Franny and I awoke early to meet our guide, Jose. He shuttled us off to the ferry terminal where we went through customs and waited to board the boat. I knew nothing about Colonia or really Uruguay in general, but I was very excited for the opportunity to spend a day there. The ferry ride was about an hour and a half. The ship itself was similar to ferries I had been on in the Pacific Northwest. There was a cafe to order coffee, some premade sandwiches, and other snacks. Something I wasn't expecting was the large two-story duty-free shop in the middle of the ship. This made for some good perusing during the ferry ride.
The ferry station in Buenos Aires. (Molly Stanko)
Once we arrived in Colonia we went through customs and came out in Uruguay! Our guide was waiting for us and whisked us away. We stopped at a small church where our guide shared his matte with us. I found the Portuguese influence fascinating. We stopped at an old bullfighting ring, and a Jai alai sports arena. We went to old town Colonia where we could see the juxtaposition between the Spanish and Portuguese roads and buildings.
Historic quarter of Colonia, Uruguay. (Molly Stanko)
After the hectic nature of travel and hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires, it was so nice to experience Colonia. The pace was slow and the sun was shining. We were on our own for lunch and had a delicious meal at an open courtyard restaurant. Afterward, we wandered the streets and did some shopping. We felt like we got our bearings pretty quickly and were totally comfortable finding our way around on our own. Late in the afternoon, we met up with our guide and he took us back to the ferry terminal to catch our ride back across the water. We got back to our hotel exhausted, but a day in Uruguay was completely worth it!
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
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.
