Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

There was some enjoyable cycling, interspersed with some unusual but very interesting sights such as the Hill of Crosses and the Nuclear Missile site in Lithuania, which were about as different as you can imagine but both worth seeing. The nightlife in Vilnius was also a lot of fun!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Andrius was an excellent group leader, with great local knowledge, a sharp sense of humour, and able to tell interesting stories about the history of the places we were visiting. He was well organised, and coped well with a couple of first aid incidents! Food choices were good (the smoked fish a personal highlight!) and having a plan B on the only day it rained was great as well, as it meant we cycled an alternative route, while still heading in the right direction for the final destination, which the group appreciated.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go with the flow and you’ll have a very enjoyable trip

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling through the villages around Peipsie lake

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring your swimming costume.

Most Inspirational Moment

Riding in Lahemaa National Park and along the Curonian Spit.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader, Andrius, was very informative and explained the history and culture of the Baltic countries with candour and humour. He was very well organised so it all ran without a hitch and the pleasant extras were very enjoyable.

Most Inspirational Moment

Kayaking in Ha Long bay, then being taken to a secret beautiful beach to swim. We were all so delighted, and stayed for ages in the beautiful water chatting and getting to know one another.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Absolutely excellent. As I said above - Ashley was sweet, caring, capable, funny, knowledgeable helpful and enthusiastic. We all loved her. I particularly appreciated the fact that I could eat a whole variety of delicious food despite my severe nut allergy. Ashley explained it to chefs everywhere we went. In other countries I have accepted that I need to just eat plain, boring food. But everywhere we went, the cooks made special nut-free delicious food after Ashley had explained.

Advice for Potential Travellers

You have to go - it’s a beautiful country and an extremely well organised trip. Also, I worried about mosquitoes, but we hardly saw any.

Most Inspirational Moment

Lots..... The boat trip at Kas to the sunken city .Enough members of our group went so we got a private boat. Ephesus Capadoccia...scenery and underground city Gallipoli Antalya...lovely town Sunsets Whirling dervish ceremony and the Rumi mausoleum in Konya The theatre at Aspendos Others in the group would say the hot air balloon ride.....it is very expensive...195 euros.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Emir was a five star leader.Our group was very varied with some young people as well as a variety of older people with varying levels of energy but Emir tried always to keep everyone happy. He was always patient and was great fun. His English was excellent and his knowledge and love of his country while remaining objective was amazing. He was very stimulating to be with. If he didn’t know the answer to a specific question he researched it.....he was keen to know everything. I have come home determined to read up about Greek gods etc. A real people person.....he seemed to know lots of people on every stop and they all loved to talk to him. He took us every evening for a group meal and that helped us enjoy the Turkish food and order confidently. The driver was such a nice man but not much English.....frustrating not to be able to chat to him. We did learn a bit of Turkish in the end!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don’t bother to take walking boots...strong trainers are enough. None of us did the Lycian walk although we intended to do it. It was too hot and only a two hour walk so not really worth it. The boat trip was a better option. It is hot in August....take light clothes. There were opportunities to wash clothes. Go early or stay to see Istanbul. Take a head scarf...long shorts were fine. They give you a skirt if it is necessary. Loads of ATMs and change places. All hotels had hairdryers. Take swimming stuff...lots of chances to swim in pools and beaches.

Most Inspirational Moment

Mljet Island; walk to the peak of Montokuc. Beautiful island with its internal 'lakes' and pines. The climb was not difficult (256m) with steeper sections interspersed with level ones. Lovely views at the top. We did one leg of the journey by boat on the lake, stopping briefly on an island with a monastery. With the walk around the small and big lake + the climb approx. 8.5 miles - a good leg stretch without being overly demanding. Those who didn't want to climb had the option of remaining at the lakeside for an afternoon's swimming.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ivan was a warm, friendly and organized leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The Dubrovnik card is not necessary. The city tour includes a couple of museum visits and we were then given a museum pass to use during the rest of our stay. The entry ticket for the (optional) walk around the walls also includes the fort, which can be visited that day or the next. Steps are definitely a feature of this coastline - even within the hotels. For anyone with knee problems, a stick or walking pole might be helpful. Mussels and oysters are specialties along the coast, but I found both overly salty. But the langoustines (scampi) at the More restaurant on Korcula were delicious. Because the coast is steep and rocky, there are few sand beaches and entry into the water for a swim can be hard on the feet/ slippy. Protective shoes are available for sale, or if you have some, bring them.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were several: Bergen, the scenery on journeys by mini-bus and ferry, Nes Gard farm guesthouse and the view from our room, the overall views of mountains, waterfalls and glaciers.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Lukas's passion for his country shone out and enthused us at the same time. He adjusted the programme sensibly to cope with the variable weather we experienced.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We had sun and rain, so be prepared. It was also a little wetter underfoot than some other trips we've been on. Definitely not sandal country.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were lots of highlights but the less obvious was the beautiful seaside resort of Kas where I had a day to relax and explore on my own and the lovely Islamic town of Konya. The floodlit mosque was stunning as was watching the sunset at Pamukkale with wine provided by our tour leader!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Emir was a lovely man and very knowledgable about all the gods and extensive history of Turkey as well as being fun.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for 38C+ heat in August, take appropriate clothing for mosque visits, including headscarves for ladies, long trousers for men. Last 2 road journeys are long - ours were 9 hours plus including toilet and lunch stops. Driver is obliged to take at least a 45 minute break for Tachograph reasons so take plenty of music or reading material.

