Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the remains of the walled cities.

Thoughts on Group Leader

1) He clearly had problems with communications, and this has nothing to do with his language skills as he was fluent in English. He was reluctant to let us know what to expect and how to plan for the activities. It appears that he just expected us to follow his every instruction at the last minute, without realizing that the group consisted of seasoned travelers who appreciated being briefed about what to expect ahead of time. 2) His manner of communications with us was also inappropriate. He always wanted to have the last word in every conversation, and many of us just decided not to contradict his opinions after some time, in case he made things difficult for us for the rest of the trip. I would have expected a certain level of professionalism in his communications with us, his customers. 3) His affections towards a particular group member also clouded his professional judgement on many occasions. His public display of affections made several of us extremely uncomfortable. While I am not against him developing feelings for an attractive customer, he should only act on his feelings during "after hours".

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting the chateaus and picnicking alongside the Dordogne river in beautiful surrounds, browsing the farmers' markets, unwinding over dinner at the hotels which served excellent food and had great wine selections.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We were on a self-guided trip, but Keith and co at Headwaters provided great support, taking our gear between hotels and thoroughly briefing us on the area and the bikes. They took good care of our luggage and had in-depth knowledge of the region

Advice for Potential Travellers

Worth spending a day or two in Brive before starting the trip - beautiful little town and the Black Truffle is a great place to stay. There aren't many vineyards along this route, so unless you are going to Bergerac or elsewhere on the wine route, map out some side visits to vineyards in the region. Have lots of picnics, picking up local ingredients from charcuteries and boulangeries. The entry fee to the chateaus is worth it, particularly Chateau de Fenelon and Chateau de Losse. The ancient towns of Domme and La Roque Gageac are must-visit locations. The prehistoric heritage of the area is fascinating, but investigate the supposed attractions carefully online first - some of them are tacky theme parks. The exception is the Lascaux caves - an excellent site.

Most Inspirational Moment

Without doubt, Khiva. It would have to be one of the greatest cities on the Silk Road. Walking through this monotoned medieval mud inner walled city with it's turquoise domed monuments and labyrinth of mosques, trading domes, madrassa and minarets is like stepping into another era. The people, ideas and goods that must have travelled east to west and return have left indelible marks on this country's landscape, it's culture and people. Overnight in the yurt great fun and we all enjoyed a day away from looking at monuments and listening to history and the intertwining of Muslim Soviet Uzbekistan. The group was excellent, all wonderful travel companions also entertaining dinner and shopping companions.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Dilshod is an excellent guide. Incredibly patient. Supplied us daily with water and sweets whilst on the bus. He arranged some incredible lunches whilst on the road including vodka shots! Our driver was excellent considering the roads are dreadful. He kept the bus immaculate. Very comfortable bus despite the roads.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Uzbekistan though beautiful and steeped in culture has an oppressive government. Read Christopher Aslan Alexander's excellent book 'A carpet ride to Khiva' before departure. Then you are presented with quite a different outlook from the prescribed information you are given on tour approved by the Russian backed government. Then you can draw your own conclusions from both sources. Look beyond the lights going out without warning, water that sometimes doesn't flow at night, showers sometimes cold. Street lights that don't exist, bring a small torch it will be invaluable. We all succumbed to Tashkent Tummy, bring Immodium, Buscopan for stomach cramps and rehydration salts. High salt content in the water particularly Khiva, bring hair conditioner and use liberally to counteract the salt! Bring your own roll of toilet paper for public toilets the local version is like corrugated recycled cardboard! It's all worth it.

Most Inspirational Moment

No better way to experience the variety and arid beauty of the Moroccan landscape, the timeless rhythm of Berber villages, oh and some killer climbs with crazy descents...

Advice for Potential Travellers

When trip notes advise good fitness level and off road experience this should be noted. Occasional spins around the park or along the canals won't be enough to fully enjoy it. There are some loose and meaty climbs, fast and rocky descents, technical in places.

Most Inspirational Moment

Climbing Etna and walking around the main craters, listening to the distant rumbles from within. Also watching Stromboli erupt at night with lava rolling down to the sea.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Chiara was excellent - she was knowledgeable, friendly, very good at organising the group and making sure that everything ran smoothly.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go on the optional trip up Etna, it's well worth the expenditure. Stromboli is (as of early Oct 2014) more active so the top is closed - nor would you want to go there - the view from halfway up is excellent. If the weather is good and you like to swim, a boat trip onto and around Salina on the free day is recommended. Also I went to Siracuse for a day or so before the holiday started to see more of mainland Sicily - I enjoyed this and there's a good bus service from Catania airport (see Interbus web site). If you are wheat intolerant the holiday is doable, but I advise you to take some of your own snacks.

