Most Inspirational Moment
The views and the hikes are amazing
Thoughts on Group Leader
Sean was fantastic and very knowledgeable. Was always up for a chat
Reviews
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Reviews
Perfect holiday
Hopefully you are lucky enough to stay at chalet chocolat with Ben and Zohi, nothing was too difficult and the food was exceptional. Our guide Sean was helpful and catered to everyone’s need and ability, allowing me to run ahead and made sure I knew where I was going. Everything was perfect and can’t rate this trip high enough.
Experience Morocco!
A brilliant trip which covered a lot of the country which is an exciting place to visit.
Most Inspirational Moment
Riding camels in desert, walking in Atlas Mountains, souks in Fez, visiting local families, local hamman in mountains.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Very good, but could have given more information on long drives even about the country.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Even though it is a Premium trip, places to stay where not special but ok for our needs. Minibus for 15/16 people far too small and on the very long journeys it was pretty uncomfortable but we survived!
Armenia Georgia and Azerbaijan
The whole trip was really interesting and the timetable excellent and well organised. Breakfast at 8am and off at 9am
The transport was very comfortable with excellent drivers and guides
It was nice to have a trip where very many of the meals were included, unlike the usual breakfast only
I felt that I had a very good overlook of the country
I was disappointed on the overnight train to Azerbaijan. It was old and continually stopped all the time. The distance from Tblisi is just over 450 miles and took over 13 hours. Why could we not have gone on the modern Stadler trains which we saw all the time. I would happily have paid more to have done this
Most Inspirational Moment
I found the whole trip inspirational I didn’t know what to expect and felt that I know much more now Glad I added on the extension to Azerbaijan as it was totally unexpected with wonderful buildings and not Just the old town
Thoughts on Group Leader
Guides were superb. Rafik in Armenia was excellent with unsurpassed knowledge. We all loved his humor and sense of fun Nino in Georgia was very knowledgeable and gave us a really good insight to the country Aida in Azerbaijan was also excellent with knowledge and even if she didn’t eat with us came to the restaurants to help us select Can honestly say three of the best guides ever
Advice for Potential Travellers
A really good trip and super I sight into the three countries. Do add on Azerbaijan as well worth the visit
A big and beautiful country with lots of wildlife and few people
Some wonderful but stark scenery and plenty of wildlife. Expect some long drives on bumpy roads though.
Most Inspirational Moment
Climbing up the sand dune and a busy water hole
Thoughts on Group Leader
Superb. Very knowledgeable and trip ran like clockwork.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Prices for options and tips in the trip notes are out of date, so allow a bit more cash. Pretty much all the restaurants and shops take cards. Note that some EU passport holders will need a visa.
Croatia: Islands and Mountains
A fine mix of culture- Dubrovnik and Split, with daily walks. Brac was a sample of Dalmatia’s islands and Bol was both a quiet characterful resort, and ferry port. The long linking distances were made in a comfortable mini bus and the travel linked first rate scenic highlights. The northern Krka National Park with its superb waterfalls; and the sharp, bare fluted limestones mixed with rich pine and beech forests of the Paklenica National Park made a memorable finale. Our guide was excellent and the choice of restaurants for the evening meal together was generally much appreciated.
Most Inspirational Moment
The orchids that bloomed in dark pine forest- birds nest orchid and sword leaved white helleborine; and pyramidal orchid and bee orchid that grew on open limestone pasture.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Very warm and professional.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be prepared for hot walking. When you are away from shady woodland it can be exposed take water and sunscreen and a hat.
Bosnia and beyond
This was an enjoyable and illuminating trip, very efficiently run. Almost all places visited were worthwhile, with the possible exception of Budva. A mixture of lovely scenery (especially the Montenegro mountains), comfortable travelling and towns/cities attractive in themselves but with an extra layer of history.
Most Inspirational Moment
Sarajevo - walking its streets, visiting its museums and mosques, taking views from its hills and remembering what they were used for, sampling its food and its vibrancy. But there were other highlights such as the view over Kotor Bay, the pleasure of seeing Mostar's restored old bridge from various angles including the top of a minaret and the traversing of a spectacular mountain road only just made passable through snowdrifts.
