This day was all about getting home. We started at the hotel, saying goodbye to our good friend Teddy at noon. Riding down the hill to the aeropuerto, we were really surprised to see our first real obstacle of the trip. That was the check-in line at LAN airline terminal.
Stood in that line over 2 hours and missed our flight back to Lima. This did not turn out to be that big of a deal though, as we were just put on the next flight out, which was the next hour. As we had a LONG layover in Lima, that was not a problem.
Well to make a very long story short, after layovers, missed flights, and delays, we pulled into our driveway in Knoxville the next day at 5:00 pm. That's 29 hours! For some reason, it seems as if all the flights out of Lima back to the states fly overnight. Not sure why that is, but it took a lot longer to get back than to get there. Isn't that always the case?
Concerns: Travel - Its just a long way from Tennessee to south of the equator. We survived.
Highs: Our last morning with Teddy
Lows: Only 2 people at the LAN terminal trying to get all those people out of Peru.
WOULD WE DO IT AGAIN:
Country and Culture - Absolutely loved the people and the country. They are trying to adjust to the boon that is M-P, but for the most part,doing very well.
Machu Picchu - Everything we expected and more. There is a reason it is on every top ten list of places to see in the world before you die.
Adventure Life - As far as what they offered, it was just exactly what suited our family the best. Small group, very well organized, flexibility, like minded travelers, great guide, attention to detail, and very responsive. From the initial call I placed, to the follow up call back home, we wouldn't have changed a thing.
Final note: We kept dropping luggage as we neared M-P. You are only allowed to take a 25 pound pack onto the train going into Aqua Calientes. Be prepared for that.
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