Expert Insights

October 02, 2013 Inca Trail Alternative – Moonstone Route

Read time – 3 minutes Trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is rightly considered to be the most iconic walk in Latin America and many of you will have completed the four-day, 35km hike. However, there is another (and in my opinion, better) way to reach the fabled ruins: the Moonstone Route. Views on the Moonstone trek Reasons to...

October 01, 2013 My Kilimanjaro Climb on the Rongai Route

I arrived home and flopped down to some mind-numbing soap opera when I suddenly realised what I’d agreed to. “I’m going to climb the tallest mountain in Africa!” I told my kind and supportive flatmates, who all burst into laughter. The next day was the first of many spent in preparation for Kilimanjaro. It became...

October 01, 2013 Trekking in Wadi Rum

Read time – 3 minutes The small dot wheeling above me was a steppe buzzard. I only knew that because Mr Nabil had pointed one out earlier that day. Passing high to my left, it had appeared from over the red mountain to the south, which although looked close enough to touch, was actually 25...

September 26, 2013 Walking the Great Wall of China

Read time – 3 minutes The Great Wall of China can be seen from the International Space Station, (although the view was probably better before China’s industrial might took hold) and I dream of one day seeing it from space for myself – in fact I am saving as quickly as I can for this...

September 26, 2013 Walking in Andalucia – A Moorish Land

Read time – 1 minute Liquid gold light tumbles through the hot, dry air. Andalucia is a land drenched in tawny yellow hues, amber and ochre blurred in a haze of heat. This pastoral world follows the undulations of the seasons, and slopes are perfect for growing olives and lemons. They hang from bleached, pale...

September 26, 2013 A Walking Holiday in Greece

Read time -3 minutes I have been walking for the past 37 years (I think I was 13 months when I started) but never realised that walking could be such good fun. First, some facts about me: I smoke, drink a bit, have a few extra pounds around my waist, never exercise and prefer to drive...

September 25, 2013 Men of the Mountains: Trekking in Morocco

We set wildlife and photography guide Paul Goldstein a challenge: go out of his comfort zone on a trekking trip to Mount Toubkal, Morocco, the highest point in North Africa. It’s Africa, but not as I’m used to it. The rolling acacia-dotted plains filled with bounteous wildlife is how I classify this vast continent. Souks,...

September 25, 2013 Reasons to Visit Madeira

Read time – 2 minutes To me, any mention of Madeira always meant either a large slab of cake to be enjoyed with a cup of Earl Grey or – more likely – a dash of fortified wine to be added to a dollop of crème fraiche and wholegrain mustard (try it!) to make an excellent sauce,...

September 25, 2013 Leader profile: Samuel Mosha, Kilimanjaro

Read time – 2 minutes I am one of the Kilimanjaro old-timers. I was born in Marangu village at the base of Kilimanjaro in 1955 and my working life has been guiding on Kilimanjaro. Introducing Samuel Mosha I started leading trips in 1999 and I admit that at that time I was not as good...

September 25, 2013 Connecting with Kilimanjaro

“Jambo, Jambo Bwana. Harabi gani, Nuzuri sana” I’ve been listening to the guides singing for over five hours and I’m finding myself humming along. We started the final leg of our six-day journey to Uhuru Peak, the true summit of Kilimanjaro, at 11pm. Five hours in and I’m dragging my feet, often slipping on endless...