Upsala Glacier and Horseback riding at Estancia Christina
The 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.
We went to the Patagonia on the Chile side and Perito Moreno in El Calafate, Argentina. Eric of San Diego handled our trip with expertise. The preparation went smoothly, despite some changes on our part with scheduling conflicts. He offered great advice which made us feel at ease with all decisions on the trip. It was truly a great experience.
Evelyn and Edwin
2 days ago
We had a great experience- they were very helpful in trip planning and making sure we got to do all the activities and see the places we wanted. There were some things we couldn't do/see due to the time of year being the rainy/low season and they steered us away from those. We had never been to Costa Rica before and it gave us a good overview of this lovely country.
Jody Dice
3 days ago
My travel consultant went out of her way to make sure everything went smoothly, everything from the flight reservations to the final booking.