Gallavanting around PeruA long day of travel awaits. I'm on the 6 am flight from Missoula to Denver . . . then Denver to Houston . . . and finally, Houston to Lima. I watch the sky darken from the window of the plane, and see unfamiliar constellations rising above the horizon. The plane begins its descent, and I see an enormous coastal city spread out below, golden pools of light shining in the typical Lima fog. We arrive around 11, and I'm lucky, as we're one of the earlier international flights to arrive. The immigration lines are short, and I make it through in record time. I pick up my bag from the baggage claim and move to the customs line, which is also short. I walk into the arrivals hall, where an overwhelming frenzy of Peruvians are holding signs and waiting for travelers. I scan the crowd for an Adventure Life sign, but there is none to be found, so I settle down and wait.
Finally Boris, our friendly transfer guide, finds me. He is holding a professional Adventure Life sign and wearing a jacket with the ALJ logo. We wait another 45 minutes for the other ALJ travelers arriving on a later flight, then pile into the car to head out to the Hotel Carmel in the Miraflores district. It is nearly 1 am by the time we arrive, and Boris will be back at 7 to take us back to the airport for our flight to Cusco. I decide not to calculate the number of hours of sleep I'll get. Ignorance is bliss.
I open the window of my 4th-floor room and breathe the foggy, smoggy air of Lima. It reminds me of Cairo, Beijing, Chicago, of other new experiences, other travels. And here I am, once more at the beginning of yet another adventure . . .
We've used Adventure Life for several trips in the past and have always been very pleased with them. The staff is personable and professional at the same time. Erin put this trip together for us in just a few days, and it has everything we were looking for! I recommend them without hesitation.
benn
3 weeks ago
I served as the person responsible for planning a trip to Galapagos and Machu Picchu for a group of 14 people. Jane with Adventure Life was very helpful throughout the process. Making suggestions, offering insight, and in the end helped me overhaul an initial plan into something even better. Also, Jane makes all the plans including the flights within and between Peru and Ecuador. Thanks to her this is going to be a stress-free adventure. After making the final decision about the trip, Jane gathered the contact information for all the travelers and sent out the details to each traveler individually with links to pay deposits, upload passport info, and personal preferences. She also ensured a group email was sent out to the entire group welcoming us to the trip preparation process. Our trip is a year from now and we are excited to make this once in a life time trek. I am happy to have organized things through Adventure Life. However, two small issues came up that were a little off putting. First, Adventure Life adds $50 per person to the cost for each traveler as a donation to a Galapagos conservation fund. I think this should he offered as something that can be added at each traveler’s discretion. Instead, it is automatically added, and each person must ask to have it removed if they do not want it included. Second, although the trip deposit may be paid with a credit card without incurring an additional fee, the balance must be paid in another way to avoid a 3% credit card fee. Maybe this is standard with all travel agencies. In the end I would definitely go through Adventure Life for the next big trip.
Brenda Nielsen
1 month ago
I think it was very helpful that Franny and I spoke on the phone. I think she had a better idea of what we were looking for, and she planned a great itinerary for us!
Elizabeth
2 months ago
My representative Kevin was very responsive generally and in crafting our itinerary to our specific priorities.
Rocco Labella
3 months ago
Easy.
Great work on the follow up and details by Waru.