Our faithful cross-country vehiclesIf you thought that driving in L.A., Seattle or New York was bad, you should take a turn in Uganda! The only other place I've seen driving like this was in Guatemala, where at least everything is still located on the left side as it is in the United States! In Uganda, not only do you have to overcome the hurdle of the steering wheel and traffic flow occurring on the right side of the vehicle, but you also have to get used to the fact that any and all road rules are not be obeyed or enforced. Stop signs, stop lights, lane markers, and other items are all viewed more as suggestions than as rules, and therefore it creates an environment where everyone can do whatever they like so long as they don't hit someone else. While I was in country, I witnessed drivers, motorcyclists and even young kids jump out in front of oncoming traffic to try and work their way through, or travel down the middle of the lane in a foot of free space in order to bypass the traffic jam. Drivers here be very cautious to watch their space on all sides, as most vehicles will pass within inches of each other going full speed, and it appears to just be 'normal' driving. We hired a driver (a very capable and very safe driver), who was incredible at navigating the roads and keeping us safe. We experienced many close calls, but after a day or two, realized that this is just the normal. I would strongly recommend anyone considering visiting that they use hired drivers as opposed to trying to rent a car and do it themselves, especially if you plan to drive in the city.
Outside of the city, the jams and congestion are not quite as bad, therefore other drivers tend to obey the road signs and stay within the lanes better. We used landcruiser vehicles to cross the terrain, as occasionally you will find yourself on a nice stretch of concrete that suddenly turns into massive potholes and dirt road for a while before converting back to a nice tarmac. All in all, we are grateful that we were able to rent the vehicles and find the driver capable of keeping of us safe in the country.
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
1 day ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
1 day ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
6 days ago
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
1 week 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.