Thoughts on Group Leader
I can only echo the plaudits given to Sabina in other reviews. She just makes you happy to be in her country/region.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The group hotel in Dubrovnik is on the outskirts of the new town and a bus (approximately hourly) is needed to get to the old town. Don't know about taxis but reception seemed to want several hours notice for a taxi to the airport. The old town is small and almost overwhelmed by visitors. Seasoned walkers may find the walks undemanding (can't speak for the walk outside Sarajevo - truncated because of the weather)
Wonderful experience
This tour gave an overall look at the history, cities, castles and country areas of the 3 countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
Most Inspirational Moment
There were so many highlights it is hard to pick just one. However, the tour of the Cold War Museum is memorable. Memorable not inspirational, as that was such a frightening time in recent history and frightening to think we have not learnt from it.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our group leader had an excellent knowledge and love of the history and culture of the Baltics. Vaida was very well organised, friendly, helpful and nothing was too much trouble for her
Advice for Potential Travellers
The free time to explore further in different cities after having done a walking tour with the group is very valuable as each of us has different interests
Fantastic adventure - don’t think about it, just do it!
The Classic Inca Trail had been on my bucket list for some time, so it was brilliant to finally tackle it, combined with an excursion into the Amazon rainforest and a trip to Lake Titicaca. It was an action-packed, superbly organised 2 weeks and all 3 experiences were very different but equally enjoyable. Our group of 9 (ages ranged from 51 to 70) all completed the Trail, although it’s fair to say that fitness levels varied quite a bit. However, as our group leader said, it’s all about positivity and believing you can!
Most Inspirational Moment
Very difficult to single out one, but probably getting to the top of Dead Woman’s Pass, followed very closely by arriving as a group at the Sun Gate. Also, in the rainforest, we were incredibly fortunate to see a young male jaguar for 15-20 minutes as we travelled by boat early one morning.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Adolfo (AD) was brilliant: very personable and extremely knowledgeable and experienced. He was also exceptionally well-organised without us feeling pressured in any way. He instilled us with confidence in our capabilities and it was reassuring to learn that he was going to be with us for the whole 2 weeks. This meant that transfers, hotel check-ins, internal flights etc were seamless as AD did all the legwork and made it extremely easy for us. In addition, in his capacity as our guide on the Trail, he supervised us in a way that enabled us to walk at our own pace in small groups within our group. He also had a great knowledge of and a passion for wild flowers, particularly orchids, so our Trail experience was punctuated with much-welcomed breaks to take photos. In addition, when in Lima, Cusco and Puno, he knew exactly which restaurants to take us to for the very best and authentic experiences and never seemed to struggle to get us in, even at the last minute. AD even managed to get hold of a bottle of wine on our last night of the Trail - goodness knows from where, as we were camping at just under 4000 metres!
Advice for Potential Travellers
Read all the reviews of the Trail and you will get a pretty good idea of what it’s like. Yes, it is tough, especially the second day, but it was what we expected - certainly not worse. Do spend time working on your fitness levels, especially walking uphill, as this will help you enjoy the experience more. We were fortunate to be part of a fantastic group of people who worked well together and supported each other: don’t underestimate how important it is to want to complete the Trail as a Team, as this certainly spurs you on. Travel light! Most of us just took one change of clothes on the Trail and changed into them at night to sleep in, not the least to be better prepared for the early start next day. Don’t forget spare batteries for cameras and use wet wipes for washing. The rainforest was very hot so make sure you have light clothing but you do need to cover arms and legs to protect yourself from insect bites. We were all loaned duffle bags (different from the Exodus kit bag that you’re sent for the Trail), and this was for packing stuff for the rainforest. You are not limited by weight and there’s plenty of space for the gear you need for this part of the trip. On arrival in Cusco, we all used the laundry service organised by AD as our stuff was damp and smelly! This was very speedy and very cheap! We took some Peruvian Sol but also UD dollars. We had no problem finding ATMs or changing money. Do be prepared to spend more than you planned for, as we probably all spent twice the amount on tips compared to the Exodus guidelines in the Trip Notes.
