How do I describe three weeks of breathtaking biodiversity, sumptuous soups, mouthwatering tropical fruit, adventures in transportation, engaging conversations with informative and inquisitive local Ecuadorian guides, rich history and abundant wildlife, lots of laughter with my travel friend and fellow artist Kathleen, myriad amazing paintable images and. . . you get the picture.
With the help of our Adventure Life tour specialists we jam packed three weeks with an exploration of the Andes Highlands, an adventurous flight and boat ride into Kapawi Lodge in the Amazon Rain Forest, and a never to be forgotten eight day cruise through the Galapagos Islands on a 14 passenger/six crew motor sailor. Each trip was interspersed with a night at our home away from home, the Hostal de La Rabida in Quito, where we also spent three full days on the end of our trip.
In my style of journaling I tend to do a quick watercolor sketch on site and return to it a couple days later to write whatever comes to mind after I've had some time to digest the experience. You'll see a taste of Kathleen's art as well as mine in this e-journal. And of course, photos. Feel free to skip to the section of our trip that interests you!
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
1 day ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.