I came home with nearly 1800 photos! We loved the peace and tranquillity of the Pacuare reserve … We had a magical experience with a female Leatherback … we watched her dig her nest, gently scoop out teaspoonfuls of sand until it met her approval. The nest was lined with a bin bag so we could relocate the eggs and she laid 60 or more into it. I then was able to help measure her and check for any damage on her flippers and neck. She was tagged so a regular visitor. We then took the eggs and buried them further up the beach away from the sea.
We have nothing but high praise for the guides. They were so sweet and helpful. Always at hand to help with steep steps, slippery banks, and in and out of boats. Our need and welfare utmost.
Our guide Queoma, in Cusco was very knowledgeable and caring … Cezar with us in the jungle for 6 days was a keen photographer of wildlife and he and the boatmen spotted much that our untrained eyes would have missed. They delighted in our excitement at finding the Otter family after a morning's rain and 2 hours searching. With tears streaming down my face we watched them catch fish, chomp them up with relish, squabble a bit over prize finds, and swim towards the catamaran with curiosity. Hard to photograph but I managed one reasonable one!
So many thanks for all your arranging!
(Lindsey & Geoffrey Tester, UK)
Travelled to Costa Rica & Peru
We had a great time thanks. It was amazing. The Galapagos was the highlight for us, totally incredible, swimming with sharks and turtles, rays and sealions - totally brilliant experience.
All the guides were fantastic .. All the hotels were amazing, especially the one on Isabela Island in the Galapagos. It was on the beach and we had a balcony looking out at the sea.
The volcanoes are amazing, Chimborazo was stunning and we stayed in a lodge right at the bottom, such a stunning setting. But it was very remote, I wouldn't have wanted to be there more than more than one night.
The itinerary was really well worked out as well, doing the low altitude activities first and then gaining height to prepare for the Inca Trail. We met an Italian couple in Galapagos who were going straight on to the Inca Trail with no time to acclimatise, they were really worried. They didn't have such an experienced Agent planning their trip!
Thank you so much for a fantastic trip. I can't wait to go back.
If I hear of anyone looking to go to South America I will recommend you to them.
Take care, Bev
(Beverly Preston Smith & Richard Smith, UK)
Travelled to Peru, Galapagos & Ecuador
I was promised an adventure of a lifetime and that was fulfilled!
From the great fun of first time water rafting to great company, stunning scenery and lots of wonderful wildlife.
A truly amazing and wonderful experience of a journey down breath taking winding mountain taking you on through to some of the remotest pristine and lush wilderness. Days were filled with roller coaster rapids and wildlife watching with lunch time stops to swim and explore. Nights with camp fires, great meals, hot drinks and chatter surrounded by a chorus of cicadas, fire flies lighting up the trees and the sky awash with stars.
Highly recommended for all adventurers and spirited explorers.
Sam
(Samantha Johnson, UK)
Wilderness Wildlife and Whitewater - Amazon Rafting expedition
A very good holiday. A real adventure.
Overall a remarkable experience. Absolutely priceless.
William Perez was a superb guide on our cloud forest experience.
(Mike & Family, UK)
Galapagos, Ecuador, Bolivia & Peru
Thanks for putting together such a wonderful trip for us. We are hard pushed now to decide between it and Borneo as our trip of a lifetime, which is ideal!
All elements of the adventure were blissful, with a good balance of time between city, jungle and mountain trek. The highlights have to be the third day of the Inca trail as we walked the pass between a number of mountains as an eagle soared overhead, and spending time with the giant otters at Lake Sandoval and getting to know their routines of morning fishing and afternoon basking and playing. Every stage was enhanced by the absolutely amazing guides ….. knowledgeable, committed to preserving the environment, enthusiastic. In the Cusco/ Andes section we were privileged to be guided by Juan Carlos Duenas who is one of life's really special people. We had an exemplary team to support us through the demanding trek - cheerful porters, excellent cheffing, and a waiter called Lucio who served every meal wearing white gloves. We were quite taken aback at the level of luxury they achieved at 4000m.
Although we remembered this fondly from Borneo, we were struck again by how smoothly all the connections ran, and by the pacing of the itinerary you put together, which catered for post-flight fatigue and combined adrenaline rushes with welcome respites. We thought of your love of Cusco and agree completely that it is an amazing city. We're glad you advised us to spend some time there, and we also had a great time in Lima. The accommodation throughout was cosy and welcoming. Miraflores was a good district to stay in and we were lucky enough to catch a rare sunset over the ocean there on our final night. Other travellers might enjoy some more time in Lima. We would have welcomed an extra day there.
Our only negative experience was of the flight transfer in Miami. You may wish to advise clients to take another route wherever possible as American immigration caused such substantial delays both ways that we risked missing our connection, and endured more stress than on any other bit of the trip!
(Holly & Adam Furneaux Broughton, Cambridge)
We had an absolutely amazing time and we both want to say thank you for organising a fantastic holiday for us.
... in the Galapagos, we did see whale sharks and orcas (which Paul was lucky enough to catch on film, he's boring everybody with that picture). And finally the Inca trail, that was difficult but well worth the effort, the vistas were out of this world and as the guide told us, the Inca trail takes your breath away (literally in our cases!).
We would definitely recommend the trip we took to others (and have already recommended Aqua-Firma to several people already) and for any other holidays of a similar nature, we would use your services again.
Once again, thank you for a superb holiday.
(Louise Bell, Paris)
Peru, Ecuador & the Galapagos
What more can I add? Except that you forgot the humpback whales (yes - another photo) that we saw on the first day in the Galapagos, as well as dancing with sea lions... An awesome trip, well organised.. All we had to do was show up.
My sincere thanks...