Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Everyday hiking was inspirational for me

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jim our guide was good but Sarah and Rich were our hosts at the chalet and they made our trip. Sarah was always full of stories and her dinner meals were fabulous

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring snacks as most of us felt that breakfast and lunches were not that great. Something hot for breakfast would have been nice and some fresh fruit - not days old fruit for lunches. It would be better if they could provide clean towels throughout the week - we had them all week. No place to wash or dry clothes - we were lucky we had room 4 so we had the balcony so we could dry clothes as hiking clothes needed to be washed out daily.

Most Inspirational Moment

Watching a jaguar cub emerge cautiously from its den before playing with its mother.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Tony was very good at spotting and identifying wildlife, both mammals and birdlife. All the trips and transfers ran smoothly due to his involvement.

Advice for Potential Travellers

On my visit the weather was dry, sunny, and hot, up to 40ºC. It cooled to about 20º around dawn. Go prepared for a range of temperatures - check the Caceres weather forecast. The trip notes do not make it clear that at the lodge activities such as horse-riding and canoeing are part of the programme. You may wish to check that your travel insurance covers these.

Most Inspirational Moment

Climbing up the Cols and witnessing the magnificent views of the surrounding Alps was jaw dropping. A real motivation to plod along knowing you will be subjected to some beautiful views. The final day up to the Brevent was fabulous. Sat eating my lunch with the Mont Blanc Massif around me will remain in my memory for a long while.

Thoughts on Group Leader

John was a terrific leader and team builder. He was so chilled and unregimented I strongly believe this attitude resonated down the group. It made us all feel relaxed and un-pressed to go marching forth. Instead he would pace us all at a leisurely comfortable way stopping quite often to share his knowledge on the surrounding environment. He would teach us how to trust our boots when walking and encourage us to take 5 smaller steps than to waste energy by lunging up one step with greater exertion. He would share local knowledge of flora and fauna. History of the mountainsides and even an impromptu berry tasting session. John was a brilliant teacher who clearly showed great enthusiasm and huge respect to the environment that he was show casing to the rest of us. John was almost host-like rather than our guide. Wonderful chap who made the tour far more enjoyable. You could truly trust he was looking after you.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Four seasons sleeping bag and comfortable mat for a good nights rest.

Most Inspirational Moment

Arriving at the col after climbing up the ladders at the Pas de Chèvre. I've never done anything like that before. Exhilarating!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader really added to my enjoyment of the holiday. He was very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna of the area and pointed out interesting plants that I would have missed otherwise. We even saw an eidelweiss on the mountainside. He also shared his interest in the geology and history of the area which I found interesting and helpful in understanding the mountains. He was a thoughtful leader and took time to help people who needed support over the more difficult terrain. His route finding was impeccable and when bad weather came in the group felt complete confidence in him to get us to the campsite.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take an inner sheet sleeping bag for the night in the huts.

Most Inspirational Moment

The walk to Tiscali was fantastic. Both for the views, Tiscali itself and the rocky paths we had to negotiate.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Eric was excellent. Very sociable, organised and good at imparting his enthusiasm for Sardinia and its history and culture.

Most Inspirational Moment

Full moon rising...our tour leader planned this perfectly

Thoughts on Group Leader

superb!

Advice for Potential Travellers

meals were a lot more expensive than I had budgeted for and the pre ordered food was sometime £10 - 15 for a lunch that was cheese, ham, bread and olives!

Most Inspirational Moment

Our guide, John, on the first day, gave us some tips and the opportunity to practice some walking skills particularly on managing the steeper ascents and descents. This was inspirational as the new skills helped make the ascents and descents so much easier to manage and also less tiring, which meant more time to enjoy the scenery and take photos. I've always been slower on the descents but using John's techniques made the effort less stressful on feet, knees and ankles and descents became much more fun. The scenery, is of course, just outstanding. Each day provided many "awesome" moments. Our group, mostly individuals, also got on very well - sharing camp duties, helping each other out, hanging out and having fun as well as walking well together.

Thoughts on Group Leader

John was an excellent group leader. He has a relaxed manner but keeps everything under control without ever coming across as authoritarian or overbearing. He was quietly vigilant in making sure each group member was travelling well and I think his personality and approach was a key factor in our group of individuals bonding and getting on so well. He definitely has a good sense of humour and an apparently endless supply of and desire to sing (fairly quietly) power ballads as he walked! His extensive outdoor skills and knowledge of mountains, walking, hiking and of the area around Mt Blanc gave each us a strong sense of confidence and this meant we could relax and enjoy the walk without having to worry about anything going wrong, or stressing on the details. Egle, our camp manager also did an outstanding job and produced fantastic meals, kept us all well fed and was a delight to have around.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you are doing the camping version remember to take a warm sleeping bag and a warm jacket for night time as it gets colder than you think. With these items you will be comfortable. Work on your fitness prior to the trip but you don't have to go super crazy trying to achieve maximum fitness. Also definitely take advantage of your rest day and take the gondola ride across the top if the weather is fairly decent. The views up the top over the glaciers and of Mt Blanc are stunning.

Most Inspirational Moment

not sure about describing this tour as inspirational but to see part of the old silk rd was/is part of our desire to see as much of it as possible.

Thoughts on Group Leader

in Uzbekistan, Dilshod was as good as you could possibly get. For the rest of the tour the guide was very helpful and friendly but sometimes difficult to understand.

Advice for Potential Travellers

definitely have medicine for upset stomach. . You will need to be reasonably fit. Take warm clothes for the mountains and bathers for the fantastic Issyk Kul lake.

Most Inspirational Moment

The most inspirational moment was learning all the history behind South Korea. Admittedly I did not much about Korean history but I found the topic fascinating. It was uplifting to learn how through adversity the Korean people were able to achieve all they have in such a short space of time. It was not only the infrastructure that was rebuilt but the green belt too. The fact that the government even thought about constructing green spaces demonstrates how forward thinking a government can be. The temple stay was a highlight too, especially the conversation with the monk. It was interesting to hear about how an enlightened person thinks about the modern world.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mirium was an exceptional group leader and she always recommended good restaurants that were not expensive. She was always providing us with background to all the places we were visiting and her in depth knowledge of the history was very compelling. I don't think I know English history as well as she knows her Korean history. What was also good given that we were visiting during elevated tension levels with the North, she not only gave us a daily briefing on what was on the news, as on a couple of days we had no access to English channels. She also offered an insight of the South Korean mindset regarding the North. She also made sure that everyone was accommodated and was willing to flit between restaurants to ensure everyone was able to order what they wanted. Her instructions on where and when to meet were very clear and I felt she went above and beyond her duties. At all restaurants she would recommend the items on the menu which she knew were the local dishes and good. This sort of knowledge is priceless.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for a lot of walking on all types of terrain and eating good food.

Most Inspirational Moment

The rope walk through the Gorge!!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Truly outstanding and a credit to the Company

Advice for Potential Travellers

Book early and you may get a room with a Balcony but they are all nice rooms