Sunset on Madre de DiosBefore the alarm, we're awakened by a loud roar, like distant machinery. We soon learn they're the howler monkeys! That was awesome! It's still dark as we head to breakfast. There's a little commotion in the garden? It's Vanessa, the local pet tapir. So close!
We had hours to go in the boat to go today, so after a night of Imodium moments, I only ate bread for breakfast.
The morning light on the river was beautiful, and at that time saw many shore birds. Now going farther down the river in the daylight, getting farther away from the Manu reserve, I could see increasing habitat destruction. There might only be a small stack of wood planks next to a small path into the forest, which doesn't look like much, but gradually the forest was not so dense. A forest cleared cattle farm appears to cause drastically more severe shoreline erosion. (We saw plenty of slash and burn along the roads.) At Boca Colorado, we cross the wide mud trek to shore and say good-bye to Enrique and the boat crew. We were handed off to Carlos, a young man our 'transfer agent', which is like a guide in training. He tried very hard to give us good service.
At least the bad roads are straight, and there are plank bridges over the ditches. Back on the 'highway' we stopped at what's developing as what we might call a turnpike stop. They were adding a lane for this, just since we had passed a few days before. The facilities were clean, and the counter girl was very friendly. Throughout our trip, without exception, the people serving us in hotels and restaurants were very pleasant and helpful. They treated us like they were glad to see us. Peru seemed to be trying very hard to look after the tourists. Our experience was that anyplace dealing with tourists, in the large or small town centers, including public bathrooms, were clean. In the cities, there were plenty of security people, and the streets were well lighted. Since it was dark by 5:30, this was important.
At no time did we feel unsafe, except with this next driver to the Puerto Maldonado airport. He drove way too fast, not stopping for anything. Look out, pedestrians! (I know this is common in many foreign countries, but he was an exception to all of the other drivers we had in Peru). At some point, I realized he was about to fall asleep, literally having trouble keeping his eyes open, resting his chin on the steering wheel. (I was riding in the front so I could see this clearly.) Carlos didn't seem to notice, and we weren't communicating well enough for me to explain my concern and ask him to have some kind of conversation with the driver to keep him awake. (And I didn't want to be difficult.) I realize this is something that A-L didn't have any control over. How would Enrique have known that the driver hadn't had enough sleep? We were very relieved to get to the airport.
At the Cusco airport, the transfer agent wasn't holding a sign. Enrique had said his name was Nico. We waited some minutes, then since he worked for Inkanatura, I asked another Inkanatura greeter with such a sign if she knew Nico. Fortunately he happened to be standing next to her, so the connection was made. I had not traveled with this kind of tour before, and had been a bit apprehensive about all of the connections. We had a few minutes of 'where is he?', but this was very minor and there were no other problems meeting up with our guides or transfers.
We arrived at the Taypikala, warmly welcomed by the staff. It was well located and quiet. The room was very comfortable. We knew to take it slow with the altitude, just walked around the nearby Santo Domingo area, and ate light at the hotel restaurant. The food wasn't chic, but it was just fine.
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.