The reality TV series Family Karma on the Bravo channel chronicles the lives of several Indian-American families, including Vishal Parvani and Richa Sadana. The couple was recently married and decided to spend their honeymoon on an adventure with Quasar they'd never forget: Patagonia.
While the pair shared videos from their dream honeymoon on their Instagram feeds, they also took the time to share more about their experience with us
A Patagonia Honeymoon Safari with Quasar
Fernando – Quasar:
Thanks for taking the time to answer a few quick questions and choosing Quasar. I've seen all your photos and reels - it looks like you guys had a good time.
Vishal Parvani:
There's still a lot more to post, but the photos don't even do it justice. It was honestly the trip of our lifetime. Everything from start to finish.
Richa Sadana:
From the moment we landed until the moment we left, I mean, like you said, the pictures just don't do justice to describing how beautiful the place is, the service at the hotels, the hotels themselves…we didn't want to leave.
Vishal Parvani:
It was our ideal honeymoon from start to finish. Me and Richa, we are both avid hikers and Patagonia is just out of this world.
CHOOSING PATAGONIA & QUASAR
Fernando – Quasar:
That's fantastic. That was actually one of the questions we wanted to start with. It seems it was the ideal honeymoon destination. I have nothing against being lazy on a beach, but for me, that wasn't my idea of a honeymoon either. I spent mine just walking all over Asia. So what would you say is kind of the ideal profile for somebody who wants to honeymoon in Patagonia?
Vishal Parvani:
Well, we've actually told a lot of our friends that it doesn't really matter. We like to hike a lot, but whether someone wants to do hard hikes or something easy just to be out in nature, Quasar can customize the trip.
The luxury is there. The food was amazing. If you want to just hang out at the hotel and enjoy the beautiful views, you can do that. If you want to be out in nature, you have that option too.
Vishal Parvani:
But for us specifically, the reason why we chose Patagonia is we could have been lazy on a beach, but I feel like you get bored of that within two or three days. We'd go into the Maldives, which is something we were discussing, and all the people that I know have been there, they're like, "After two days, you're so over it."
We could have done that, but we need to be moving constantly. Every day was something different, and that just kept it exciting. We've been together for 10-plus years and having something new is very hard for us to find. Patagonia was something new for both of us.
Richa Sadana:
Every day we had jaw dropping moments.
Fernando – Quasar:
That's amazing, and Richa, I think exactly what you said before - and when I say before, I would say in the '90s and before - Patagonia used to be a destination exclusively for people willing to rough it. You either had to camp or stay at one of the refuges, which were very basic back in the day. I believe Explorer was the only high-end property. It's no longer a destination for very active people or very avid hikers.
The Jeeps are there too. The crowd tends to be younger because of all the hiking opportunities, but with so much more we see a lot of multi-generational travel too, including grandparents and little kids.
Richa Sadana:
The Jeeps, the boat tours, all of that just made it so much more accessible for people that just don't want to be on their feet all day.
Fernando – Quasar:
I think the wonderful thing is that with several jeeps, a large family can split up to enjoy hikes and other activities suitable for them. Then everyone meets back at the hotel for lunch or for dinner in the evening.
So everybody gets to enjoy their Patagonia. Not many destinations are that attractive for multi-generational travel, but Patagonia certainly is one of them.
Richa Sadana:
We were actually surprised by how much it had to offer.
Fernando – Quasar:
Was there any reason for you guys, why specifically Patagonia? Did you see a documentary? Was it all over your Instagram, or…?
Richa Sadana:
Instagram had a little bit to do with it.
Vishal Parvani:
But I haven't seen many people who go to Patagonia. We wanted to do something different, not something that's just full of tourists.
Richa Sadana:
For me, I think I was looking at places just randomly. I must have been looking at hiking videos. I got into Patagonia and I was like, “Vishal, I think I found the place that we need to go to.” A couple of our other friends had mentioned that Patagonia would be a cool place for a honeymoon. Maybe Instagram heard me.
Fernando – Quasar:
And we popped up.
You messaged us, right, Richa?
Richa Sadana:
Yeah. Best choice ever that we made.
Fernando – Quasar:
Fantastic. And so, Richa, how did you actually learn about Quasar? Did you do some research first, or did we just appear?
Richa Sadana:
I did. I'm a big researcher when it comes to planning any of our trips.
Vishal Parvani:
She has that attorney background. She researches a lot.
And then she was showing me all these videos. She's like, "Look at this, look at that."
Richa Sadana:
Your Instagram and the pictures and the videos are what caught both of us.
Well, also the reviews from all your very happy clients also helped a lot too.
Fernando – Quasar:
I'm happy you got to read some of the comments from our past clients, but in general, the destinations that Quasar goes to, Galapagos or Patagonia, they need very little selling.
