Nazca Lines, Chauchilla's Cemetery and bus to Arequipa
We awoke for the experience I had most been looking forward to, a flight over the enigmatic Nazca lines. I anxiously waited my turn in the small airport terminal, watching a video that described the creation of the lines and various theories of their origins. I excitedly boarded the front seat of the three passenger Cessna and smiled with glee as we coasted down the runway. The lines were incredible, though not as prominent as I had imagined. Huge figures of a monkey, whale, hummingbird, astronaut, and others were crisscrossed with large rays in the sand or seemingly random trapezoidal figures. After a couple of figures my stomach began to churn as the plane bumped up with the wind currents and then made sudden dips down. The pilot recognized my green tinge and kindly handed me a peppermint and opened the vents a bit more. After the 40 minute flight, I couldn't think of anything better than to be back on solid ground once more.
We headed out to the Chauchilla's Cemetery where the dry conditions have preserved dozens of mummies in situ, some still wrapped in burial clothes and sporting long hair. Our local guide described how families of the dead would often retrieve the mummies for major festivals, carrying them along to the party and then returning them to the site at the end of the day. We returned to the hotel for an afternoon swim, drinks, and a round of Peruvian "Sapo" (Frog). The object of the game is to throw gold coins into the narrow slit of the frog's mouth about 15 feet away. Fortunately, you also receive points for landing in larger holes marked with decreasing point values. Our new Scottish friend, a bubbly marine biologist called Janet, seemed to win every game, much to the delight of 11 year old Lynn Li who only wanted to insure that our guide, Carlos, lost.
That night we took a dreaded 8 hour overnight bus ride to Arequipa. Again the bus was Royal Class so it was better than I anticipated. Winding through the narrow mountain passes however, did not mollify my already shaky stomach and I slept fitfully. The hotel kindly offered us check in immediately and we gratefully curled up for a few hours nap before meeting Carlos for our city tour.
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.