We headed out this morning and were picked up by the boys at Canal Fun for a day of canoeing and hiking in Tierra del Fuego National Park. We canoed in the morning, all four of us in an inflatable canoe. It was such a fun morning! After a hearty lunch under a portable tent, we hiked for a few miles back to our vehicles. We were hiking mostly along the shoreline, where we saw birds and some amazing scenery. You could see mountains in Chile and all along Tierra del Fuego. I had done this day trip before, but it got me so much more excited to get on our way to Antarctica! This evening, we had dinner with our company President, Brian, who also was in Ushuaia on his way to Antarctica. He was scheduled to go on the Kapitan Khlebnikov ice breaker ship, but unfortunately, the ship was stuck in the ice in Antarctica! He was supposed to get out in a few days, but in the meantime had plenty of time to kill in Ushuaia. Not a bad place to be stuck! After several glasses of wine, we wandered the city and ended up back in our room, exhausted after another long day.
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.