View of Ollantaytambo from the Temple of the SunThe planning for this trip actually took place months earlier when my boyfriend, Michael, and I were trying to decide where to take our first big trip together. We'd both traveled a bunch internationally with Michael having been to Europe and Asia and my having gone to Europe, Australia and Central America. We wanted to go somewhere new for both of us, so the obvious choice was South America. Once we decided on that, we both said "Peru" right away. So we narrowed down the country - and now to find a trip that we'd both enjoy. We did lots of research and came across Adventure Life online. We thought an active trip would be appealing to both of us. Then, once I spoke to Kassi for the first time and she was so incredibly helpful and knowledgeable, I knew she and her team would help us plan a memorable trip.
Michael and I both loved many aspects of the Manco Multisport tour but also love cuisine and cooking, so Kassi and Ashley helped us plan a custom tour including our favorite aspects of both the Manco Multisport and the Cuisine Tours that are offered. A fabulous itinerary was now planned - all we needed to do was make sure that we were in shape to handle the Multisport portion of the trip and that we had all the gear we needed. A few (dozen) orders from Amazon and REI later, we were all set!
Michael and I live in different cities - I live in Los Angeles and Michael in Houston, so the first part of my journey was the trip to Houston to meet up with Michael, so that we could travel down to Peru together.
After a long (flight is approximately 8 hours) but uneventful flight from Houston to Lima, we arrived at 9pm and we checked in to the lovely and convenient Costa del Sol hotel (when they said it was RIGHT across the street, they really meant it - literally 50 feet from the airport!). Arriving in the evening was a nice way to start our journey. We got our welcome drinks and hit the sack for a good night's sleep before the flight down to Cusco for the beginning of our adventurous journey!
We are so excited to start the journey together. Our tour group consisted of only Michael & I and our guide, cook and drivers. It was quite a special treat to have a private tour for the next week.
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.