Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

The rafting trip down the Neretva River.  This was my first experience of white water rafting and I found it exhilarating.  The Neretva canyon itself is magnificent - with plenty of rapids punctuated by really peaceful sections between vertical rock walls. The walking in the Sudjeska National Park was a wonderful experience - rocky peaks and grassy hills.  It was so quiet you almost felt that our party had the mountains to ourselves.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Samer was simply outstanding - the best guide I have had on any of my trips.  He is extremely knowledgeable about his country and provides a very balanced view of its recent history.  He has a great love for the mountains of Bosnia and is sure to inspire you.  He ensured that all the trip arrangements went smoothly and is an extremely patient guy - despite us probably asking the same questions several times over. During our visit to Bosnia Samer was ably assisted by Srdjan - a tower of strength, whose "Tardis" like rucksack produced flasks of hot water (tea/coffee), biscuits, fruit and all manner of nibbles to keep us going on the walking days.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go with an open mind and do not expect gourmet cuisine (especially at the start of the holiday in the first two hotels).  The restaurants in Sarajevo and Mostar are very good, however, and the prices cheap. 

Most Inspirational Moment

It's hard to pick just one inspirational moment but my personal highlights were:Seeing penguins in the wildThe Inca Trail... and arriving at the Sun Gate in the Sun - after two days of rain and hail (don't forget to pack a plastic poncho, it could become your new bestfriend!)The Amazon - wow, wow and thrice wow!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Carlos couldn't have done enough for us, even arranging and leading tours on the free days in Cuzco for the people who didn't do the trail. His knowledge was vast and he had a good sense of humour - which I think is a must when dealing with any group of people - Thank you Carlos for a fabulous holiday!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take enough memory cards for your camera - I blew through 1500 photos in the three weeks very easily and I didn't even think I was taking many pics!Definately take a plastic poncho for the Inca TrailWhen they said it could be cold in the Amazon, it really can (still a little in shock at the 3:45am wake up call but it was well worth it!)The food in Peru is amazing! Far better than I was ever expecting - and despite eating like a horse (and making the most of every help yourself buffet) I still came back lighter - result!Apply mozzie repellant in Arrequipe - didn't get bitten anywhere else but was chewed there.Walking poles are a must for the Inca Trail. I'd never used them before and they were an absolute god send for hauling yourself up the big steps and acting as brakes on the 'smaller' onesTake more than one jumper! I foolishly didn't and it can get quite cold at night and the air con on the bus can be a bit of a mixed blessingApply suntan lotion even when its a grey day (found this out the hard way, doh!)You can get sols (currency) in the UK - which I did and the exchange rate was pretty good. Try to keep the notes as small and 'clean'/untorn as possible though as they don't like them otherwise.If you don't have a loo on the bus, which we didn't, you could spend a couple of £ a day on the toilets and they generally cost 1 sol (25p) a pee (and you often needed your own loo roll and soap) so try to get change when you canYou will have an amazing time, go on, book it, you know you want to really!

Most Inspirational Moment

There were a number of inspiring moments, the trip on the cable car to the Accueill de Midi is magnificentit takes you up to 4480 mtrs and is right next to Mont Blanc a truly enchanting exparience, the other highlightsoccured on every walk just being in the Alps and seeing such majestic sights in particular the numerous glaciers. 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was Nick Mortley and he was absolutely first class he had a real depth of knowledge forall things mountain and walking . He lead our group of 14 very well always being sensitive to the needs ofeveryone and getting the pace just right. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

The trip is graded as moderate and whilst we coped well it was no less demanding than the trip we did to Mt Toubkal which was graded as challenging i would say make sure you have good fitness because of the amount of ascending and descending each day it can be hard on the knees if they are prone to problemsbut other than that just the usual stuff i.e good boots waterproofs wicking layers and water bottles. 

