Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Pretty much all of it. The tapas lunch in a “typical” Andalusian pretty village; the limestone walks overlooking the olive-groves; the lunch at the monastery; the Penon walk with an amazing scenic view at lunchtime; the impressive “King’s Walk” along the side of a cliff; the day-long visit to Seville with its Royal Palace house and gardens; and an extra trip to Ronda for a short visit. The hotel, owners Joke and Cartouche, plus their staff, made it all really comfortable. All wonderful thanks!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader, Michael Newcomb, was just the best leader! He was very friendly; responded sympathetically to anybody’s individual needs; was SO knowledgeable about the fauna, flora, geology and culture; gave many snippets of information as we walked, and in a concise, easily understandable way; obviously loved his job; but above all, he was just very caring and kind.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The walking is not very difficult. There are often coach journeys of about an hour to the start of some of the walks or days out, but the coach was very modern and the driver, Antonio, was a very careful driver.

Most Inspirational Moment

Stunning scenery which provided the perfect backdrop for every lunch stop.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jose absolutely made the trip - he was knowledgeable in every area; environment, nature, plants, culture, food, history. His knowledge of the mountains was second to none, having been responsible for opening up many of the walking routes of the past few years and mapping out the terrain. He was so experienced that he was able to change and amend routes when weather necessitated this, which meant we didn't lose out too much because of the rainy conditions. Plus, his sandwiches were delicious and were a real treat after a long morning of walking.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Definitely book this trip - highly recommended.

Most Inspirational Moment

The day long walk of the valley of the Gods and Vesuvius.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our guide Seve is half Sicilian, half Greek, and was all you would expect from a good guide and more. He was highly knowledgeable of the area, well connected with the locals, experienced, and understood and managed group dynamics very well, and had a very good sense of humour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The walking can be a bit demanding with many steps some days but so worth it with the experiences you get. My advice would just get some exercise in a week or o before you go. I'm 95 kg and 62 and did ok.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many highlights but I suppose my favourite day was the visit to the temple of Selinunte in its natural setting. It feels very untouristy, especially in the aftermath of the Pandemic. I love Noto and the other baroque towns -- Ragusa and Modica, as well as the stunning landscapes of the Zingaro. I also loved the Roman mosaics at Villa Romana del Casale.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Tiziano was charming, helpful, and good-humoured. We had a lot of laughs along the way. He is passionate about his island (and especially Palermo). He tried his very best to make everyone happy and to point out different things that could be of interest to different people.

Most Inspirational Moment

Two positives: Making use of opportunities to go swimming. Using the hair dryer to dry out my cycling kit.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alan is an outstanding leader. He did a superb job of leading the 16 of us. He had everything planned and organised and he was calm and attentive. Alan told us a lot about the history and culture of Croatia. Alan is genial, has excellent communication skills and a good sense of humour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for changing weather conditions and bring lots of layers of clothing.

Most Inspirational Moment

Getting to the top of the hill on the first day, in the rain.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leader was outstanding. Calm, organised, patient and with a very good sense of humour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a decent wet weather cycling jacket if you are going at the end of the season. Not brilliant for vegetarians

Most Inspirational Moment

I loved Day 3 in Makarska. Lovely walk with open views out to sea & not too challenging so that I could look up, rather than at my feet! In the afternoon we went swimming off the beautiful beach; very refreshing after hiking in the warm temperatures of mid September. We then had a sunset ferry trip over to the island of Bol which was our base for the next two nights. All the worries of 2020/2021 seemed a world away!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ivan is honestly one of the best group leaders I have ever travelled with. He is so attentive and hard working - he feels like part of the group rather than a leader. Full of good humour, knowledge of his country & was meticulous in thinking ahead, choosing restaurants for us, making sure we are all okay and counting us all the time!

Advice for Potential Travellers

I would recommend bringing a walking pole even if you are reasonably fit and used to walking - the limestone terrain is a bit tricky at times and a walking pole definitely helped me.

Most Inspirational Moment

There really were some many but favourite moment was watching the cows in Viscri return home to their individual gates.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent!!! Funny, enthusiastic, informative and kind.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We didn’t take coats but needed them.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the sun rise at the start of our big trek and finishing the trek later in the day.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Andre clearly loves his “job” and his island and was very knowledgable on its fauna. He had a sense of humour that we enjoyed.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Most of the walks involved a considerable amount of climbing up steps and hills and coming down them so was hard on your knees and it often got the heart pumping as well. The walk on the last day did involve 90 minutes of a steep climb up a hill and many steps, which was tough, before a long easy walk along the levada.

Most Inspirational Moment

The city of Dubrovnik is a very special place to visit...probably the largest occupied old walled city that I have seen. I spent 4 days there before the hike began. The Krka Waterfalls were very special...and could be viewed from various walkways with historical buildings along the way. On my own, I visited Plitvice Lakes National Park which is probably the #1 natural attraction, but would probably add an additional day on to the tour.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our guide, Zelko Zarak (sp?), was very good. Not only did he know the hiking trails very well, but he also had a wealth of information about all the areas we were visiting. He provided information on the numerous changes that have taken place since Yugoslavia was abolished and the creation of several independent republics and the resultant conflicts. Hi kept a close watch over his (sheep) so they would not get lost. He also provided me with several good suggestions as to what to see after the tour was over. Thoughtful, considerate, and helpful.

Advice for Potential Travellers

- The weather, and time of the year, is probably the most important. Of course, you can prepare for the very cold, rainy, or very hot weather...I've found that just after the very beginning of September the crowds are smaller and the weather can be ideal. -Consider the Covid restrictions. Not only where you are going, but also returning home. While I had made airline reservations for one month in the Balkans departing from the US, and was planning to spend about 9 days in Bulgaria, I discovered a few days before departure that Bulgaria was not allowing visitors from the US. So, I had to make plans on my own as to where to go and what to see/do. When I went to Ljubljana airport for my departure, I discovered that I needed a test...even though I had been vaccinated. Fortunately, the lady from Lufthansa Airline helped me to get the test and make it to my flight.