This is the tail end of our 2-day visit to Santa Cruz, Patagonia. We flew from Ushuaia to Rio Gallegos and then drove 3 hrs by private car to our sister ciudad. The drive was over the expansive flat pampas and the air is so clean/clear that the ends of the pampas actually curve with the earth. We have never seen anything so expansive and clear. There were many wild ostriches and llamas along the way.
The town is located on the east coast of Argentina and sits on an estuary of the Rio del Santa Cruz. It is like no other town we have visited. No one locks anything, everyone is friendly and knows everyone else. They all say hi to all the visitors. One 83 yr old Indian invited us in his home and posed with his arrowheads and animal skins.
There are no road signs. The houses are mostly what we consider very poor but they say they are all middle class and no one is rich nor poor. We are always greeted with a warm handshake and for Jean, with a side kiss like the French but only one side.
Our motel is a trip! Very new and you can tell they try hard to please. The towels are twisted into swans with flowers in them. The toothpaste holder has real flowers and greens. There are chocolates and candies everywhere, along with a kitchen and food. There is a “disinfected” tape across the toilet.
The town is very flat, arid and reminds us of New Mexico (it is a desert). There is no stress here. People sleep late, eat late and take their time. However, everyone is employed and most work more than one job. There few no stores as we know them—businesses are inside homes.
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
1 day ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.