Hi there! I’m Diane Valenti.
I hatched the idea for Llama Expeditions over a home-cooked chicken dinner at close to 14,000 feet in the Peruvian Andes way back in 2008.
I was on a backpacking trip with friends.
Our group had hired a local farmer, Antonio, to carry our heavy items on his horse and mule.
The first night we didn’t make it as far as we had planned because I was struggling with the altitude.
At nearly 14,000 feet, I could only manage a few steps at a time before I had to stop to catch my breath.
So, we ended up camping on the farm where Antonio lived with his family.
From what I could tell Antonio and his family didn’t have heat, electricity, or running water in their one-room home.
Yet, in spite of their meager circumstances, on that cold and star-filled night, Antonio and his wife killed a chicken and cooked us dinner.
This act of generosity stunned me. Here were people who appeared to have so little, sharing so much.
I realized that I could make a difference in Antonio’s life, and in the lives of others who had not been as fortunate as I, through philanthropic adventure travel. In other words, not just doing less damage while traveling, but actually making the places we visit better.
So, I used my experience as a corporate consultant working with Fortune 500 companies to start Llama Expeditions.
And, what I noticed over the decade of running this company is that it’s not just the locals that benefit.
But, the travelers, too.
The most frequent description of our trips that I hear is “life changing.”
So, I hope you’ll join us on the journey that is a Llama Expedition.
