Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

That first glimpse of the Treasury from the Siq at Petra has to be my first choice, but the vast silence of Wadi Rum cmes a close second.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Khaled is a wonderful leader. Nothing was too much trouble, and his considerable knowledge combined with  unfailing good humour ensured we never suffered from information overload. He was always there to answer the million questions we threw at him, and was equally willing to help with problems and queries beyond what I would expect from a holiday guide.  A truly inspirational leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Collect small change in coins at every opportunity. There are lavatory attendants at all tourist attractions (many handing out loo paper to each individual customer) who expect to be tipped. Calls of nature can become expensive when you have to hand out a 1 dinar note, roughly the equivelant of £1 each time you only want to spend a penny. Take flipflops or crocs for the Dead Sea -- the sand is very sharp and crunchy, even under water. Check the weather forecast for Jordan before final packing. I left a warm and sunny London in early March to find snow piled in the streets of Amman. It was unusual weather for the time of year, but luckily, I had warm and waterproof clothing. Three days later, we were swimming in the warm waters of the Dead Sea and sunbathing on the beach.

Most Inspirational Moment

We were very lucky in that we saw tigers on both of our drives (morning and afternoon) in Ranthambore National Park. The afternoon sighting was exceptional. We spent two hours sitting watching a tiger which was no more than 4 metres away from us. It was dozing, occasionally waking to look at us. It then got up and wandered past us for a toilet stop, before settling down again.This was a highlight, but to be honest, there were so many.  I could have spent all day sitting in a the magnificent Jain temple at Ranakpur.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mayur Hada was brilliant. He was experienced, knowledgeable and considerate - everything you want in a guide. He really made everything come alive, and the trip would not have been as good without him. He made sure that on the long driving days, we always had an interesting place to stop mid-way, rather than just having a simple lunch stop. Chittorgarh (an unscheduled stop not mentioned in the dossier) was the best of these, and actually warrants an overnight stop.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Read the dossier so you're not surprised by the hectic pace of the trip and the occasional very long driving days. Don't change too much money when you arrive - the dossier estimate of up to £15 per day for meals is way too high. Most dishes were £3  - £4 each, and would often feed two people. There are lots of ATMs, so change as you go.Leave space in your bag for some of the fantastic things you can buy.

Most Inspirational Moment

As other reviewers have pointed out, the Angkor Wat complex is, indeed, awe-inspiring.One of the moments for me, though, was taking a boat on Ton Le Sap lake - a truly massive lake upon which thousands of people live and work.  The poverty is shocking, but who are we to judge.  The homestay overnight and following day's boat-trip and cycle ride on the Mekong were also inspirational, and have given me a few ideas about going back to the region and maybe exploring life on the Mekong in much greater depth.The food!  Everywhere we went.   The villagers and village life, and their friendliness in those parts of these countries.  A complete contrast to the cities.

Thoughts on Group Leader

All three were first class.  Siam (from Thailand) held the whole thing together really well over the three legs, while the others (Fila for Cambodia and Yam for Vietnam) provided intimate local knowledge on their individual segments.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It is hot (>40C) in these countries in February/March, so people that have not done this sort of thing before might consider going a few days in advance to acclimatise.  The back-up crews are always on-hand with water, electrolytes and fruit/chocolate, but make sure you take on water at every opportunity.Try every type of food the guides suggest, including the crickets, beetles, and tarantulas to name a few.  But, by the same token, check with them before you try anything radically new!

Most Inspirational Moment

Watching the Agouti walk out of the woods in front of me.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent natural history knowledge.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking aroung the rim of Vesuvius!.... Unforgetable

Most Inspirational Moment

As I did not reach the summit, climbing up the Barancha wall was a real achievement – especially after our guide told us that he tried to help Roman Abramovich up the wall, but he gave up by the kissing stone!

Thoughts on Group Leader

All the assistant guides were great, but I wasn’t impressed with the chief guide.  I struggled quite a lot to stay with the rest of the group, and I didn’t find him particularly encouraging.  When I said I wasn’t going to try for the summit, he didn’t encourage me at all.  My husband attempted the summit, but had to turn back due to altitude sickness.  Twice the guide told him to push on, even though he had been sick and had a very bad headache.  He should have taken my husband down to camp much sooner.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Definitely hire an exodus sleeping matt, well worth it.  It gets very cold at night.  Only the first 2 nights were warmish, the other nights were freezing!  Wear lots of layers in bed.About half of our group didn’t take Diamox.  Two that didn’t take it ended up having to take it on summit night to help them reach the summit.  Stick together as a group as much as possible.  It’s not a race.

