Reviews

Monumental Egyptian Odyssey

Another excellent Exodus adventure. I was pleasantly surprised that we were fully occupied every day with tours and activities. Temples, tombs, mosques, monastery, local baths, perfumery, pottery, animal sanctuary, papyrus institute, museums, war graves and souqs. We used all forms of transport (luxury coach, horse and carriage, felucca, cruise boat, sleeper train, camel, power boat, plane). Truly a memorable trip, so much fascinating history, colossal architecture and lovely weather too!

Great snowshoeing in stunning scenery

Great variety of walks to mountain summits with fantastic views of the beautiful Dolomite scenery. Walking included a couple of ascents of 650m. We walked through wooded hillsides to mountain tops. On most days we stopped in mountain huts for a drink whilst we admired the scenery.

Great intro to Morocco

This trip was a great way to see varied parts of Morocco, from city life in Marrakesh to the desert and up to the High Atlas Mountains, where there was a good amount of snow. This meant that there was quite a lot of time spent on the minibus, but there was some impressive terrain to see. In February, the nights and mornings were cold and dramatically different to the temperature in the mid-late afternoon. There were local crafts to visit (rug making, pottery, argan oil production, spice and incense stores) with retail opportunities, the camel ride into the desert, the steam baths and some down time. I really enjoyed the week, and if this is your first visit to an Arabic country, it’s a tough call between Morocco and Jordan, as the latter has the Lost City of Petra, a great sight / site, which Morocco doesn’t have.

An Assault on the Senses

It’s a while since we have done this sort of trouble, engaging, demanding yet with the luxury of a private guided tour. 10 hours on a Dreamliner and you are plunged into the teeming chaos of Old Quarter Hanoi. A mixture of sharp modern and decrepitude, high-tech phones and spiders web cables. And the motorbikes! There are 45 million and they are either on the road or blocking the pavement thus making road walking essential but dangerous.

From the steamy challenges of Hanoi to Sa Pa at a cool 1600 meters. Virtually nothing remains of the old French hill station; in 20 years a whole new tourist city has arisen with hundreds of hotels. The contrast with the surrounding ethnic villages is stark: Red Dzao women with shaved eyebrows and foreheads elaborately attired in traditional bright embroidered outfits live in large, rudimentary cedarwood houses. Mud floor, three open fires without chimneys, one for cooking, one for the rice vodka still and yet another for curing hams. No windows and lit by a single bulb, pigs and chickens wandering at will. Below are the perfectly contoured rice fields, vegetables at the base plus odd quirks like orchid, cardamom and salmon farms.

Government has provided concrete roads, schools and health centres. Satellite dishes, mobile phones have arrived and motorbikes have replaced horses…. Almost all of that in the last 10 years. See it now before it is gone.

What an amazing journey!

An amazing and enlightening journey with a great group of people. We saw both city and countrywide and visited many incredible landmarks along the way. We learnt lots about India it’s religion and culture. Lead by the most caring and considerate guide.

Kenya & Tanzania Wildlife Experience

My wife and I had been on this trip previously in September 2016 where we were lucky to see the migration. We thought that it would be good to see the other end of the season and hoped to catch the migration at the southern end, but alas they had travelled further south than we were going. Lake Nakuru NP was more productive this time as well as the Masia Mara with us seeing the ‘Big 5’ in the first 2 days, the first time that has occurred in more than 24 years of travel! Although the Mara Triangle and the Serengeti were very devoid of animals this was more than made up for by the Ngorongoro Crater, which was incredible.

What does this mean?

An excellent trip covering a variety of different locations enabling us to get a feel for the country and especially for its wildlife.

A Week in Jordan

An amazing trip, would highly recommend it. Jordan has soo much to offer. So much history and culture, so many wonderful places to visit. The Jordanian people are very friendly and helpful.

Costa Rica Coast to Coast

Such a colourful country and warm-hearted people too. Was truly amazed by the wildlife. Not often that you’re cycling along a highway and a monkey crosses the road or you’re relaxing in a pool with a Toucan above your head. The cycling was different to that experienced in other countries. Less miles but more hills. I learned how to tackle hills better and my cycling skills definitely improved as a result. Cycling around a volcano I almost had my jaw on the ground as I watched a little curl of smoke disappear into the clouds. Amazing holiday!

A superb trip

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this introduction to Costa Rica.
The group of sixteen bonded well. ( ages 40+ – 70+ years)