Puno -La ke Titikaka : Floating Islands and Taquile
The hotel arranged a great trip for us. It started early in the morning with a hotel pick up to drive to the port at the Titikaka lake.
There we met our guide, Leo. I was so happy to meet him as I've read about him in our pax evaluations.
After boarding a motor boat, we navigate to the Uros Islands. On the island we landed we found a nice group leaving there, they welcome us and explained us about their island, their lives, their costums. After enjoying a couple of hours with them we board a Totora canoe to the "main island" there we board our boat again to continue a long navigation to Taquile.
Taquile was superb. This island is a great example of a perfect organization where their 2000 inhabitants participate in different ways. The welcome team there even nprovides you a plant that makes you breath better at that super high elevation. The way up pays the efford with the wonderful view from the top, their comunity by itself is a tressure of narrow streets, stone stairs, colurful dresses, artcrafts and no cars!.
From this day on, my only concern was the impact of tourism in this traditional cultures, you can find everywhere, women and children asking for money for a picture, please, please don't do it... let tourism leave only positive impacts, purchase their merchandise, eat their food and even donate good but don't give money specially to children!
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.