As of March 6, 2013 the US Embassy has officially lifted their Peru travel alert that was announced in mid-February. You can read embassy’s complete statement online. The period of the February travel alert passed without incident. As always, our travelers’ safety and well-being is our top priority. Adventure Life guests traveling to Peru are accompanied by a reputable local guide and vehicle with professional driver on main routes. We [...]

Nicaragua travel is gearing up for a successful 2013. It is drawing a lot of attention from the tour industry and both the widely-traveled and first-time travelers from across the globe. I’m not surprised: Nicaragua is a country of thriving culture, history, wildlife and boasts a landscape dominated by volcanoes, pristine rainforest and miles & miles of serene sandy shoreline. Our own Adventure Lifer, Kassandra Miller, recently returned from a [...]

  Quito’s much anticipated new international airport is scheduled to open February 20, 2013. If all goes according to plan, the new airport will be operating Wednesday at 9:00 AM with the old closing its doors the evening before (February 19, 2013) at 7:00 PM. The new Mariscal Sucre Airport is ten times larger than the original airport. It welcomes new flight routes from the US and Europe, boasts one [...]

The spectacular Easter festivals in Antigua, Guatemala are beyond comparison to anything in the northern hemisphere. One of its most striking aspects are the carpets — or alfombras — that adorn the processional route. Residents along the streets of Antigua begin preparations weeks and even months in advance to create these beautifully intricate offerings. The carpets are painstakingly made by hand. Ranging in designs from biblical scenes to popular soccer [...]

UPDATE: As of March 6, 2013 the US Embassy has lifted it Peru travel alert. Read more. Adventure Life feels it is important to keep our travelers informed of security alerts that arise frequently with travel in developing countries. The US Embassy in Lima released an alert to US citizens about a potential criminal threat in Peru. You can see the embassy’s official statement online. At present, there is no [...]

When deciding when to visit Antarctica, time of year does make a difference, but deciding which time of year is “best” depends on what you are looking at getting out of your Antarctica adventure. Specific wildlife sightings – mating season – new hatchlings – weather – icescapes – mud – penguins poo smell at its worst/best…? While January is typically considered the heart of the Antarctica travel season, visitors shouldn’t [...]

UPDATE Jan 9, 2012 – For both Aerogal and TAME flights, fuel surcharges can now be paid in advance to our offices. There will no longer be any payments made locally at the airport. Please see additional details in comments section below. All flights starting on January 1, 2012 to the Galapagos, will be subject to a fuel surcharge. It does not matter when the flights were booked, and applies [...]

Since the eruption of Chile’s Puyehue Volcano in early June, flights in Argentina’s Bariloche region have experienced disruptions. Waiting for the dust to settle, the airport is taking advantage of this time to do a little updating and maintenance work. Originally scheduled to reopen in this month, it was announced that the Bariloche will now be closed until Feb. 2012. Here is an official statement released today (Dec. 12, 2011) [...]

The bad news: American Airlines filed for bankruptcy this morning. The good news: At this time it looks like “business as usual” for travelers during the Chapter 11 process. Here is the official statement our flight partners received from Derek DeCross, American Airlines Vice President of Global Sales. I’ll keep you updated on changes — or check out more information on the restructuring on American Airlines website. November 29, 2011 [...]

Last month, the Galapagos National Park Service announced they are closing visitor access to two of the tortoise corrals at Santa Cruz’s Fausto Llerena Tortoise center — due to some irresponsible behaviors by, reportedly, both some select travelers and naturalist guides. Behaviors reported include littering and violating the park’s rules against touching and coming within two meters of the animals. It was also reported that visitors were observed walking on [...]

The boardwalk in La Paz’s Malecon district is ideal for strolling. And following our 5-day camping adventure in the sand and sun of Magdalena Bay, a day casually walking the boardwalk was welcomed. We were up early to try and beat the height of the afternoon heat — 9:30 AM and it was already in the mid-eighties. The kids had a handful of pesos burning a hole their pockets and [...]

I strolled the beach with my companions: a steaming cup of coffee and a groggy four-year-old Faye. It was our final morning at our Magdalena Bay campsite and Faye and I quietly walked the shoreline as the sun burned off the last of the early-morning clouds. Our stride was slow. There was no rush. We dipped our feet in the water, carved our names in the sand with our big-toes, [...]

Turtle monitoring begins! The camp buzzed with energy. The turtle monitoring was a much anticipated highlight of our Baja camping adventure and the Conway family was anxious to get up-close with the region’s black sea turtles. This monitoring program is part of Grupo Tortuguero‘s community and sea turtle conservation project — the information gathered provides data on health, migration patterns and habitat use of sea turtles in Magdalena Bay. Leading [...]

We were in our kayaks by 11:00 am. Paddle-talk included insight from our guides, Charo & Nolberto, on the ecological make-up of mangroves, the local fishing industry, as well as an animated conversation about our overnight coyote visit. Our tents provided the perfect place for dew to gather, and a few thirsty four-legged friends provided the most unique wake-up call I’ve ever encountered. After breakfast, four curious coyotes reappeared at [...]

