VicunyaToday we drive from Arequipa to the Colca Valley with Liliana and a driver. We leave Arequipa and on the way out of town stop for Gatorade and coca leaves, as we will reach an altitude of over 16,000 feet today and will need all the help we can get! We drive through a national park that is a refuge for vicunyas, established to help ensure that the vicunya population continues to thrive. We stop and eagerly take lots of pictures of the vicunyas and alpacas, not realizing that before the day is over we will have seen tons of them! We also see lots of cactus, which surprises me a little, as I thought they preferred hot climates. There is one cactus that looks like a small ottoman and Liliana tells us it's called a mother-in-law's seat! It is quite cold and windy. We stop to look at birds, including Andean geese and beautiful Puna Teals, ducks with bright blue beaks. We arrive at Patapampa, which literally means 'high flat place'. This is the spot that is over 16,000 feet. From here we have views of the mountains Chachani, Misti and Pichu Pichu. There are literally thousands of apachetas here--rocks stacked by travelers to give thanks. Of course, we each make one, too. When in Rome! We stop in the town of Chivay for lunch. I have alpaca spaghetti, and Andrea has an alpaca burger, so we are continuing our Peruvian food theme! After lunch we start descending into the Colca Valley. (although it's hard to call anything sitting at 14,000 feet a 'valley'). The scenery is beautiful, alternately flat and prairie-like and mountainous and green. There are many terraces throughout the valley, and Liliana explains that they are from pre-Incan times. The people in this part of the country were captured by the Incas. So, while I was giving the Incas credit last year for coming up with the brilliant idea of farming in the mountains using terraces, apparently they got the idea from their captives! As we approach the Colca Lodge, where we will spend the next two nights, the road gets rough and winding. Eventually we are able to look down on the Lodge, and it is gorgeous. When we arrive we check in and quickly change into our bathing suits. We go soak in one of the four pools outside the lodge that are fed from the hot springs. The water is warm and heavenly, and as luck would have it, the Lodge has a bar at the pools that makes divine pisco sours! Siting in a hot mineral bath, looking at breath-taking scenery, with a pisco sour in hand-- Priceless! There are a few others at the pools, mostly Italians, and it's just a great way to mingle! The Lodge is isolated from any town, so we have no choice but to eat at the Lodge restaurant. The good news is that the food is wonderful and so is the atmosphere. We have aji de galina and wine for dinner, followed by dessert. Then, stuffed, we return to our room and read for a while. We have an early start tomorrow.
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
3 days ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.
Mary Warren
4 days ago
Jess was very easy going and answered all our questions. It’s not easy dealing with 6 people at once but she did an outstanding job!
Diane Foster
6 days ago
Kassandra and the Adventure Life team have been incredible! Kassandra was very knowledgeable and attentive to our asks while making sure we kept within our budget. This was our first experience with a travel agent and we were blown away by the booking/initial exploration service. We will use Adventure Life again.