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Adventure Life Reviews and General Testmonials

Allan Mowat (Belize Explorer, Jan 2012)
Many thanks for arranging such a great itinerary and for all the excellent arrangements, which worked out perfectly. The mixture of places and activities was ideal and your choices of accommodation, local guides etc were all excellent. I particularly enjoyed Pook's Hill and the excursions associated with it, as well as the visit to Tikal in Guatemala. Pook's Hill is a lovely place and the staff go out of their way to make you feel at home - a real gem and the excursions are excellent. The ATM cave is amazing - hard work though and I'm not sure we realized we'd be swimming for a fair part of the time! The Jungle Lodge in Tikal is perfectly located, but the food and staff weren't great. However it was very good to spend the night at Tikal and I appreciate there's not much choice there. I found Ambergris Caye less interesting, although the snorkeling trip was very enjoyable and it was good to have a couple of relaxing days after the busy time at the start of the tour. I had a wonderful time.

Mary Keenan (Costa Rica Quest, Dec 2011)
We experienced a rare week of cool and (not-so-rare) rain in Costa Rica (east of the divide) but cool and rainy in Paradise is still Paradise!

David Holmes (Beautiful Belize, Dec 2011)
Pook's Hill was superb, with a lovely dedicated staff keen to make one's stay as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. All guides were top rate and took care in pointing out everything to us. Pook's Hill food was excellent and served with a smile. Blue Tang Inn was less personable. Great Tour.

Sharon Linder (Galapagos cruise aboard the Corals, Dec 2011)
It was a trip of a lifetime. The other people and families on our boat were the icing on the cake. The ground staff, airport, etc. excellent. Laura was wonderful! Patient, supportive and steady as I was spinning out of control with anxiety and disorganization. The guides were very hardworking, personable and accommodating...there was somewhat of a difference not only style...but knowledge and delivery, between out naturalist guides. We feel very fortunate that on this trip all the stars lined up...magical!

Mary Jo Gilsdorf (Orchids of Costa Rica, Dec 2011)
Fantastic is the word I have used most often to describe the trip and the experience. Most accomodations were very good to excellent, not to mention the food - biggest complaint about the food was - there was too much! I understand this "Orchid Tour" was new adventure put together by Tom Mirenda (who really acted as our orchid guide). All of my orchid friends who have heard about the trip are interested in attending a future one. Other months may be better for blooms but we saw enough and the rest of what Costa Rica has to offer is wonderful as well.

Wendy Prober (Belize Explorer, Dec 2011)
From start to finish, our trip was great. The local guides were friendly, personable and very knowledgeable. The accommodations at Pook's Hill were outstanding and really made the trip. We met fantastic people on the tour that we really enjoyed spending time with. The ATM cave was the absolute highlight of our trip and will last with me for the rest of my life. Hector was an amazing guide--knowledgeable and conscientious. The whole trip (Belize Explorer) was perfectly balanced with adventure, sightseeing and relaxing (despite the rain in Ambergris which prevented us from snorkeling--boo hoo!)

Wendy Prober (Belize Explorer, Dec 2011)
We LOVED our trip. Pook's Hill was amazing, the hospitality superb and really a magical setting. Whatever Vicki does there is great. I would definitely put a stay at Pook's Hill for at least 3 or more days. We could've spent another day there. Our favorite part was hands down the ATM cave. I've never gone caving before and now I can't wait to do it again. Combine that with the archaeological aspect and it was truly spectacular. Tikal was fantastic also. I've been wanting to go to Incan/Aztec/Mayan ruins and never had the opportunity (didn't feel safe to to Mexico City) so it was really special. Tikal was breathtaking and I learned so much. From what I heard from fellow travelers, Costa Rica is great, but doesn't have the rich history (I could be wrong) and so is great for the outdoorsy party. What made this trip so great is that it had adventure, sightseeing, and relaxation.

