We knew this would be a strenuous day. We were to leave the camp at 8:30 am and return around 6 pm.
Three of my teammates decided instead to treat themselves to the life of luxury and use services of the hotel neighboring with EcoCamp. That involved a horseback ride, massage and drinks in the bar.
The rest of us set off on a hike to the base of the Towers.
The weather was nice again. We got to enjoy the view of Ascencio Valley and Ascencio River throughout the hike. Saw new birds: falcons, a pair of torrent ducks sitting on a rock in the middle of rapids. These ducks feed by swimming and diving in white water.
Our guide Hernan continued to amaze us with his extensive geological knowledge of the surrounding landscape.
It was fun going up the moraine, trying to figure out which sequence of stones would provide the easiest and safest path. We could see snow falling down the mountains far from us, and though it was sunny on the moraine, there were tiny specs of snow sparsely floating in the air.
Finally, the culmination of the day: lunch above the lake at the base of the Towers, the famous symbol of the Nacional Park Torres del Paine. We had a perfect view, unobscured by clouds. Though I personally would not have been terribly disappointed if the view weren't so good, considering that we had been able to admire the Towers from EcoCamp every morning and evening of our stay there. However, our guides told us about their previous experience with tourists who happened to hike to the Towers on a cloudy day and behaved like children left without dessert, blaming the guides for the bad weather!
On a more interesting note, we also heard stories about climbers trying to accomplish "the chain" - climbing up and down from one tower to another.
By the end of the day I was pretty tired, but felt elated. My feelings at the moment could be summed up in these words: "Lord, take me now: I've seen Patagonia!"
The agent had great response to questions and coordinated well to create an itinerary that met our expectations.
Bob Sunshine
1 day ago
Very responsive to all questions
Teresa Cardoso
2 days ago
Kelly and Rhenee were excellent to work with on planning our trip. The logistics all worked smoothly and everyone was friendly and on time. Our accommodations were very good, particularly the incredible Patagonia Camp in Torres del Paine! Our guides on every excursion were outstanding and made the hikes memorable! Overall we had a wonderful trip with incredible memories!
Scott Gibson
2 days ago
Adventure Life is definitely a first-class safari tour company, and our representative was Franny Friesz. First of all, she responded immediately after we contacted Adventure Life. We told Franny that we had never been on a safari, and she was more than eager to offer a mountain of information about the trip. She informed us fully about all the ups, downs, and all arounds! She even prepared a number of packages for us to review -- even after we made changes to the areas we wanted to explore. Friendly, helpful, professional, and extremely knowledgeable -- these words describe Franny, and what a wonderful trip she prepared! We couldn't have asked for better service than Franny of Adventure Life. We HIGHLY recommend her and her outstanding company! Bon Voyage!
Prima Burke
3 days ago
The staff at Adventure Life made planning my family's trip to the Galapagos Islands as easy as possible. They listened to what we were hoping to experience and made thoughtful suggestions about how to accomplish our vacation goals while meeting the needs of travelers ages 17-76! They patiently answered questions and follow up questions in the months leading up to the trip. They helped us trouble shoot and customize the trip in every way possible. The logistics involved in traveling from Boston to the Galapagos are innumerable. The Adventure Life staff helped us arrange every detail and the team they assembled in the Galapagos was tremendous. I have never done a trip this big before and after working with Adventure Life this time--would not hesitate one second in working with them again.