Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Nothing specific but I have been to some amazing so I may be a bit jaded! The Sri Lankans are lovely people and very cheery and seem to be genuinely pleased to see you. We did a lot of waving. So lets say I was inspired by their optimism. Some of the countryside is stunning; particularly in tea country and the upland areas. The beaches looked nice but we really only saw them from the bus apart from getting out near Galle to see some fishermen bring in nets.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ruwan was a delight. Very cheerful and knowledgable. He kept everything ticking a long and was very patient. He and our lovely driver Charles also organised a great birthday surprise (and we had 4 of them on this trip!). I'd quiz your leader on what some of the optional activities are really like as maybe he wasn't as upfront on this as he could have been. We gelled well as a group and everyone was prompt which helped.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Enjoy the scenery, talk to the people, check which side of the bus to sit on each day for the best views. Most walks can be done in a good pair of trekking sandals. Even Horton Plains in my opinion although I did wear light boots here as it was a bit rocky in places. If you go on the whale watching optional trip you will pretty much be out until they find a whale - in our case 8 hours! Be prepared but we did at least see a blu whale. A small umbrella makes a good sunshade. I'd advise against the optional 'jeep safari' after Sigiriya to see elephants. It was nose to tail jeeps and diesel and most unpleasant in my opinion. It seems to be very unregulated and far from the 'eco' in the name of the park.We saw more elephant from the main road on the way back! Try and get away from the endless buffets at hotels. It can be tricky as one of the hotels are isolated and a la carte can be very disorganised (you can see why the hotels opt for buffets). Evening meals can be very crowded and noisy and it does sometimes all feel a bit 'package tour.' Ditto lunches where all the stops seemed to be tourist stops but check for stalls nearby if you're willing to risk eating local (which is also much cheaper). The train ride after Horton Plain is not a chance to meet the locals (as billed) as most of you will be standing up along with other tourists for close to 1.5 hours. The 'locals' have booked their seats (wise) and have all come from Colombo. I'd change more money than advised at the airport. Its quick and easy and rates are pretty much the same everywhere. There are ATMs but some of us had problems.

Most Inspirational Moment

Doing Fischleintal twice!

Thoughts on Group Leader

They were all first-class

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just my comments in the first box

Most Inspirational Moment

The pilgrimage walk to the top of Adams Peak.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader was Nalaka. He was incredibly knowledgeable, organised, attentive and always smiling - we couldn't have asked for a better leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

£500 worth of rupees should be enough for the two weeks but bring your card as well as there are some shopping opportunities ( Kandy markets and gem factory and Galle ) You will be given bottled water on the tour bus and at every hotel you go to. Bring waterproofs as there was one place we stayed for one night where it was rainy and nearer UK temperatures. There are plenty of monkeys/dogs about so best to get your rabies jabs done before you go - none of the animals were aggressive though so nothing to worry about. The leader will do a tips kitty at the beginning I the trip so you don't have to think about tipping as it go along.

Most Inspirational Moment

learning how to snowshoe and cross country ski with our guide Henri Suopanki were also fantastic. The optional snowmobile safari was absolutely incredible also. their professionalism and safety for us all was incredible and enabled us to have a fantastic time on the snowmobile!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader Henri Suopanki was absolutely incredible all week and we as a group were very fortunate to have such a fantastic person as our guide. he really enabled me to have one of the best holidays of my life. His professionalism, enthusiasm for the job, patience, sociability with the group, and sense of humour were amazing. He is definately one of the best guides I have ever been fortunate to have. He is a credit to his profession.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Definatly take the option of a full day husky safari, it is an incredible experience that should not be missed! A once in a lifetime opportunity. The snowmobile safari is also fantastic and definately worth trying.

Most Inspirational Moment

The sheer beauty of some of the locations, particularly when skiing alone, in the quiet (well, except for a squeaky binding)

Thoughts on Group Leader

All were great

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many including-Sigirya Rock, elephant safari in the rain, rafting and swimming with locals in the river at Kitulgala and visiting Galle.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Roshan was a very knowledgeable and entertaining guide with a very calm and relaxed approach. Although not appearing to get overly involved, everything ran very smoothly under his guidance and I welcomed his laid back input. The driver did an excellent job on the mainly busy and chaotic roads and the co- driver was also helpful and courteous.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for lots of hotel buffet food which was generally fine and varied, but there are a couple of opportunities to eat out in Kandy and Columbo. There were a few long drives but nothing compared to other similar holidays and we generally arrived in good time for a swim or relax. Don't be afraid of the grade 3 river rafting, it was really fun and not too scarey !!

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the Northern Lights, seeing the seals playing in the lagoon and ice walking on the Glacier. Beautiful! (Couldn't narrow it down to just one!)

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent. David is from England but has lived in Iceland for 10 years. He knew everything there was to know about Iceland and coupled it with a British sense of humour! He was keen to make the experience as great as possible for everyone whilst being safety conscious at the same time (you can't influence the weather!) True professional!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take lots of layers as the weather is changeable. My head was lovely and snug, however one pair of gloves did not keep my hands warm when taking photos! Take a tripod for Northern Lights photos.

Most Inspirational Moment

We had a great day last day walking to frozen lakes way above the village - it was a hard 5 hours walk to get there, with an hour over snow but we were met with an amazing view, including men fishing on the lake shores. Sitting on the terrace in the sun with a mint tea watching the sun go down each evening was just lovely. An afternoon spent in the village hammam was an eye opener, and and experience never to be forgotten!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Hassan was great - very knowledgeable, hard working and funny. He was professional, even in the face of difficult clients; I'd actively choose one of his trips if I were returning to Morocco again.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Although the days were hot, the wind was very cold, and as soon as the sun went down, it was freezing! The gite has no heating, other than a gas heater in the room where you eat, so it's pretty nippy. Make sure you take bring a few layers, and a good warm sleeping bag. The gite sells a few chocolate bars and water, but a few snacks from home didn't go amiss on the long days walking. Rubbish dumping seems to be a bit of a problem throughout Morocco, so if you've got a water filtering system, or water tablets, it's well worth bring them so you don't add to the mound of plastic water bottles lying around.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking on the glacier and being mesmerised by the stunning colours of the icebergs and glaciers. Walking in the Tierra del Fuego National Park Hiking to the base camp of Fitzroy

Thoughts on Group Leader

Pepe was very good group leader. He was very informative, had a good command of the English language. He was resourceful in arranging trips and booking tables at restaurants at short notice for us. Pepe had a good sense of humour and kept us entertained.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for the very long road trips in the mini bus.

Most Inspirational Moment

The local kids shouting encouragement as I tried to get up the hills.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Great. full of anecdotes of Cuban life, always with both sides of each story.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take your own (soft) saddle, bike water bottle and just go (even if, like me, you haven't done much/any cycling before).