Today is a much easier travel day as we arrive into the Galapagos at 11:00 am after picking up an hour in the time zone exchange. What is remarkable about our arrival into the Galapagos is their heightened security, but not for reasons you might expect. All of our bags are hand searched, not for weapons but to ensure that people do not bring the smallest specimen of foreign plant or animal matter from outside the country (even mainland ecuador). The boys actually had small seeds (called Ecuador Ivory) that our guide in the Amazon found for them - these were confiscated. The authorities here are deeply concerned about introducing anything which might effect the delicate balance of the Galapagos eco-system. We meet our guide after collecting our luggage and soon arrive at our first lodging, the Red Mangrove on Santa Cruz Island. The boys spot the ocean frontage from the check-in desk and excited run out in search of crabs. They return moments later as ecstatic as Christmas morning to report that marine iquanas and sea lions are all over our hotel deck !! After settling in, we jounrey to a nearby beach for a refreshing swim and head back home in anticipation of tomorrows events!
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
1 day 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
2 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.
Jennifer Howard Schroeder
3 days ago
Kevin got right on our request and had us booked within the week