Most Inspirational Moment

Just seeing the wall stretching away over ridges receding into the far distance.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Kevin ----- what a star. Knowledgeable, informative, caring and very hard working.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Enjoy the differences,

Most Inspirational Moment

Getting to the Sun Gate and seeing Machu Picchu for the First Time takes your breath away and we were blessed with fantastic weather.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The Group Leader was Wilfrado and the other Guide was Bruce and we could not have asked for better as we were very well looked after and the organisation was excellent.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is classed as a moderate Trek but be under know illusions it is not a walk in the park so the fitter you are the better you will cope with the ascents and descents even the youngest on our Trek who was 28 and very fit felt some of the ascents, but please don't be put off just do lots of Trekking and Gym work before you go and all will be fine.

Most Inspirational Moment

Halong Bay is a beautiful place to go to. Photos just don't do it justices. You need to surround yourself among the sea and mountains to feel the atmosphere. Cycling though the villages was touching; many of the local children and some adults often welcomed us with cries of "hello" and hi-fived us with smiles as we cycled by.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leader, Chi, is friendly and knowledgeable. He is able to answer all sorts of questions like local culture/life, country/continent politics, food and of course the logistics of the holiday in an interesting way. Ask him about the HCM Vietnam song that is taught at schools.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Generally clue yourself up on the common sense / street sense things like; bartering is a way of life for them (do it friendly and calmly) and be aware (but not too paranoid) of the list of scams that can happen. The exchange rate is a crazy big number, find ways to quickly do mental calculations and get use to the extra zeros (10,000 dong is about 30p). Crossing the roads in the cities is crazy too. There's lots of mopeds and hooting. It's not aggressive, but just a "I'm here, be careful" message. Just walk across slowly and they will just calmly go around you.

Most Inspirational Moment

The hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia was amazing, no doubt about it, definitely worth the very early start. It was actually cancelled due to bad weather (fog) the first morning but the tour guide managed to book us in with another balloon company the next morning - thank goodness. Ephesus was another highlight, and Termessos as it was so picturesque and quiet. There were plenty of other highlights but one worth mentioning was a caravanserai that wasn't on the official itinerary but the tour guide and driver took us to break up a long drive - it's an inn for travellers and camels along the Silk Road and I really loved it as I'd never seen anything like it before.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Zafer was amazing, one of the best tour guides I've had - and a few others on the tour agreed. He knows a huge amount about Turkey and Turkish history which helps make every stop interesting, he can read the crowd and knows when to crack a few jokes or get the bus singing, and he made an effort to find local cheap places for us to eat. I really appreciated his effort.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for some long drives and if you travel in Sept, variable weather from north to south - a little cooler in Istanbul but then hot hot hot down south. I recommend at least another day or two in Istanbul before and/or after the tour to make sure you have a chance to see a bit more of the city. Most of the hotels are 2-3 stars, which are totally fine, just be prepared for a few hard beds and small bathrooms that's all. Some of the sights I could've missed but that's probably because I was so spoilt by places like Ephesus and Cappadocia. But these are all little things, overall the tour was fantastic - unbelievable history, delicious food, beautiful geography, wonderful company.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were a number! The main highlight for myself was the Via Ferrata walk which a small group of us did on the free day. Easily the most thrilling walking/mountaineering experience of my life! Another highlight was the final walk on the Friday with a spectacular ridge and equally spectacular views. Also climbing to the highest altitude I've ever been to(just under 10,000 feet) was pretty special(done by cable car!)

Thoughts on Group Leader

Both Eric & Emily were brilliant leaders. Nothing was too much trouble for them and they contributed massively to my overall enjoyment of the trip. Both had a great sense of humour and they were incredibly experienced. The fact they gave up their day off on the Wednesday to take us on the amazing Via Ferrata walk summed them up perfectly. It's obvious that they both love what they do as they have such enthusiasm. Thanks guys.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure your walking fitness is good prior to departure. Also, be prepared for all weather conditions. We had a couple of very heavy showers on a couple of the walks. Walking poles are a definite advantage if you have them. Apart from that just go and enjoy a superb holiday!