Our guide Miguel at XunantunichWe woke this morning to the sound of a howler monkey, in the trees above our cabin! Evan was glad I had explained their sound before we went to bed. It sounded like there were dinosaurs outside our door! We got up out of bed and wandered around outside, watching and listening to the howlers call back and forth across the grounds. After nearly half an hour of this, they slowly worked their way further in the jungle. What a cool way to wake up on our first day in Belize! We ate a filling breakfast of eggs, toast, beans and fruit and then set off for our day of fun! Our guide Miguel is such a gem. He brought us to the town of San Ignacio where we loaded up in our canoes and started paddling up the Rio Macal. He spotted iguanas, birds, bats and even a rather large rodent (that I of course forgot the name the moment he told me!) along the banks of the river. After a couple hours of canoeing up and back down the river, we then drove to Xunantunich where Miguel explained to us all the history of this amazing ruin. We walked through each area of the grounds, and then climbed El Castillo, the second largest ruin in Belize. The views from the top were spectacular! We could see for miles in every direction, and with just the six of us sitting at the top, it was quite peaceful to just sit and enjoy. On our way back towards the car, Miguel stopped in his tracks and turned a 180 to take us to a family of howler monkeys he had somehow spotted from across the courtyard. We watched them until the rain hit again and we quickly made our way back to our car. On the way back to Pooks, we came across Hot Mamas, a hot-sauce, chocolate and honey factory. We sampled all they had to offer, and bought a few souvenirs for home. After a hot shower and a little time to relax, another delicious dinner was served. After dinner, Hector prepped us for our early departure for the Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) cave visit the next morning. We were told to wear shoes and socks, be prepared to be wet all day, and to leave our cameras in our rooms. They were not even allowed on the trail into the cave.
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.
