At 7:00 am Ayul picks us up in a private van. We leave Cusco and begin our journey through the Sacred Valley (''Secret Valley'' as Nicky calls it). Our first stop is an animal sanctuary. This was an unexpected surprise for the kids and even left a strong impression on Steve and I. We see McCaws sitting freely on some branches. The operator tells us that they were rescued from smugglers. We are told that a common method of illegal export is to stuff a half dozen or more in a PVC pipe and hope that a few survive, very sad. We see two beautiful mountain lions rescued from a nightclub fire in Lima. The highlight for the kids however is seeing 3 enormous condors, the largest birds with 10 ft wing spans. It is feeding time and these monsters swoop down just a couple feet over our heads. There were sad stories behind many of the animals but it was uplifting to see how many were being helped and reintroduced to their natural habitat by the shelter. We are happy to make a small contribution when we leave. We move on and drive to the first archeological site of the day. A place called Moray where we find a deep recession in the highlands which have been terraced in concentric circles. It is believed that these terraces were used for farming by early Quechan peoples. However, this particular site was something of a laboratory as the protected nature of the valley produced different microclimates where the Quechan experimented with the growth of different crop species. It is another example of the surprising sophistication of this early civilization. After trekking down a couple of hundred steps and back up, we stop for a nice lunch before continuing to our ultimate destination of Ollantaytambo. Our next stop along the way is the Pisac market. This is one of the largest outdoor markets in the area with a broad assortment of fruits, vegetables as well as beautiful artisan crafts. We do our best to support the local economy! We continue on and finally arrive in Ollantaytambo. This quaint little town marks the beginning of the Inca trail to Machu Picchu. For those not inclined to make the 4-day hike, it is also the place where you can catch the train! We will spend the night in Ollantaytambo giving us time to explore its own impressive ruins. For a little added excitement that evening, a large tree near the centre of town topples over around 6:00pm leaving the entire town without power. While most restaurants have had to close, we are fortunate to stumble across a little cafe with a wood burning pizza oven. After a candle-lit dinner, we head back in the dark to our candle-lit hotel and turn in early.
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.