We tried to make the most of our limited time in Ushuaia. As soon as we arrived we have whisked away for a surprise adventure Franny had planned for us, an afternoon of horseback riding. I was truly delighted that we had the opportunity to ride horses, one of my favorite activities, at the end of the world. When our guide heard we were from Montana he quickly decided we weren’t the typical tourists and let us know we were going somewhere special. He pointed to the top of a lumpy mountain and said, “that’s where we’re going.” I thought that was a joke, although the surrounding peaks made this particular mountain look small it was still really far away. Up we went, on dirt roads, across streams, narrow trails, through the forest and then up some more. We were off our horses scrambling up rocky faces and then back on bushwacking our way through the trees.
Horseback riding outside of Ushuaia. (Molly Stanko)
Once we got to the edge of the hill, above treeline, and we had a clear view I was completely amazed. I couldn’t stop taking photos with my phone, one-handed while bouncing along the trail of course. We watched the weather move in quickly and got pelted with rain for a bit before the sun came out. The weather reminded me of Montana, "if you don’t like it just wait 5 minutes" oh wait.. I think they say that about everywhere. After a total of about 2.5 hours, we arrived at the top. We had an incredible 360 view. Ushuaia in one direction, the Beagle Channel, and Tierra del Fuego National Park in the other. A rainbow appeared directly over Ushuaia. And it was stunning. Our guide gave us sandwiches and tea and we huddled on the mossy rocks to take a break and stretch our legs. Of course, we also took the opportunity to snuggle with the sweet dog who followed us the whole way. When we asked our guide what his dog’s name was he looked at us with a confused expression and said it wasn’t his.
The view of Ushuaia from Tierra de Leyendas. (Molly Stanko)
The rest of our limited free time was spent exploring the town, shopping, and looking for worthy restaurants. My favorite culinary experience was a restaurant Franny had heard of where we got to pick out our very own King crab. We got to take photos with it and giggled to ourselves that it was nearly as big as we were. We opted to share one and also ordered a delicious seafood appetizer. Us landlocked folk have to take advantage of being near the ocean! We left more than happy & stuffed.
King crab for dinner in Ushuaia! (Molly Stanko)
We also met up with some of Franny’s travelers who were departing the day before us. It was great to exchange travel stories and share in our excitement for our upcoming voyages. Although we were on different ships, we all were feeling the same anticipation for crossing the Drake Passage in the upcoming days.
With the time before our embarkation, we decided to follow the recommendation of our hotel staff and hike up toward the Martial glacier. There is a ski lift that takes people up part of the way, but it wasn’t working at the time, so we walked a few miles uphill and enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air. We knew we'd be crossing the Drake soon and wanted to stretch our legs as much as possible. Although we didn't make it all the way to the glacier before deciding to turn around, we could see the tiny people dots on the glacier itself.
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
2 days ago
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
3 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.
