We woke at 4 am. We were getting used to these early mornings and the lack of electricity helped encourage us into bed the night before. We traveled 15 minutes by boat and then hiked into the nearby oxbow lake. There we boarded a wooden blind with benches along the edges and headed out in search of the local family of river otters. We saw the otters fishing at a distance but weren't able to get close enough for a good view. In the meantime however, Aldo pointed out a variety of birds and another guide dipped his fishing pole in the lake with a bit of raw meat for bait. Within minutes he pulled up a piranha. We all admired its sharp teeth and strong bite before releasing it back to the lake.
After a few hours we headed back to the river for our five hour journey upriver to the Tambopata Research Center. Enroute we admired a family of capybaras (the world's largest rodent) with the appearance of a giant guinea pig. Upon arrival, I took another welcome cold shower. I found that these showers were the only moments each day when I felt truly cool and could wash the thick layer of salt off my body that had accumulated from all the perspiration. We voted to wait for an evening walk and relaxed the rest of the afternoon in the hammocks on the porch.
That night we hiked into the rainforest with flashlights in search of nocturnal creatures. We saw a couple of huge spiders and a small, non-poisonous snake. The sounds of the rainforest always seem more striking than the sights, but this was especially true at night. We heard the whistling of the poison dart frogs, the rustling of bats overhead, and the chatter of insects. We returned to the lodge and tucked the mosquito netting around the mattress as we nestled into bed.
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.