Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling 100 kms in one day - the furthest we'd ever cycled. Seeing lemurs on several occasions. Some of the long descents were absolutely wonderful. The warm welcome we received in every small village, with children keen to wave and greet us. A surprise visit to a village house for coffee.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mel was extremely good natured and efficient. Getting checked into each hotel was smooth and organised very quickly. He was at ease with everyone in the group (we ranged in age from early twenties to late sixties). He was encouraging and friendly and was happyfor us to cycle at our own pace. Everything on the trip ran very efficiently - a lot of thought and previous experience went into things such as ordering our meals a couple of hours early so that the small kitchens could cope. Suggesting and organising a group kitty for snacks en route and to pay tips in the hotels was really helpful. He emphasised safety regularly, particularly in damp weather and when the roads were steep with sharp bends.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you're cycling, a gel saddle cover or your own saddle is useful. Don't expect to see lemurs in the wild - we saw plenty, but only in National Parks. Don't expect great wi-fi! Do expect to see a lot of cloud/rain in the rainforest.

Most Inspirational Moment

The monkey, apes and sun bears. Incredible.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The two leaders were brilliant. Very different but perfect for the areas they cover.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't sweat the leeches. They don't hurt. Take toilet paper, there's plenty of loos just not paper. Good boots and socks. Breathe, there's a lot of walking but absolutely no rush.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing Everest for the first time

Thoughts on Group Leader

Nirmal was excellent. He had a large and at times rowdy group to deal with but despite some difiificult times mostly to do with delays at Lukla he kept us all in order and got us all to base camp and back without incident. By the end of the trek we all thought of him as a friend. His insights into Nepalese culture and life added to the enjoyment of the trip. His advice was essential in making sure we all stayed healthy and achieved our objective not only achieved it but enjoyed it too. A special mention for our guides too their pacing and insights added greatly to the trip

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't worry about packing snacks they are freely available and reasonably priced if a little dearer than at home and do increase in price as you go higher. Make sure you have warm gloves and possibly hand warmers if you suffer from cold hands there are a few early starts when it will be very cold. Follow the tour leaders advice they know what they are doing !! DONT WAIT GO KNOW ITS AWESOME !!! If you are worried about fitness don't I managed it at 61 with my only fitness regime being walking up as many hills as possible as fast as I could.

Most Inspirational Moment

The mountain days, the included glacier visit and the guided walk in Tierra del Fuego were all equally inspiring, and the tango show made a great finale.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Xavier was the best tour guide we have been on holiday with. He was permanently cheerful, enthusiastic, responsive to the whole group’s and individual needs and great fun to be with. Xavier also had excellent relationships with the local guides, who were all equally enthusiastic about their specialisms.

Advice for Potential Travellers

These are the things which are described very accurately in the trip notes. We did experience four seasons in a day: snow, sun, torrential rain, high winds, calm etc, so you need lots of adaptable clothing and waterproofs. The two day walks and the additional day walk the group did were long with step sections over rocky paths (all the walks were 20km long). The travel days by bus were very long. Everything on the whole trip, except wine, was on a par with London prices (this is not a cheap destination). Add about 10% to the guide prices given in the trip notes. You can complete the trip with dollars, with no problems then with non-functioning ATMs or restaurants which won’t take credit cards. The downside of this means travelling with large amounts of cash. (There is no need to take Chilean pesos.) We travelled out a day earlier to enjoy Buenos Aires; we wished we had taken two extra days because there is so much to do in Buenos Aires.

Most Inspirational Moment

All the mountain scenery and of course, viewing the brown bears from a cache in the woods.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Thomas was knowledgeable and efficient but sometimes seemed not very enthused or maybe distracted and quiet. Katharina who owns the guesthouse was absolutely passionate and spent a lot of time telling us about the area, the wildlife, the history and life in Magura. She also went to the bear sanctuary with us and took us bird watching.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The elevation gains on the hikes were generally very gradual. We worried about some of them but really didn't need to. It is an extremely peaceful place but, there are dogs that do bark at night sometimes so you might want earplugs if that is going to bother you. Go soon. This is a magical place that is bound to change eventually.

Most Inspirational Moment

Managing to get to the top of the more challenging hills (super walls) without pushing the bike! Enjoying the long down hill rides, the quiet roads and warm late October sun. Everyone in the group supporting and encouraging each other.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Michele and Simone were both excellent group leaders, taking it in turns to lead or support. They were very friendly, informative, enthusiastic and encouraging and spoke good English. Everything was well organised, from accommodation to restaurants, coffee stops to route planning. They provided plenty of water bottle refills and snacks to keep us going.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The hybrid bike was good with the optional use of a pannier. Keep a camera handy for photo stops. As an occasional cyclist, some of the hills were quite challenging, but manageable especially if you have done some pre-holiday hill cycling!

Most Inspirational Moment

Staying at the traditional Japanese houses, sleeping on a futon, eating traditional Japanese food while wearing a kimono, doing origami with the hostess and best of all bathing in the outdoor hot sprngs in the dark - that was the best moment for me!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ayaka Tsukamoto was a wonderful group leader, she was unrelentingly cheerful and helpful and enthusiastic even in torrential rain and even when there was a typohoon that caused trees to fall on railway lines and landslides stopped the usual route up to the snow monkeys -- she persevered and made alternative arrangments so that our ploans could still be carried out. Ayaka was also most helpful in helping us to plan our itineries for our free days and she came along to some of the sights we wanted to see to help us out. I think she went out of her way to help, way beyond the call of duty, and she made the trip fun and highly enjoyable, in fact she made the holiday!

Most Inspirational Moment

Enjoying the company of a fantastic group...with 2 outstanding leaders.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ricardo, and András.....a fantastic duo....both went out of their way to accommodate the group..nothing was too much trouble for either of them. From carrying huge bottles of water to keep us all topped up throughout the day, to the daily evening slide show of photos they’d both taken of the group throughout that day...they were both fanstastic, and felt more like friends by the end of the week rather than just our leaders.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The walking is fairly straightforward, as classed as a leisurely trip, however there is still a bit of up and down in places. You’ll definitely know by the end of this trip much more about Port! Plenty of opportunity to discover its history and how it’s made, as well as trying several different types.

Most Inspirational Moment

The highlights for me were the Hill Club hotel in Nuwara Eliya where they brought us almond tea as we limped in after 11hours out and about. And a hot water bottle for our beds. Climbing Sigiriya rock. And the multi faith temple visit. And the visit to a family home for dinner in Ella. The jeep safari was also very memorable.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fabulous

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a round pin adaptor, and a double/triple extension lead to use with it. Most hotels have UK style plug sockets but some of the more rural hotels do not and we weren’t always able to borrow an adaptor.

Most Inspirational Moment

I think it was the 4 hours spent in the hide one night not actually seeing anything and remembering that the bears are wild animals and so when we went on another night and seeing the bear and cubs arrive, that was the most awe inspiring moment! I also loved going to the summit of the mountain and looking at the incredible panoramic view of mountains and forest! simply a view that would take me back there in a heartbeat!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Julian was very accommodating, very friendly and very knowledgeable. He could answer any question that the group had and more!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a moment to sit on the side of the mountain and take in the views. Even if you don't see a bear the walks are worth it!