Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Personally this was on the last day of cycling when I decided to dawdle completely at my own pace through the scattered settlements along the quiet coast road, with the rest of the group way out of sight ahead of me and the back-up van somewhere behind me but not right on my tail. I saw so many sights, met so many lovely people and felt so completely safe and welcome even as a lone, western and obviously fairly affluent (ie displaying camera, binoculars etc) female - it was just wonderful.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader Safi was superb - very organised, friendly, supportive and knowledgeable and clearly someone who could be relied on to look after us as a group and as individuals. Our driver Vinu was also fantastic and a great source of local information as well as an expert bird-spotter - something I really appreciated.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you're at all tempted by this trip just go for it - it's brilliant!

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing "Mount Doom" appear out of its cloud cap on the Tongariro crossing - on cue, during a snack break - and disappearing again the moment my wife had got her camera ready! Helicopter trip into Siberia valley....

Thoughts on Group Leader

Linda (north island) - lovely Lady - felt very safe in her capable hands Justin (South island) - a tireless bundle of energy, very knowledgeable and a great organiser.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Expect to go up to waist deep on the river crossings after any rain!

Most Inspirational Moment

For me Kayaking in Ha Long bay was a definite highlight and one I'll remember for a long time to come along with paddling along the Mekong in a sampan which was just idyllic. The cooking class was also brilliant and we couldn't believe that we had produced this tasty food which of course we got to eat afterwards.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader Hai was a lovely young man, full of mischief and with lots of stories, always very helpful and hardworking. His command of the English language was brilliant. He looked after us well and had very good local knowledge with cousins popping up all over the place to provide us with delicious "pho", laundry opportunities and various bars to frequent. We were able to interact with his family and were glad he managed to get back to his home in Hanoi to celebrate his little girls birthday. We missed him when we moved on to Cambodia.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Travel light, there are lots of opportunities to buy very cheap items. I was hard pushed to spend all my money that I had allowed myself and actually came back with £40 unspent. There are plenty of opportunities to have quality clothes or shoes made up for you in Hoi An but it would be a good idea to have a drawing or picture of what you would like and they will make it/them up in a couple of days for a fraction of the price in the UK. There is a lot of walking so make sure you have comfortable footwear.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many - so many that I took over 1,000 photos - but it would have to be walking along the spectacular Verdon Gorge near Quinson, with its plunging cliffs, turquoise water and azure sky.

Thoughts on Group Leader

I have nothing but the highest praise for our tour leader, Yves Novel, whose good humour, encyclopaedic knowledge and confident and assured leadership made the trip a pure joy. Although we were lucky enough to have glorious, sunny weather every day, storms were never far away, and Yves wisely paid close attention to "le météo" and adjusted the programme on a couple of days to ensure we got the best out of our day and weren't ever at risk of storms whilst up in the mountains. At all times he consulted the group and guided and cautioned us about how best to climb in the stony terrain with great patience.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The walks weren't hard nor particularly long for fit travellers used to walking tours, but the rocky terrain did pose some challenges to knees, which can be overcome by bringing a walking pole (or two) with you.

Most Inspirational Moment

The visit to Pompei followed by a walk to the crater rim of Vesuvius.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Livia is an excellent guide - the best we've ever encountered. All the group members were paricularly impressed by her warm-up and cool-down excercises and stretching for each walking day which were both useful and attracted a lot of welcome attention by passers-by. She has a great rapport with the hotel staff and also with the whole group particularly on Karaoke- night.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The first day's walk was challenging due to the weather and we would have benefited from more training to prepare ourselves. Do try and swim in the sea, you'll never get better views of the coast and you won't forget it.

Most Inspirational Moment

Sunrise at the taj mahal! Getting a glimpse of rural life in Rajasthan - peaceful and colourful in contrast with the vastness and 'honking' of the cities!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader was more than you could ever expect from a leader! Enthusiastic about his home land of Rajasthan, very knowledgeable and kept us feeling safe, up to date with the plans of the trip and also very adaptable if changes had to be made. Very kind, funny and contagious optimism! We feel very lucky!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Embrace the noise, honking & tuktuks and keep moving with it! It becomes normal after a day!

Most Inspirational Moment

We had some free time on the last day and hired an old American car to drive us round Havana - it was a fantastic way to see this amazing city and well worth the time and money.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was great - incredibly knowledgable and his English language skills were great. He gave us a very good overview of the country and what is has been/is like to live there. He was keen to show us not just the more obvious places, but also for example a local ration shop.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Staying in the Casa Particulares was interesting but a basic knowledge of Spanish would be helpful - even if just to introduce yourself to your host. Some speak no English whatsoever. The casas are very variable and while all have en-suite bathrooms, the plumbing was in some cases rather interesting (!) and it wasn't always easy to get sufficient water to wash your hair or shower properly. There is alot of bus travel so take a book or music on the bus with you to pass the time.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were so many. Eating breakfast in the freezing cold surrounded by Geysers. A picnic at sunset in the Atacama Desert. A very hairy boat ride to see the penguins on Magdalena Island. Nowhere else in the world can you sit and view giant statues on a beautiful beach.

Thoughts on Group Leader

It was very obvious that Miguel is a very experienced guide. He whisked us through the various airports with ease. When for any reason we could not follow the itinerary he quickly found an alternative. He recommended various places to eat in each area from the cheap to expensive and let us decide for ourselves where we wanted to eat. .He is a very calm guy with a good sense of humour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take warm gloves and scarf. Fleece and windbreaker t-shirts and a few jumpers. You have to be fairly laid back to do this trip.There a four internal flights and long bus journeys on some bumpy roads. If you are interested in Astronomy it is well worth doing the tour in San Pedro.

Most Inspirational Moment

The free day in Trinidad but if I would have a chance to go there again I would plan my day differently You can take taxi to the beech or to water falls in the morning and than walk around Trinidad in the afternoon as it is not that big place

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jose was great! Great knowledge of history ( I feel i know more about Cuban revolution than our own) during a long transfers he kept us entertained by telling us jokes When dinner wasn't included he always booked us a nice place with a good food

Most Inspirational Moment

Trekking on foot to get a closer view of a black rhino AND 4 hours enthralled by the waterhole in Etosha, where we kept meaning to go to bed but more and more animals kept arriving. An evening I will remember for ever.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Hans was a jack-of-all-trades and a master of all... he looked after us all with understated attention, was up to cook bacon for breakfast, drove all day, guided us and answered no end of questions, was excited to find the wildlife, either made lunch or kept us company at various restaurants, then jumped out and organised dinner. Then served it to us. There was nothing that was too much trouble... apart from he wouldn't let me go swimming in any of the waterholes (I checked at each and every one).

Advice for Potential Travellers

Pack light... you don't need a sleeping bag, towel, or too many changes of clothes as you can wash at lots of places and it was so hot everything dried overnight. Take a head torch. Take spare camera batteries as we only had chance to recharge 2 things at a time (in the jeep). There is free internet in a few places, but you are totally off grid for around 4 days. Don't bother with Duty Free, it was much cheaper at the bottle store, and buy plenty of stocks at the bottle store. You can get soft drinks and snacks most days in small shops or petrol stations.