Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

My two stand out moments were fairly predictable but no less enjoyable because of that: - walking down the Siq at Petra and catching my first glimpse of the breathtakingly beautiful Treasury; and- sleeping under the stars in Wadi Rum and watching the moon make its way across the night sky.  

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was great - smart, extremely well informed, kind, helpful and endlessly patient. If anything, he gave us a bit too much information and could have perhaps shortened and/or simplified some of the explanations that he gave us. I think he may have assumed a bit too much prior knowledge on the part of the group!  

Advice for Potential Travellers

A week is long enough to see the key sights of Jordan but it's still a pretty hectic itinerary. So don't be expecting long lie-ins or anything! Highlights for me were Petra (of course) and the majestic Wadi Rum. You'll get most out of Petra if you have a reasonable level of fitness as it's a vast site to cover and many of the best trails and viewpoints requires some (fairly tough) climbing. It can also get blisteringly hot, even when we were there in April, so be sure to wear heaps of sunscreen and a hat. And drink plenty of water.   As long as you're prepared for fairly basic conditions in the desert, you'll have a great time at Wadi Rum. And the food we had there was absolutely delicious! It would have been nice to have a bit longer in Aqaba (Red Sea) after the rigours of the desert but there wasn't time in the itinerary for that. I can highly recommend the boat trip in Aqaba. We had the entire boat to ourselves (there were only about 10 of us) and both the snorkelling and the lunch they fed us were brilliant. Judging by what those who didn't come on the boat told us, it was definitely the best thing to do in Aqaba.  Amman was a bit of a disappointment ie, a mostly modern city with very few sights of historical interest, but that's fine as it was mostly just a starting and finishing point for the trip.  

Most Inspirational Moment

The most memorable moment was day 2 – standing on top a mountain and seeing the Atlas panoramic – it was breathtaking to look at the beauty nature can create.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The local guides were very knowledgeable and helpful.

Advice for Potential Travellers

You have to take a camera that can take panaramic shots - better still a video so you can attempt to capture the beauty of the panaramic when you see it.

Most Inspirational Moment

Many moments:- seeing a lion drinking from a large puddle in Etosha - we were so close we could hear him lapping up the water, absolute breathtaking.- watching the thousands of seals at the Skeleton Coast - everywhere you looked there were seals in different poses, barking to one another and baby seals feeding.  The smell is indescribable - and worth it. - the scenery across Namiba - from the sand dunes and desert in the south, the incredible hills in the Namib-Nauklaft park, the huge boulders in Damaraland and the Waterberg plateau.  - sleeping under canvas for the first time - the night sky in Namibia is second to none, seeing the Milky Way, Mars, Venus and Jupiter.  All the night-time noises, the lions roaring, the jackals scratching at my tent, the crickets chirping.....

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sam was brilliant - a great guide and a great driver. He was so knowledgeable about his country, the people and the animals. Jonas was a superb cook - I've never eaten so well!  Tuafeni was a lovely camp assistant, and the three of them got on really well.  

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a waterproof!! It rained more than 85mm of water on the day we walked up Dune 45 - it was at the end of the rainy season but this was apparently more than they'd had the entire rainy season, and roads got washed away.  You can buy a proper pillow at the supermarket/shop stop before the first night camping, well worth doing, and the guys collect any unwanted items for distribution to locals afterwards.   You also get a fair amount of free time; many of the campsites have pools so take a swimsuit and plenty to read.  You need to get a special adaptor for Namibian plug sockets - if you don't get one before you go, you can buy one in the same shop as the pillows (sorry, cant remember the name of it).  The campsites all have sockets for recharging electrical items.  You can buy a guide pamphlet (A4) on the animals/birds of Etosha in many places, so you dont need to worry about getting a book beforehand.

Most Inspirational Moment

Experiencing the wonderful Vietnamese people and how they have come through such a war torn history.Halong Bay of course . The site of the Thet Offensive and clear evidence of the battle. The War Museum and the erie silence of the visitors.

Thoughts on Group Leader

 Thuay.Absolutely excellent. The standard against which all your guides could be judged

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do not have any doubts about experiencing this visit and do it soon.

Most Inspirational Moment

My favourites included:- Cycling around the local villages and meeting local people (take some pencils for the children)- Climbing Lion's rock - great views and a sense of achievement- Paddling down the river on a raft watching people playing and washing up!- Watching the women pick the tea on the plantations

Thoughts on Group Leader

Roshan is excellent. Always accommodating and very knowledgeable. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take lots of wet-wipes - it's humid on the coast and dusty on the game drive.You need to like rice and curry - some are mild so no problems there. The food is delicious.Most hotels have a pool, so don't forget your swimming gear.

Most Inspirational Moment

Getting to the top of some relentless cimbs still on my bike.  If I had seen the climb beforehand, I might not have believed that I could do it!  The blues and turquoises of the sea at different points was amazing.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent.  Very responsive to changes in weather and very conscious of safety on wet, slippery roads and busy traffic areas.  Bonded really well with the group and was a mine of local information.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Train well and go looking for some hills to climb before you depart as there are some long switchback climbs.  Having said that the bikes are very good and you will eventually grind your way up there if you are not so fit.  Just more enjoyable to stick with the group.

Most Inspirational Moment

There was a day of "scambling", so minor rock climbing up the mountain. Everyone had different levels of experience and it was great seeing everyone work together and cheer each other on to make it up and down the mountain.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ibrahim was a really decent guy. He was authentic and told it to you straight. He had great insights into the Bedouin people and their history and wasn't afraid to share stories, opinions, and songs.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring wetwipes! You won't even notice the lack of showers ;)

Most Inspirational Moment

Meeting our guides father who was on Expedition 53 with Edmund HilaryClimbing to the top of KalapatarReaching Everest Base CampThe friends I made in the group

Thoughts on Group Leader

Lakpha our group leader was brilliant, he made my holiday special, and looked after everyone in the group.

Most Inspirational Moment

The pancakes at the end of day one! The scenery was amazing but even more amazing (for me!) was the quality of food produced in a tent on a tiny gas stove!

Thoughts on Group Leader

The whole team were very good.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It was freezing at night in February and I had to undress to get up for breakfast! So, go prepared.

Most Inspirational Moment

My first view of a bullet train pulling into Kyoto station. 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very competent. Not intrusive, allowed us to explore by ourselves.