Cara LodgeWith only a few hours before we returned to the river to travel to the Caiman House, we embarked on what would be my last shot at seeing a giant anteater. After about an hour, success!!!!!! The caballeros had spotted one and herded it towards our location, where it came to within 50 feet of us!!!! Now I could really see the speed of these animals! It was a great morning!!!
Back on the Rupununi River, we spotted kingfishers, several jabiru storks and herons almost everywhere one could see. At least six different species, most of which I had seen before on the trip but there was one that definitely stood out amongst the others. As we took a sharp left turn on the river, up on the branches of a dead tree sat a beautiful capped heron!
After landing and a short ride the village of Yupukari, we arrived at the Caiman House. The house is a research facility which focuses on the study of the black caiman. Although the official research project had ended a few years ago, the residents of the house continue searching for, snaring them, taking measurements and tagging them, and updating their database with this info to assist in the continuous study of the caiman.
We had some free time to walk the grounds and the local village before departing for a night ride along the river to participate in catching a caiman with the local guides. While on our quest, we saw a green tree boa, howlers and spider monkeys. As it became dark, we entered an area known for caiman. The first attempt to snare one failed as the scaled prehistoric-like beast was too quick for the guides' reflexes. But on the second attempt, they managed to grasp one!!! We could see the entire struggle as one of the other accompanying boats beamed a spotlight on the action! They towed the caiman onto a nearby sandy bank where they proceeded to secure its mouth so they could perform all the necessary measurements. It was an 8 year old female about 10 feet long and weighing well over 300 lbs. Once their job was completed, they released it into the darkness of the murky river. The whole event was absolutely awesome and something I will never forget!!!!!! Or being a New Englander - Wicked Cool!!!!!!
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.