Wednesday Dec 14 was a day for self exploration in Ushuaia and then travel to El Calafate. We enjoyed our breakfast with the fantastic view and then packed our gear. The hotel was kind enough to let us leave our luggage in the lounge while we went out exploring. We visited the local cemetery which reminded us of the Recoleta in Buenos Aires, though much smaller. We walked along the waterway and learned more about the history and passion of the people related to the Malvinas (Falkland Island) War. There were numerous memorials to the men who died in the short war and great discussion about all the politics surrounding the incident. Passion about the war continues to run high among the Argentinean people.
We found a wonderful Craftsman Lane and finished up our shopping, including some scarves, earrings, hats and bookmarks. We also walked around the town and saw some of the museums and varied landscape with hotels, wooden shacks, cute and well tended little houses all mixed together. We had lunch in an Italian restaurant and then while Carol Jo visited the End of the World museum to learn more about the history of the area, Kathy and Janet headed back to the hotel for a short rest. We discovered that most of the stores closed between 2 and 4 pm, so a rest was culturally correct!
Carol Jo finished her museum tour and returned to the hotel where we said good bye to our hosts and were picked up as always on time for our return trip to the Ushuaia airport for our flight to El Calafate. We flew out of Ushuaia in the evening and arrived in El Calafate by approximately 9:00 pm and were greeted by another friendly driver arranged by Adventure. The drive to the El Gapon del Glaciar Hosteria took about 45 minutes and allowed us to see the beautiful sunset at 10:00 pm and the glimmerings of a quiet, peaceful ranch setting set in gently rolling steppe environment. Caroline and her staff greeted us warmly and showed us to a comfortable 2 bedroom suite. We unloaded our suitcases and returned for an exquisite full course dinner with complimentary welcoming drinks overlooking the Estancia as the sun was setting. Caroline also took our orders for a box lunch for our adventure to the glacier.
Adventure Life has been an extraordinary travel resource for us over the years and today was no exception. Our River Cruise booking was handled by Jess (who has been our personal trip planner for several years) the same day as our inquiry. Suggestions were given for cabin choice and pre-trip options (that were not shown on the cruise line's website) like airport transfers and prepaid gratuities. Trip insurance recommendations followed and we were assigned a travel co-ordinator till the end of the tour. All we have to do is show up! Great service from friendly folks.
APtravelwell
1 day ago
My representative Kevin was very responsive generally and in crafting our itinerary to our specific priorities.
Rocco Labella
1 day ago
Although there was a lot of paper work, I received help and guidance when I needed it.
Donna Kirby
2 days ago
Our travel was flawless! The rider pickup (airport, hotel, ship) was seamless. Jane's recommendation for Emerald Cruise Sakara was everything I wanted but the experience was soooo much more. Adventure Life took care of each and every detail and this was the easiest of all my travels.
Anne Petty
3 days ago
Follow up was effective any questions were answered in a timely manner