Sacha Lodge, EcuadorWe meet Ayul at 7 am and decide to take a hike along the river that passes below Machu Picchu to a large waterfall. The valley walls are steep and the river is a raging torrent below so the path mostly hugs the single line railway track. We occasionally stand back as a small train trundles slowly by. As we leave the town, we come across a couple of tail-wagging dogs. There are quite a few street dogs about but they are mostly friendly surviving on scraps from restaurants and tourists. We haven't come across any aggressive dogs throughout our travels however they can apparently be a problem in the suburbs of the larger cities where they travel in packs (we've seen these packs from the car in Quito). In any case, we are badly missing our dog at home so we welcome the company of these strays (but don't allow the kids to touch them!). Our new furry friends decide to accompany us on our hike so off we go. Ayul points out many natural and historical points of interest along the hike and we end up at a beautiful natural waterfall with banana trees, lovely tropical plants and many varieties of orchids. It really is a beautiful and fascinating country. Around noon, we return to town for a quick lunch and then head over to the train station for our train back to Ollantaytambo. We are met there by our driver and private van who then shuttles us through the highlands, glaciers visible in the distance and back to our main base of Cusco where we will now spend time exploring and learning more about this former Incan capital and Peru's 4th largest city!
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.
