We meet Vidal and the group early to beat the crowds at the ruins. Some of our group have already gone up to hike Huayna Picchu. They had to get up at 3:30 AM to grab one of the limited number of passes. I really wanted to hike it, but the prospect of waking up that early certainly put a damper on that idea. I suspect that this will not be my last trip to Peru. The day is spent exploring the ruins. Vidal takes us through all of the things that saw, but didn't understand, yesterday. After the excellent tour, Ashley, Chris and I hike to the Sun Gate on the Inca Trail. We sit and talk and just stare at Machu Picchu. We descend to Aguas Calientes by bus and meet the group to take the train down to Cusco. I'm surprised by how slow the train goes, but suppose that is due to the damage that was sustained by last years' landslides and floods. The train follows the river for several hours before we depart in Ollantaytambo. Our van takes us back to Cusco. We get in fairly late and Ashley and I hurriedly rush to A Mi Manera for dinner. We order Alpaca and pisco sours and discuss the amazing things we have seen and done over the past several days. We wish we could spend several more days exploring Cusco, but we're off to Lake Titicaca tomorrow!
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
1 day ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.