The Candelabro.
Under a cloudless blue sky, we departed from the Colca Lodge at 8 am for the drive to Puno. During the first half of the drive we retraced our drive thru Chivay and over the 16,100 Patapampa Pass, and then headed east toward Puno with its altitude of 12,566 ft. The highway was paved and well maintained. The landscape varied from dry and flat, to rocky and hilly. Mining was important in this area and many large trucks were on the highway. We stopped at a large lagoon and viewed flocks of Chilean flamingoes. We also passed thru the town of Jilicana that Carlos described as a large wealthy commercial area that dealt in much illegal activity (counterfeit products from Bolivia and drugs). The city appeared dirty and chaotic.
PUNO
Arriving from above the city and descending into Puno was an interesting sight. The center of the town was located near the port. Homes were nestled on hillsides above the city, all facing Lake Titicaca. Most of the downtown area was small and could be seen on foot. The main pedestrian thoroughfare was full of restaurants, shops, and bars, and connected the Plaza de Armas to Parque Pino. The Cathedral located on the Plaza was large but rather plain and dark.
We arrived in Puno at 3:30 pm. Our hotel room was large and comfortable with a television featuring an English news channel. We enjoyed an early dinner with Carlos, Sarah and Christopher. Dick and I both selected delicious grilled kingfish with sides of potatoes and quinoa. Later Dick and I explored the pedestrian thoroughfare, plaza and surrounding area before walking back to our hotel. The streets and sidewalks were very narrow. Three-wheeled taxis were everywhere. Again, stop signs or lights were nonexistent with vehicles announcing their presence at intersections by blowing horns. Again, we were sleeping shortly after 9 pm.
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
3 weeks 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.