It is a bit of a journey for us to get from Missoula to Athens. There was a seven hour layover before our 10 hour international flight, in all we were traveling for 23 hours. Our hotel was 20 miles outside of Athens right on the Mediterranean coast. We called ahead and asked the hotel to arrange for a taxi to pick us up from the airport. This first night we were plenty happy to have a simple meal and try to kick the jet lag.
Athens was a quick couple days.
The Parthenon was a priority, so the first day we made the trek into Athens. We took a local bus and subway into the city and arrived in the midday heat. In the city we could easily see the Parthenon ascend from its encasement of buildings and streets. A quick walk brought us to the base of the hill, but the entrance was a mystery - fortunately, there were only 2 possible directions to travel. We walked a narrow winding path with other travelers searching for the entrance. We entered the ruins I learned about in my college art history class and they were truly spectacular. I expected more visitor congestion, but it was easy to navigate the site. The view of the city shared some of the splendor we found in the history of the Acropolis.
It was time to refuel our bodies after we had our fill of ruins. With a short walk to the base of the hill we were greeted by many restaurant choices. A well shaded cafe with a fresh Greek salad and serving of tzatziki were an absolute must.
Using the public transit to find our way back to our hotel was more challenging. We were able to take the subway, but finding the right bus was guess work. We hopped on a bus and with some luck a local couple were kind enough to help us verify that were mostly going in the right direction. We exited the bus at its final destination which was 2 kilometers from our hotel, not too bad. We don’t mind a little hike, so we took off through some hillside neighborhoods with beautiful views of the Mediterranean Sea. When we arrived to the hotel we knew a cool dip in the pool would do us good, unfortunately it closed early for some maintenance - well, to the shower.
We enjoyed our hike through the neighborhood so much we decided on another expedition the following day. We didn’t get far from our hotel when rain began to fall. With a quick dash back to the hotel we managed to only get damp. After the rain passed the sky gifted us a rainbow over the sea and the hotel pool called to us - I needed to practice my freestyle before our weeklong swim trip in Lefkada.
Adventure Life is always an excellent choice when planning complicated, extreme, or exotic vacations or expeditions. They provide friendly professional services and advice and are enthusiastic and encouraging in helping us to prepare and thoroughly enjoy our trip. They handle all the details which greatly reduces the stress of planning a difficult trip. I'm very impressed with Adventure Life and definitely recommend them to friends and family.
Scott Trochim
3 days ago
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
5 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
6 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.