La Paz beachAfter a couple days in Cabo San Lucas, we were ready to head north to La Paz. I’ve been to Cabo a few times growing up, and I am sad to see it has turned from a small fishing village to a full-blown beach resort city. Getting off the main drag it still has the same quaint, small-town feel that I remember from childhood and the beaches and water are about as pretty as you can imagine, but the large mall by the arena and the tall resorts that line the beach are just not my style. As we drove north along the Pacific, I quickly felt myself relax and feel the wave of vacation wash over me. We decided to spend much of the day in Todo Santos, a small artsy community on the Pacific Ocean. We wandered around the town on foot, stopped into a few art shops, grabbed ice cream and sat on the street and people-watched. We even stepped into the Hotel California. Yes, that Hotel California. I can't say I like the Eagles or that song, but if you go to Todos Santos, it seems you should at least step foot into the infamous hotel. We found a little taco stand on the edge of town, and had the most amazing street tacos and an ice-cold Fanta before heading further north.
We arrived into La Paz late in the afternoon, and we pretty quickly maneuvered through the traffic to our hotel, The Posada Luna Sol, our home-base for the next week. We wandered down the Malecon, the walkway along the bay and found a place to eat. Even though La Paz is a bigger city than Cabo San Lucas, the speed and general atmosphere was much more relaxed. I also quickly noticed that tourists were not all that common in La Paz. Most of the other strollers along the Malecon were local Mexicans, with an occasional ex-pat or tourist mixed in. Sunsets on the Malecon did not disappoint! After dinner, we walked back to the hotel for a nightcap on our rooftop terrace.
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
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.
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