Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Beautiful sunsets at the beachs of San Juan del Sur and Ometepe Island on Lake Nicaragua.Cycling around Lake Arenal in Costa Rican highlands. Challenged by hills & rain but the some of the best views of the trip.Bocas del Toro - day off cycling meant time for surfing, snorkling & dancing.Great view on 12m downhill ride in Panama.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rob was a great leader always listening to our wishes and accommodating them whenever possible. Thanks to him and his team we had a very hassle free holiday (restaurants, hotels, border crossings, currencies etc. all sorted out for us).Rob was a great cyclist too - I personally enjoyed the challenge of trying to keep up with his cycling pace whenever he was leading the rides.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't be put off by the mileage or the hills. The trip is very well organised and caters for all cycling abilities from the potential Lance Armstrongs to the casual Sunday cyclists. There is always to option to take it slowly or hop on a bus or challenge yourself by trying to keep up with one of the guides. But it goes without saying that the fitter you are, the easier you'll find it. So training before is worth it.

Suggestions

Go for it! You'll have a great time!

Most Inspirational Moment

There were so many moments. The friendly gentoo penguin chicks who pecked at our legs and anything else they could reach on Aitcho Island. The breaching humpback whales who chose to somersault in front of a huge glacier not far from the ship. The enourmous tabular icebergs which floated serenely past the ship. The stunning view from the top of the hill above Neko Harbour and the thrilling toboggan back down to the bottom. Our evening Zodiac cruise around the icebergs dotted with several species of seal. The slideshow at the end; it was amazing to look back at all the things we had seen and done in such a short space of time.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Cheli could not have done more to ensure that our Polar expedition ran smoothly. She enthused, organised and entertained in equal measure and used her Kiwi sense of humour liberally. She is obviously a very competent leader and it was a pleasure to get to know her.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you are into photography, a polarising filter is a good idea. Don't bother taking walking boots - you won't use them. The wellington boots supplied are all you need on shore and are easier to clean than walking boots (compulsory to avoid bio-contamination between sites). The Sea Spirit is a posh ship but there is absolutely no need to dress up on board; the trip is still first and foremost a polar expedition. You may like to take something a bit smarter to wear at the captain's dinner but this isn't compulsory. Make sure you bring waterproof trousers; these are compulsory if you want to go ashore. Vegetarians are well catered for on board. Binoculars are supplied in the cabins but it is probably best to bring your own as they are not top quality.

Suggestions

If you are in any way interested in wildlife and wilderness, you cannot possibly be disappointed by Antarctica. Do the longest trip you can manage; you will not want to come home!

Most Inspirational Moment

Skiing down to Cortina,  descending the demanding 6.2km military road, enjoying hot chocolate and cakes in the afternoon.  Could not isolate the top moment from so many highs !

Thoughts on Group Leader

David, the leader managed to combine an excellent sense of humour with a clear, motiviating style of instruction. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't forget to get fit - for the skiing and luscious tyrolean cakes !

Suggestions

Already wondering where to go for next year's skiing adventure !

Most Inspirational Moment

Coming out through the trees to a 360 degree view of mountains, with the sun shining out from a clear blue sky.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Karl was great.  Very knowledgeable about the area, helpful and friendly with a good sense of humour!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Wear layers.  It can get very warm as you are heading upwards in the sun, but the wind at the top can be extremely cold. 

Most Inspirational Moment

Getting to the top of Ooty!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Peter did a good job of looking after everyone and our bicycles!A highlight was when he took us on an impromptu trip to a festival near Guruvayoor where we saw a procession of 25 elephants decked out in gold splendour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The quality of the bicycles provided is fantastic so there is no need to take your own. Take plenty of antiseptic hand gel and wet wipes in small containers so that you can carry them with you all day. Have a massage at the Cochin Ayurveda Centre, located in the Hotel Fort House - it was the best massage I have ever had.

Most Inspirational Moment

Really enjoyed the boat trip on Halong Bay and the cookery lesson.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Amazing. A top class leader. It was our 25th Wedding Anniversary when we were away and he made it a special event.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It can be cold in the North so go prepared.

Suggestions

It would be good if a cycling half day in Hoi An could be included. We did it alone and really enjoyed it. A local guide would have been well worth it.

Most Inspirational Moment

Looking over my shoulder on the final climb, seeing the horizon change from deepest, darkest blue to sunrise and at that precise moment, knowing for sure that we would all get to the top.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was called Makeke. He was brilliant. He organised well, gave very precise briefings each day and continually gave interesting information about the mountain.He was ably supported by Assistant Guides, James, Olauf, Godfrey and Vernance. They were all so supportive and could not do enough to help everyone on our trip. All were prepared to chat and share their experiences on and off the mountain, which made the whole experience extra special.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't waste another second, book it now, then practice every day on a step machine until your thighs ache. It is physically hard work, but worth every ounce of effort. I was probably the slowest person in our group, but it is like being a fun runner in a marathon. The object is to finish, there are no extra points for speed.

