It seems that wherever I go in the world, I always seem to get lucky in being in the right place at the right time for festivals. When I was traveling in Colombia, I happened upon both the flower festival in Medellin and the salsa festival in Cali. I also was in Mexico for the Day of the Dead celebrations!
In Portimao, Portugal, on our first night in port, we happened to be in town for the sardine festival! I had never planned on going to a sardine festival (as I am not a huge fan of the salty fish), but we were right there in the port, so why not! Portugal is well known for its sardines and the Portuguese people usually eat them grilled and with olive oil and bread. Portimao knows how to party and it seemed like the whole town was out for the night! In addition to the hordes of people, there was, of course, lots of food, live music and carnival rides. We went on the Ferris wheel ride which gave us a great view of the city and the bay.
Portimao Sardine Festival (Jane Packer)
We also got to celebrate Malaga’s fair on the last day of our cruise. The fair commemorates when the city was taken by Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon in the 15th Century and is kind of like Malaga’s independence day. It lasts for 10 nights and is the most important summer festival in Andalucia. Needless to say, the town was hopping. The city is full of polka dot wearing flamenco dancers, live music, tapas and, of course, lots of wine. The popular choice is a sweet white wine, which comes in a bright pink package. At night, the fairgrounds outside of the city open up, and the party continues all night long with rides and even more dancing. I felt so lucky to have been in the “right place at the right time” for these awesome lively cultural experiences. Make sure to go on the Harmony V in mid-August to experience these festivals yourself!
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
2 days ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
2 days ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
1 week ago
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 week ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.