Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Spending 2 days with a cheetah with 5 cubs. Unless of course it was the lion cubs stuck on one side of a gully with their mums and the kill over the other side of the muddy stream......or the leopard and her cub.....or the magnificent cheetah brothers.....or the newly born giraffe.......or the sunrises/sunsets/storm skies.

Thoughts on Group Leader

One of the joys of travelling with Paul is that he prioritises the right things - finding the wildlife and the photographic opportunities, and giving those all the time they need. With the help of the great Kicheche guides, Paul got us in the right place at the right time; succeeded in keeping us entertained and challenged us to take ever better pictures. Charismatic, energetic and with decided opinions, there was never a dull moment.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take more warm clothes than you first thought - it's chilly before dawn in open vehicles. There is a reason the Maasai wear woolly hats.....

Most Inspirational Moment

I can't say one particular part of the trip was inspirational as I was in awe of all of it! I didn't know anything about Jerash and found this very interesting. The Wadi Rum was also awesome and as I said Petra didn't disappoint.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader Danny was very efficient, knowledgeable and friendly. He certainly made everyone feel inclusive and helped organise our lunches and evening meals.

Advice for Potential Travellers

So long as you are fit and don't mind walking, then you should be fine. I'm no athletic (never have been) my exercise consists of walking to the car and I'm 65, the climbing in Petra was well worth the effort. Although some of the group will go on ahead, all will wait for the slower people (me). I did take a trekking stick, which I found helpful, although it isn't a necessary requirement. Good quality walking sandals are fine, although it can be very sandy so the grit gets into your feet. (May be socks and sandals, fashionable now I'm told!)

Most Inspirational Moment

The summit was magical with commanding views of the Atlas Mountains looking toward Algeria. We had a very clear morning which made the ascent worthwhile

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mohammed was excellent. Quiet and reserved but knowledgable and reliable.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is a challenge within most walkers reach. The mountain hut is a great experience for those who havent tried anything like that

Most Inspirational Moment

Getting off the bike at the end of the day and grabbing an ice cold beer.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent they worked really hard and nothing was too much trouble

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring plenty of tubes and don't fall off.

Most Inspirational Moment

Being in Pompeii on a free day. What an amazing place. it still feels alive.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Good, very willing to help.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The trip may say its relaxing but its not. Well only if you like dashing from place to place with not enough time to really see and hang out in them. Add days on at the end to relax in. Ocotber is a brilliant time to go. Its less busy and a nice temprature 25 ish so seeing the sights and walking up Vesuvius were lovely rather than a trial in the heat. Dont go to Capri, that was a disappointing waste of a day. Expensive, very very busy even in October and sea sickness thrown in. Amalfi, Ravello and Positano are just as nice, less busy and no boat.

Most Inspirational Moment

Any number of views towards the coast & the countryside in general provides a "change is as good as a rest" experience anyway. The great weather was a real plus.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ali was really good - patient; good English; experienced. 11 out of 10 for him.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The hotel is spartan & not really good enough for people who are well past the backpacking stage. The holiday would have been much worse if the weather had been less welcoming. Changing money in restaurants - when you're going to eat there - gives a much better exchange rate than that obtainable through big hotels, banks or ATMs.

Most Inspirational Moment

The hard climb on Naxos to a wonderful view

Thoughts on Group Leader

As stated above, Thanos was terrific. Can't praise enough.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you have good walking shoes, a walking stick is helpful and bring cash for meals not covered.

Most Inspirational Moment

The climb up onto the Burdah Rock Bridge was a fantastic experience. The views were stunning. A small effort for big rewards. Perhaps the most inspirational moment was watching the sunset at Fox Camp (named by our guide Salah). The changing light caused the colours of the desert to slowly change from yellow to pink slowly through to an opaque grey and into night. whilst in the foreground the campfire flickered and danced.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Salah was a great guide, very knowledgeable and informative, and going the extra mile to ensure we got as much from our trip as we possibly could.

Most Inspirational Moment

Being close to the vultures as they soared around the mountains

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alvaro was brilliant. He lived locally and was very knowledgeable about the area, the culture, flora, fauna and wild life. His love and passion for the area shone through. He combined all that with a genuinely caring nature, a sense of humour and was a "good sport".

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just be aware that the definition of "moderate" in Exodus world appears to be more gruelling than in Explore world.

Most Inspirational Moment

The whole group was enthralled by the wildlife experiences and cultural visits and stories but we were all totally inspired by the amazingly resourceful recycling projects. We visited some very enterprising people who had built mechanisms from scrap materials to enable them to create the most intricate things as well as essential, everyday basic utensils. The Malagasy people work in such difficult circumstances which are effected by the climate and environment and working conditions are archaic with little regard to health and safety to say the least. It is a rich country in terms of gems and spectacular natural beauty but the infrastructure is poor and even basic commodities are so difficult to obtain and control, particularly power and water which are so precious.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our local group leader, Tyena, was excellent. He ensured we were well informed, well supervised, well fed and our experience of Madagascar was educative and authentic. Our safety was also of utmost importance to him. He never rested until we were settled and genuinely enjoyed telling us about his country, helping us to be better informed about cultural issues, environmental problems and the daily lives of the Malagasy.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Currency - Stirling or USD changed into local currency on arrival at the airport is all that is required. There are few opportunities to use ATM's and locals/hotels refer local currency. Mastercard is not accepted anywhere. Meals are very reasonable with 3 courses plus drinks averaging around £6 - yes cheap!! On arrival at the Tana airport be prepared to argue with security staff regarding Yellow Fever certificates - they're not needed but those people without them had to pay bribes of up to $20 to get through security!!! Take non electric mossie plug ins etc as electricity is mostly not available at night. I did take a travel kettle though ( for when I had a socket and electricity) as there's times when you're desperate for a cuppa even without milk! Take a good torch and camping light for your room. We virtually all had problems with batteries due to the climate so take spares for the camera. Take a load of Imodium and re-hydrates and a good deet spray or cream.