Lake Titicaca Extension
The Titicaca extension is an enjoyable and good value addition to the Inca Trail. If leave isn’t an issue I would definitely recommend this extension (after the trail). Don’t be put off by the long drive – it’s a comfortable coach and includes 4 sightseeing stops and a buffet lunch.
Most Inspirational Moment
The boat trip on Lake Titicaca & rowing a reed boat.
Thoughts on Group Leader
N/A - no leader on this extension.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Bring water on the coach. One of the stops has a pay toilet (1 sol), free at all other stops. Do the reed boat hop between islands. Take money on the boat trip - you will be expected to buy something from the stall of the island mama who shows you her hut & dresses you in traditional costume, preferably something locally made eg local design cushion cover (c 70 sol), model reed boat (c 70 sol). Ask your main tour guide to book the Balcons de Puna restaurant for you for dinner. La Recetta cafe is convenient for a light lunch.
The Inca Trail in Comfort 30 May departure & Lake Titicaca Extension
This was a brilliant trip. The Inca Trail in Comfort was well organised & a good mix of trekking and sightseeing. Our guide, Mike, was great & the camping porter team were inspiring. The camp chef provided excellent meals. The hotels were comfortable & the camping was as good as camping gets. The group gelled well together.
The Lake Titicaca Extension is also well worth doing and good value.
We were very happy with all aspects of the trip & would recommend it to anyone with a reasonable level of fitness.
Most Inspirational Moment
I loved the whole trek: highlights included the first view of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate, the spectacled bear we saw from the trail, reaching the top of dead Woman's Pass, the view from our camp site on the last morning, rowing a reed boat on Lake Titicaca ...
Thoughts on Group Leader
Mike was a brilliant leader. He is extremely knowledgeable and was keen to share with us. He is friendly to all and certainly helped the group to gel. He is considerate of the needs of the group and provided help when appropriate to those who needed it. He organised the trek well and kept the group together. He organised a variety of restaurants for lunch & dinner, all good, and even booked us a restaurant in Puno (Titicaca extension) which was an excellent recommendation. He is considerate of health and safety, the environment and the local community. Mike was great and we were very lucky to have him as our group leader. Davis and the camp team were also very good.
Advice for Potential Travellers
This is a brilliant trip - book it as long as you have a reasonable level of fitness and enjoy walking, (and don't have bad knees - there are a lot of steps). Bring good walking boots, well worn in. Use poles (you can hire locally, or buy in UK for similar price - must be telescopic / adjustable with rubber ends.) If leave is not a concern, consider arriving a day early in Cuzco to acclimatise. Bring a good head torch. We didn't go to the hot springs so no need to carry swimming costume / large towel / flip flops on trek. Hotel Casa Andina (Aguas Calientes) provided shampoo so no need to carry on trek. We could have left some stuff in Hotel Pakaripampu (Ollantaytamo) before the trek, to collect after Machu Picchu on way back to Cuzco. Minimise the weight in your ruck sack. If leave is not a concern - the Lake Titicaca extension is excellent value. Don't be put off by the drive - it's in a comfortable coach & includes 4 stops & lunch. Don't under estimate the amount you need for tipping. Although the exchange rate is better in Cuzco it's convenient to arrive with a little local money. The exchange rate was approximately the same changing pounds into dollars in UK then changing the dollars into sols in Cuzco as it was to change pounds directly into sols in Cuzco. However all the exchange outlets would exchange dollars (including very near hotel San Agustin Plaza) but they didn't all exchange pounds. Western Union in Main Square exchanges pounds. We spent approx 1450 sols per person for 11 nights (incl 1 night in Cuzco pre tour & Titicaca extension). If you do the Titicaca extension, include the reed boat ride, and book the Balcons de Puna restaurant for dinner & floorshow.