Expert Insights

September 12, 2013 Mount Everest Expedition – The full story

Read time – 2 minutes Valerie Parkinson was the first British woman to climb, without supplementary oxygen, the world’s eighth highest mountain. Having reached the summit of Manaslu at 8163m on the Nepal/Tibet border in 2008, what better way to celebrate her 50th birthday in 2009, than by attempting Mount Everest? Valerie is the long-standing...

September 11, 2013 Conquering Kilimanjaro

Read time – 5 minutes Exodus traveller Natalie Amos battles the scree and shale as she struggles to reach the peak of Kilimanjaro. It’s his handshake that tells his story. His grip is strong, and his palms have been toughened by years of hoisting bags, and clients, as they scramble over the icy scree and...

September 11, 2013 Kilimanjaro Routes to the Summit

Read time – 2 minutes Exodus Product Director and veteran Kili climber Jim Eite takes us to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro – but which route to success is right for you? On most mountains, the only way is up, but on Kili, you have a choice! Which is the Best Kilimanjaro Route? Your goal:...

September 11, 2013 Olympic Athlete toTour Leader

Read time – 2 minutes With the unveiling of the Team GB kit, the Olympic Park nearly complete and the opening ceremony drawing ever closer, Olympic fever is taking over the nation. As the excitement builds for our athletes and the expectations of the nation increase, stories of former Olympians resonate. Croatian cycling leader, Vlado...

September 11, 2013 5 Fascinating Norway Facts

Read time -2 minutes So for a bit of Nordic number crunching, here’s our selection of superlatives and fjord-related facts about the majestic landscape of Norway. Interesting Facts about Norway Sognefjord – The Longest This is the longest and deepest fjord in Norway. An impressive 200km stretch of seawater divides into increasingly spindly offshoots as...

September 11, 2013 Exploring Laos Country

Read time -2 minutes The Mekong River stretched out in front of me as the sun set over Vientiane, the incredible capital of Laos. My mind drifted just like the waters of the river, thinking over the week I’d spent exploring a country I’d barely known before leaving London. What little knowledge I had was...

September 11, 2013 The Things We Do for a Decent Cup of Tea

“We all know that tea grows on tropical hills, but why did we decide to visit a tea estate by bike?‘ Aerial view of Sigiriya Rock It all started in Sigiriya, with its incredible rock towering above the plains of central Sri Lanka. The first few days had been quite easy as we pedalled...

September 11, 2013 Exploring The Canadian Rockies

Read time – 2 minutes Pioneer settlers in Banff found the Canadian Rockies to be a wilderness undisturbed by industry, excessive trade or the usual prerogatives of the ‘civilised’ man. Now, the wild stretches of Canada’s first National Park (1885) can still offer that tantalising taste of freedom – if you know where to go....

September 11, 2013 Animals in Focus: Lemur Facts

Read time – 1 minute Endemic to Madagascar and the Comoro Islands off Madagascar’s north-west coast, lemurs have bemused and intrigued naturalists for years. Their range of interesting behaviours, from singing like a whale (the Indri) to sashaying across the sand like a ballet dancer (the Sifaka), have kept these prosimian primates popular with zoologists...

September 11, 2013 Greece’s Best Kept Secret – Discover Evia

Read time – 2 minutes Evia is as far removed as you can get from the bucket and spade, beach and booze, Brits-abroad style package holiday Greece has become synonymous with. The second-largest Greek island (after Crete) is only a short ferry-ride away from Athens, yet feels a million miles removed from the crowds and...