Okay, yes. Now we are getting to the exciting part! The dreaded Drake. Your biggest question to me would probably be, “did you get the Drake Shake or the Drake Lake?”. I would argue we had mostly the Drake Lake, with a bit of shake. Luckily Molly and I survived with our motion sickness patches. Neither of us felt the seasickness, but many of our fellow travelers did, especially on the way down. The waves weren’t large but they were odd directions. The stabilizers on the Akademik Ioffe were fabulous, but when the waves are coming in all directions, there’s only so much those stabilizers can do. I have to say, half the battle is even fighting through the medication. Molly and I napped most of the way on the Drake. That stuff makes you sleepy and very, very dehydrated. I felt bad for our fellow shipmates who were seasick, but none of us really knew each other at that point. There were a few presentations to keep us busy, meals (for the ones who felt good enough to show up) and the brave souls who journeyed out on deck when it was safe to do so. The highlight of the way down was seeing the creature I wanted to see most – orcas. Now, me being from the northwest-ish part of the US, you may be surprised I had never seen an orca. Well, I haven’t! Not until the Drake Passage. And did you know there are different types of orcas? There are 10 types! Some in the northern hemisphere and some in the southern hemisphere.
Day 2 of the Drake was so flat, you could see blows from whales all across the horizon. It was incredible. When they announced that there were orcas at the bow, I ran faster than I ever knew I could. I may have slammed a door in Molly’s face, I was so excited. I didn’t have my camera with me, just my phone, and in my excitement took many pictures of the sky. Luckily, our photographer on board was much more prepared and had a fantastic shot of these beauties. Some travelers argue that it’s best to skip the drake and do a fly-cruise. I would try to convince every person not to skip the journey of the Drake. It is a right of passage as you earn your way to Antarctica, that’s the most argued point. But, what I really appreciated were the two days on the way home to say goodbye to the friends I’d made onboard. You share an incredible experience with about 90 other humans and that’s a big deal. The last day in Antarctica was super sad. But what made it bearable was knowing that I had two more days to enjoy with all of the people I grew to love on my journey. Do the Drake. It’s worth it!
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.