The morning hike on Espanola was one of the most beautiful of the trip due to the rocky cliffs along the coast which created a fantastic vista. This island is the only place in the world where the Waved Albatross reproduces. Some pairs were nesting on eggs while others were tending to their rather homely-looking chicks. Courting pairs displayed an elaborate ritual of beak crossing, rapid beak clicking and cork-like popping, sky pointing and head bobbing. Surprisingly, they don't mate until they meet the following year.
Large waves crashed into the lava rocks below the cliffs. A blow hole periodically shot water spray 30 feet into the air. As humans are prone to doing stupid things, apparently someone fell into the blow hole a few years ago and people are no longer allowed to approach it.
Christmas Iguanas live on this island and are characterized by a reddish color on the tops of the heads and bodies.
After lunch, we had one last opportunity to snorkel off of a long stretch of white sandy beach. The sand originally came from coral reefs which interestingly are no longer found among the islands. The sand has an extremely fine texture and is quite comfortable to walk on. The usual assortment of sea lions lay sprawled along the beach. I was able to spy another large reef shark.
Kelly and Rhenee were excellent to work with on planning our trip. The logistics all worked smoothly and everyone was friendly and on time. Our accommodations were very good, particularly the incredible Patagonia Camp in Torres del Paine! Our guides on every excursion were outstanding and made the hikes memorable! Overall we had a wonderful trip with incredible memories!
Scott Gibson
1 day ago
Adventure Life is definitely a first-class safari tour company, and our representative was Franny Friesz. First of all, she responded immediately after we contacted Adventure Life. We told Franny that we had never been on a safari, and she was more than eager to offer a mountain of information about the trip. She informed us fully about all the ups, downs, and all arounds! She even prepared a number of packages for us to review -- even after we made changes to the areas we wanted to explore. Friendly, helpful, professional, and extremely knowledgeable -- these words describe Franny, and what a wonderful trip she prepared! We couldn't have asked for better service than Franny of Adventure Life. We HIGHLY recommend her and her outstanding company! Bon Voyage!
Prima Burke
2 days ago
The staff at Adventure Life made planning my family's trip to the Galapagos Islands as easy as possible. They listened to what we were hoping to experience and made thoughtful suggestions about how to accomplish our vacation goals while meeting the needs of travelers ages 17-76! They patiently answered questions and follow up questions in the months leading up to the trip. They helped us trouble shoot and customize the trip in every way possible. The logistics involved in traveling from Boston to the Galapagos are innumerable. The Adventure Life staff helped us arrange every detail and the team they assembled in the Galapagos was tremendous. I have never done a trip this big before and after working with Adventure Life this time--would not hesitate one second in working with them again.
Jennifer Howard Schroeder
3 days ago
Kevin got right on our request and had us booked within the week