The town of Ushuaia is fascinating. We can't believe how many young people walk the streets at night. The only other folks are tourists. There are many kids hanging out everywhere. When asked, our guide said there are many single parents (45%) and the sad joke goes that a kid asked his parents if they were poor because all his friends had 2 homes and he only had one! Apparently in the '90s, the government wanted more people to settle in Ushuaia so they made a push for young settlers and allowed squatting. The population doubled in a just a few years and there are no grandparents!
The weather is bizarre. Sunny one minute and raining the next (we have lucked out). The winds can come up in a minute and practically knock you down. The temperature rarely goes below freezing because it is near the water. Many Olympic hopefuls come here to train for the ski events. This is the most expensive area of all Argentina and Argentineans from other areas cannot visit because of the prohibitive prices. They are actually fairly comparable to the US. AND the vino is SHITO! Mendoza is El Rey (the King) of the wine provinces. In fact, there is only one winery in all of Patagonia so there is no competition. They are, however, famous for king crab, black hake (fish from 600 ft below the ocean) and lamb. We have not been impressed with any of it. They really overcook their seafood--rubber is good for the road, not the tummy!
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
2 days ago
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
3 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.