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.
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.