Experience the Ultimate in Adventure Travel
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The challenge: to create a “best of the best” month-long adventure in Ecuador & Peru for seasoned world travelers Anne and Jer McCall.
The solution: a Galapagos cruise, historic cities, unique properties, hiking in Machu Picchu, pink dolphins in the Amazon, and a gorgeous beach on the Pacific coast!
Immerse yourself in the McCall’s descriptive and informative travel log. Anne has quite a way with words!
Galapagos
“We arrived in Ecuador on Thursday night. We got up the next morning and caught a 2 hour flight to the Galapagos island of St Cristobal. I was very surprised when we first arrived. This island has 20,000 people. It’s one of several that are inhabited. I guess I should have expected it, since I was flying into an airport. Anyway we got to the dock and there were sea lions everywhere. They were lying on the benches, you just sort of stepped over them. The town was about 6 blocks long, with the typical gift stores and eating places. Then we went by dingy to our Galapagos cruise boat, the Yacht La Pinta. It can accommodate 46 guests. We lucked out because its only about half full, so we can have more flexibility. It’s a great mix of people. 4 Americans, 2 Germans, one Spanish woman, several Australian families, and one English family. OK, so now here’s the part you aren’t going to believe. We get up at 7am…yes I said am….every morning.
Our first day we went on a hike…yes I said hike…and I did the whole thing!!! I’m quite proud of myself. We were still on still on St Cristobal, but on the other uninhabited side. Now this is what I thought the Galapagos would look like. It was volcanic and ash rock. We hiked about half way to the top of the island and got some beautiful pictures. We saw a red footed booby with a bright blue beak, sitting on her nest. Those can only be found here… When we got to the bottom and hit the beach, I could not get my clothes off quick enough to hit the water. It was wonderful. The sea lions were just laying on the sand with us. Then I took my snorkel and started looking around, and I almost ran into a turtle. A big turtle. He completely surprised me. I started grunting through my snorkel for Jer to look. I kept getting closer and closer to him, and he was letting me. Jer started physically pulling me back because they can bite. But it was remarkable experience. All the island and sea life is so comfortable around humans, they don’t see us as predators like everywhere else. [Read more...]
Start planning your escape to Cape Town next winter! While its cold and snowy here, what’s better than to be in one of the coolest cities in the world. Cape Town simply oozes a great summer vibe, with tons of energy, outdoor cafes, breathtaking sunsets, gorgeous coastlines, invigorating hiking, great shopping, trendy restaurants, open air concerts, wineries, and festivals!
A few of our favorite things to do in and around Cape Town in the summer:
Whether you visit for two days or two weeks, Cape Town offers an unending supply of culture and diversity. No visit to South Africa should miss Cape Town! Check out this slideshow for a glimpse of all there is to see and do in Cape Town.
Thanks to years of traveling back and forth from the states to Africa and other special places around the world, Priscilla has three simple yet extremely useful tips to make your long haul flights more comfortable. They are:
A “must have” according to Priscilla! Featherlight, these shoes are perfect for walking in a city, going on a run, or heading out on safari. Easily stored and with lots of different styles to choose from, everyone should travel with a pair!
Learn more and find your perfect fit here. We love these shoes!
One of the most rewarding things to do when traveling is to get insight into the local culture, and we find there is no better way to do this is than with an interactive experience with locals. Even better is when this experience helps support the local community! The Eziko cooking school in Langa (Cape Town) offers visitors such a unique opportunity.
Priscilla and several Global Sojourns clients experienced a cooking class at Eziko’s under the watchful eye of specialty guide Pam McOnie, one of our favorite local foodies and wine experts. They loved the hands on interaction! Pam was instrumental in helping to create the cooking classes available to visitors at Eziko. It’s a very interesting story actually. We highly recommend you visit Pam’s website to read more about it.
Our client, Karen Johnson, sums up the experience best:
“What a great way to end our trip! having an authentic experience of cooking and eating traditional foods was one of my favorite activities of the trip. Pam was so knowledgeable about the township and Eziko’s effect on local youth. Victor, founder of the school, gave us some fascinating history about hearth rituals along with samples of some special offerings. Then there was Victor’s mom, Mama Lindy, a remarkable person and wonderful instructor, who helped us to understand foods of the traditional hearth while we prepared a truly delicious meal. Long live samp and beans!”
-Peter Macy
In Namibia, the opportunities for adventure are endless. Here you can:
The landscape is Namibia’s defining natural asset but Namibia is also home to vibrant cities where people are excited about the future, while remaining deeply connected to their rich, cultural past. A stable, democratic government and infrastructure allows guests to move confidently off the beaten path and explore those endless horizons that define a country and her people.
Conservation is a cornerstone of the Namibian experience with over 40% of its surface area under conservation management. It has the largest free-roaming population of black rhinos and cheetahs in the world and is the only country with an expanding population of free-roaming lions.
The perfect item for variable weather packing. If there’s a chance of cool temps, this always goes in our bags!
On a warm, clear blue day we were surrounded by the majestic, dark blue-green ocean; as well as massive, snow-white waves loudly crashing into geysers against the ancient, yet determinedly
steadfast coastal rocks of Robberg Peninsula as we walked on rocky and sandy paths through the indigenous, wind-hardened, brown/green flora under our feet. Priscilla and I have been blessed to have traversed the world but we both found our 4-hour hike to be one of our “top 5″ in the world. The rich diversity of coastal flora, complete absence of tourists, just the right amount of exertion and amazing aquatic display of playful seals, birthing whales, traveling dolphins and hunting sharks made for an unforgettable experience in South Africa’s Western Cape Province.
We then spoiled ourselves with a stay at the wonderful Periwinkle Lodge in Plettenberg. Great decor, very comfy and best of all, it has a gorgeous view of the bay and of Robberg Peninsula! Dinner out at the Lookout Deck for more great views and dolphin sightings while we feasted on “tuna loin” and fresh shrimp.
-Peter Macy