The roadside Ranchero’s decor showcases intricate hand-crafted saddles, as well as a hodge-podge of attic-items including the stuffed head of a koala-deer (a stuffed koala bear head with antlers). We stopped at the family-owned Ranchero for breakfast on our way from La Paz to Lopez. This three-hour drive crosses the Baja Peninsula and our stop was perfectly timed to help break-up the drive, fill our stomachs and get to know [...]

Adventure Life is celebrating Earth Day by planting trees. You should join us! CLICK HERE to plant your tree. One entry = one tree. The more entries the more trees planted, so tell your friends. And to show our gratitude, three lucky entrants will each win a $100 prAna gift card. You deserve it! Your tree will be planted on the northern slopes of Ecuador’s Rumiñahui Volcano in Hacienda El [...]

In its Top 10 Adventure Trips that Give Back, National Geographic Adventure features one of our favorites: Baja Mexico Kayak and Turtle Conservation Trip. Five species of sea turtles are found in the Baja region. All are endangered. This Baja trip supports research on black sea turtles as part of the Grupo Tortuguero program. Grupo Tortuguero is a collection of former poachers who have committed to conservation. Travelers spend 5 [...]

Last month, the Galapagos National Park Service announced they are closing visitor access to two of the tortoise corrals at Santa Cruz’s Fausto Llerena Tortoise center — due to some irresponsible behaviors by, reportedly, both some select travelers and naturalist guides. Behaviors reported include littering and violating the park’s rules against touching and coming within two meters of the animals. It was also reported that visitors were observed walking on [...]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px9-eBAdteM&feature=channel_video_title] A little reminder in the principles of Leave No Trace is always a good idea. This short video from my last Antarctica trip provides just that. Although a tiny pebble might seem insignificant, they are incredibly coveted by Antarctica penguins — penguins make their nests from small pebbles, that are not always easy to come by in the snowy, stark environment. Seen here in a short clip are Gentoos [...]

Summer’s here and it’s rainy season in Costa Rica. But while a few rainy afternoons might keep some travelers away, there are plenty of reasons to put a Costa Rica trip on the list of great summer getaways. 1. Prime Turtle Time From late March to late August sea turtles make their way to Costa Rica’s Pacific and Caribbean coasts to lay their eggs. May, June & July offer excellent [...]

The boardwalk in La Paz’s Malecon district is ideal for strolling. And following our 5-day camping adventure in the sand and sun of Magdalena Bay, a day casually walking the boardwalk was welcomed. We were up early to try and beat the height of the afternoon heat — 9:30 AM and it was already in the mid-eighties. The kids had a handful of pesos burning a hole their pockets and [...]

I strolled the beach with my companions: a steaming cup of coffee and a groggy four-year-old Faye. It was our final morning at our Magdalena Bay campsite and Faye and I quietly walked the shoreline as the sun burned off the last of the early-morning clouds. Our stride was slow. There was no rush. We dipped our feet in the water, carved our names in the sand with our big-toes, [...]

Turtle monitoring begins! The camp buzzed with energy. The turtle monitoring was a much anticipated highlight of our Baja camping adventure and the Conway family was anxious to get up-close with the region’s black sea turtles. This monitoring program is part of Grupo Tortuguero‘s community and sea turtle conservation project — the information gathered provides data on health, migration patterns and habitat use of sea turtles in Magdalena Bay. Leading [...]

We were in our kayaks by 11:00 am. Paddle-talk included insight from our guides, Charo & Nolberto, on the ecological make-up of mangroves, the local fishing industry, as well as an animated conversation about our overnight coyote visit. Our tents provided the perfect place for dew to gather, and a few thirsty four-legged friends provided the most unique wake-up call I’ve ever encountered. After breakfast, four curious coyotes reappeared at [...]

The following is a guest post from the non-profit organization Cooperative for Education, whose mission is to break the cycle of poverty in Guatemala through education. We’re excited — even more excited than that one time we got two Snickers from the vending machine for the price of one (although that was a great day). This exhilaration stems from the fact that Adventure Life completely rocks and has very generously [...]

It’s an exciting new year for us at Adventure Life in our new office! Last fall Adventure Lifers packed up our belongings and headed across town to set up residence in our brand new building. Check out our video of our moving day. There were a few sad moments leaving our old building – our Adventure Life home for the past ten plus years. So many memories that have been [...]

Adventure Life, Yacutinga Lodge and Kallpa T.O. (our local Argentina travel partner) have come together to fund and facilitate a series of environmental education workshops for the Guarani Community Kagui Pora from Argentina’s Comandante Andresito. The workshops are specifically designed for the children of the Kagui Pora Community. The curriculum is fun, hands-on and addresses the environmental issues facing the Paranaense Forest and the Guarani’s home. Overcome by agriculture and [...]

Creative costumes, great brews, and mud-covered bodies were all part of Missoula’s Dirty Dash Event supporting our local CASA program. CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate. Each trained community volunteer provides consistent, long-term advocacy for every child to live in a safe, permanent home. The Adventure Life Team was funded through the company’s Sports Sponsorship Program which gives support to employees involved in athletics around Missoula. Adventure Lifer’s Erin [...]

This summer we’ve watched as our new office building has taken shape on the Missoula skyline. Each week we see new additions to the construction on the outside and inside of the building. This week, check out my new reception area in this sketch! I can’t tell you how excited I am to have a lobby area. While we are predominantly an internet based company, we do have a share [...]