Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Going over the Laurebena Pass, very cold, as early start, but spectacular

Thoughts on Group Leader

Doyce Sherpa was amazing, only 26 years old but had fantastic leadership skills.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The trekking is tough. But the most challenging aspect of this trip is the accommodation. Be warned they are very, very basic and cold, the toilet situation is pretty grime… having to share one squat toilet with 16 other people, where water has frozen and unable to put water down it, the stench makes you gag, you need to be prepared for this. After a long day of walking this can be pretty demoralising.

Most Inspirational Moment

Wadi rum is probably the best bit but enjoyed snorkelling in the Red Sea, which was an extra for us

Thoughts on Group Leader

Really good and helpful, very well informed. There was an expectation we would want to do everything but did accept we needed some down time from the hectic schedule

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is a full on trip. Not sure it can really be described as leisurely.

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling through beautiful exotic South African terrain along deserted red earth dirt track with the strange noises of African birds and animals, warm sunshine, beautiful Acacia and unfamiliar plants trees and flowers, gazing around at the mountains and blue sky - so far away from noisy busy London life. 2 other highlights for me were swimming in icy cold waterfall pool with fellow cycling pals, and on the final day in Kruger stopped the truck on the road as a lion casually sauntered past us at a distance of about 2 metres! So much laughter all the way through the trip, we had a ball

Thoughts on Group Leader

Adonia was a good organised leader who made you feel safe and responded well to extra requests such as additional stops. He was a strict timekeeper which was important with a tight schedule. He was sociable and friendly with a good sense of humour and made a good job of accommodating different abilities within the group. He had good local knowledge and imparted this along the way. His assistant Evans was also an experienced guide with a warm friendly demeanour, nothing was too much trouble. The 2 boys worked incredibly had, driving for miles, cycling with us, cooking us meals and breakfast when we were away from restaurants. They both gave the impression they enjoyed being with us and really wanted us to have a good time. They were approachable and open to suggestions.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This trip has quite hard cycling so not for people who are not regular cyclists - however so rewarding and worth the effort. Pack for all seasons, don't expect luxury but everything is perfectly comfortable. Pack a torch, some binoculars, good waterproofs. Antimalarials are required for Kruger region. We spent some time in Joburg before trip - fascinating to hear about recent history / end of apartheid, but not a safe place for tourists to be wondering the streets unaccompanied.

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling and climbing through Los Cardones National Park at altitude with the Cerro Malcante mountain (5070m) on the horizon, we stopped for a fabulous picnic lunch just before the main 2000m descent to the finish.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Tai was excellent in every way and worked really hard with his assistants to ensure that everyone enjoyed the trip to the utmost.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We have tended to take trips where the focus is sightseeing in the destination towns and cities. On this trip scenery and wildlife are king, and we thoroughly enjoyed it for this.

Most Inspirational Moment

The fact that you could get safely so close to wild animals like elephants, which you could never do on land. It was magical to go to sleep in your tent knowing elephants and hippos would wander past during the night.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful, one of the best. There were 13 people and six canoes, so one canoe had to take three and we ended up in the canoe with the guide. This was great as he did most of the paddling, making ours a premium adventure! The trip has its' potential hazards; at one stage a large crocodile sallied forth towards us, but our guide got us to splash the water with our paddles which drove it away; he would keep a close eye on us and get us to move back if we were getting potentially too close to elephants in the water.

Most Inspirational Moment

Many inspirational moments. Mountains, the expanse of the country, the sounds from thunderstorms to bird songs, the animals in the outstanding country parks….

Thoughts on Group Leader

Group leader Adonia excellently lead us with his local knowledge, team building and cycling. Always ready to answer any questions and encourage us along the challenging cycle route🚴🏻‍♀️

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just go on this trip you won’t regret it….

Most Inspirational Moment

We had a number of health issues within the group due to the altitude, cold and a few bugs which spread around. The way the group, which was largely the same as on the Annapurna Circuit in 2019, pulled together and everyone supported each other was inspirational. It just goes to show that when you get really good people around you it makes a huge difference and we all felt that a bit of adversity helped the group really bond together

Thoughts on Group Leader

We wre a tailormade trip so we requested to have Tsering Dorje Sherpa as our Guide as he was the guide on our 2019 Annapurna Trip. We also had Tsering and Kaji who were both multiple 8,000-metre peak summiteers! To say we felt humbled was an understatement but they were all absolutely fantastic and we really appreciated their company, their experience and their shared recollections of time on the big peaks

Advice for Potential Travellers

Read the trip notes well, be prepared for all weathers and eventualities and enjoy it

Most Inspirational Moment

Retracing the route with a local and seeing more. We did manage to catch the whales in Hermanus - they had moved on when I returned 10 days later.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Not sure what his role should be as this is my first (and last) cycle tour. We didn't get lost. He knew a bontebok from a blesbok.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you are familiar with this sort of tour, then this is fine. There are better parts of South Africa to see and the wine tasting is a joke. Other cyclists thought it on the tough side of moderate.

Most Inspirational Moment

Highlight for me would be the Angkor temple complex. The scale and complexity but also the architectural variety of temples was extraordinary. But i would have to mention the warmth of welcome from everyone we met. The excitement of the children in all the countries will live long in my memory. And the group of 17 we shared this experience with. We were blessed with a terrific bunch of co-travellers. The holiday does to some extent self-select like-minded travellers, but nevertheless the experience was enhanced by being with such a great group.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Saowarit, better known as Rit, is a total superstar and contributed in an enormous way to the enjoyment of the trip. He exuded calmness and control, and was always on hand to assist, advise and suggest. Above and beyond in terms of his commitment to ensuring we all got the best out of the experience. I can’t speak highly enough of him.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It’s hot! We travelled in November and daily temperatures weee generally between 33 and 35, with mid to high 20’s at night. The cycling is easy in terms of terrain as it’s very very flat, but the heat is challenging and sapping. The trip is classed as 3 / Moderate, with the explanation suggesting anyone of reasonable fitness could manage the rides. I would say it requires strong fitness levels, good stamina, and really is targeted at regular distance cyclists. The longest 3 days, each of c80km in 35 degree heat, are not for the faint hearted. The cycling speed for our group averaged about 20kph.