After breakfast we transferred to Santa Cruz via a three hour ride in a small boat. We stopped briefly off shore from Santa Fe island to admire the Opuntia forest.
We had lunch at a restaurant called La Garrapata, which Andres told us means ''the tick.'' It struck us as an unfortunate name for an eating establishment, but the food was great.
We hiked around El Chato tortoise reserve for a look at tortoises in a more natural setting, photographing a particularly venerable old male as he grazed in a wooded setting. On the way back to town we visited Los Gemelos, a pair of giant craters caused by lava subsidence. They lie in the Scalesia zone - 30-foot trees that are related to sunflowers. Our stop was cut short by a brief rain shower.
We enjoyed a fine seafood dinner at Il Giardino in downtown Puerto Ayora. Both of us are nursing a little sunburn from the morning boat ride, despite liberal use of sunscreen.
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.