Vamos Expeditions
Vamos Expeditions is a Certified B Corporation based in Lima, Peru, that operates unique expert-led experiences to less crowded sites, offering clients a real connection with the culture and history of destinations across South America. The UnTours Foundation invested in Vamos to fund marketing and communications to increase the number of underserved travelers with disabilities to travel with Vamos and to invest in specialized courses and certifications that would give Vamos more authority in the field of inclusive tourism.
The company was founded in 2004 and is currently led by Annelies Hamerlinck and Pablo Moreno. They specialize in providing personalized experiences for a diversity of hikers, food lovers, and all kinds of adventurers while enhancing the lives of local people and the conservation of natural and cultural heritage in Latin America. While Vamos operates across South America, 90% of its trips are in Peru.
The Vamos Expeditions Origin Story:
Vamos Expeditions was started by Annelies Hamerlinck and her former partner, Daniel Diaz-Silva Frola, who tragically passed after launching the business. Annelies is a social entrepreneur, outdoor sports fanatic, and nature lover with a lifelong passion for conservation, sustainability, and making a better world through tourism. Belgian-born, Annelies has spent years guiding adventure tours across Latin-America, Europe, and Indonesia until she settled in Peru. With diplomas in Sports and Movement Sciences, Development Cooperation (with a thesis on eco-tourism and how tourism can reduce poverty), Tourism, and Business Administration, she has worked as a tour guide and cross-cultural experiential learning instructor for some of the world’s foremost touring companies.
How Vamos Expeditions Is Making an Impact:
Vamos Expeditions exists to create positive social and environmental impact in a variety of ways. Through its trips, the company preserves the remaining cultural heritage in the region and helps rural economies and habitats flourish. Vamos supports the local economy and improves livelihoods by partnering with local small businesses in rural areas so they can preserve their culture and environment. They partner with local guides, drivers, porters, artists, and owners of accommodations and regional food vendors. Vamos also supports local nonprofits in its destinations. Vamos provides high-quality jobs for designers, guides, and staff who are local people as well as expatriates who have lived in and explored the region for years.
Environmental protection is also critically important to Vamos. Vamos practices low-impact camping and is on its way to becoming 100% free of single-use plastics. Vamos also partners with organizations promoting private and community-based environmental initiatives, including reforestation and conservation programs. Additionally, Vamos has offset its carbon footprint through a United Nations-certified body.
Vamos seeks to create meaningful connections. Every Vamos journey connects travelers to local communities, individuals, and organizations, encouraging a sense of respect and empathy for their customers. Vamos has a niche in educational tourism and has hosted MBA students, nursing students, and more. Vamos has served customers across a range of accessibility needs, including ski trips for visually impaired travelers, experiences for travelers with hearing problems, and even a well-publicized hiking trip for a woman with leg prostheses who had always dreamed of hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Vamos also offers multi-generational trips.
How You Can Connect with Vamos Expeditions:
Learn more about Vamos Expeditions on their website. You can also follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn to receive updates and share their stories on your platforms. You can also see some of their incredible adventures on their YouTube Channel.
