At nine sharp, we were all decked out with our gear as we joined our group, which had been designated for the first landing. The staging area was filled with people in red parkas, orange life vests and black boots. It was reminiscent of a WWII movie with paratroopers standing in line preparing to jump from the side door of the plane. One by one a red parka would disappear out of the side of the ship and onto the bobbing steps that led to even more bobbing Zodiacs. There was a mix of snow, rain and ice pellets in the air and an icy breeze of about 20 knots. Cool!! Or, should I say cold?
Now, we were in our landing craft like some other WWII movie of Omaha Beach. We got on shore in about 10 minutes. There was no machine gun fire, only penguins to welcome us and everyone landed safely.
My first impression of the terrain was that we have landed on the moon except that it had penguins and ice. The landscape was stark, but magnificent. We were led up a hill by one of the guides passing through colony after colony of penguins. The rain/snow/ice changed to all ice and then stopped for a while. The penguins were adorable, unafraid, curious and a little smelly.
We spent about 2 hours on shore going up and down hills, over crags to edges of cliffs. Everywhere, there were more penguins. The guide said that a month ago there were so many penguins on this island that they couldn’t land because there was no space to maneuver around them.
My representative Kevin was very responsive generally and in crafting our itinerary to our specific priorities.
Rocco Labella
3 hours ago
Although there was a lot of paper work, I received help and guidance when I needed it.
Donna Kirby
1 day ago
Our travel was flawless! The rider pickup (airport, hotel, ship) was seamless. Jane's recommendation for Emerald Cruise Sakara was everything I wanted but the experience was soooo much more. Adventure Life took care of each and every detail and this was the easiest of all my travels.
Anne Petty
2 days ago
Follow up was effective any questions were answered in a timely manner
Fiona Lonsdale
3 days ago
I spoke with at least a half dozen other travel companies, looking for a Galapagos cruise that fit our schedule and budget. Some companies could manage one or the other, but Erin was the only one who could do both. She found us the perfect cruise, at a fantastic price! And she has been quick and patient with responses to my many questions. So far, Adventure Life has been a fantastic company to work with!