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Absolutely brilliant safari.
Paul Goldstein and the local guides went out of their way to ensure we had the best experience.
The camp itself was superb and the food was the best we’ve had on any trip.
The camp managers, Darren & Emma, were very friendly and welcoming and added to the overall experience.
We would happily go back tomorrow.
The number of big cat sightings, which was due to the spotting skills and patience of the guides.
Paul Goldstein is a legend. Inspirational and great fun, you learn so much just from being with him.
Get on the next plane out. You won't regret it.
This is a really great trip combining some really challenging walking in wonderful, completely unspoilt mountainous terrain for the first half of the trip and a short exploration of Albanian culture for the second half.
The accommodation in the mountains in very friendly, family run guest houses was beyond my expectations and always very clean – a great experience. The food, particularly at Valbone, was excellent and plentiful.
It was a great pleasure to visit a country/region where tourism has not yet arrived!
Difficult to pin down any particular moment - walking in the completely unspoilt, non touristy (difficult to find these days!) Albanian mountains was certainly inspirational.
Arvil was an extremely pleasant and well informed leader who spoke English fluently. However there are 2 points I would like to raise regarding his decisions 1. For reasons which were never made clear the already scheduled long drive from Valbona (Day 6) to Berat was extended to go via Dourros on the coast (his home town I believe). There appeared no good reason for this. This made it an extremely tiring day of almost 12 hours arriving at Berat at 1900 where we were, after checking into our hotel, taken off for a guided tour of 2 of the oldest mosques in the country (on the itinerary for the following day). Most of the group including myself were too tired to either challenge this or declined this tour. 2. On Day 5 the option to do the full length of the White Circle was not given. Although I was perfectly happy to walk only as far as the ridge and back down the valley, I know that at least 2 of the group was very disappointed not be able to be given this choice. Again no reason for this was presented by Arvil.
If you are not fit and a seasoned walker this trip will find you out!!! The Exodus rating of 3 Moderate is a little understated I would say. The mountain walking in this programme is really wonderful but if you are not already a regular walker and unfit think twice about this. Having said all of the above I would highly recommend this programme if you like unspoilt untouristy places - go now before its too late!
A fabulous trip to a very interesting country. Thoroughly recommended, but please note the reservations about travelling discomforts, below.
Probably climbing the singing sand dunes. The views were astonishing.
Odka was wonderful. She never stopped smiling and she was always looking after us and ensuring we were comfortable, well-informed, well-fed and well-watered.
The website explains that there is a lot of travelling involved with this trip. That is inevitable, given the size of the country and the distances between the various places to be visited. What is perhaps not made clear enough is the fact that the journeys in the desert are almost entirely off-road and the distances make in necessary to travel at quite high speeds. You can be hurtling along at 50, even nearly 60, m.p.h. for many hours on packed sand, gravel or stone with bumps, jumps, swerves and sudden braking. After 10 or 11 hours of this, we felt shaken, not stirred, and had aches and pains to remind us of it. If you go on this trip, you will see some remarkable places and have some wonderful experiences. But do be warned about the discomforts of the travelling. Everything else was good, great, often excellent.
Fantastic week in amazing surroundings with great people, we stayed in chalet chocolat which is a lovely chalet with everything needed for a comfortable stay, hosts zohi and ben were brilliant, very friendly and accomodating and kept us well fed with excellent food. 5 days of walking amongst fabulous scenery and a day to explore, paraglide, ride the cable cars etc. Our guide for the walks, tom, was fantastic, friendly, full of knowledge and contributed to a brilliant week. All round a great holiday, would highly recommend.
Everyday brought something new so difficult to pick one moment, the walks offered varying amazing views of the alps and paragliding on the day off was unbelievable.
Our leader tom was brilliant, full of stories, great knowledge of the local area and around the world, and a very friendly guy.
My husband, son, and I just spent a delightful week in Chamonix , France on the Mt Blanc highlights trip. We stayed in Chalet Chocolat and loved every minute of the trip. Each day we enjoyed a great breakfast and packed up a lunch that included sandwiches with fresh locally baked bread and salads prepared by our wonderful chalet hosts Zohi and Ben.
