As the early sun rose, our bus to Tikal was already on the road. Mike, our guide and driver, meanders down the bumpy, dirt road from Pook's Hill and towards the border to Guatemala. Today we entered Guatemala and spent the day at Tikal National Park. As soon as we arrived to the border, Mike jumped out and lets us know we will walk across the border from here, meeting up with Roberto, a Guatemalan driver, on the other side. Going through customs was a cinch with Mike there to guide us. The whole process took 10 minutes and then we are in a different Central American country. Guatemala immediately felt different. Spanish-speaking, and more rural, this country is rich in culture, coffee and Maya traditions. Roberto is a friendly bilingual driver, willing to make plenty of conversation and planning a nice coffee stop along the way to the ruins. Now that we are in Guatemala, Mike played a role as an escort to make sure our journey goes well but our guides are Guatemalan for today. There was understood protocol and sign of respect among guides in Belize and Guatemala that each takes the lead in his or her own country. We drove another 40 minutes to the entrance of Tikal National Park, stopping along the way to sip shade-grown, organic coffee and peruse the shop for a hammock or piece of pottery to purchase. Roberto and Mike found a splendid guide to lead our trip around Tikal for the day. With the sound of the Montezuma Oropendula in the air and Spider monkeys crawling in the trees above us, off we go for a day of hiking through the Tikal ruins. The weather was great with it being hot but at least overcast, and the crowds were sparse on this day. There were areas where we didn’t encounter any other visitors. We had the chance to climb some of the temples and enjoy the views, not only of the immediate plazas below but of the countryside. Were those other tree-covered hills in the distance covered and hidden Maya sites? Possibly. I will never forget being on one of the largest temples and listening to the howler monkeys. The bass, volume, and duration of their howls was incredible. What a great progression in learning about the Maya! We started out with an impressive but smaller site in Xunantunich, had the chance to visit the cave and see the Maya belief and importance of the underworld, and then ended it with Tikal.
Kelly and Rhenee were excellent to work with on planning our trip. The logistics all worked smoothly and everyone was friendly and on time. Our accommodations were very good, particularly the incredible Patagonia Camp in Torres del Paine! Our guides on every excursion were outstanding and made the hikes memorable! Overall we had a wonderful trip with incredible memories!
Scott Gibson
1 day ago
Adventure Life is definitely a first-class safari tour company, and our representative was Franny Friesz. First of all, she responded immediately after we contacted Adventure Life. We told Franny that we had never been on a safari, and she was more than eager to offer a mountain of information about the trip. She informed us fully about all the ups, downs, and all arounds! She even prepared a number of packages for us to review -- even after we made changes to the areas we wanted to explore. Friendly, helpful, professional, and extremely knowledgeable -- these words describe Franny, and what a wonderful trip she prepared! We couldn't have asked for better service than Franny of Adventure Life. We HIGHLY recommend her and her outstanding company! Bon Voyage!
Prima Burke
2 days ago
The staff at Adventure Life made planning my family's trip to the Galapagos Islands as easy as possible. They listened to what we were hoping to experience and made thoughtful suggestions about how to accomplish our vacation goals while meeting the needs of travelers ages 17-76! They patiently answered questions and follow up questions in the months leading up to the trip. They helped us trouble shoot and customize the trip in every way possible. The logistics involved in traveling from Boston to the Galapagos are innumerable. The Adventure Life staff helped us arrange every detail and the team they assembled in the Galapagos was tremendous. I have never done a trip this big before and after working with Adventure Life this time--would not hesitate one second in working with them again.
Jennifer Howard Schroeder
3 days ago
Kevin got right on our request and had us booked within the week