• The hostess at the B&B booked us on a late bus back to Bariloche which we did not like a bit. She claimed the earlier bus was fully booked. We took the matter into our hands. We went to town to the bus company office to find out there were still seats available on the earlier bus; we changed the reservation. By arriving earlier to bariloche we will have the opportunity to see some of the city.
• Larer, we took a local bus to Puerto Montt, a nearby port city. We visited the market place. What a dump, but nice to walk around. The highlights: seafood and cheeses sold out of a wheelbarrows (really!).
• We returned to Punta Varas, again by local bus and strolled the downtown which up to now had no chance of visiting.
• Dinner was at a local dive (Don Jorge) where Natan & Maggie were the only tourists. There was a soccer game on TV, and the locals were cheering every time their team was on the offensive. Natan had a good stake, fried in a pan, and Maggie had a pretty disgusting bowl of seafood mix (the kind of mix we saw earlier in the wheelbarrows).
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.