We say goodbye to the warmth of sand and water this morning. We have one final destination on our whirlwind tour of Nicaragua: the mountains near Matagalpa. We aren't really beach people, much preferring higher altitudes, so I've been looking forward to this. Matagalpa is where most of the best Nicaraguan coffee comes from and we are headed to a coffee farm. The drive becomes my favorite of the trip. We cut off from the coastal highways and drive on an amazingly well paved road across the lowlands, passing by volcanoes on the way. I was actually awed by how good Nica's roads were. Better than most in Montana, that's for sure! On one stretch of the road, Ian pulls over and looks at me. It's time for me to drive. But I don't really drive manual transmissions well and learning to do so in a Central American country seems kinda crazy. So ... I drive! And it's quite easy. I start to realize that hardly anyone else in this country drives well either, so we're all on the same page. I get us to Matagalpa and up to the coffee farm without wrecking the rental car. We arrive to Selva Negra Ecolodge and Coffee Estate just in time for lunch. We have our own Austrian-inspired cabin in the woods and I'm immediately impressed - the property is charming and quaint - owned by an old German family that came to Nica generations ago and still run the operations here. They survived through the revolution (close ties to all the right people) and now run one of the most ecologically and culturally conscious farms in the country. We hike around the grounds of the farm, which includes miles of trails through secondary cloudforest. We hear howler monkeys in the distance and follow the sounds of their calls down a side trail. Soon, we are right under them and mimicking their cries. At first, they seem interested in communicating with us, but after a few minutes, they figure us out and tire of our mockery. Feeling silly, we continue to hike until night falls.
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.