Brimming with excitement to get the adventure off on time we woke up at 5 AM and drove to the airport, JFK, bright and early. We selected to fly into Guayaquil since there was a direct flight on LAN, which turned out to be a very good airline. Most of our tour members flew into Quito, but we figured that since Guayaquil was the departure point for Galapagos the next day, it would be better which we're still not sure of. There's probably more to see in Quito. Our flight was about 7 hours and amazingly we linked up with our son, Russell when we landed in Guayaquil. Amazing since Russ left SF airport @ 1 AM and had 4 stops before arriving at Gualaquil; and his luggage arrived with him too! We stayed right in town at the Guayaquil Grand Hotel and walked around town to the new boardwalk area by the ocean. Not much to see but we were tired and hit the covers early that night.
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.