Green Toad Bus

After I had booked the above trip with the Green Toad Bus and I told my family and friends and they were horrified and gave me all sorts of advice why this trip was doomed from the start and why I should cancel. Now, why would they do that, because I am a 70-year old grandma from South Africa, not speaking a single word of Spanish or Portuguese and doing a trip which was intended for young people.

Well, I proved them wrong, in fact the trip surpassed all my expectations, starting with the bus trip from Buenos Aires to Iguazu Falls.  The bus was luxury par excellence, from the food, drinks, the personalized service to the seating which became a full bed with all the bedding provided.  During daytime there was the interesting landscape to admire and there was never a dull moment. I also travelled with two friends, Hilda and Ian, who of course, were equally delighted that I had chosen that trip.

At the Iguazu Falls we stayed one night on the Argentinian side and two nights on the Brazilian side in the hostels recommended by Val at the Green Toad Bus, and again we had wonderful service, no complaints at all, and we made lots of friends, and it was truly an unforgettable experience.  We  visited all the falls and admired the majestic views. We had a wonderful guide with us, all part of the  trip.  A special treat was our excursion to the Bird Park  where we saw so many exotic birds and animals which you would normally see so closely in nature, and I even had a snake around my neck, a first for me.  

Next morning we carried on with our bus journey to Rio de Janeiro and we had many hours of daylight sightseeing and this gave us a good overview of the Brazilian landscape, the stops were well spaced for little walk abouts and freshening up. We arrived in Rio de Janeiro and again stayed in a hostel recommended by Val and we were also given vouchers for a Favela Tour of Rio which was really interesting and  we learnt a lot about the life of the Favela people.

To sum it up, this tour was the highlight of our South American trip, it was above all expectations and I would recommend it to anyone regardless of age, as long as one is healthy and still has a young spirit, because that is what's it all about, having fun without any stress in an environment where we felt safe all the time and we saw and learnt so many things we never thought possible.

I will definitely book again with Val and the GreenToadBus Company when I come back to South America.

Elfi Tomlinson
South Africa

Elfi from us at the Green toad Bus it was a pleasure, and thank you for proving you are never too old to enjoy backpacking and staying in dorms to meet people from all over the world! We look forward to seeing you back here!