The striking landscapeArequipa was the city we had especially anticipated as Carlos was from the area and assured us that there was no nicer city in Peru. Arequipa did not disappoint, with many more flowers, clear skies, and stunning volcanic vistas on the outskirts. The whole city seemed fresh, alive, and welcoming. We stopped at a viewpoint for fresh squeezed papaya and passionfruit juice as Carlos pointed out active Volcano Misti and nearby Picchu Picchu, the highest peak in the area. Later we wandered downtown for some practical stops at the post office, bank, and famous Peruvian chocolate shop. We had a mix of typical Arequipan dishes for our buffet lunch including alpaca, cuy (roast guinea pig), stuffed peppers, and of course lots of potatoes. According to some guides, Peru boasts nearly 8000 different kinds of potatoes and I think restaurants were conspiring to insure that we tried all of these during our stay as we rarely had a meal that did not include some variety of potatoes.
That afternoon we toured the huge Santa Catalina Monastery, a city in itself with six streets, numerous chapels, and hundreds of kitchens. The entire monastery was originally painted in glistening white but has since been splashed with a variety of colors to attract tourists. The nuns lived in private apartments for most of the monastery's history and they were forbidden from ever leaving its gates. Families could only peer at them through darkened slits in the visitor's gallery. No matter however, being a nun was considered an incredible honor for both the young woman and her typically wealthy family.
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
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.