To Chile, Argentina and Back Again - The Trip of a Lifetime
I’ve spent years pouring through my share of Outside Magazines and National Geographics; watched hours of Discovery Channel Programs and marveled at the beauty of nature; heard the tales of many of my well-travelled friends as they detailed their harrowing and exciting adventures. But with all of this, at 30 years old, I had never been outside of the United States. Yes, you heard that right. While I would have given my left arm to be able to say I was an adventurer, the most I had ventured from home was across the U.S. At least that was the case a year ago, when (for my 30th birthday) my boyfriend Jay surprised me with the trip of a lifetime – halfway around the world in South America. He had heard about Adventure Life through a few friends (and a few reads of Outside Magazine himself) and booked the trip without my knowing. Flash forward to March 2010 when, after months of planning, Jay and I board a flight bound for Santiago with an itinerary set to take us to the end of the world and back – and offer us experiences we wouldn’t soon forget. I had no idea what was in store but was soon to find out…
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.