I was scarcely prepared for South Georgia. I had, of course, read about Ernest Shackleton, and knew generally about his trek across the mountains and glaciers of South Georgia after having crossed the Southern Ocean in an open boat with five of his crew. But I was unprepared for the scale of the mountains and the abundance of glaciers. The only flat areas were right along the coast, and not even there in many places. It is a stark and incredibly beautiful place - a place that one hopes can be preserved.
South Georgia has very strict requirements for visiting ships. Visits are limited to 72 hours. Boots and other gear must be washed between landings so as to avoid transferring biological material from one site to another. The number of visitors allowed on shore at certain locations is limited, so we were taken ashore in two shifts. And the ship was required to be blacked out at night to avoid lights from the ship attracting birds (mostly prions and petrels) that fly to and from shore after dark, thereby avoiding predators.
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