Today, we rise at a reasonable hour and wander down to the hotel restaurant. I can't believe how cute Hotel Eugenia is. It's only 4 floors and everything is done in a colonial style. The breakfast area is bright and cheery and the coffee comes quickly, which is a must! We dine on fresh fruit and eggs and chat with the other people in our vicinity. We find out they will be on the same boat as us in the Galapagos, the Millennium. A little while later, our driver comes to pick us up and take us to the airport. We get to know each other a little better as we fly over the bright blue ocean. Upon arriving at the airport, we are hit with a blast of hot air. I'm glad that I wore shorts! We are funneled through customs, where we pay the National Park Entrance Fee. We see a woman holding a sign saying "Millennium" and go over to chat with her. She is Vicky, our naturalist. It seems like it takes forever to get our bags, but eventually the 16 of us are all ready to go. We load into the bus for a quick trip to the docks, where the Millennium awaits us. We are greeted with a welcome cocktail and a wonderful lunch. So much fresh fruit and seafood. I'm in heaven! After everyone is fed and settled in, we are allowed to go ashore on San Cristobal to explore the town. It rains on us, but we have fun looking at the thousands of sea lions laying on the beach.
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.