Our guides were great Our guides were great, I’d say our guide for Thailand, we only met once in the way from the airport, she was nice but slept the entire drive which we thought was not appropriate. We loved all the places we went and stayed. We did feel that for the price we should have had nicer hotel accommodations. Not the hotel itself but the room we were booked. The itinerary does note standard but prices in Thailand and Bali are extremely low so we would have expected some upgrades at least. We loved our trip, loved the country, not many issues with flight air etc.

Argentina plus Iguazu staying in Brazil and two days in Chile! We worked with Jose on our Argentina trip and some details got complicated, as the trip had originally been planned by our sister, who could not go at the last moment. Jose spent quite a bit of time with the remaining two sisters (me being one of them), going over plans, answering questions and making some changes. We were always picked up at airports promptly and well taken care of. Guides were good (some incredibly good, such as Virginia in Iguazu Falls and Roberto in Cordoba). We like traveling with Yampu -- we are not with a large group and on our own at times but have guides when we want them.

Galápagos and Rapa Nui 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.

YAMPU-MY TRAVEL AGENT FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS! 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.

Yampu: my travel agent for over 20 years 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.