Our guide Shaun would lead us daily to a different area around Mt Blanc for a beautiful hike in the Alps. The hike itineraries were well planned out. We saw a variety of areas and had time for a great picnic lunch each afternoon.
In the afternoons Zohi had a delicious cake waiting upon our arrival back at the Chalet. We could also enjoy time in the hot tub with views of Mt Blanc.
Every night Zohi and Ben cooked a delicous gourmet meal.
We couldn’t have been happier on our trip.
My favorite moment was picnicking in a field of wild flowers in Italy .
My first cycling trip couldn’t have gone better, a great group of people, an excellent leader and luck with the weather. There is a good mixture of cycling and tourism although the itinerary is full so there isn’t a lot of free time or opportunity for stopping en route.
I liked the undulations of the day around Trakkai as knew I would get lost and didnt have to save any energy for other rides! Enjoyed seeing how fast I could go. Really enjoyed the beauty of Palmse. The day at Jurmala was good as we had free time and loved the dachas.
Lina was excellent, organised but friendly. Her sharing of her personal experiences of life in Lithuania brought the whole trip alive. She has an extensive factual knowledge of the Baltic and found some great places for us to eat.
If I had known that a cycle pannier was provided, I wouldn't have brought a cycling rucksack. Water was also provided so a single water bottle was fine. The trip notes said that there should be time to look round Tallinn but the Exodus flights were an evening arrival. Some of the group arrived a day earlier to see the city which was a good idea.
We enjoyed the holiday very much, we had a good insight into the three capital cities and a fiar understanding of how the countyry side worked.
The food was much better than expected ,
we had feared it might mainly be pork and dumplings but it was a good selection of ‘western ‘ and local dishes.
The cycling was mainly through forest tracks which do not give many views of the country side but perhaps it is very difficult to design a cycling holiday in a very forested area to include time to stop and look aroun villages . Although the cycling was not technically difficult there were times when it was necessary to keep close to the leader mto avoid getting lost. A back marker would have been very useful and would have been able to cope with any problems (punctures, accidents) as well as ensuring.
looking around the old towns and being told of the problems which the three countries had faced during the last 100 or so years.
Lina was very personable, knowledgable about the areas we went throuh. She told us in great detail about the histories of the countries, the problems which they faced and, potentailly, still face. She interacted well with all members of the group, ensured that the eveing and lunch time restaurants wer einteresting. It seemsed that the distances which we cycled and were transferred were quite long for the times allocated , we always seemed to be trying to catch up with the schedule. Not sure if that is a problem of the design of the holiday. but loading a nd unloading the bikes takes about one hour
be prepared for fairly hectic days
This was a trip full of variety and dramatic scenery, from the surreal Ashgabat, the amazing Darvaza crater, the beautiful mosques and madrasahs of Samarkand and Bukhara to the truly majestic and ever changing scenery of the Kyrgyzstan mountains. Each of the 5 countries had its own unique character. There are some long journeys but they are full of continuing interest with lots of worthwhile stops on route. 99% of the accommodation was very comfortable, spacious and spotlessly clean.
I found the experience of the continuing journey to new and unexpected sites and places the biggest wonder. There was no tourist commercialism at all. One guide in the walnut grove was highly surprised when I said I would buy 3 packets of walnuts!!
The experienced and knowledgable Suzie Grant guided us effortlessly throughout and 3 of the local guides were outstanding.
Be prepared for ‘4 seasons in 1day’ at Son-Kul lake. Take some warm layers. The stoves in the yurts are not lit until 8.30pm and it is c o l d! That said, it is very comfortable glamping.
I booked this trip primarily to see the bears and enjoy some leisurely walks through the meadows and forests. It exceeded my expectations, mainly due to our guide Thomas, the lovely hosts Herman and Katerina at Villa Hermani and the variety of local experiences from the ride in a horse cart, tea at a hilltop monastery, dinner at a restaurant specialising in game meats, harvesting mushrooms after the rain, and schnapps and cake at a fortified church with an intriguing priest! Transylvania is a beautiful part of the world, still in a time when we were closer to nature where animals are respected and in proximity, shepherds tend the flocks, and the landscape provides a bounty of wildflowers, fruit, hay and mushrooms.