Most Inspirational Moment

For an apparently unmoveable atheist, I found the deity 'dressing' ceremony at the Jagdish temple in Udaipur astonishingly moving.  The sheer number of waves and smiles from local kids (and their parents / grandparents - some of whom might have looked glum, but a smile, wave and 'namaste' almost always broke through the facade of indifference) was fantastic.  As was the sighting of Sarus Cranes just before dusk in the Keoladeo National Park, and the tiger in Sariska National Park, and the carving in the main Jain temple at Ranakpur, and arriving in Pushkar to a brilliant orange sunset... etc etc etc

Thoughts on Group Leader

Pramod and Sanjay did a fantastic job, and the trip wouldn't have been the same if one or the other had been missing.  Pramod's quiet approach perfectly balanced Sanjay's frequent aspirations for everyone to have a go at 'Indian' dancing... On the bus... After rum and coke.  Brilliant!  To see them at their most competitive, put them on opposing sides during a 'friendly' cricket match...

Advice for Potential Travellers

The first afternoon in Delhi can feel like wasted down time, but bear in mind that you'll be up at 6am on many of the subsequent days and have probably just endured a tedious night flight - relaxing by the pool is acceptable!  Not having visited India before, I was rather unsure of myself and wish (in hindsight) that I had taken myself off to the Qutab Minar complex, which wasn't too far from the hotel.  If in doubt, negotiate a price with the tuk-tuk driver and crack on.  Whilst it's possible to eat incredibly cheaply in India, we tended to adjourn en masse to local restaurants in the evenings, where you could expect to pay in the region of 600INR (including beer) for a decent veggie meal.  Don't worry if you can't get hold of small money from the FOREX places in the airport - I found that I soon had a stack of 10, 20 & 100INR notes after meals (10INR notes proved invaluable for 'toilet tipping'!), and there are ATM stops en route if you need to top up supplies of cash.This was my first ever group holiday, and I was nervous about booking it beforehand (it was a birthday treat and I didn't want to have a miserable time!).  I can honestly say that I had a blast and would do the whole thing again tomorrow. 

Most Inspirational Moment

First Tiger sighting, silhouetted through grass, was thrilling, thereafter sightings just got better and better, with close encounters from the back of an elephant.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Krishna was wonderful. He was passionate about the survival of the Tiger and had a great sense of humour. When he heard a sound in the jungle, he would surprise you by saying it was a chicken laying an egg! He ensured our trip ran smoothly and always told us what to expect over for the day ahead. All except the weather which the didn't need to worry about.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Tolerate Twitchers, its amazing how much more you can appreciate in a 4 hour safari when there are no tigers to be seen.Girls, take a Shewee, I will next time!Be prepared for an early rise. Make the most of sightseeing, time can be a bit limited. And don't expect time to chill!Safaris are very dusty so dress accordingly and take a buff/scarf as well as a hat, mornings can be very cold but once the sun gets up it gets hot very quicklyDon't expect Sleepers trains to have compartments where you will change into your PJs and brush your teeth! Enjoy the company and try not to look at your watch too often, 12-14 hours can go remarkably quickly if you accept your lot! Just hope you don't need to use the loo too often, and try not to clock everything you see out of the windows.

Most Inspirational Moment

I am afraid I can't name just one inspirational moment but for me there are 3.  Climibing the top of a mountain to look upon a almost undisturbed Roman ruin with a complete theatre that hangs over the edge of the mountain and sits on the clouds was inspirational.  Capadoccia's eerie landscape and underground cities and churches were inspirational and of course Istanbul.  What can I say about Istanbul. A beautiful city with so much to see, so much history to immerse yourself in and a true feeling that you are standing upon the cross roads of the world.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Kymet was a excellent leader.  She spent time getting to know everyone including their needs and tried to cater as much as possible for each individual. It is evident that she loves her country, that she loves history and that she loves her job as a tour leader and it makes the entire tour fun and interesting for all.

Advice for Potential Travellers

My only advice would be to prepare for long drive times.  You travel over 3000 kilometeres in 12 days which is hectic but Kymet tries to make everyone as comfortable as possible and is especially happy if people need regular comfort stops so don't be afraid to ask.

Most Inspirational Moment

The most inspiring moment is made by all the little moments: seeing and manage to reach the top, speach with people, looking and admiring the life of the sherpa, being there with my soul and my body.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leader were wanderful human being we shared lough, joy and they really cared.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just enjoy..it is a life changing experience