Most Inspirational Moment

There are so many inspirational moments, that it's very hard to point at just one and say this is THE MOST inspirational one of them all. I can mention the many beautiful views around charmonix or even just simply waking up each morning and opening the windows to the fresh mountain air and scenic views of the sunrise hitting the mountain summits. I can recall the many delicious meals provided at the chalet as well as the fancy restaurant with the 3 course dinner that our group went to together during our free day. I can remember the challenging bits during our hikes and the quietness of the moment when our group sat around to eat lunch. Everything, from the start to especially the finish of the trip was inspirational.

Thoughts on Group Leader

I feel absolutely #blessed to have Adelene as our group leader. What makes her a great lead is her passion and enthusiasm! She loves what she's doing and absolutely doesn't mind sharing that joy with the group. Adelene is also perceptive on people's strengths and weaknesses. She takes special care to make sure that everyone in the party is enjoying themselves, whether it was those close to the head of the pack and those holding strong at the rear. She is also in tune with the difficult bits of the trails. Adelene offered a helping hand whenever the trail got tricky. At no point did i feel in any danger during the hikes. Adelene was also a teacher in a past life! It was awesome to ask a question about the local geography and receive a well thought out and immersive discussion of the topic. Adelene, thank you for being you!

Advice for Potential Travellers

My only criticism is that I can't give more stars for this review. I kid, in seriousness, I can see why previous reviewers mentioned that this felt a bit more than a 3/5 difficulty. It's not enough to grant a 4/5, but taxing enough where a good pair of hiking shoes and trekking poles are highly suggested. It's also good to have excellent situational awareness when hiking, as there are moments with very narrow trails, slippery stones, scrambling up rocks, and tree roots that can snag your feets. It's nothing new for those that hike occasionally, but is useful information to have if you are considering this tour. Make sure to pre and post stretch your legs, and to take full advantage of the jacuzzi at the end of each hike or the local spa center on the off day. It will help your knees and legs tremendously the day after. My fiance and myself came from US, and we used Mountain Dropoffs as our van service from Geneva airports to the chalet. I recommend going through them as the entire experience was smooth as silk at a very good cost. One last thing, just be aware not to overindulge with the hot water when you shower, as you wouldn't want other chalet roomies to miss out on a warm shower.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were so many, it's impossible to choose! But I think the Costa Rican wildlife in all its glory was the highlight. Seeing a baby humpbacked whale swim alongside our boat will stay with me forever, as will the crocodile eating a monkey - but in a different way. Our driver spotting a group of scarlet macaws as we drove along the highway, and then spending several minutes watching them with our mouths open was another highlight. On another level, the white water rafting was exhilarating and such fun. But the whole country and its people was inspirational too.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Gio was amazing - his wealth of knowledge about Costa Rica, its history, geography and nature was amazing, as was his engagement with the group (kids and adults). His lovely last speech as Roberto was driving us to the airport brought tears to my eyes! He was always very mindful of our safety, which was so important when you factor in the excitable kids (and adults) who could potentially forget themselves and make unsafe decisions. I am also extremely grateful to him for just ignoring my travel-related migraine (and vomiting) within minutes of meeting him at the airport!

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you, like us, want a real adventure, but are nervous about how to do this when you're not that confident travelling, this is a definite trip to consider. This was our first trip abroad as a family, but has set the bar very high for future trips!