Vishal Parvani:
Also, what I really loved was how flexible it was. The weather changes all the time, but in Patagonia, you basically can go with the flow, and if something doesn't happen the way you planned it, there are so many other options. There was one day that we were supposed to go on a boat, the La Peninsula, but the weather wind was strong, and we ended up doing a full-day hike. If we were on the boat that day, we wouldn't have stumbled upon a puma in the park. It was so wild. It was just like this was meant to be.
We've done so many national parks, we've done Machu Picchu, Inca Trail, and Patagonia is just on the top.
PATAGONIA: THE EXPERIENCE
Fernando – Quasar:
Moving on, what did you think about this experience, and would you recommend it to others?
Richa Sadana:
We've been recommending this trip to everyone. Everyone keeps asking us about our honeymoon, because they've seen all the pictures and videos. The first thing I say is, "You have to go." Patagonia needs to be on everyone's bucket list now.
Fernando – Quasar:
That's amazing. You touched on this before, but would you say that there's something, how different was Patagonia from other places you visited?
Richa Sadana:
So I think the biggest difference, at least for me, was to be disconnected from the world and just with nature. Obviously at the hotels you have Wi-Fi and cell service, but when you're out and about the town, there's not really a lot of service, which is really nice.
You actually got to be present in the moment. When we would go back to the hotel, even though you had access to everything again, you were so happy from the day, and the hotel itself was so beautiful and the food and the atmosphere…you don't care to be on your phone.
In our world and our careers, we live on it. So it was very nice to have a place where you can go and you actually are disconnected and want to be disconnected.
Fernando – Quasar:
I'm so glad you mentioned that because in the Galapagos, you're obviously on the boat and the boat does have Wi-Fi but we restrict the hours when it's available.
For the first couple of days it can be challenging but soon you realize that it's okay to be disconnected.
Vishal Parvani:
We absolutely loved that aspect about it.
Richa Sadana:
It was great, we actually got to be present with one another.
Vishal Parvani:
And that carried on afterward. It broke the hold that I had on my phone where I was always checking social media every few minutes. After the honeymoon, I could be more aware, more present in my day-to-day life.
Fernando – Quasar:
That's amazing. Maybe this question defers a little bit, but what was the favorite part of the trip for you guys? Was it the same for you both, or was it different?
Richa Sadana:
For me, there was one excursion that stood, well, I mean, there were many things. The glacier excursion that we did, was it La Sur Glacier?
Fernando – Quasar:
Oh, Glaciar Sur?
Richa Sadana:
Yeah. So that day when we went, it was just me and Vishal on the tour. So when we got to the park, the one that looks like Jurassic Park, you're in the middle of nowhere after taking two boats and a hike to get there. We were like, "Where are we? This is the most crazy, ridiculous, beautiful place we've ever seen."
Vishal Parvani:
Yeah, between the two boat rides, a 40-minute hike, which that hike in itself was just crazy as well.
Every 20 minutes we were in a completely different new land. I've never seen anything like that.
Richa Sadana:
We ate berries off the trail. We drank water from the waterfall. We're like, we're living off the land, this is the best and we can just move here. We saw three condors flying right above us. Our guide was like, "This isn't normal, they're never this low." It was just the perfect day.
Fernando – Quasar:
That excursion is amazing. I don't know if in the map you know exactly where you were when you were surrounded by the three glaciers. The Dickson Glacier is in Chile. You guys were right there, but you were in another country, you were in Argentina. You were literally between the two countries, which are separated by these tall peaks.
Richa Sadana:
By far one of the best hikes, and then obviously spotting the puma was pretty cool.
SHARING PATAGONIA HONEYMOON TIPS
Fernando – Quasar:
Moving on, so would you have any tips for travelers who would be interested in going to Patagonia on their honeymoon?
Richa Sadana:
Well, contact you guys first.
Vishal Parvani:
Based on what we've told you guys, you really customized it to where it really fit our personalities.
Richa Sadana:
And you made my life easier not having to research everything. I think you guys took that entire stress and burden off of us.
Vishal Parvani:
So we didn't fight during our honeymoon. It's because of that. The biggest tip was having a good planner. What's your second tip for Patagonia?
Richa Sadana:
Be flexible and be prepared for weather.
Yes, lots of layers, and just be flexible. I think if you're flexible, honestly, you'll enjoy Patagonia so much more. You can't control the weather.
Vishal Parvani:
And there's so many options. So there's no one right way to do it over there. And what's your third tip?
Richa Sadana:
Definitely do it via Jeep with you guys. Having the Jeep was so much fun since a lot of the roads are still kind of dirt roads over there.
Vishal Parvani:
And get a lot of massages, hit the spas.
