At 8:30, after a lesiurely breakfast in the eating area of our hosteria, our trekking guide Augustino arrives to take us to the Harberton Estancia, a former sheep and cattle ranch that is now home to a Pinguino (Penguin) colony. We take a Zodiak raft over to Martillo Island and walk as near as 6 feet from the penguins to observe them close up. Most are Magellanic Pinguinos who make nests in the ground for their young, along with a few Gentoo Pinguinos mixed among them. Again our guide, Augustino, explains the habits of the animals to us, along with the main predators of their chicks, the Skua birds. The owner of the island allows groups of only 20 persons at a time on the island to avoid upsetting the penguins, who appear to be milling around like a group of relaxed folks wearing tuxedos at a cocktail party. After hiking around the colony, we raft over to Gable Island nearby for a vigorous 6 km. trek with Augustino. He leads us at a good pace, but still manages to do a great job of explaining the various animal, plant and tree life of the land along the way. It is a sunny clear day with no rain, which Augustino says doesn't always occur at this time of year. (Lucky us!) Temps which normally run 40-50 degrees F. are up to 60 degrees today. The views through varied forest and prairie terrain are spectacular. At the end of our trek we are renewed with a lunch of olives, cheese, chips, bread, sausage, and steak, cooked on a grill by our guides at an abandoned sheep herder's hut. Good Argentinian Malbec wine plus water or soda ("gaseosa") is plentiful, and the meal is topped off by brownies which Augustino swears repeatedly that he baked himself at 4:30 am that morning. I notice his fingers are crossed behind his back, though, and I believe I can see his nose grow just a half-centimeter longer! After rafting back to the mainland, we stop at the Cetean Whale Museum on the grounds of the Estancia. A very knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide shows us through the exhibits and describes the different whales, porpoises, sea lions and other mammals of the area. The museum does research with the University in BA, where our guide is finishing her degree. She is volunteering at the museum in the summer. "Muy interesante", and well worth the visit and a donation, so I dig deeper for some dollars for the collection jar. Then Augustino drives us all back to Ushuaia in a small bus as he plays Jonny Lang and other American blues CD's on the radio. After our huge lunch we decide that ice cream ("helado") and cappuchino are all we need for dinner, and we end the day, satisfied and tired.
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.