We panga-ed to Floreana’s beach and followed a sandy path to see flamingoes nesting at the edge of a lagoon. Max and Sina from Stuttgart enjoyed the mud in their bare feet, but the rest of us contented ourselves with listening to the Darwin’s finches chirping in the branches of nearby cactuses.
The real treat of the day was snorkeling at a circular reef called Devil’s Crown, where we saw fishfishfishfish. My favorite was the bumphead parrotfish, for his rainbow colors and the squared-off shape that gives him his marvelous name. Down among the rocks, we saw shy little reef sharks, stiff black pencil urchins, and rays.
The absolute best moment of the trip for me was during that snorkeling expedition. As I swam, something came along just below me. At first it looked like a pair of brown hooks the size of your cupped hands. What on earth—or outer space—could that be? I actually wondered: A Martian? It was moving way faster than I was, and as it flashed by below me it got broader—and broader—until it was at least six feet across, then narrowed again to a long black tail. It was a huge manta ray, close enough to touch. The whole experience was over in a moment, but wow!
The Angelito moved over to Post Office Bay, the traditional mail drop-off for whaling ships, now a game for cruising tourists. We panga-ed in to look in the barrel set up on the beach, which was full of postcards addressed to people all over the world. Our European fellow-passengers kept saying, ‘Oh, here’s one from America. Is Salt Lake City’—or Seattle, or Los Angeles—‘close to Maine?’ We chose a postcard to deliver to Massachusetts.
After lunch, the Angelito motored to Ayora on Santa Cruz. In the harbor, we all enjoyed the sight of a Coast Guard speedboat at anchor, its deck covered in lounging sea lions. We went to town for the afternoon. After a week on the boat, it was hard to get used to the hustle and bustle of city life: why, every once in a while a car went by! When we were offered the option of going back into town after supper, no one went except the crew; we were happier on the boat. That evening, as I was standing at the after rail, something very large swam by. Since there was no one there to argue with me, I’m calling it a hammerhead shark.
The info on the website was laid out very well. I did some comparisons with other tours and found Adventure Life met a lot of what I wanted in an Antarctica trip at the cheapest price. Requested a quote on Claudia contacted me right away. She answered a lot of questions the I had via email even though she offered to discuss via phone call. I’m more of an email person so appreciated how she accommodated that and answered all my questions. And when I was ready to book, she quickly got the ball rolling with getting our spots reserved on the trip my friend and I wanted. Thanks again, Claudia!
Hazel Araza
10 hours ago
(1) great information on the website and throughout all the "materials." (2) Jane Packer is great: knowledgeable, responsive, takes a personal interest and tone, seems to care about the customer as a person not a sale.
Larry Bethune
18 hours ago
great people doing a wonderful job to make our voyages happen.
trudy
1 day ago
For our first trip to Costa Rica, Adventure Life designed a tour that meets the interests, ecological and adventure, of our party; but also takes into account our physical limitations sine we are all septuagenarian. We are looking forward to the trip.
John Zent
2 days ago
Adventure Life is my favorite travel company due to their genuine care for their customers. They make every effort to ensure a wonderful travel experience for you. Their personal touch really gives the customer a lot of confidence with their travel plans and the trip leaders are always outstanding. They are truly consistent and accountable with the great service they provide. I can't thank Adventure Life enough for the incredible trips I have enjoyed thanks to them and their attention to detail.