The visit to the Libearty sanctuary, learning of the history and great work they do to return these wild creatures to a semblance of a wild existence they deserve. The story of Maya was very sobering and I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one to shed a tear. Seeing these bears' behaviour compared to the real wild bears from the hide was quite a contrast. I was also pleased to see they had some wolves at the sanctuary - dogs did bark for a short while in the late evening around Magura but the second night I heard distant howling and I want to believe that was some of the wild wolves! Also the bear hide is a must, we spent a good couple of hours viewing well over a dozen bears plus four cubs.
Thomas was a gentleman guide. Literally. Modest, engaging, and genuine. Wealth of knowledge about the history and culture of Transylvania, interested in the experiences and thoughts of the folks in the tour group and always willing to assist. An excellent leader in which you are in no better hands.
Because of the mountainous nature of the region it is hard to gauge the weather more than a couple of hours out and rain can start and stop fairly quickly on a cloudy day. I note from a previous review that they thought the horse cart ride should have been cancelled because it was a rainy day, but in our case it was raining up to when we got to the carts and then it stopped raining. When we finished the ride, the rain started again! The cart ride was a highlight for me and I would have enjoyed it even if it continued raining. I would also say bring more than two pairs of shoes as it does take a couple of days to dry a pair after a rainy day. And yes bring cash to cover the extras (bear hide was 210 lei and wifi access about 25 lei).
When I told people I was going to three of the ‘Stans’, their question was always why ?
To be honest, I wasn’t sure myself until I’d been, but they are very different countries, not subject to mass tourism, with different cultures, lovely people and a joy to explore.
My personal highlights were, the mausoleums at Shakhi Zinda, talking to the students learning English in Registan square and Bukhara - all in Uzbebikistan. However, being allowed to hold the eagle hunter's Golden Eagle in Kyrgyzstan was an honour.
We had two group leaders In Uzbekistan, Dilshod was confident and highly knowledgeable and he would tell us interesting stories of his personal life growing up in Uzbekistan under Soviet rule. He provided advice daily and was always checking everything was OK. In Kazakhstan and Kyrgzystan, Ermek was equally engaging but with a quieter manner. He enjoyed imparting knowledge of his home country, Kyrgzystan, and keen to learn and join in with our English sense of humour. Alexi, our driver in Kazakhstan and Kyrgzystan, was amazing, fixing the coach when we broke down.
Make sure your dollars are clean, any marked or slight tears and the money exchange will not accept them. There are ATM's available (for top ups) for example at the Hotel Asia in Bukkhara and the Kass Hotel in Almaty. (Tip: If you do happen to stay in the Kass Hotel, get your picnic lunch from the deli which is 2 minutes walk, turn right at the main road) As a rough guide, I spent $85 in Uzbekistan, $60 Kazakstan (drinks at hotel were a bit more expensive), $100 in Kyrgzystan plus dollars for tips for the guides and drivers For the yurt stay - if you drink, make sure you buy alcohol to take with you as they don't sell it! Also, we were a group of 14 and they were able to mostly put the couples together (rather than the gender separation mentioned in the notes). We went in early June and it rained and was a bit cold in the evening, so pack a waterproof and a fleece (just in case) At the home stay meal in Karakol - buy your wine at the house (cheaper than the Green Yard Hotel prices) - but breakfast at the Green Yard is amazing! The food was better than I had anticipated, I ate lots of salads, kebabs and pasta. Meals are not expensive and the vodka and beer are cheap. Shopping is best in Bukhara with some free time for exploring. Would recommend The Old Bukhara and Minzifa restaurants in Bukhara Ladies, make sure you take a scarf for your head/shoulders, but respectable shorts and t shirts were fine for the most part, with only a few places where knees needed to be covered as well.