This was our day to fly to Darwin, a small settlement on the mainland of East Falklands. Our hosts Keith and Fiona live there at Darwin House where we were booked for the next two days. It is a large, rambling two story house with lovely views of the surrounding countryside and waters. In whichever direction you looked you were rewarded with large patches of yellow gorse. Gorse was introduced from the U.K. and thrives in the Falklands, but is very intrusive and has a root system that defies removal.
After lunch we hiked along the shoreline to the next settlement of Goose Green. Along the way we passed one of the uncleared minefields left behind by the Argentines from the 1982 war. Apparently some of the mines may never be removed since they are made of plastic and can only be found by probing - which can be a hazardous undertaking.
At Goose Green we had tea and cookies at the local diner, 'The Galley'.
We had arranged to be picked up by Keith who then offered to take us on a side tour to the Bodie Creek Bridge. This bridge, which as span of 400 feet, was built in 1924 by the Falkland Islands Co. to facilitate the movement of sheep to the shearing sheds at Goose Green from outlying farms and eliminated a three day walk for the sheep. This is the southernmost suspension bridge in the world and deserves its place in history, but due to its deteriorating condition has been closed since 1997. It is only 8 feet wide and was not designed for vehicular traffic, although vehicles did use it at times. There is no road leading to the bridge, just the tracks made by Land Rovers and other vehicles traveling to the bridge from Goose Green. Local people who care about their past are not looking forward to its eventual fate - falling into the creek below.
Kelly and Rhenee were excellent to work with on planning our trip. The logistics all worked smoothly and everyone was friendly and on time. Our accommodations were very good, particularly the incredible Patagonia Camp in Torres del Paine! Our guides on every excursion were outstanding and made the hikes memorable! Overall we had a wonderful trip with incredible memories!
Scott Gibson
23 hours ago
Adventure Life is definitely a first-class safari tour company, and our representative was Franny Friesz. First of all, she responded immediately after we contacted Adventure Life. We told Franny that we had never been on a safari, and she was more than eager to offer a mountain of information about the trip. She informed us fully about all the ups, downs, and all arounds! She even prepared a number of packages for us to review -- even after we made changes to the areas we wanted to explore. Friendly, helpful, professional, and extremely knowledgeable -- these words describe Franny, and what a wonderful trip she prepared! We couldn't have asked for better service than Franny of Adventure Life. We HIGHLY recommend her and her outstanding company! Bon Voyage!
Prima Burke
1 day ago
The staff at Adventure Life made planning my family's trip to the Galapagos Islands as easy as possible. They listened to what we were hoping to experience and made thoughtful suggestions about how to accomplish our vacation goals while meeting the needs of travelers ages 17-76! They patiently answered questions and follow up questions in the months leading up to the trip. They helped us trouble shoot and customize the trip in every way possible. The logistics involved in traveling from Boston to the Galapagos are innumerable. The Adventure Life staff helped us arrange every detail and the team they assembled in the Galapagos was tremendous. I have never done a trip this big before and after working with Adventure Life this time--would not hesitate one second in working with them again.
Jennifer Howard Schroeder
2 days ago
Kevin got right on our request and had us booked within the week
Linda Cummings
3 days ago
The info on the website was laid out very well. I did some comparisons with other tours and found Adventure Life met a lot of what I wanted in an Antarctica trip at the cheapest price. Requested a quote on Claudia contacted me right away. She answered a lot of questions the I had via email even though she offered to discuss via phone call. I’m more of an email person so appreciated how she accommodated that and answered all my questions. And when I was ready to book, she quickly got the ball rolling with getting our spots reserved on the trip my friend and I wanted. Thanks again, Claudia!