Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting the village hammam was a fun experience and rounded off a day spent walking in the mountains with amazing views and including a visit to the infant school where we started to understand a little of daily life for the children that live in this mountain area. We also enjoyed the camel ride into the desert to see the sunset. Tariq took some amazing photos of the group in the Sahara that will bring back happy memories (yes, the camels were well-behaved!) for years to come. And buying a mini packed lunch to take on our walk around a Berber village where we saw inhabitants renewing the walls of their houses with mud while donkeys walked by piled high with produce from the plots that families cultivated in the valley.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Tariq was diligent and thoughtful. He shared his knowledge generously and was also keen to learn from us. He found many different places for us to eat and planned our days well. Once he was in charge, things went smoothly. He obviously gets on well with people, not just the tour group. Everywhere we went he knew someone who greeted him and often who could help out with things locally. He gave us suggestions for our free time and his sense of humour was delightful!

Advice for Potential Travellers

You are going to enjoy exploring Morocco. Money: There are quite a lot of ATMs where you are charged about £2 to withdraw money, but at a better rate than at the exchange at the airport. If you find a post office ATM machine (there is one in the arrivals hall at the airport and in the main square in Marrakech) then you don't get charged, but there can be long queues. Weather: We were there for the last 2 weeks of May and there had been temperatures of 37degC in the weeks before we arrived. We had much lower temperatures during our fortnight (up to late 20s), which included 4degC overnight when in the mountain hotel. It also rained while we were sightseeing in Fez and on our way into the desert, which was a bit unexpected, by the Moroccans as well as us! Take layers and a showerproof coat.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our tour leader Elly was exceptional and added to the trip considerably with her knowledge, sense of humour and continual concern for the well-being and enjoyment of the group. Also local guides used including Udin and Wayan had tremendous enthusiasm for their country and were two more great examples of the wonderfully hospitable Indonesian people.

Most Inspirational Moment

View from Aguille de Midi

Thoughts on Group Leader

Superb

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take walking poles and good footwear

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing Monument Valley at sunset.

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was excellent...well organised and efficient and very helpful.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Although the trip is labelled Leisurely/ Moderate in terms of fitness required, to fully experience the places visited I would suggest you need a good level of fitness.

Most Inspirational Moment

If I had to pick one inspirational moment it would have to be sitting on the top of a sand dune in silence watching the sun rise over the Sahara. Truly unforgettable.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was Youssef and Mohammad our driver. Everything Youssef organised was with the group in mind and extremely punctual. On long trips lunch time food was preordered to save time in restaurants. The suggested places to eat at night were always very good. A few occasions we were told it was possible to purchase alcohol and that the venue we were staying would happily refrigerate beers/soft drinks or wine for us. Youssef would always help find an ATM or money exchange if requested. Overall he was a very thoughtful helpful member of the group.

Advice for Potential Travellers

There are some pieces of advise I wish I had had: 1. Some of my fellow travellers changed money at the airport and were talked into putting some money onto a card to draw out at ATM’s ….what they didn’t realise until too late was the £30 charge for doing so. As ATM’s are plentiful and also money exchanges there is no need to change money at the airport if you have a prepaid transfer booked. If you are staying at the Hotel Gossassine there is an ATM 200yds from the hotel and a money exchange a further 50yds on. (There is also a Carrefour supermarket located in the basement :100yds from the hotel in a shopping Mall) 2. I wasn’t sure what clothing to take, especially as Morocco is a Muslim country: I erred on the conservative side taking mostly long sleeved tops and longer knee length shorts. You actually only need to cover up when visiting The Hassan 11 Mosque. When in the seaside town of Essaouira there is a beach with people wearing swimming costumes…it had a much more relaxed feel. If I went again I would take more of a mixture of sleeveless/sleeved tops and trousers/shorts for June travel. 3. We stopped at potteries/argon oil/herbalists etc which were very interesting but were on the expensive side, however it was hard to tell if we would see the items for sale elsewhere…. I can tell you with experience that you will. There are good shopping opportunities in the seaside place of Essaouira and back in Marrakech on the final days. I just wish I had known that!

Most Inspirational Moment

Highlights were: The unexpected sites of Mystras, ancient Messene and Meteora. The small towns of Pylos and Naufplio The ferry ride from Patras back to the mainland

Thoughts on Group Leader

Lida was an excellent group leader, sociable, friendly and always ready to answer questions. She looked after the group very well and was very helpful. Grigoris the driver was also excellent, and drove the minibus smoothly and safely.

Advice for Potential Travellers

There was not a great deal of 'free time'; one afternoon in Olympia was free of any activity. We often seemed to arrive late afternoon/early evening. The last day from Meteora to Athens airport was very long, though there were stops. It is a very 'packed' tour with much to see; it was hard to take in all the information about the places visited. So maybe read up ia little n advance! It is not strictly speaking an archeological tour; the tour leader was not an expert (this is not a criticism).

Most Inspirational Moment

all of it; it was a great variety of walking and scenery

Thoughts on Group Leader

Smithy was an excellent leader. His knowledge extended beyond just the history. He was able to highlight fauna and flora. He showed such a depth of knowledge of Peru, the Inca's etc and his love and pride in his country shone through. Smithy was active in sorting out issues quickly (such as when we had a train cancellation he used his relationships with the train staff to bump us onto a different train). He was engaging and socialised with us all. I felt safe and well informed with Smithy. In my view he is a top rate Tour Guide

Most Inspirational Moment

So many. The Maritime History museums in Tallinn. The serenity of the National Parks in all three countries (Lahemaa, Gauja & Curonian Spit.) Plus the chilling Cold War Museum in Plokstine Forest and the KGB Museum in Vilnius.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Yevgeniya was a very knowledgable guide with over 30 years experience. Her knowledge of both ancient and modern history was extensive. It could occasionally be more than we could take in, especially on the longer coach journeys. A more succinct style would have been welcomed on these longer journeys.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Although the pace of the trip can be brisk at times, ensure you maximise your opportunities to visit the excellent museums. Especially the Maritime Museum in Tallinn, the Art Nouveau Museum in Riga and the KGB Museum in Vilnius. And do try the local food and drink.

Most Inspirational Moment

So many. The Maritime History museums in Tallinn. The serenity of the National Parks in all three countries (Lahemaa, Gauja & Curonian Spit.) Plus the chilling Cold War Museum in Plokstine Forest and the KGB Museum in Vilnius.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Yevgeniya was a very knowledgable guide with over 30 years experience. Her knowledge of both ancient and modern history was extensive. It could occasionally be more than we could take in, especially on the longer coach journeys. A more succinct style would have been welcomed on these longer journeys.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Although the pace of the trip can be brisk at times, ensure you maximise your opportunities to visit the excellent museums. Especially the Maritime Museum in Tallinn, the Art Nouveau Museum in Riga and the KGB Museum in Vilnius. And do try the local food and drink.

Most Inspirational Moment

Camping in the Delta gave us a first hand insight into the lives of the Polers, as well as bring us face to face with nature. We were able to witness lions and elephants in action, not just standing, but the highlight of the Safari was having the opportunity to watch a Cheetah hunt an Impala through to capture.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our Group Leader Adonia, was fantastic. He was very approachable, extremely knowledgeable and nothing was too much for him to do to make our Group’s holiday unforgettable.