This morning was very warm and sunny. In our windows we saw blazing snow on mountain peaks and people walking without jackets. It was the best weather for our plans this day. It was reserved for visiting the National nature park Tierro del Fuego.
Our hotel was placed halfway between the city center and the park, so we took a taxi to get there. The taxi dropped us at the ticket office and left. We bought tickets and got a park map.
The park was unexpectedly large. The nearest path was to a Beagle Channel beach, and began at about three kilometers from the tickets office. We walked there cheerfully.
Then the weather changed. Clouds covered the sky, and the wind became very strong. We just saw the water ahead when the rain began. When we reached the coast, everything but the water surface and beach was covered with mist. A family of Magellan Gooses stood near the beginning of the path, waiting for us. Nobody was around, but fortunately the trailhead was marked, and we stepped on it, starting a long 8 km walk to Alakush hostel.
After a few minutes we had reached a wild forest. We hesitated a little bit, wondering if we were going the right way, but met two people, going in the opposite direction. After a hundred meters we had caught up with a group of Americans. Our mood improved, the rain had stopped, and the fog dissipated slightly.
The tail had been washed away by the rain so we went slowly. The weather changes all the time and we were tested by the rain, snow, wind and sun. We saw some birds and nice landscapes. There were many trees, interesting and unusual for us. Some of them were covered by fungus, which looked like yellow golf balls. These balls are named llao-llao, or Indian Bread. It is edible! Unfortunately (or may be fortunately?) we learned about it only later.
It took us about 5 hours to reach Alakush, instead of 3 hours like we expected. We were dirty, wet and cold. Not to make a big point of it! We were very happy, when we entered inside a warm and dry house.
The info on the website was laid out very well. I did some comparisons with other tours and found Adventure Life met a lot of what I wanted in an Antarctica trip at the cheapest price. Requested a quote on Claudia contacted me right away. She answered a lot of questions the I had via email even though she offered to discuss via phone call. I’m more of an email person so appreciated how she accommodated that and answered all my questions. And when I was ready to book, she quickly got the ball rolling with getting our spots reserved on the trip my friend and I wanted. Thanks again, Claudia!
Hazel Araza
10 hours ago
(1) great information on the website and throughout all the "materials." (2) Jane Packer is great: knowledgeable, responsive, takes a personal interest and tone, seems to care about the customer as a person not a sale.
Larry Bethune
18 hours ago
great people doing a wonderful job to make our voyages happen.
trudy
1 day ago
For our first trip to Costa Rica, Adventure Life designed a tour that meets the interests, ecological and adventure, of our party; but also takes into account our physical limitations sine we are all septuagenarian. We are looking forward to the trip.
John Zent
2 days ago
Adventure Life is my favorite travel company due to their genuine care for their customers. They make every effort to ensure a wonderful travel experience for you. Their personal touch really gives the customer a lot of confidence with their travel plans and the trip leaders are always outstanding. They are truly consistent and accountable with the great service they provide. I can't thank Adventure Life enough for the incredible trips I have enjoyed thanks to them and their attention to detail.