Upsala Glacier and Horseback riding at Estancia Christina
Ship in ArgentinaThe regular schedule for today is a hike on Morino glacier. Because the local tour operator would not allow anyone over 65 to hike on the glacier, Adventure Life arranged for an alternative tour for me. Ironically, I think the glacier hike was the safer of the two choices. I was fortunate enough to go to Estancia Christina. First we went to view Upsala Glacier, the largest in the Glacier National Park. On the way in a tour boat designed to hold 100 passengers we were six tourists and an equivalent number of crew and tour guides. We were eager to see the views from the boat and stood outside as long as we were allowed. The wind and water spray made it seem much colder. The mountains along the river to the glacier were topped with snow and there were large floating pieces of ice that had calved from the glacier. We got up close to the Upsala. I’ve seen glaciers before, but nothing this huge. It is always amazing how blue the ice is.
At Estancia Christina I took a four-hour horseback ride. It was not one of those nose-to-tail plodding along rides so often offered for tourists. This was for experienced riders and it was just me and the guide. The only problem was that he didn’t speak hardly any English and I don’t speak hardly any Spanish. All went well, but I think I would have learned more about the history and geography of the area if we could have communicated. We rode across flat lands, up and down hills, and crossed four streams. We stopped at a lake for the lunch we carried in the saddle bags, then headed back. On the way back we came to five or six horses feeding on the range and drove them back to the corral. By the time we were done my neck and shoulders were aching from the stress on the herniated disk in my neck from trotting and loping.
We had another good meal with fine wine. When I got back to my room there was a small bottle of champagne on ice waiting for me. My neck and shoulders still ache.
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
4 days ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.
Mary Warren
5 days ago
Jess was very easy going and answered all our questions. It’s not easy dealing with 6 people at once but she did an outstanding job!
Diane Foster
1 week ago
Kassandra and the Adventure Life team have been incredible! Kassandra was very knowledgeable and attentive to our asks while making sure we kept within our budget. This was our first experience with a travel agent and we were blown away by the booking/initial exploration service. We will use Adventure Life again.