Dawn Brown (, Dec 2011)
Wow – did we EVER have a trip of a lifetime! Antarctica was just SO fantastic! And everything went so smoothly! Thank you all so much for putting up with me this past year & all of my millions of questions & emails. And Jen B., your list of stuff to bring with us was just perfect!!! I would recommend you guys & Antarctica XXI to everybody!!! You guys ROCK!!! Dawn & Gian Brown! PS. I was the ONLY girl to do the polar plunge & it was a mere 22 degrees that day!!! LOL!!!

Renae Jacobs (Galapagos Multisport, Dec 2011)
Loved the trip. We will with our children and somehow we were paired up with 2 other families with great children. We all got along very well. It was amazing how easy we all were to be with and how very simular the families were. Our guide, Juan, was teriffic. So up beat and positive. He was very educated but did not bore us with countless details. He was easy to be with and saw to our every needs.

Betsy Lofgren (Beaches and Rainforest, Dec 2011)
We had a great time on our trip. We were fully informed before we went, and Ashley made sure we received all of the information we needed in a timely fashion. Marissa was very professional and got me excited about traveling to Costa Rica.The only drawback was that we weren't prepared for rainy season (our fault) and were disappointed that it rained every day, pretty much all day. This didn't deter our adventures, but during the second half of the trip, which was supposed to be enjoying the beach, we had to find other things to do.

Alason Connell (, Dec 2011)
Our guide on the Manatee had an incredible ability to spot bugs, lizards,frogs, birds and etc. He was caring and his English was excellent. The beauty was incredible. I went to Sacha Lodge 4 years ago. We saw far more wildlife on the trip. Our guide far surpassed my Sacha Lodge guide. There were only five of us on the boat (sometimes 3 more but they had a separate guide) so we received a lot of individual attention.

Jan Claypool (Adventure Pacifica, Dec 2011)
The trip overall was perfect for first time travelers to CR. It is a beautiful country with lovely friendly people. It was good to experience the different climates and wildlife. I thought zip lining would be the most fun, but the white water rafting in Quepos was the best. Quite an adrenaline rush and the guides were awesome. Even the ride to the river was great and the guides stopped to give us natural history lessons and pass around bug and plant specimens. They put the bugs back unharmed of course! We will certainly make another visit to Costa Rica and are now learning Spanish!

Jim Messenger (Antarctica cruise aboard the Sea Spirit, Dec 2011)
Seeing Antarctica was/is one of life's greatest experiences. The direct connection with nature -- and the respect shown for the creatures and the environment is remarkable -- was awesome. Antarctica is somehow far larger -- it seemed about 100 times so at times -- than the world in which humans normally live. It also proved to be the most beautiful place I've ever seen, and I've been to all 7 continents. The "self-selected" adventurers one meets on an Antarctica expedition are also about as fascinating as one will ever meet.

This was a very "nervous" area for me since I was going to places I'd never been and the transfers were quite complicated between airports, etc. Jenny deserves 10 stars -- her pre-departure work was thorough, but she showed her true ability when the Clipper Adventurer got sent to drydock, and I was moved to the Sea Spirit, and she was right on top of working out the rearrangements to accommodate that sudden change without my having to contact her. She worked with the Quark expedition leader to communicate and got everything in order for a safe return, which I very much appreciate.

Carol Jo Tichenor (Awesome Argentina, Dec 2011)
Our tour was excellent at all points! We loved coming to the end of the hike and having a wonderful lunch (with wine) waiting for us. The staff clearly enjoyed serving the clients and it made it really fun. The food at the Estancia in El Calafate was such a nice surprise... very nice cuisine ... served while looking out onto a beautiful landscape. There was a great combination of hotels (Buenos Aires), inns (Ushuaia which gave you a feeling of local flavor) and the Estancia (where the food was exceptional.) The combination of the accomodations made the trip more interesting. The tour guides Augustine and Norbi in Ushuaia were outstanding. They knew the area well and were able to share history with expertise. They were enjoyable and really built a TEAM of the participants.

