Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Difficult to single something out as the trip itinerary was so diverse and enjoyable but my least favourite location was San Cristobal, although I did buy some fabulous hand-painted wooden masks there! We did a sneaky swim in a small cenote too - the water was crystal clear and a pleasant temperature - so refreshing!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Arturo was absolutely smashing! He always had a smile on his face, was super organised and packed so much into the day. He had a great sense of humour and really gelled with the group. He was really charming and kind too. We always had so many questions about the history and culture which he was able to answer very knowledgeably.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The trip notes are somewhat misleading on some points: Currency - really get mostly in Pesos to cover what you will be spending on food and drinks. I only used USD for the tips and the additional boat trip in the canyon. Eating out is relatively expensive and a 15% tip is usually applied. You can use credit cards in the more touristy areas but usually cash is preferred. Packing - I was led to believe a warm jacket and jumper would be required so I ended up taking some non-essential items. It is generally very warm and humid and balmy in the evenings so no jumpers or jackets required. I only wore a fleece when we had to leave San Cristobal at 4am. A denim jacket was fine. But DO take a raincoat - we got absolutely drenched in flash floods in Puebla. Girls - ignore the comments about shorts not being acceptable. They are commonplace both with tourists and locals - and essential when climbing up pyramids! Skirts very impractical.

Most Inspirational Moment

Hearing multiple call to prayers from the riad’s rooftop terrace in Meknes at Sunset. Beautiful. Plus the camaraderie and jollity of the group playing games on the bus. The architecture and amazing tilework of the palaces, madrassas and tombs were breathtaking.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our guide Abdullah was gracious, knowledgable and nothing was too much trouble. He did a great job of looking after us!

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you don’t like hours on a bus then this may not be the tour for you. The scenery and places you visit more than make up for the long drives.. You will eat a lot of tagines! They make them for vegetarians too though. We felt there was not enough time in Marrakesh. It may be worth considering coming a day early or staying a day later as there is lots to see. Don’t worry about getting lost in the souks, the locals will guide you out. There was a lot less in your face hassling than I had expected. People are very respectful. I enjoyed the trip very much!

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting Berber families.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The best.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don’t be daunted by the long drives Great vistas and take an audible book. Lots of long ones available free on line from your county library!

Most Inspirational Moment

The very first day cycling: the sounds. smells and sights were just amazing, and unleashed a completely different world of experiences: from the carts pulled by oxen to the religious zealots bathing in the river, to the waving children as we passed by. A truly amazing circular ride that unleashed all the senses! The Keralan backwater experience was pretty amazing too!

Thoughts on Group Leader

As above, Safi was very friendly, helpful and the source of much information about India. He was always happy to answer our many questions and share his experience.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Yes, take necessary medical supplies, like dioralyte, energy tablets and immodium, but don't take too many clothes. We were only slightly cold on one occasion, the early morning ride out of Ooty. Also, you need to be reasonably fit to average 30 miles per day, even when it was flat, because the heat can sap your energy.

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching the summit of Kala Pathar (5,644m) is the highest I have ever been. The sense of achievement at completing the climb and the views it provided across to Everest were a highlight for me.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader was Valerie Parkinson, who was simply the best! Val provided huge insight into the history & traditions of the Himalayas as well as sharing her own experiences climbing high altitude peaks such as Manaslu & Everest itself. She was an incredibly calm & reassuring influence on the group and ensured we kept to a sensible pace - despite us wanting to take thousands of photos - without rushing us along. Our evening discussions over dinnner with Val, really enhanced the whole experience.

Advice for Potential Travellers

On our trek (November) - when the sun came out, temperatures reached 25C - so layers including T-shirts & possibly shorts will ensure you do not overheat - particularly when trekking up hill. Similarly, temperatures in the evening are very cold so you need to have plenty of warm clothing. The Lodges do not have any heating other than in the dining area - so be prepared for cold bedrooms. A water bottle of boiling water in the evening can be used as a hot water bottle in bed and then as drinking water the day after. I used AquaTabs to purify drinking water. They worked perfectly, with zero after taste. Some members of the group had issues with cold batteries in electronic purifiers e.g. Steripens. Lobuche & Gorak Shep are very cold - with no running water due to frozen pipes. Be prepared!

