Yampu Tours Reviews 350

My tour guides were excellent. They took me everywhere I wanted to go and some. Both gentlemen were very informative and I learned a lot. Great cultural experience and beautiful scenery. Food was amazing and the people were great. This is a trip I’ll carry with me for life.

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.

Jose's team at Yampu Tours delivered above and beyond for our trip to the Galapagos! Incredibly detail oriented, very communicative and helpful before, during and after the trip. We knew exactly what to expect, where to be and how to contact someone if there was an emergency. Their guides kept us safe in addition to providing wonderful information about the local culture and our program.

We had several issues come up and Jose handled them extremely professionally and helped to fix these issues which were caused by third party operators (cruise and airline). When I had my return flight canceled due to civil unrest, he got on the phone with me late at night and helped me make a plan to safely return home without delay. I trust Jose and his team completely.

We had an unforgettable experience and a big part of that is the quality delivered by Yampu Tours. They went beyond my expectations!

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.

Jose went above and beyond to help us escape israel in oct 2023. this is not our first trip planned by yampu, and all have been well done with the details in order. weve made over 300 trips, most international, in the last 16 years, so we know good planning when we see it.

I am always amazed how much work I have to put in to do daily things. When I use my bank I have to fill in their forms for them, if I have a broken streetlight I also have to fill in a form for the city. I could call these organisations but we all know how that would go waiting on hold. Yampu tours takes me back to a time when you would interact with an organisation that would be happy to do their job and do it well. They're not cheap but they are very good. They think about their clients and what will happen to them and they plan and then plan again. Every contingency was taken care of any change I needed was accommodated. I would highly recommend this organisation for their polite and thoughtful service.

We have travelled with Yampu several times and sometimes to exotic destinations. Yampu was always extremely responsive and really helpful to sort things out immediately. In some places nothing is straightforward but thanks to Yampu we always had an amazing holiday. I cannot recommend Yampu high enough. Thanks Jose!

I first booked through Jose at Yampu more than 20 years ago (before Yampu was called Yampu).. Yampu arranged Galapagos, Peru, Machu Picchu, Bolivia, Uyni, Isla Pescatore, Casa de Salar, Lake Titi Caca and more for me. I just had them book Peru and Costa Rica for me for December 2023 and Egypt/Jordan/Petra/Israel for me for 2024. Yampu always does a wonderful job and it's so much better than the big group tours with a bus load of people.

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!!

Our travel agent, 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.

Our trip to Egypt, Tanzania, and Doha was booked with our favorite travel agent at Yampu, Stephanie! Stephanie has booked numerous trips for our family of 5 and always does an amazing job. After booking trips for us for many years, Stephanie knows exactly what our family needs. She knows every like and dislike for every one of us.
We started our trip off in Egypt and everything booked by Stephanie was perfect. For reasons out of Stephanie's control, the quality of our tour guides in Cairo and Luxor were not to our satisfaction. Our stay in Tanzania was absolutely perfect and amazing! It was truly a slice of heaven thanks to the meticulous planning of Stephanie.
The safaris, guides, accommodations and meals were perfect in every way. If you are looking for a worry free, perfect vacation, look no further, book with Stephanie!

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. :)

Thanks so much Yampu Tours for planning our 9 day trip to Peru . We had a wonderful time and met so many great people. We enjoyed the food excursion in Lima it was one of our favorites. We enjoyed trying authentic food and shopping in the Indian Market for many Peruvian textiles and artwork.

The jungle showed us a different side of Peru,it was beautiful but relentless. The mosquitos enjoyed us much, nevertheless; despite the protests and political issues Peru was truly organized, thought-out, and planned well.

We look forward to traveling with Yampu Tours again.

Johnai

We recently returned from another stellar trip to South America, arranged by Stephanie. We really appreciate her attention to detail and her suggestions before we left. This trip involved quite a few tours and long-distance transfers (with excellent and very safe drivers!), in Peru, Bolivia, and Chile, and everything went flawlessly. The guides were so personable and enjoyable to talk to, and all the tours we took were both interesting and beautiful. Our two South America trips this year were absolutely wonderful and we would highly recommend both Yampu and Stephanie!!

We took a 10 day trip to Patagonia in Chile and it was wonderful! Everything went according to plan and the choice of hotels was excellent. The staff at Yampu is top notch.

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Peru. The guides in Peru took wonderful care of us. Everyone we met was prompt, friendly, and informative. The hotels you selected were first rate. Jose Irauzqui from Yampu provided patient service in working with us to set up and put the itinerary into action.

Yampu arranged a tour of Zimbabwe/South Africa. The trip included Victoria Falls / Safari / Cape Town Penn. The tour was extremely well organized with hotels / guides and transportation all taken care of. The hotels were very high quality, and the guides were very informative/helpful. The itinerary was great - the safari included a lodge with the highest concentration of leopards.

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!

Our trip was an amazing experience! After COVID finally allowed us to take this trip, it was worth every second of waiting! It was our driver, our guide, and us….they were very knowledgeable and eager to show us every single beautiful aspect of both Peru and Ecuador. We would choose this tour company again.

Machu Picchu was our dream trip. Dream became a reality, thanks to incredible arrangements made by Stephanie Rudolph of Yampu Tours and her associates.
Entire tour went without a glitch. Stephanie gave us a great value for the tour. She was very quick to respond and to address all our concerns. I particularly want to mention tour guide Percy who made it possible for me to hike the Huyana Piccchu.
Jay shetty