just an average size tree!Breakfast at 5, then boat for 3 hours, car for an hour and a half, another short boat ride, and another car ride for 2 and a half hours --- all to get to the airport. Very hot and tired by the time we got there, and so sad to see all the tropical rainforest destruction today. We saw gold mining all the way on the river trip, which culminated in a horrible ugly gold mining town, Colorado. Saw where the rainforest had been cut for cattle ranching for the last 2 hours of the drive. Saw some agriculture - bananas. And some logging too. Mario said that 90% of the gold mining is illegal. We passed tons of police and gobs of motorcycles and shanty towns. Was very sad to have to end the magnificent rainforest experience this way. The first 2 hours before we started seeing the destruction, I just stared at the forest and felt so happy that all the animals and plants we saw have such an incredibly special and pristine place to!
Was so tired when we finally got to our hotel in Cusco that I could hardly write an email. Even ate dinner right there at the hotel, because we couldn't manage to walk anywhere! And my head kept dropping onto the table during dinner!
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.