Most Inspirational Moment

I enjoyed pyramids at Teotichuacan, especially walking to temples of the Sun and Moon on the Avenue of the Dead. Also Mayan pyramids at Uxmal, Chichen Itza. Wandering the streets of Oaxaca, Campeche, Merida.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The local guide Arturo was extremely knowledgeable and was able to answer most questions in great detail. He was highly motivated, even arranging hotel staff with umbrellas to meet group at the entrance to Hotel Regente in Mexico City during heavy rain, and helping to carry guest bags to the bus. Arturo showed us where there were good restaurants, shops, foreign exchange bureaux. My spanish is quite limited, so Arturo was helpful to translate so that I could find vegetarian selections at the restaurants. The bus driver Alberto was well motivated and able to get group to destination in good time, despite heavy traffic in larger cities like Mexico city, and securing baggage. Good rapport between the local guide and driver. Both were accommodating and ready to assist us travellers.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Try to learn as much spanish as possible, English spoken little outside main tourist areas. Bring sun screen for daytime, and rain gear for nights, still heavy rains in mid-November. Cooler at night in high elevation areas, esp. San Cristobal, Oaxaca, Puebla.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing monkey, sloth, iguana, reptiles, birds etc in their natural environment. Wonderful country- shows it’s possible to live in peace with nature and with each other.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Brilliant- so thoughtful, organised, keen eyed, knowledgeable, personable

Advice for Potential Travellers

Nothing beyond the trip notes needed for the tour, but check the flights as some people had worse than others ie those via USA

Most Inspirational Moment

Being surrounded by Himalayas at Annapurna Base Camp

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent. Attentive to our every need and very interesting. Phubar Sherpa gave after-dinner talks about Nepalese culture, history and education. He managed the team of guides and porters very well. Great job.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring flip flops to wear in as well as to and from showers. Budget more for tips than trip notes suggest. Tablets are cheapest, lightest and easiest way to purify water. Bring metal water bottle if you want to buy boiling water at huts. Definitely need warm sleeping bag as not all buts provide duvets and it can be very cold at night. Warm hat and gloves for cold early starts as well as sun hat for hot days. Thermals to sleep in double as warm extra layer in evening. Bring toilet paper: it never seems to be provided

Most Inspirational Moment

The first view from above of Machu Picchu. That said there were many close competitors for this heading e.g., the boat trip to Ballestas Islands, the Pyramid near Nasca and the Floating Islands on Lake Titicaca.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Holger was the best guide we have had, and our other guides have been pretty good. I repeat our comments from the summary -"All of this was enhanced by the enthusiasm, knowledge, professionalism and superb organisational skills of our guide - Holger (Olli)." Nothing was too much for him. His focus was to ensure we enjoyed Peru to the maximum.

Most Inspirational Moment

Being surrounded by majestic mountain peaks at Annapurna Base Camp. Sunrise at Poon Hill.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Phurba Sherpa is a great leader. He organized everything efficiently. Our rooms and bags were always ready for us. We thought he had arranged the most suitable accommodation available for us. His team worked well together and appeared happy to work with him. The pace set was comfortable, no-one felt pressured. Phurba brought up the rear. He checked everyone was comfortable. I enjoyed his evening lectures on local culture etc. He explained his plan for the next day clearly – useful to know time to next break etc. He helped the group to gel. I would be pleased to have Phurba as leader on our next Nepal trek.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do some practice walks before the trek. There are a lot of steps – I think poles help (altho’ most of our group didn’t use them). Minimise weight of your trek bag and ruck sack. Check your boots before you pack. We had a steripen, filter bottles, boiled water and chlorine tablets – tablets were the simplest / cheapest / lightest. Thermals and a head torch required if you want to go to the loo in the night. Take layers & a lightweight paddy jacket, thin gloves & hat for sunrises. It was hot during the day but cold as soon as sun went down. If you have time, arriving a day early is good. If you’re on the group flight there is not much time before trek – we left Kathmandu before breakfast. Exchange rate was similar in airport, hotels and Thamel money changers. It is more convenient to get your cash at the airport – keep the receipt. Bring £20 notes to exchange. Exchange enough for the 11 day trek & tips at least. We spent about NRs 25,000 pp on food / drink / showers on the trek days alone – food is cheap but you will need more than this if you want more beer, bottled drinks, desserts, choc snacks, wifi or charging. We spent about NRs 12,000 pp on tips. Food & drink more expensive in Pokhara / Kathmandu. All the teahouses had showers and loos with seats (often in the shower so the seat got wet) – take loo roll. At most of the stops you can buy loo roll / tissues / chocolate. The rest day in Pokhara was welcome – we took a boat across Phewa lake (NRs 1260 pp) and walked up to the Peace Temple (1 hour) - lovely views. It’s more convenient to have cash for this and shopping and the group meals in Kathmandu & Pokhara also. We spent about NRs 68,000 pp in total, but this included outings, shopping and extra dinners as we had an extra day in Kathmandu before & after trip. (Exchange rate c £1 = NRs 145). If you have spare time in Kathmandu I would recommend Durbar Square (NRs 1000 pp, interesting architecture & museum), Garden of Dreams (Nrs 200 pp, peaceful), Swayambhunath Temple (Nrs 200 pp, lovely views over Kathmandu), Boudhanath Stupa (Nrs 400 pp, lovely & interesting) or Thamel (shopping & restaurants). I would not recommend Pashupatinath Temple (NRs 1000 pp, dirty, crowded, hassle by peddlars). You can exchange surplus NRs at the airport before you go thro’ security – max NRs 13,000 pp with your original receipt.