Approaching Dead Woman's Pass on the Inca Trail
Clients and porter on the Inca Trail This is some feedback from clients recently returned from our Walk and Beach, Peru Brazil combination holiday. I put it up here because I really like the sentiment, it simply tallies with the thinking behind Pura Aventura holidays.
“Peru was wonderful…..everything was so well organised, our guide was fantastic, very knowledgeable, and as for the Inca Trail itself….an experience that I will never forget.The four days of camping and trekking almost had Mai-Britt giving up (Dead Womans’ Pass almost living up to it’s name) but when we finally reached the Sun Gate we were both nearly in tears. It was a wonderful, emotional moment as you see Machu Pichhu for the first time.How people can just take the train and bus up I have no idea. We did it the right way in my mind, the hard and sweaty way but the right way. We earned it ! We all know what Machu Pichhu looks like, it’s an iconic image, but to see it for real was breathtaking.”The photo above was taken by clients a few years back but shows the tough approach to Dead Woman’s Pass. It also shows one of our porters in the background looking disconcertingly untroubled by the climb.If you see the full remarks below, more light is shed on the work our porters do. I also thought it was worth dropping in a photo of the view of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate (that’s where you get your first views when coming in on the Inca Trail).It is a quite extraordinary moment and an emotional one for most.
Your first views of Machu Picchu
What can I say about the holiday then…..It was the most amazing holiday experience we have ever had. It was certainly the most adventurous challenge we have given ourselves on a holiday.
Peru was wonderful…..everything was so well organised, our guide was fantastic, very knowledgeable, and as for the Inca Trail itself….an experience that I will never forget.
The four days of camping and trekking almost had Mai-Britt giving up (Dead Womans’ Pass almost living up to it’s name) but when we finally reached the Sun Gate we were both nearly in tears. It was a wonderful, emotional moment as you see Machu Pichhu for the first time. How people can just take the train and bus up I have no idea.
We did it the right way in my mind, the hard and sweaty way but the right way. We earned it ! We all know what Machu Pichhu looks like, it’s an iconic image, but to see it for real was breathtaking.
We have some amazing memories. Listening to the porters laughing was one of the simpler things we appreciated. Given the hard lives they lead in the mountain villages we appreciated their hard work, the help they gave us and they always had a smile on their faces. Priceless !
Rio was a nice stop-off before we headed to Buzios to re-charge our batteries. We wish we’d extended the holiday and had an extra couple of days in Rio, but we can’t complain.
It’s always nice to have a couple of unexpected things happen or things go slightly wrong, it’s adds to the experience, but the local guides and Pura Aventura were quick to fix things and deal with it. There was a strike in Peru that meant we were forced to walk to the airport, as they blocked all the roads. We were always kept informed by our guide and with the help of the hotel we got to the airport with no problem. Another guide was even sent to the hotel to escort us there. Luckily we were picked up by a hotel mini-bus that picked his was past all the rocks and rubble dumped in the roads. Also, we were told we would be transferred by bus to Buzios with other people, which was not what was in our package. Not really an issue but we were meant to have a private transfer. Anyway a couple of phone calls later all was resolved. A small things, but you remember these things.
So a big thank you to Pura Aventura.
We have certainly recommended you to our friends and colleagues, so I hope you benefit in the future with some more bookings.I know it’s a tough financial environment at the moment, but word of mouth counts for a lot when it comes to holiday experiences.We will certainly be back.Like to walk to Machu Picchu? Interested in Pura Aventura’s Peru holidays? Find out more about our Peru and Brazil holiday.
Views from the Arenal Volcano Inn
It’s always lovely to have feedback from clients, it’s even better when it’s so well structured and detailed that it proves genuinely helpful for both us and for future clients. So thank you Jan & Tom for taking time to write the following from their recent Costa Rica holiday. I haven’t changed or edited anything, even the CAPS on our name is not our work, honest.
COSTA RICA UNCOVERED 12 – 30 JULY 2010
Jan and Tom Bown visited Costa Rica on a holiday organised by PURA AVENTURA in July 2010. For first-time visitors to Central America the experience was excellent, thanks to the high degree of knowledge, expertise and professionalism shown by PURA AVENTURA and their local agents. This critique is intended as feedback to PURA AVENTURA that may be of help to future clients.
1. International Flights were with BA (world traveller). Flights were more or less on time and legroom was good. In-flight food was adequate.
2. Arrival in Costa Rica Costa Rica Trails provided in-country support. Met on arrival by a smartly-presented English speaker, we were whisked away to our hotel (Buena Vista) in a clean and roomy vehicle. We were given a comprehensive and detailed arrival pack-up that included a very detailed itinerary, local contact numbers, vouchers for the whole trip and plenty of useful information and maps. This company could not be faulted; they inspired confidence and were extremely efficient throughout.