This is the second time I have traveled with your organization and this trip was again exceptional. Well orchestrated in all aspects. I had confidence that everything was well taken care of. No mistakes happened and our flights were what we wanted. I plan to travel with you all AGAIN and recommend you to more friends.

Kathleen Hoyt (Awesome Argentina, Dec 2011)
This was a great adventure! Every detail was addressed from the transportation, to the guides, to the food, to the different types of activities. Accomodations for our group of 3 was perfect. Delicious food which was well prepared and presented on our outings. Also met the needs of group. We did get a bit tired of ham for breakfast but the bread and dulche de leche was great! Guides were all fantastic. All spoke English very well, were knowledgeable, friendly, patient and were responsive to different needs of all in group. Hotel staff all very friendly and helpful.

Janet Mukai (Awesome Argentina, Dec 2011)
This was one of the best trips I have taken. Everything ran smoothly and I did not have to worry about anything but having a good time with my friends. I would highly recommend Adventure Life and this wonderful trip to Argentina. The guides were enthusiastic and really seemed to like their work. The local staff was very helpful. For instance, my luggage did not arrive with me and the hotel staff helped to retrieve it for me. The drivers were prompt in picking us up at the airport, boat terminal, hotel, etc. . If the driver did not speak English, we were told ahead of time (or I assumed it when the travel papers indicated that there would be no guide). But we were able to communicate well, me with my limited Spanish skills! Hotel food was pretty good. I guess Argentinians eat a lot of ham and cheese for breakfast! The cooks did a great job both in food preparation and serving in a timely manner. The food on the trek was superb. It was great to get some exercise, see the beautiful scenery, then have a delicious and hot meal and wine!

Juliet Anderson (Patagonia by Sea, Nov 2011)
The trip was fabulous, why only 3 people signed up I don't know. It was good luck for us getting that much more room and attention, but not so hot for the tour operator. We felt that the boat should have been full and a waiting list. The boat was small, but with 3 guest and 5 staff, not too bad. May not be for people searching out for luxury. The food was excellently prepared by a trained chef. More people should take this trip anyway, a unique was of seeing Chiloe and the surrounding.

Ian Campbell (Antarctica cruise aboard the Clipper Adventurer, Nov 2011)
Our trip was just the right length of time. The zodiac excursions were a good alternative for both those that were not physically able to hike as much, and also as an opportunity to see the area around the ship. The polar plunge was a highlight for everyone. I've travelled all over the world for business and pleasure. This tour is the most memorable so far because of it's uniqueness.

Sue Bohlander (End of the World, Nov 2011)
We were a group of two. It was amazing to have such personal service. We were always met at each new location with someone to pick us up and deliver us to wherever we were going. We met with other groups along the way to trek, etc, Our trip was everything we imagined and more. We loved being on such an active vacation.

Barbara Husaluk (Antarctica & Falkland Island cruise aboard the MV Plancius, Nov 2011)
Overall, we loved this trip. We felt like we were explorers going into regions where no one had gone before. We saw every type of penguin. We saw leopard, weddell and elephant seals. We saw Emperor penguins! Our zodiac cruises in the ice flows were fantastic. We were able to interact with the Argentines living at Esperanza. The captain was taking the ship into unbroken ice breaking a path to new adventures. He was accommodating when we would see some wildlife. He would just steer the ship in that direction to get closer. Everyone has fantastic pictures to take home. The way the Plancius sailed thru the rough seas was unbelieveable. Very smooth. A very sea worthy vessel! At no time did we feel uncomfortable or in danger. We just love the ship and will probably cruise on her again. It is an unbelievable part of our planet and everyone should go there once in their life to experience total wilderness. No planes, no other ships, no other human beings, no communication, just the beauty of the ice, the penguins, seals and whales!