Me esposa paragliding over LimaOur morning began with a daring hike whose decent would cover 5,000 feet along a narrow footpath. Looking down upon the village of Lamay my legs began to tremble and shake while my mind swam in images of the fall that was so very possible as I gingerly peered over the precipice, but then again I always get a thrill when I put my vertigo to the test. The cliffs that loomed and towered above us were stained with a beautiful crimson and orange sediment and were dotted with ancient burial caves that once held the remains of the Incan men and women who had helped to build and maintain the sprawling ruins where we had previously slept. Native women and children passed us, walking the opposite way, as we made our journey downward. It was slightly relieving to see them as winded and sweaty as we were on our climb, to the point where they could barely gasp a friendly ''Buenos Dias'', the last syllable hardly audible as it escaped their lips. Halfway down we encountered a local woman yelling rapid Spanish at an unseen person who must have been farther down the trail. Our guide informed us that she was yelling for her daughter Natalie ''Come on Natalie, at least give it some effort!'' We laughed and eventually came upon Natalie who was contently sitting with her boyfriend on a small stone railing, obviously on the verge of giving up. Even heartier laughter erupted among all involved when we heckled Natalie to ''Vamanos'', your madre is waiting for you.
We arrived at the village after approximately three hours where I promptly employed the youngest horseman in our team, a sweet boy of perhaps 16, to secure as many grande bottles of Cusco beer for our crew who were most grateful. They laughed when I questioned whether they thought it was too early in the day for a drink, responding almost in unison that it was ''never too early por un cerveza''. Their smiles widened even more as I doled out generous tips for the fine effort and work they had done on this particularly challenging adventure. They nearly rolled in the dirt in merriment when, as we all posed for a parting photo, my usually demure wife called out ''Decir Sexo'' [say sex] as the camera flashed.
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
1 month 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
2 months 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
3 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.