Today we have an excursion outside Cusco. We travel narrow-winding roads on mountain edges, at times having to stop and let other cars pass with paper-thin space between our vehicles. The views are amazing. No matter how hard I try the photos do not do it justice.
van ride back to Cusco (Aaron Conway)
Everyone on the van is excited when we encounter a herd of sheep and llama.
herding the sheep and llamas (Aaron Conway)
Our destination is a small farming community where we learn about how they farm the land to this day using traditional tools retrofitted with newer parts reclaimed from old cars or other repurposed rubbish. We are invited to try to till the land, Samuel is far more effective the me.
Tilling the soil (Aaron Conway)
We also get to sample a traditional barbecue. Stones built into a dome structure with a fire in the middle. Once the store are hot enough, the entire structure is taken apart then laid out with alternating layers of stone and vegetables and meat, topped off with a cuy (guinea pig). Once all the layers are in place the mound is covered with long grasses, tarp (a modernized element) and dirt. Everyone pitched in to help.
laying out the food on the hot stones (Aaron Conway)
Our visit wrapped up with a weaving presentation including how natural dyes are used to make their rich color palettes.
From the planning stage straight through the trip itself, Adventure life was on top of it all. Questions were answered completely, accommodations were better than expected. All fees and transportation was addressed. This is a very professional organization, you can book with confidence.
Eric Biddinger
4 weeks ago
Our 19 day personalized trip to Peru was amazing and memorable. The itinerary Adventure Life assembled provided us with a wonderful sampling of the country and culture - Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Cusco, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Amazon rainforest, Paracas, and the Nazca Lines. Our guides were exceptional- informative, friendly, helpful, and service-centric. It was a trip of a lifetime.
Gino
2 months ago
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
2 months 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
3 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!
