Yampu Launches New Tours for Rainforest Alliance Week

Stowe, VT, September 20, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Yampu Tours, a Rainforest Alliance allied Tour Operator, is celebrating Rainforest Alliance Week with a new line of tours that promote sustainable travel in Latin America. Rainforest Alliance Week will run from September 19th – 23rd, 2011 with a mission to raise awareness regarding sustainability and the initiatives involved in Eco-friendly tourism. In promoting Rainforest Alliance Week, Yampu Tours is offering a 15% discount on all new Sustainable Trips until December 15th, 2011. These Sustainable Trips include accommodations verified by the Rainforest Alliance, and excursions that promote community awareness, foster environmental education, educate about the local ecosystem and wildlife, and offer opportunities to give back to the local community. Yampu has selected three countries that are leaders in the sustainable tourism movement in Latin America: Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Peru.

Costa Rica is a nature loving country that embraces a grass-roots movement for sustainable and ecological tourism. Costa Rica has begun to remove itself from the big chain resorts and begun to foster smaller company and family owned hotels and eco-resorts that take deep pride in their location. These smaller accommodations employee a certain percentage of locals and work hard to preserve the community and environment they love deeply.

Ecuador has created partnerships within the local Amazonian communities to teach the locals skills that enable them to run eco-lodges. These community-run lodges both protect and promote the fragile environment by teaching visitors; this practice also creates an economical infrastructure into an otherwise isolated community. In the Galapagos Ecuador’s government works to constantly update and revise the rules of the Galapagos National Parks. Ecuador is very aware of the delicacy of the Galapagos and creates strict procedures to respond and protect to the amount of tourism the archipelago attracts. While they still have some work to do in order to fully preserve the Galapagos, there is a current effort to obtain sustainability.

Peru has one of the most well preserved areas of the Amazon with many carefully constructed sustainable lodges. The people of Peru are a very serious and organized people with a highly dedicated work ethic. Just recently there have been many restrictions placed on preserving trails and even Machu Picchu itself to sustain the ruins for generations to come. The Peruvians and the Shamans, as part of their ethical upbringing, can often be spotted working with visitors to better the community. There are several organizations in Peru that work within the communities in the Andes, as well to provide support for these communities to foster sustainable tourism experiences and accommodations for its visitors.

Yampu operates as a sustainable company promoting grassroots efforts and environmentally conscious travel wherever possible. Yampu’s employees put forth their best efforts to recommend locally owned and operated hotels and eco-resorts. When clients are receptive, and most are, excursions are incorporated to build a deeper understanding and appreciation of the places they visit.

An example of Yampu’s new Sustainable Trips below (prices are per person including round-trip international airfare from Miami):

Sustainable Ecuador with Galapagos – 14 days
Let Yampu guide you to Ecuador’s mainland and the Galapagos exploring the diverse natural environments without leaving behind any prints. Yampu has selected hotels on the mainland that are approved by the Rainforest Alliance as sustainable. Conclude your tour aboard the Eric, Letty, and Flamingo fleet of catamarans that were the first recipient of the Green Seal of Approval, and Smart Voyager certified.

Sustainable Costa Rica with San José, Arenal, and Manuel Antonio – 8 days
Let Yampu guide you to Costa Rica staying at Eco-resorts and lodges that have been verified as sustainable by the Rainforest Alliance. Visit the beautiful beaches of Manuel Antonio and the impressive Arenal Volcano and local hot springs without leaving behind a carbon footprint.

Sustainable Cuzco, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu with the Amazon – 11 days
Let Yampu guide you to the highlights of Peru staying in accommodations that have been verified as sustainable by the Rainforest Alliance. These tours will allow you to give back to the rich culture and landscape of the country. This tour also includes a visit to the Peruvian Amazon where naturalist guides will introduce you to the surrounding wildlife and educate you on various medicinal purposes of the rainforest vegetation.

Based in Stowe, Vermont and with offices in New York City and Europe, Yampu Tours has a A+ rating at the BBB (Better Business Bureau), is a member of ASTA (the American Society of Travel Agents), and bonded with ARC (American Airlines Reporting Corporation) and IATA. For more information, please visit www.yampu.com or contact: Toll Free: (US) 1-888-926 7801 (UK) 0800 011 2424 International: (US) +1 212 206-3710 (UK) +44 20 89299886 E-mail: info@yampu.com

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