Fernando – Quasar:
So staying at these properties that offer a Jacuzzi and massages definitely makes a difference.
Vishal Parvani:
We were hiking full days in Patagonia, coming back to these awesome hotels. The food, drink, the rooms, the view, this glass, every room had floor-to-ceiling windows.
The views were just out of this world.
Richa Sadana:
Oh my god, the packed lunches that they would send us with for the day, I've never seen packed lunches like that. We literally ate everything, and they were delicious.
Vishal Parvani:
That was the best food.
Richa Sadana:
And the staff there, amazing.
THE JEEPS AND LONG SUMMER DAYS
Fernando – Quasar:
So you guys actually answered the next question, which was what would you say are the advantages of taking the Jeep? I'm glad you saw the flexibility that the Jeep provides.
Richa Sadana:
When we had extra time we could just hop in the car and explore what's nearby. And it was great.
Fernando – Quasar:
That's amazing. Photographers especially, because they need to be out super early and super late for that wonderful warm light, that's the flexibility that Jeep provides also.
Vishal Parvani:
And having that much daylight over there, we were able to do so much more.
THE INCREDIBLE WILDLIFE & THE GUANACOS
Fernando – Quasar:
The summer days are super, super long. Some of our programs, like the puma tracking programs, leave the hotel before sunrise and come back after sunset.
So you guys saw guanacos, you saw condors, you saw pumas, probably saw a lot of the caracaras. Did you guys get to see any eagles?
Richa Sadana:
We didn't see eagles. We saw a bunch of foxes.
Vishal Parvani:
Gray and red.
Fernando – Quasar:
Oh you saw, that's great. I think I've only seen red or gray fox once or twice.
Vishal Parvani:
We got really lucky seeing animals somehow. I feel like I summoned them.
Fernando – Quasar:
Oh, and we saw, what are they called? The cowboys over there. Oh, the gauchos.
Vishal Parvani:
The gauchos and they're herding thousands and thousands of sheep.
Fernando – Quasar:
That's the only traffic you'll run into in Patagonia is when the sheep are in the middle of the road.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Fernando – Quasar:
My final question to you guys is, “What's next?” What's next on your travel bucket list, if you can share?
Richa Sadana:
I don't know yet. We haven't thought about it. Should we talk about Galapagos next?
Vishal Parvani:
That's what I was going to say.
Richa Sadana:
What's funny is when we came back from the trip we told our entire family we should all go back as a family trip. And then you're like, "You know what, let's just actually go to Galapagos again with you guys." It's easy. We don't have to plan anything. You guys have it pat, I think.
Fernando – Quasar:
Well, we'd be happy to have you if Galapagos is the choice.
Vishal Parvani:
When's the best time of year for Galapagos?
Fernando – Quasar:
The great thing, as opposed to Patagonia where the seasons change, the weather is…
Vishal Parvani:
Pretty consistent.
Fernando – Quasar:
It stays pretty consistent throughout the year, so it mainly depends on what you want to see and do. The best season for snorkeling, the highlight of Galapagos, is between June and November. That's the best time to see whales, orcas.
Vishal Parvani:
I have a big family, like 40 people in my family, and they all want to just join the line. They're like, "Just take my credit card and pay for it."
Richa Sadana:
Family reunion with you guys.
Fernando – Quasar:
That would be amazing. The Evolution is for 32 guests. It won't fit the 40 family members but almost. But we'd be happy to have you again. The experience in Galapagos, as with Patagonia, remote destinations, wildlife, a lot of activity, great food, great guides, great staff, attention to detail.
Vishal Parvani:
I can make a phone call. I can have 32 family members on the boat and do a family reunion there.
Richa Sadana:
Have y'all done a family reunion like that?
Fernando – Quasar:
Yeah. The Grace is for 16 guests, so smaller families, they normally do a reunion, they take the whole boat. But the Evolution, I would say about three times a year is chartered by an extended family and it's everybody on the boat. Around 32 people and most of them haven't seen each other in years, so it's just a blast to have everybody together.
Richa Sadana:
That's like a trip of a lifetime to get everybody together to go somewhere like Galapagos. In November, we're going to have to start talking.
Fernando – Quasar:
Amazing, guys. That was it. That's all my questions. I don't know if you guys have any additional questions.
Vishal Parvani:
No, I just wanted to say thank you again. That was really well planned and exceeded all our expectations.
Richa Sadana:
I don't think we could have had a better honeymoon than that. You guys honestly made it very easy and seamless and stress-free.
Fernando – Quasar:
Well, that's fantastic. We're really happy you guys had a great time on your Patagonia Honeymoon and got to enjoy the properties, the destination, the scenery. Let us know if Galapagos is in the plans anytime in the future, and thanks again.