Today we left Quito and took a bus up into the mountains to bike the Pichincha Volcano. The ride up windy mountain roads offered a grand view of Quito far below, and offered a glimpse of life in the small villages surrounding it.
We acquired our bikes in a small town at the top of the volcano, and it was all downhill from there. And I mean downhill in a good way... nice, lazy cruising down the mountain! The weather was perfect and the views of the surrounding mountains and valleys were fantastic. It was amazing seeing the windy mountain road far far below that we would soon be coasting down. Biked by a rustic little house and a fish hatchery. The ride was perfect, except when I ran into a cow. Just kidding.
When we arrived at the bottom of the volcano, we could have biked up the mountain to the Bellavista Cloudforest Reserve, but hey... why work too hard on vacation? So we took the bus.
The cloud forest was very cool. There were hummingbirds EVERYWHERE! There was also an abundance of exotic flowers. The lodging was great too. We stayed in "The Dome", which felt to me like a giant tree house. It was a cool building with a bamboo spiral staircase leading up to our rooms, and a ladder leading up to two more open rooms with 360 views. We each had our own room with doors that opened onto a small balcony, offering great views of the surrounding rainforest. They also managed to fit a small bathroom with shower into these cozy rooms.
After kicking back a little, we trekked into the forest below the treehouse into the rainy, foggy forest. The trail was somewhat overgrown and we got almost got lost a couple times, but it made it more of an adventure. On our way back up the mountain we saw a small waterfall we believe to be Discovery Falls.
After our hike, we chilled out watching hummingbirds for a bit, then had dinner in the tree house dining room. I can't recall what we ate, probably because we drank way too much wine. It was off season so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. Everything after dinner was on the honor system. So we would just grab a bottle, mark it on our bill, and drink away. Not having to pay right away made it very easy to get hammered. We sampled one beer that appeared to be and tasted like it was a decade old, and practically emptied out the snack bar.
We ended the night by going on a little night walk up some trail by the main lodge but didn't venture too far in the dark, especially considering our level of intoxication. :p A visit from a giant stick bug later and we were sound asleep.
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
2 days ago
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
3 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.