Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing so many different species of young and newly born animals, of course it goes without saying the chimpanzees and gorillas. Varied and changing landscape came as a pleasant surprise. The energy and inspiration of Helen, from a Masai Mara village who is trying to educate the young and guide the elders, to stop FGM and to adopt more sustainable farming and lifestyle methods.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Patrick was brilliant! I have never had a group leader that made the holiday. Everything went so smoothly and any hiccups he was there to sort it out. He bought us all together as one big, happy and caring group. Not an easy thing given our diverse backgrounds. Most importantly, he went the extra mile, he, as well as the animals, is what made the trip so memorable. His co-assistant and our driver, Boneface, was an enormous asset too. He drove us tirelessly and safely over difficult roads always with a smile on his face. Ever ready to support and help Patrick when need be.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do, do the hot air balloon and source of the Nile trip. If you want to try your hand at white water rafting, you couldn’t be in more professional and safer hands. If you are thinking of spending extra days at the beginning and end of the safari, in Nairobi and Kigali then just two days in each is enough. We did three. In some ways Nairobi has more to do, but Kigali is a beautiful, clean and safer city to walk around with some great restaurants and cafes to experience. We stayed at 'The Social House' hotel in Nairobi and the 'Ubumwe Grand Hotel' in Kigali and would reccomend both.

Most Inspirational Moment

This trip was so good I had four! Without a doubt the first and foremost was seeing both a leopard and a tiger on our jeep trip in the Bandipur National Park; we were able to watch each of them for over 15 minutes and whilst the leopard was close, the tiger was only a few metres away. The second was - with apologies to anyone yet to attempt it - reaching the top of the Kalhatty Killer (the climb up to Otacamund) which was definitely the hardest bit of cycling I have ever done since I first sat on a bike 60 years ago. The third was eating a Sadhya - a traditional Keralan meal served on a banana leaf - and learning from Shibu, one of the team members, how to eat politely and neatly with my fingers. Finally - swimming in the Arabian Sea at Cherai Beach: huge waves in what felt like bath water with an air temperature to match.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Safi was outstanding. As he has so many qualities, it's difficult to know where to start, but let's kick off with the fact that he is a really nice, friendly, modest person. Then, he couples a great sense of fun with an even greater sense of safety, something which is essential on Indian roads. His attitude was, "Let's really enjoy the cycling, but let's also all get to the end in one piece", an attitude which he backed up with, when necessary, lengthy but clear explanations of the risks associated with each upcoming stretch of road and how to mitigate them, whilst not losing the adrenaline hit of, for example, the descent from Ootacamund. He would deny this next attribute (as he frequently did on the trip), but he has an encyclopaedic knowledge of Southern India, its economy, politics, customs and religions. He has been working on this trip for well over a decade and in that time has accumulated a huge red book of places to eat, drink and shop (even down to each of the morning tea shops), matched only by his relationships with the proprietors of these establishments. Finally, he knows and loves the food of his homeland: it was entirely due to him that we ate so well.

Advice for Potential Travellers

1. Do the recommended training programme. I am a regular and energetic road cyclist and, living in the South Downs, I am used to hill climbing, but I seriously doubt that I would have managed Kalhatty if I had not done the training. 2. If you are a road cyclist, take a pair of half-and-half pedals (one side platform, the other cleated). Cycling in Indian traffic cleated-in would be a nightmare, but on the open road and up climbs you can have the riding action you are used to. If you are an off-roader like most of the people on our trip though, you won't understand what the fuss is about! 3. Take a bike rucksack or handlebar bag, as panniers are not provided on this trip but it is useful to carry a waterproof on days when rain is threatened: although the van is right behind, the ferocity of some of the rain showers means you could get very wet very quickly. 4. Do the cookery class in Fort Kochi if you are offered it. Whilst I have been cooking Indian-style food for decades, this introduced me to the theory of using spices in cookery and was a real eye-opener.

