Our last day in the Falklands! I had time in the morning before being picked up at Lafone House at 10:30 to visit the Falkland Islands Collectibles shop for a last minute look through post cards and covers. The proprietor agreed to come in earlier than usual for my benefit - and his.
The drive to MPA from Stanley takes about 45 minutes over a mostly gravel and very dusty road. The landscape is through low rolling hills with rocky outcroppings and some views of the shoreline.
We were amazed when our driver told us that the following day he would be acting as one of the support vehicles for a bicycle tour of East Falklands. We could not imagine wanting to cycle over the available roads - all rough, dusty and buffeted by the constant winds. The cyclists must be made of tougher stuff than I am!
Arrival at MPA was the beginning of our return trip home and this leg of it, at least was something to be looked forward to. The waiting room at MPA is quite Spartan, but adequate.
Our flight on LAN to Punta Arenas included a stop at Rio Gallegos in Southern Argentina to let off the Argentines who had been visiting the Falklands on the once a month flight for the allowed by the Falklands government.
Rio Gallegos is on a coastal plain and appeared to be a fairly large city. Our stop there was brief and we were off again towards Punta Arenas, Chile. An hour stop there got us through customs and back on the flight to Santiago where we arrived about 10:00 pm.
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.