Last night when we checked into the hotel - the local tour office brought us our tickets for the bus ride to Cusco. They also had us fill out an evaluation of the Titicaca experience which I thought was great since its fresh in your mind at that time.
I'm feeling tired and sick to my stomach from the altitude but surprisingly the bus ride is not that bad. We stop every hour to visit different sites along the way and the attendant brings us our choice of juice, water, coffee or coca tea after each stop.
When we arrive into Cusco, we're met by our driver who's holding a sign with our name on it. He takes us to the Taypikala Hotel where we met our guide, Ayul. He gave a rundown of what to expect for the next few days and gave us some great recommendations for where to eat.
We went to the main square and were rained on a bit along the way. Good idea to bring a light rain jacket. Exchanging money ended up being more of an ordeal than I expected, but with Ayul's instructions we figured it out. The money exchangers wouldn't take anything below a $20 bill so we ended up keeping our $1s, $5s, and $10s for tips along the way. The local currency is the Sol and I would suggest getting several one's to use as tips and for street vendors along the way. They don't break a $50 very easily.
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.