Reviews

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.

Most Inspirational Moment

So many great moments. Walking the Caminito way, spotting birds of prey and ibex high in the Grazalema national park, the Alcazar in Seville followed by rooftop cocktails, relaxed evenings over dinner on the terrace....

Thoughts on Group Leader

Michael Newcomb is exceptional. HIs knowledge of the region is exemplary - he gave us just the right amount of information on the culture, farming, birdlife, geography, food, and so much more. He is absolutely professional and his long experience of guiding mixed groups meant he was able to keep us interested and on track, giving us flexibility whilst ensuring we stuck to the schedule. He's also good fun. For our free time, he prepared notes and sent links to places to visit as well as pre-booking things for us so everything felt very easy. It's possible to drift through the week without having to make a decision about anything except what to get from the (well stocked) honesty bar in the Cortijo.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just go. Worth every moment. Listen to Michael (especially around how much water to carry!) and you'll have a fantastic time. This was a level 2 holiday and the grade is about right for the trip. You can get away with good walking trainers on most days but light weight walking boots are best on a couple of trickier bits of terrain.

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting Vienna and getting a bike tour of the city from the guide Andrej. We went to a Vivaldi Violin Convert in the evening Visiting Budapest which was a lot bigger than I thought. It has so much history. Bike tour of Budapest was worthwhile. Very easy to get around on the metro which was very efficient .

Thoughts on Group Leader

Andrej was a really nice guy who tried his best to adjust the gearing on the bikes. He was very helpful telling us where to eat and what the local dishes were. Unfortunately his choice of evening venue in Bratislava was not very good. The food and service were awful. Sometimes his communication about what was happening during the day could be rather vague, as was his historical information. Some riders wished to go ahead of the group and he didn’t give any information on where to stop to wait for the group. Needs to invest new tyre levers to get the tyres off when there’s a puncture Needs to get a decent first aid kit to deal with an accident - dressings, swabs and antiseptic spray

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a decent set of Allen keys and tyre levers. A good first aid kit so you don’t have to rely on the guide. In Czech Republic we used our card and Karuna - they preferred Karuna to euros. In Budapest they took card and euros rather than HUFF. If you’re a vegetarian you’ll have difficulty finding anything other than a salad in rural areas. If we spotted a super market we got bread and cheese. They eat a lot of meat especially pork.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing our first Polar Bear in the wild.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent , knowledgeable and passionate.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just do it