Most Inspirational Moment

Hiking the fisherman’s trail!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leaders were exceptional. Fit and fun, kind, funny, warm and sincere. Also nimble- always had a back-up plan when needed.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go for it!!!!!

Thoughts on Group Leader

They don't come any better - knowledge, responsibility and professionalism.

Most Inspirational Moment

Learning about the Bedouin and experiencing the desert was a trip highlight for me. Our guide Mekheld shared with us much personal knowledge about the life of these desert nomads that he experienced growing up with Bedouin relatives. The night we spent at the Exodus desert camp was a real bonding moment for our group. Marvelling at the sand dunes and sandstone rock formations, looking at the vast landscapes, and seeing a truly dark night sky was simply the best.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader Mekheld is an affable, easy going fellow with a sharp Bedouin wit. After the group got use to his style of very dry humour we had great fun and much laughter when he caught someone not paying attention. He was master of logistics, making sure the trip ran smooth and efficiently. He found the best restaurants wherever we were and made sure a good lunch was always available. Mekheld has an excellent knowledge of Jordan and its people, which he shared with us. I felt he was a superb tour guide, leader, and now friend. Thank you Mekheld!

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you have the time, consider staying a day or two longer at the Dead sea. The tour really only provides for a few daylight hours and floating in the Dead sea and really getting into coating yourself in mud is too much fun and should be repeated more than once. Bring extra Dinars. Things are a bit more expensive here and there are lots of optional activities you will want to do. Bring good walking shoes. My wife and I walked 15 km in and around Petra, more than most. There are lots of sand covered steps in the ruins, so sure footing is important!

Most Inspirational Moment

Climbing up to Burdah Bridge and standing on top of it, and the first sight of the Treasury in Petra.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Couldn't have asked for a better leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do it and embrace everything. you'll be glad you did..

Most Inspirational Moment

The hikes in Petra

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fantastic!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take plenty of memory on your phone as you’ll get great photo opportunities

Most Inspirational Moment

One of the highlights has to be seeing the whales come so close to our boat. I definitely recommend whale watching if you’re there in the right season - it was magical.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Adonia & Ernest really looked after us all. They were both very knowledgeable about everything to do with the area aswell as looking after our bikes & making sure we were safe on the roads. They worked really hard to try & ensure our trip went smoothly.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is a very hilly trip, a lot hillier than we were all expecting & probably should be graded as a moderate 4 rather than 3. There’s a lot of cycling on busy main roads too, in fact the vast majority of it is on really busy roads so it’s something to be prepared for.

Most Inspirational Moment

Many highlights - the street food experience, the coffee, the warmth of the Vietnamese people, the green abundance in the fields and markets, the architecture in Hoi An and Hanoi, clear waters and calm at Whale Island, caves and kayaking in Halong Bay.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Chi was calm, kind and very organised. Things ran very smoothly and we were never aware of any mishaps etc which probably means he was working very hard in the background. Three others supported him and they worked really well as a team, I always felt looked after, well-supplied with snacks/water and safe on the roads.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We did a free walking tour of Hanoi with a couple of students which was a really good way to spend our final morning. The exhibition in the Maison Generale (Hanoi Hilton) is definitely worth seeing. Be prepared to get wet (we travelled last half of October) - although the rain is warm it is worth having a change of cycling gear/clothes on the bus for this, and to use walking sandals rather than trainers for cycling in these conditions. I did a load of laundry in Hoi An (moped delivery from/to hotel) for about £2.50. There is more cycling on suburban roads than I expected. There is a lot of development underway - a market visit listed in the trip notes did not happen because the market had been displaced by road construction. Halong Bay is beautiful but it is not worth swimming - we were taken to a tiny crowded designated beach and it did not seem that swimming was permitted anywhere else. We anchored with about 15 other cruise boats of various sizes, two playing loud music in the evening which was a shame. We were lucky that we kayaked and looked at the caves without anyone else around.