3. Tortuguero Early on day 1 we were picked up and taken to another hotel where we met another couple and changed vehicles. We then drove to another hotel where we picked up a third couple and were then taken into San Jose where we transferred to a 52-seater coach that was nearly full. At this point we were starting to feel uncomfortable, having signed up to a private tour with an individual itinerary. It subsequently transpired that this (long bus journey and boat trip) was the only way to get to the Tortuguero hotels (other than flying in). While it all worked out well, we feel that you should make these arrangements clear to your clients prior to departure. The Pachira Lodge Hotel was a little Spartan, certainly the least impressive of the 7 hotels that we stayed in. However, it provided just what was needed in the unusual Tortuguero environment.
4. Sarapiqui Having picked up a 4-wheel drive hire vehicle en route, we arrived at the Sueno Azul Hotel after a short drive. The whole experience here was delightful. The hotel is in a beautiful setting, the room was large and comfortable and the staff were welcoming (including the owner who greeted us at dinner). The food was particularly good. Notwithstanding the poor roads on the approach, we really enjoyed our stay.
5. Bosque de Paz We were quite unprepared for Bosque de Paz! Met by the owner on arrival, we spent 2 wonderful nights in this most extraordinary private wildlife sanctuary. Once again the food was superb and the staff could not have been more helpful. This hotel is a little gem and provides a greatly superior cloud forest experience to the one that we had during a trip through Monteverde.
6. Arenal After Bosque de Paz we expected the next hotel to be a little disappointing. The Arenal Volcano Inn was anything but. The suite-style room was roomy and luxurious, complete with Jacuzzi. There can be few hotel rooms in the world where one can lie on the bed and watch a live volcano doing it’s stuff! Although the dining room was open to the general public and was very busy, we found both the food and service to be of a high standard.
7. Alajuela En route from Arenal to the Osa Peninsula we spent our second night at the Buena Vista hotel. This is an ideal location for arrival/departures/transfers, offering a friendly, helpful and flexible staff and some excellent food. The rooms are perfectly functional for a short stay.
8. Internal Flights Our internal flights (to/from the Osa Peninsula) were provided by Sansa and Nature Air. The difference between these 2 carriers is quite marked and we would recommend that you use Nature Air whenever possible, not least because of the great views from their large cabin windows
9. Corcovado This was truly the highlight of our holiday: the Casa Corcovado Lodge has to be seen to be believed. We loved everything about this place, from the spacious suite to the friendly staff, from the extraordinary wildlife to the first-class cuisine this was a wonderful experience that will live long in the memory. Above all we were impressed by the efforts of the staff in planning, preparing and delivering your activities for each day. Each guest was then debriefed on their experience and the next day’s details were confirmed at dinner. If we have one small beef, it is that the excursions were over-priced. However, we cannot recommend this hotel too highly.
10. Manuel Antonio Once again, we were pleasantly surprised by the variety and the quality of the accommodation provided. The Hotel Costa Verde is a more traditional type of hotel, but with large rooms and a fine hillside location. We found this a great place to relax after a hectic tour. Located between the beach and the town, we found it easy to get around. The choice of food and the quality were both excellent.
Thanks to the comprehensive information that you provided prior to departure, we were prepared for the weather that we encountered. Of 19 days away, there were only 2 days when we had no rain. The worst weather was in Manuel Antonio where the downpour was torrential and was accompanied by thunder and lightning throughout the night. None of our plans had to be changed because of the weather.
The wildlife was the real magnet for us. Despite going on a number of jungle expeditions, we encountered the most wildlife (and certainly the closest encounters) on various hotel lawns! This was a delight.
We really appreciate the level of attention to detail provided by PURA AVENTURA and its agents. All transfers were smooth and efficient and everything worked very well. The quality and variety of accommodation that you provided was excellent; each hotel was quite different and each provided a unique local flavour and experience.
Thank you – we will certainly recommend you to others.
Find out more about our Costa Rica holidays
Guided through the wine tasting process by an expert.
I’ve just been updating itineraries for our walking holidays to la Rioja.
As part of this our guide in the region, Xabi, wrote with a few clarifications. Including this one. Which tickled me as it’s a bit much to put in a holiday description. It is, however, very interesting if you like to know about wines so thanks Xabi.
“French oak is much slower growing than American, and for this reason French oak´s grain is much tighter, as you well say. There is, however, no relationship between this and oak flavour (and when you speak about wine you must say oak aroma, not flavour; there are just five flavours: bitter, acid, salty, sweet and umami).
The grain that you mention is strongly linked with the pore size; because the slow growing French oak pore size is smaller than American one; for this reason the exchanges between the environment and the wine (and between the wood and the wine) are slower in French oak barrels; that gives more elegance to the wine (the fast exchange of American oak wood gives more “aggressivesness” to the wine…).
Small pore size (French oak) gives less aromatic intensity but great complexity.
Medium/Big pore size (American oak) gives great aromatic intensity but less complexity.
Oak aroma basically depends on “Metil Octo Lactona” (chemical molecule that transfer coconut and oak aromas to the wine), and American oak wood has almost double quantity of “M.O.L.” than French oak; for this reason French oak barrels transfer less oak aroma to the wine.
So now you know.
If you would like to join us on a walking holiday to La Rioja, we still have space on our 18th September holiday and on our Rioja wine weekends on the 10th September and the 15th October, 2010.