Quito: Bellavista, Middle of the World, and City Tour
My dad and I left early for the airport. He was flying home, and I went on to Quito. My guide met me at the Quito airport, and we drove directly to the Bellavista Cloudforest Reserve. It was beautiful and green and lush and tropical, yet still high in the Andes mountains. I can't say enough about the scenery. The lodge there was also remarkable. It feels very remote. We met Richard, who owns Bellavista, and he took us out on a hike. There is an extensive system of trails on the reserve that you can explore on your own or with a guide from the lodge. It was absolutely beautiful there - excellent bird watching. After our hike, we enjoyed lunch in the dining room, and then made our way back to Quito. I didn't want to leave!
On the way back to Quito, we stopped at the Middle of the World. It was one of those corny tourist traps that you really must see. When else am I going to have the opportunity to balance an egg on a nail at the equator, or to stand with one foot in each hemisphere?!?
I finally got to meet our staff in Quito - they're wonderful! We're in touch via phone and e-mail every day, so it was a real treat for me to put faces with names. They were all so warm and welcoming - it was touching. We ended up going out to dinner and taking a Quito city tour by night. It was great to see some of the sites and to spend some quality time with my co-workers. Quito is a beautiful city, and I only wished that I had a little more time to spend there.
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
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.