We drove to Santa Maria and began our hike on a trail that the Incas had used to travel between the Amazon and Cusco. The trail followed one of the steepest hillsides I have ever seen. I couldn't believe that people could manage to build a trail on a mountain like this today, let alone several hundred years ago. The trail ascended sharply for the first few miles and we certainly earned our lunch! After the climb, we broke for lunch at a woman's house. She gave us a shady place to sit and we bought all of her cold beverages. I have never been so happy to see Gatorade in my life. She had a handful of month-old puppies that ended up with half of my portion of rice. They looked sad and underfed and reminded me of the dogs I saw when I lived in Guatemala. I can't believe I didn't end up hiking out with one of them.... We continued hiking along this amazing trail. At one point, there was a viewpoint that showed all of what we had been hiking. Still, couldn't believe that there was a trail in a place like this. The Forest Service does NOT build trails like this in the states. Much too dangerous. We started descending and ended up at the van where our driver/savior, Carlos, was waiting. We piled into the van, exhausted, and headed to Santa Teresa. The group camped at a small ecolodge outside of Santa Teresa, where we were able to relax and enjoy some more of the national beverage, the Pisco Sour.
Adventure Life has been an extraordinary travel resource for us over the years and today was no exception. Our River Cruise booking was handled by Jess (who has been our personal trip planner for several years) the same day as our inquiry. Suggestions were given for cabin choice and pre-trip options (that were not shown on the cruise line's website) like airport transfers and prepaid gratuities. Trip insurance recommendations followed and we were assigned a travel co-ordinator till the end of the tour. All we have to do is show up! Great service from friendly folks.
APtravelwell
1 day ago
My representative Kevin was very responsive generally and in crafting our itinerary to our specific priorities.
Rocco Labella
1 day ago
Although there was a lot of paper work, I received help and guidance when I needed it.
Donna Kirby
2 days ago
Our travel was flawless! The rider pickup (airport, hotel, ship) was seamless. Jane's recommendation for Emerald Cruise Sakara was everything I wanted but the experience was soooo much more. Adventure Life took care of each and every detail and this was the easiest of all my travels.
Anne Petty
3 days ago
Follow up was effective any questions were answered in a timely manner