Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

All of it. So hard to choose favourite moments - inspirational, I suppose would be the Exodus Tsunami House/lunch. But then seeing 4 leopards in Yala was pretty inspirational too. Oh yeh, and the blue whale (even though I had to be woken up by lovely group members as I was feeling a bit more than queasy on the boat ride - worth it though :-).But wonderful too, was the bike ride in Giritale, climbing Lions Rock, white water rafting, and each of the Temples were far more interesting than we expected.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Absolutely the best. Sujan (ably aided by driver Soudat and 'conductor' Inidiga) was fantastic. Knowledgable, brilliantly organised, full of good tips with lots of humour and good grace. He was truly amazing, ensuring we were at the Temple of the Tooth at absolutely the right time to get 'front row' seats for the ceremony; at the boat in time to ensure that we had upper deck, 'front row' views for when the dolphins, whale and turtles made their appearance; he made hotel check-ins smooth and pleasant and his running commentary throughout was full of really good information presented in the most interesting way.

Advice for Potential Travellers

As others in past reviews have said, DO EVERYTHING. There is nothing on this trip that we would have wanted to miss. Yes, it means lots of early starts and some long days, but hey you're on holiday in the most amazing, beautiful country. You may not get the chance again. The hotels are varied in standard but each has something special to offer - style, location, comfort, etc etc. In fact, our favourite was the Kithigula Guest House for it's stunning location, even though it was one of the most basic. And don't worry about the few with basic rooms, you only sleep there and you'll sleep well after all the activity anyway. Food: yes, there's a lot of hotel buffets, but they are very good buffets. There is little  'evening eating out' culture in SL and you won't find better food locally anyway.

Most Inspirational Moment

Staying at the Esquinas Lodge and learning so much about the ecological methods used there.  Swimming in the river fed pool was fantastic.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jonny was the best group leader you could ever imagine.  He was knowledgable, caring, considerate of everyone's needs and amusing with it.  No dry facts were thrown at us.  He imparted his wealth of experience and knowledge in such a way it made you care about this wonderful country and it's people.  I learnt so much.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't overpack.  Our driver, Orlando, was wonderful but I felt sorry for him having to lift my case at every stop.  There is a very quick laundry after 5 days and the hotels can generally have your washing returned the next day.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the animals and birds at such close quarters. The lions and elephants were particularly memorable. We saw a Cheetah make a kill of an antelope.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our guides Peter and Davis were excellent. They looked after us very well and their knowledge of the wildlife we saw was exceptional.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We found that Malerone anti-malaria tablets were OK to take after hearing mixed reviews of Doxi Cyclin. We would recommend taking US dollars in cash as some card payments were not always working.

Most Inspirational Moment

Food was excellent most of the time, especially the picnic and roadside lunches. Riding through the tea country was a delight.  Arriving at Vanilla Country. Welcoming happy people everywhere, and no begging.  Relaxing day spent doing not very much in Kumily.  Chettinah was amazing, but arrived at dusk so could not see the designated house. 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was pleasant but not up to the job in hand and seemed unable to take charge on occasions, resulting in late arrivals and missed opportunities for previously planned sightseeing, and a lot of frustration. He appeared to have little training in coping with a group of travellers. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

Read the trip notes before you go and select this trip carefully. Prepare for long days of 100 kms plus. 

Most Inspirational Moment

Skiing in the Fischleintal. We had beautiful weather that day and the skiing and scenery were amazing.

Thoughts on Group Leader

David was great, providing instruction as needed/requested while we were out skiing. He also offered to give us a skating lesson on his morning off! He discussed with the group each evening the plans for the following day, and his local knowledge meant there were no worries about where or when to catch a bus. He also organised a visit to the local cheese factory - not to be missed!

Most Inspirational Moment

trekking to the 2nd hightest peak in Western Ghats, lovely views 

Thoughts on Group Leader

excellent leader made our trip, ready to answer all our  questions and  let us know about his own life  which added to our experience. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

Walking shoes or trainers  would be fine for the walking part, binoculars useful for  birdwatching in Periyar Nature Reserve.  

Most Inspirational Moment

I particularly liked cycling through the villages and seeing local village life.  The trip to Lion Rock and view from the top was great, the train ride was great fun, the day playing traditional games was great too.  To be honest nearly every day had an experience to remember.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rhosan is a great leader, who is enthusiastic,  knowledgeable and funny.  He also has a very calm manner and makes sure everything runs like clockwork so there was  no stress at all on the trip.  We were lucky enough to be on his 200th trip so had the benefit of a surprise party to celebrate.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Ladies - take a mixture of t-shirts/blouses and vests especially for the first week when you are visiting temples. If you need to charge anything while you are away invest in a cheap Indian/Sri Lankan adaptor which I got from Amazon. I found the information available beforehand confusing and when we got there some hotel rooms had 3 different types of socket in the same room.  A cheap adaptor is worth its weight in gold.

Most Inspirational Moment

No one particular moment but enjoyed the cycling, even if half of it was in monsoon rain and the walks.  The sightseeing was also enjoyable.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Roshan was enthusiastic and knowledgeable, didn't talk too much and was always able to answer any questions asked.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring lots of t-shirts because the pace is quite hectic at times and there isn't often time for laundry.

Most Inspirational Moment

We had a week when it snowed a lot so the most inspirational moment was the day we had sun and could finally get an idea of the beautiful mountain location all around. We were lucky enough to spot with Robert, the local ski guide, a herd of reindeer moving up the mountain, they were far away but still exciting!

Thoughts on Group Leader

There was no group leader on this trip, however, the hotel has two great ski guides who take out the hotel guests on cross country ski tours. Wenche and Robert are very nice and open to any questions someone may have, it was a pleasure spending time skiing with them.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for some fun days in the snow regardless of weather, even if it snows during the week the surroundings are magical.

Most Inspirational Moment

The walk across the highest point on Madeira looking out over the clouds (plus new year fireworks across Funchal harbour).

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fantastic. Andre was very passionate and knowledegable about Maderia where he was born and lived for most of his life. He was very concious about our safety, wellbeing and enjoyment all the time, but brought humour into things on a regular basis.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is the lowest difficulty grade walking holiday i have done. The others have been atleast moderate/challenging.  Most walks are fairly flat (walking along the levadas) with only a few short steep sections. The days are also 1/2 day walks. This is fine if that is what you are expecting and is enough for you but if you have been on harder walking holidays before you may find the walking too easy.