I have to say, this day tour surprised me the most – in a good way. I planned this tour as no one in our office had experienced it and I thought it’d be fun to visit another country along the way. We began by heading through customs; one for Uruguay and one for Argentina. With the stamp to Uruguay in our passports we waited in line for the massive ferry to take us to Colonia. I wish I had brought a book and a jacket on the ferry, but Molly and I found ways to pass the time. After about 10 minutes on the hour ferry ride, a huge shopping center in the middle of the ferry opened up. We perused the aisles of perfume, chocolate, and many random items for sale. Another time I wish I had cash on me as the coffee and food accepted only cash.
Cobblestone streets of Colonia, Uruguay (Franny Friesz)
When we reached Colonia, we set out to do another round of passport stamps and lines to get into Uruguay. We met our guide and set out on our adventure in Colonia. This little city had juxtaposed elements of Spanish and Portuguese that were fascinating. You could see the two influences literally clashing in the streets and in the buildings. The Spanish and Portuguese fought over this little town for years and you could see why. It was in a perfect position politically and in quite a beautiful setting. I wish we had more time to stay in Colonia and would have enjoyed a night there, even. It was much more these two Montana girls’ pace and had as much history as a European town. After learning a lot from our guide, wandering the neighborhoods of Colonia, and a visit to the beach, Molly and I had time to explore on our own. The streets were easy to navigate and we found lots of shops, a market, and a restaurant to enjoy. We had a set time to meet our guide after our lunch and time to explore and he took us back to the ferry. We said our goodbyes to Uruguay and headed back to the big city to finish our stay.
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
2 days ago
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
3 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.
