The peaceful and friendly Arawak tribes are believed to be the first inhabitants, settling the British Virgin Islands in about 100 B.C., with the more aggressive Carib tribes eventually taking over. The Arawak were largely an agricultural society, and did not hold a belief system that encompassed killing their enemies. During times of war, stealing something of value, while leaving the enemy unharmed, was held as a most heroic act.
Daily tasks of hunting and farming occupied most of the Awarak’s time, until the time that the Caribs moved into the territory. These were a feared people, believed to be cannibals, and quite warlike. Yet they also held an intelligence that still garners them credit for the invention of things like the canoe, which they used for travel between the islands.
A lack of immunity to the diseases of the time only added to the stresses of the Awarak community, and with the arrival of the Europeans in the mid 15th century, the tribal societies of the Arawak were soon virtually eliminated from the area. Thus, slave trading became commonplace, and even the natives were willing to trade family members for goods. Still, this way of life could not stand the test of time.
I don’t have the words to describe it but the last week has been one of the best I can remember. 6 days of adventure in South East Alaska including trekking through lush rain forest, sitting in silence listening to glaciers calving, up early to see the northern lights, kayaking and stupidly swimming in iceberg frozen waters ! (That actually hurt).
Animal sightings including black and brown bears, Minke and hundreds of Humpack Whales, porpoises, sea lions, mountain goats, harbour seals, bald eagles, salmon and more birds than I can count. Wonderful friends and connections made. A huge shout out to Trevor and his totally amazing crew on the Admiralty Dream whose energy and enthusiasm made this most incredible experience.
DAVID JAMES
1 day ago
Excellent safari trip with Adventure Life and Albatross Travel. Special shout out to our guides Eric Turasha (Kenya), and Blasi Shirima (Tanzania) from Albatross Travel. Both were world class!!! The trip went off without a hitch; all the camps were amazing…worth mentioning...one of the camps we were going to stay in on the Tanzanian side was damaged by high winds so we ended up in a different camp (Mara under Canvas Camp). Can't say enough good things! A great experience and superb service!!
Brenda Cox
2 days ago
very easy to deal with kassandra. she listened to what our interests were and planned a great trip for us. nothing to worry about!
carole therisod
2 days ago
Always professional knowledgeable and efficient. Jess H. is great.
Cynthia Gillett
3 days ago
My tour operator was helpful. Unfortunately she was unable to get my single-supplement canceled. Not too many tours charge for that anymore and I almost canceled my trip because of that.
