Diane Valenti with Llama friends in Puno, Peru
“The power these gentle beasts have over my guests as we trek with them in the Peruvian Andes is well worth a pay-back,” says Llama Expeditions founder Diane Valenti. “To make the trek with llamas, the camel-like beasts of burden of the Incas, is to follow in the traditional steps of a great civilization in a way that leaves minimal impact on the land and a positive effect on a local family’s income.”
Valenti has announced that she will be donating $150 to Heifer International to cover the cost of one gifted llama this season. The company is encouraging others to think about that person on their list that already has everything and to honor them with a gift of a llama ($150) or shares of a llama (at $20 per share) in their name this holiday. To donate please go to: https://secure1.heifer.org/
Donors have the ability to create and print a custom Honor Card to announce the gift and because the donation is helping Heifer fight hunger and poverty, the contribution is tax deductible.
Llamas help bring sustenance to families who care for them, providing transportation, rental income and wool for blankets, ponchos, carpets and rope. This year’s Heifer International catalog tells the story of a couple who now have a herd of 60 alpacas from their starter two. Each animal provides four pounds of wool, the proceeds of which are helping to educate the couple’s children.
Llama Expeditions (http://www.llamaexpeditions.com/
“The company fills the spot between responsible tourism and voluntourism,”
About Llama Expeditions
Entrepreneur and outdoorswoman Diane Valenti hatched the idea for her company in 2008 over a home-cooked chicken dinner at close to 14,000 feet in the Peruvian Andes. She has been able to apply her over 20 years as a business consultant working with clients such as Genentech, Nike, and Starbucks Coffee Company to her enterprise that goes beyond just ordinary tourism.
Llama Expeditions tours offer full cultural immersion giving guests the opportunity to see how Peruvians live—to talk with them about their dreams and accomplishments and to learn about the challenges they face. Interactions with nonprofit and grassroots organizations are also woven into the itinerary when possible giving participants the chance to experience the difference gifts of healthy food, school supplies, clothing, or sunglasses can make in the lives of some of the world’s poorest people.
Llama Expeditions is a member of the Adventure Travel Trade Association and the International Ecotourism Society. For more information email info@llamaexpeditions.com or call (415) 553-7731.
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For photos and/or more information on Llama Expeditions, please contact:
Sara Widness / 802-234-6704 / sara@widnesspr.com
Dave Wiggins / 303-554-8821 / dave@travelnewssource.com
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