Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

A choice between walking within 5 metres of a cheetah in the bush one evening and watching the rainclouds break and disappear in a few minutes to allow us to walk in the Drakensburg without a soaking.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Admire was full of energy, information, humour and a pretty good cook too. He and back up man Petros did a fine job leading us around South Africa.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared to spend very long periods in the minibus-take an iPod or something similar to pass the time. The time spent driving was really the only downside to the trip-the game viewing was excellent (though I STILL haven't seen a leopard in the wild!!!) interspersed with some great and varied walking. The holiday met our expectations. Going in October, we did not expect quite so much rain-55mm overnight whilst camping in the Kruger,-but somehow we managed to dodge most of it, only getting wet a couple of times.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking on the wall and entering the Forbidden City.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jerry was excellent. The Xian guide was disappointing.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Definitely book the Xian extension to see the Terracotta Warriors.

Most Inspirational Moment

Choosing one would not be easy, hence the following represent the best of both countries in terms of scenery, history, culture and the people of the countries.Ha Long BayHoi An Cu Chi TunnelsAngkor Wat + other temples 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader (Bon) has been the best leader I have had on a trip.  He was knowledgeble, funny, always had lots of stories, and was always prepared to do what we wanted to do as a group.Bon is also very helpful with all things local and promoted the idea of us spreading our custom around a number of shops as oppose to all of us going to just one shop when buying things.  He also made sure we as a group made the decisions on where to go or what to do, but also helped out if you wanted to do something different as a individual. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

The only advice is be prepared for the humidity and heat in South East Asia, if you have a good guide then not much can go wrong.  Also when crossing the roads, which look daunting, just keep walking slowly, as stopping in the middle of the road causes more confusion.

Most Inspirational Moment

I loved walking through the sweet chestnut groves where it was so peaceful before descending to the hustle and bustle of Amalfi. Pompeii and Herculaneum were both stunning and very different so it's worth seeing both. Although our walk around the Vesuvius crater was done in mist it was still a great experience.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Albert was an excellent leader with a wealth of knowledge about the area. He has built up a rapport with the local people which benefitted us in many ways. He was always very calm and pleasant, I felt that we were in good hands.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Many people have mentioned the steps and on the first walk down into Amalfi from Boneramo there are certainly a lot! If you take it easy it's not too difficult and our guide built in lots of little stops for everyone to catch up.

Most Inspirational Moment

The most inspirational moment was walking into the candlelit Siq at Petra on a moonlit night. Silent masses of "worshippers" walked the length of the Siq and emerged to see The Treasury in all its glory. An unforgettable moment!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ali Abed was firstly a gentleman and obviously a well-read guy. Apart from looking after our needs he gave us a good insight into Jordan, his country. He spoke very good English and kept us amused at all times especially on the four hour drive on the last day.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Being an Islamic country some of the hotels we stayed in were "dry" but there were nearby liquor shops if you were desperate for drink!Do beware that the trek to High Places in Petra is not everybody's cup of tea especially if you have no head for heights or have got weak knees. Do read the guide books carefully. 

Most Inspirational Moment

Impossible to pick a moment, but overall it was the people we met on the trip that inspired me.

Thoughts on Group Leader

excellent, and went the extra mile to make the trip excellent

Advice for Potential Travellers

I think you need to be more than reasonably fit and used to relatively long cycle rides to enjoy this trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

Hard to decide between the spectacular coastal views and my first trial dive, where I saw a green turtle.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Deynep was close to perfect. She had a bubbly enthusiastic nature and became a friend to all of us. 

Most Inspirational Moment

Sleeping out in Wadi Rum- brilliant star-gazing and a real feeling of peace (after all the camp-fire singing had stopped that is!)Cycling through the desert, tackling the ascents and descents successfully and celebrating with a dance (and a biscuit!) at the top of the most difficult hill!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very knowledgable and tried hard to make sure we enjoyed ourselves. He was a little too quietly spoken though making hearing him difficult on the bus.

Advice for Potential Travellers

That any chaffing from the cycling will hurt when you get into the Dead Sea!Be careful what you eat - 9 out of 16 of us got stomach upsets.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was kind and considerate.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I would recommend doing a longer route (time wise) for better acclimatisation.  We felt a bit rushed.  A 15min lunch break on the final day - 20k downhill almost jogging!

Most Inspirational Moment

The views

Thoughts on Group Leader

excellent and very well connected to the area

Advice for Potential Travellers

the guide from Exodus is accurate