Morning flight to Iguazu Falls. Met up with our guide, Cesar, and made it just in time to meet up with the other participants in the Iguazu Jungle Forest adventure. We traveled by open-air jeep in to the military base located near the National Park. We learned about the Yerba Mate tree and other flora and fauna, until we reached our first stop -- the zip-line course above the jungle canopy. We got strapped into our harnesses, scaled the ladder up to the tree top (where there was a beautiful yellow orchid growing) and launched. The zip-line ran in 3 segments. We had a big laugh when Joan braked so well in the 2nd segment that she came to a COMPLETE stop, a hundred feet above the forest floor - yikes!
Soon enough, with a swishing sound coming from behind, one of the guides wrapped his legs around Joan's waist, gave several good bounces to the cable (oh my) and propelled us to the stop ahead. Whew.
Then, off again in the jeep to a nearby waterfall and a chance to rappel down to a swimming hole at the bottom. Boy, it was fun, especially getting caught in the spray.
Back in the jeep and on to our hotel, Iguazu Jungle Lodge, located near the town of Puerto Iguazu. The lodge was 5-6 small buildings nestled into the edge of the forest. Our well-appointed room had a complete kitchen, stocked with all sorts of wine and snacks, and we decided to order an "asado" BBQ brought to our room for dinner. We had such a nice time sitting on our private deck, dining on grilled cuts of beef, sipping Argentinian Malbec red wine, and listening to the jungle night sounds. The temperature was perfect, and a perfect end to a great 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
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.