Last Hope Fjord, Serrano Glacier,EcoCamp at Torres Del Paine
In the morning we took a boat trip up Last Hope Fjord which was supposed to have taken us to a Zodiac trip on the Serrano River. The wind began to blow too hard and we had to turn around about three quarters of the way, but we were given a van ride to the Zodiac base. We took the Zodiac to the Serrano Glacier where we left the boat and walked up near the glacier.
We arrived by van at EcoCamp in the late afternoon and were delighted to find such a unique place. It would take paragraphs to describe the cabins and other buildings, so check out my pictures.
In the evening we met our group of thirteen. It was truly an international group with only a few Americans. We were served pisco sours while we learned about our next day's adventure, and then ate an excellent dinner. They even had a pastry chef who made beautiful deserts.
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.