Suggestions

We had a lovely bunch of people in our group,  all with their own personal reasons for making the trip. Makeke and the other guides were great, but there is no way any of us would have got to the summit without the tremendous effort of all the porters and the stomach engineer. They all deserve a medal.

Most Inspirational Moment

Floating down the Tenorio river, we saw lots of wildlife. Visiting Ometepe Island, great to cycle on and great hotel location, the views of the island and volcanoes are fantastic.Bocas Del Toro islands are a total contrast to the other places visited on this trip, very lively with a fun atmosphere.Looking for frogs in the ground of the hotel Atlantida in Cahuita.  Great Cubra Libres too.The hotsprings in La Fortuna were excellent - have a pina colada and a couple of minutes in the cold pool before you change back for dinner.Seeing Toucans in the grounds of the last hotel

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rob is a great leader, he is very fit and extremely well organised.  He is very pleasant to talk to and obviously very passionate about cycling and fitness generally.We thought we might get more information about the local areas we travelled to and through but this did not seem to be part of the trip.The rest of the team (drivers/assistants/mechanics) are also excellent, the bikes are well maintained and there is a good supply of water and fruit at stops on route.

Advice for Potential Travellers

You do need to be reasonably fit to complete all the cycling.  Some people chose to ride on the minibus for some parts of the cycling that they were not comfortable with - hills (up and down), distance and traffic, this is OK if you are happy to do this, we wanted to do everything and would have been disapointed if we were not up to the challenge.  Slower riders did not slow us down, it just spread the group out a bit more. It gets very hot and you need plenty of changes of clothes and lots of suncream even on days when it rains.  We took our own saddles and I think this helped, I personally found padded cycling shorts too hot and managed ok with just lycra shorts, whilst my husband wore padded shorts every day.

Suggestions

The 3 countries are quite different and the places visited are varied and very scenic in different ways, we saw lots of wildlife but it's quite difficult to take photos of birds etc.  Nicaragua is quite poor and is the cheapest for food but beer was cheapest in Panama 60c.Accommodation is generally of a good standard some is rustic but charming, but the hotel in San Juan Del Sur had very small rooms with no character and the breakfast was somewhat lacking in service, quality and quantity.Be prepared for long border crossings especially between Nicaragua and Costa Rica - it took over 3 hours. 

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro was simply breathtaking. The views and the sunrise were nothing short of mind blowing. Taking the slightly longer lemosho route was a good idea for acclimatisation purposes. The trek from bottom to top was great if not a little damp due to the weather.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The head guide was a really helpful and knowledgable guy called Makeke. He kept us informed the whole time and answered any questions if he could. His assistant guides were also extremely good. Everybody was ultra cheerful the whole time.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Its very easy to just trudge along staring at the heels of the person in front, try to look up, there are some fantastic views, birds, animals etc to see. 

Suggestions

I would thoroughly recommend this trip to anyone. Just be aware that there are some quite strenuous parts during the trek that some folk may find physically quite challenging.

Most Inspirational Moment

- Climbing Jebel Aklim. Was a good testing climb and had wonderful views.- Drinking tea and eating some food in a Berber family's house in the city of Cats.- I really liked the gorge walk on the third walking day. It was one of the few places with water and it was beautiful.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very good. Friendly. Patient. Good knowledge of local area and of Morocco. Made the trip work well and set a good pace. He was good at estimating how long each part of the walk would take.

Advice for Potential Travellers

- It does get cold at night, especially when camping higher up, so make sure you bring a warm sleeping bag and enough layers.- The terrain is very rocky and many people got blisters as a result so make sure you are confortable in your walking boots and bring compeed/blister-kit.- It was possible to buy bottled water during the trip but because of the difficulties with rubbish disposal of plastic bottles, I feel its better to take water purification tablets.- The pace was good and the leader's estimates of how long each section would take were accurate. You'll generally have a rest stop every hour. It does get hot so bring sun cream and a hat.- We don't camp at official/permanent campsites so there aren't any facilities there. There will be a mess tent to eat in and a toilet tent.- Food is tasty and varied. Even for vegetarians, there is plently of good variety.- The journey to/from Morocco is long as there is a connecting fight at Casablanca.

Suggestions

I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it. There's a lot of up and down walking (very little flat) on rocky terrain which can be a little troublesome but if you can cope with the heat you'll be fine.