Peruvian plantsEdwin picked us up at the hotel at 8 am. We walked through the plaza and then through the Plaza de San Francisco on our way to the public market. I bought a few items perfume, a handbag, a tiny charm of a closed fist a symbol of strength. We shared a bebida (fruit smoothie) at a stand operated by a friend of Edwin's. Lunch was upstairs on the square overlooking a parade of young dancers in colorful costumes. This was part of a weeklong celebration of Peruvian Independence Day on June 24. Edwin told us he was a dancer in his younger days and later an instructor; he even married a woman in his dance troupe. Edwin proved to be extremely knowledgeable about Inca history, having earned the equivalent of a master's degree in the subject. He took excellent care of us and provided enlightening insight into everything we saw. He is justly proud of his country.
In the afternoon we visited an archeological museum and two Inca sites outside of town Tambo, a rocky outcropping with tunneled passages and Sacsayhuaman, a zigzagging multi-level fortification. After walking down the hill back to our hotel, we were pretty tired and went to bed early that night. During dinner we were entertained by an Andean band and bought a CD, which was autographed by all the band members to celebrate the occasion. We observed a roasted guinea pig being served to the next table, but decided to pass on that local dish.
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.