It started raining at night, and continued into the morning. We left the refugio at 9am under a steady rain. Fortunately, the rain stopped forty minutes later, and it was just overcast for the rest of the day, with the sun showing up occasionally.
We got the preview of Grey the lake and Grey the glacier while hiking to the northern end of the lake. I was savoring the fact that on Thanksgiving Day I was hiking in the beautiful surroundings of mountains, water and ice, instead of watching the meat thermometer pop out of the turkey.
We spent about two hours on the boat that took us across the lake, admiring the deep blue of the glacier and the sculptured icebergs floating in the water. There on the boat I tasted Scotch for the first time in my life. It was good, and I am sure the ice from the lake made it even better.
On the boat I heard Russian speech for the first (and last time) while in Patagonia. There were two Russian businessmen enjoying the fruits of their new riches. I chatted with them for a while. Looks like the Russians have not quiet discovered this part of the world yet.
Back on land, we lingered for a while in the lobby of Hotel Lago Grey waiting for our ride back to EcoCamp. We could still see the ice beauty out the big window.
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.