After a delicious breakfast, we were on the road again toward Laguna Quilotoa - an enormous volcanic crater lake. The ride was amazing in that we got to see the beautiful countryside, but it was also incredibly dusty as the road was under construction almost the entire way there. The view from the top of the crater is amazing. We were able to hike down to the water (about 400 meters below) - a very dusty 45 minutes or so! You have the option of taking a horse back up, but we figured we needed the exercise so we hiked back up, which took well over an hour (maybe close to 2). Again, we were very ready for lunch and then the long, dusty ride back to Quito. When we arrived in Quito, we were just in time to see Ecuador beat their neighboring rivals Peru in a World Cup qualifying match. The square by our hotel was packed with fans!
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.