Annelies Hammerlinck

Raised in Belgium at an organic vegetable farm, Annelies was born with an appetite for adventure and entrepreneurship. At a young age her father taught her to take care of the environment by imparting a deep appreciation for the natural world.

Annelies loves to explore the wilderness and started to employ her skills as an outdoor education instructor in Belgium, Italy and the Spanish Pyrenees where she instructed kayaking, rock climbing, canyoneering, rafting, hiking, speleology , mountain biking, and ski courses for visually impaired.

Annelies’ interest in multi-cultural exchange and her passion for helping indigenous populations in developing countries led her to study Development Cooperation, for which she conducted a thesis field study on Ecotourism in Ecuador. It was there where she developed a strong sense of compassion and her desire to contribute to positive change amongst local communities in Latin America she started up Vamos Expeditions (www.vamosexpeditions.com), a “fair travel” adventure tour operator based in Peru that works hand in hand with Andean, coastal, and Amazonian communities to help preserve their environmental and cultural heritages.

Annelies is always following her spirit and looking for new learning experiences everywhere she goes. She loves to meet new people, explore new places, to learn, understand, teach, share, and inspire others. With 17 years of experience working as a tour leader and experiential educator, Annelies has guided people of all ages and nationalities, providing her with opportunities to develop communication and leadership skills across diverse cultures. She likes to smile and is convinced in the transformational power of experiential learning through travel.