding value to your itineraries by attending to the details and going above and beyond just selling hotels and flights. From securing a coveted dinner reservation, and arranging little surprises along the way, to hopping on a call on a weekend, we strive to go above and beyond what you expect. Please let us know how we are doing.
“Before I booked with Yampu Tours, I spoke at length with José to figure out what tour company to go with to the Galápagos and Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island. After speaking with several companies, I decided on Yampu. One reason: it gives back to local communities in Latin America through a number of programs, including one in the Galápagos, an environmentally-protected place. Beyond that, I got a good intuitive feeling about José.
My intuition was spot on: our trip and working with José were incredible! José communicated with me extensively before our trip, meticulous about details so we had the best experience possible in each city we flew in to. He suggested city tours with local guides who were extremely knowledgable about history and culture. The naturalist guides in the Galápagos were extraordinary, and the catamaran crew was in sync with all the guests’ needs. One of our party is vegan, and José made sure the chef onboard the Galápagos cruise was attentive to that, and both he and our local guides elsewhere suggested places to eat.
The Rapa Nui leg of our trip was superb! Our guide was Rapa Nui and, in addition to personal history and culture, he gave us an invaluable perspective on how those who live on this remote island viewed visitors like we tourists.
Unexpected issues, not due to Yampu, arose, and José handled them promptly with understanding and grace. He showed care for our situation, and our trust in him grew as we felt well-taken care of amid difficulties.
Yampu is Quechua for the totora reed boat from Lake Titicaca. It also means bringing a vision to life. Yampu did that for us: it made a long-held dream a reality.”
-Gayle
We will be here every step of the way, from planning, while you are on the trip and when you get back. We are here to help, assist and execute. If something goes wrong, tell us, we will fix it. You are not booking on a webpage, we are a real team who cares about you and all the details needed to make this a trip of a lifetime. In a client’s words.
“Two separate covid-postponed trips with Yampu in 2022. Portugal/Spain in October and India in November. I have been traveling with them since 2016, and these are the additional destinations; South Africa/Zimbabwe/Zambia, Cuba, and Peru. A custom trip is worth it, especially if you are trying to maximize your experience at a destination you’re unfamiliar with and/or is far from your home. They organize just about everything for you in detailed fashion and your job is to enjoy the trip! That said, since nothing is perfect, the couple of times I have a had small issue, it has always been resolved. Communication is very good. You will likely be amazed with how efficient and relaxing a trip can be when it is put together by a travel expert.
A helpful hint if you’re going to be a first-time traveler with Yampu; thoroughly read the draft itinerary they send, and if you see something you’d rather not do, or think of something you want to include, just tell them! It’s your custom trip and the beauty of Yampu is they are happy work with you to create the itinerary.”
-ES
If you are a travel agent, we love to take care of your clients. We want to make you look good and communicate with you so we design the best experience for your clients. We have many travel agents who use our service. We will take very good care of your clients.
Trusted resource for travel advisor
“I worked with Yampu on behalf of my clients. Yampu designed & executed an amazing & memorable experience for them. They LOVED Peru & cannot wait to plan another custom trip. The value cannot be beat. As a travel advisor, I’m extremely careful & selective about the vendors I work with. They have to be dependable and trustworthy. Yampu exceeds those requirements. I’m grateful & more than satisfied. I’m a fan!”
-Sheri M.
Lastly, I am very grateful for all of you. Planning travel has been a joyful career, I love sharing all the experiences in this amazing world with you all. I hope I have shown you things you may not have seen without me, pushed your comfort zone a bit, thrilled you, and made you feel nurtured.
Monica Irauzqui
Monica@Yampu.com
+1 (646) 413-9701
226 W Ojai Ave Ste 101-444, Ojai, CA 93023, USA