This morning would be the touristy part of our trip. No more trekking per se - although today's tour does have *multi-trek* in the name. A big tour bus picked us up in the morning -- I can't remember the exact time, but we had time to eat breakfast in the hotel and not feel rushed.
We had to make a few more stops to pick up other guests at other hotels. I think it took roughly 60 minutes to reach the park boundary. At the park entrance, the national park rangers board the bus and collect the entrance fee -- we had been told the fee was payable in Pesos, but clearly other people on the bus hadn't gotten the same message. Everything was sorted out and we had another 15-20 minute drive through the park to the boat docks.
We boarded the ferry, for what was going to be a 10-15 minute transit to the other side. Most people started out inside and moved up-top once we got going to get better pictures. There was a light rain failing and a chill in the air.
The Perito Moreno glacier is massive - there is no other term to describe it. The rain had picked up a bit as we made our way from the welcome huts to the glacier. Unlike our previous day glacier trek, where we had to carry and then fit our crampons, this tour had workers waiting to place the crampons on for you. Our tour was split into three groups.
Like I mentioned at the top, this is a more touristy tour and you follow your guide along a predefine route -- that didn't take away from the beauty of glacier in any fashion.
At the end of the tour, the guides offer up fresh glacier water (literally a chunk of glacier ice that is ice picked and placed into a drinking pitcher), whiskey or a combination of both. Nice little end to the tour.
The rain had picked-up even more by that point and we headed back to the welcome hut to dry out and eat lunch.
The second part of the trip entails re-boarding the bus and heading to another view point. The trails are laid out much like a national park in the US and are easily accessible by all as they are mostly ramps or defined walkways. Despite the rain, the views were amazing.
We ended up back in El Calafate in mid-afternoon and spent some time touring the city. We had an early dinner at a restaurant next door to the hotel and then settled into our hotel room to repack our gear for the trek home.
The agent had great response to questions and coordinated well to create an itinerary that met our expectations.
Bob Sunshine
1 day ago
Very responsive to all questions
Teresa Cardoso
2 days ago
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
2 days 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
3 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.