Before the cruise, I did not know much about Gibraltar, besides that there was a really large rock called the rock of Gibraltar. Gibraltar was a really neat port to explore with a lot of unique history. Gibraltar is a strategic point between the Iberian Peninsula and the African continent and its control has been contested throughout history. It is currently controlled by Britain, and the official language is English (although many people do speak Spanish as well). As both a Spanish and an English speaker, it was interesting to hear people switch between languages in the same sentence and speak with a British accent! The city had modern British architecture and fish and chips were common in restaurants.
We decided to skip the ship's excursion in Gibraltar and explore the town on our own. We were particularly interested in seeing the Barbary apes at the top of the rock and the caves but were not particularly interested in learning too much about war history. We took a shared van up the rock for a quick trip that would take us to a lookout point, a cave that was used as a hospital during WWII, and the top of the rock. At the top of the rock, there were apes everywhere and they were quite used to seeing people. We had heard horror stories of people feeding them and getting their fingers bitten off, so we made sure to keep a good distance. Other tourists were letting the apes climb all over them, and a mama and her baby climbed on our tour van! To end the day in Gibraltar, we went swimming at a city beach right below the towering rock.
Kelly and Rhenee were excellent to work with on planning our trip. The logistics all worked smoothly and everyone was friendly and on time. Our accommodations were very good, particularly the incredible Patagonia Camp in Torres del Paine! Our guides on every excursion were outstanding and made the hikes memorable! Overall we had a wonderful trip with incredible memories!
Scott Gibson
1 day ago
Adventure Life is definitely a first-class safari tour company, and our representative was Franny Friesz. First of all, she responded immediately after we contacted Adventure Life. We told Franny that we had never been on a safari, and she was more than eager to offer a mountain of information about the trip. She informed us fully about all the ups, downs, and all arounds! She even prepared a number of packages for us to review -- even after we made changes to the areas we wanted to explore. Friendly, helpful, professional, and extremely knowledgeable -- these words describe Franny, and what a wonderful trip she prepared! We couldn't have asked for better service than Franny of Adventure Life. We HIGHLY recommend her and her outstanding company! Bon Voyage!
Prima Burke
2 days ago
The staff at Adventure Life made planning my family's trip to the Galapagos Islands as easy as possible. They listened to what we were hoping to experience and made thoughtful suggestions about how to accomplish our vacation goals while meeting the needs of travelers ages 17-76! They patiently answered questions and follow up questions in the months leading up to the trip. They helped us trouble shoot and customize the trip in every way possible. The logistics involved in traveling from Boston to the Galapagos are innumerable. The Adventure Life staff helped us arrange every detail and the team they assembled in the Galapagos was tremendous. I have never done a trip this big before and after working with Adventure Life this time--would not hesitate one second in working with them again.
Jennifer Howard Schroeder
3 days ago
Kevin got right on our request and had us booked within the week