Most Inspirational Moment

Being in less tourist type places.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Kevin really made the trip. Great sense of humour, kept us safe, helped us bond as a group and organised a Birthday cake for my husband.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bed's in China are incredibly hard, having experienced this before we took sleeping bags to have extra cushioning. Walking poles are a great help for this trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

Starting out for the peak under a full moon and seeing the head torches of other groups ascending through the blackness of the landscape. We were very lucky to be on the peak at 09.00hrs with wall to wall blue sky, the panoramic views were unbelievably grand. And I think an inspiration to everyone was the sight of a senior member of the group reaching the summit after a slow but dogged ascent. Just means that I have to keep on going for more years!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Abdulla, our leader was brilliant, classified himself as the slowest guide in Morocco but the pace he set was spot on for all but a couple of senior members. These were catered for by Abdulla's 'long stop' who looked after their welfare at the rear of the team. The support team were very friendly and the cook did marvellous things with lots of fresh food.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Get fit! 4,167m is not overly high but there are a couple of 1,000m days. Going downhill also caused a few aches and pains so don't neglect this aspect of a climb, what goes up must come down. Travel as light as possible, if a large rucksack is used then there is a tendancy to fill it so decide early on what you can leave for the mules to carry during the day. Observe strict personal hygene rules, take lots of hand gel and wipes. Several of the team suffered with upset stomachs at some time or other during the week and two of the team had to miss summit day because of sickness. If travelling on your own, opt for the single occupancy tent, a small extra charge but worth it for the space and comfort.

Most Inspirational Moment

Most inspirational moments were:++ sheltering from really monsoon rain near the cu chi tunnels++ celebrating the awesome Sai Gon rush-hour++ speaking (obviously nonsense) vietnamese to the nun in charge of a local orphanage++ capturing the most beautiful flowers on camera in a peaceful garden++ a new and untried fruit for lunch most days ++ Han Oi

Thoughts on Group Leader

Nam was ever cheerful, with enormous amounts of energy and lots of interesting tales to tell.  He will make the trip for many who travel with him.  Key phrase; 'are we feeling heavy?' - which you could take to mean;1. Do we need an exceptionally strong local coffee?or 2. Is it so long since we had a pee that we have acquired an additional 10Kg in weight?Huge thanks to Nam for his energy and good humour. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

Key advice - dont take so much stuff with you!!!Oh - and - do visit the backpacker area in Sai Gon after dark if you like to see what the local (and international) folks get up to.  A real treat to drink beer hoi and watch the hundreds of people sitting in the street. 

Most Inspirational Moment

Weather was a mixed bag, so the best day was when we went to Italy and got good weather so we could see the mountain tops.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Group leader (Nick) was good. I though he took really good care of us.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take waterproof trousers. Also, I was wondering whether to use boots or trail shoes so I took both. I never used the shoes, I would say that the walks definently need boots.Oh and go up the Aiguille du midi cable car, Its really expensive (about £50 return) but well worth it!

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking along the natural sections of the great wall, including the more challenging sections that made me realise the conditions those who both guarded the country from insurgents and overcame the battles to move forward and the conditions they must have survived from. Not forgetting those who built the walls all those years ago. Add to this our visit to the Terracotta Army, I can only say it blew me away when I entered Pit 2. and all the interesting info structure.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Kevin working from Beijing gave 100% and made the trip + additional activities work without a hitch, it was a sad time when Kevin put us on the overnight train to Xi'an.The following morning we were met by Dominic who soon took over our care and carried on the support we had grown to accept as normal. The drivers were professional under quite strenuous driving conditions you can only understand when being in the traffic in China.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for some tough conditions underfoot, and openly accept gracefully the conditions within the home stay especially the Wet Rooms that do live up to their name, but accept it as part of the overall experience.If you add on the Xi'an extension you will experience first class accommodation, enjoy it.

Most Inspirational Moment

Creeping up on the Gryphon vultures perched on top of a hill.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leader is one of the best I have ever had. Very enthusiastic and knowledgable about all the flora and fauna, geography and geology of the Picos.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Yes, book this trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

The long walk across the mountains from Santana was best part, starting with the sunrise.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Here I would like to say that the guide (Andrea) was first rate and his interest in photography was a real bonus along with his vast knowledge of flora and fauna.