Reviews

Fantastic way to see Nepal

Booked this as wanted to see Nepal without roughing it. Far exceeded my expectations. A great taster of several regions, the culture, fabulous scenery and wildlife of this incredible country. It may not be heavy trekking, but you still need to have a good fitness level for all the uneven steps and relentless ups and downs. It is pretty full on if you make use of the optional trips in free time, but there is so much to see. Kathmandhu is pretty much as you imagine, and as little time spent there as possible is probably a good plan, it was the least impressive hotel, dirty, crowded and polluted, but still has areas of culture and history worth a look. When the new airport in Pokhara opens, that might mean you can fly there which would reduce the long and ‘exciting’ road trip. Pokhara was a much nicer place all round and could have spent longer there. Chitwans wildlife was also amazing, we just skimmed the surface on this trip, could have easily spent longer there. The lodges are of a great standard, although unheated, so you need to dress accordingly. The food was far better than I anticipated, and with happy hour, I failed to lose weight or detox on this trip! The trekking was mainly off the main paths and as it was end of season, we saw very few other tourists either on the paths or in the lodges. It was only a group of 7 and felt like a very personal trip.

Superb trip

This trip was so much more than expected. Our guide, Suresh, and his team were superb, seamlessly organising every aspect of our trip – snacks, luggage into hotels, tyre changes and even a shelter to get changed under when the rain became too torrential to cycle in! His knowledge and love for his country and the extra events he organised (e.g. dinner ‘al fresco’) combined with his great sense of humour made this a trip we will never forget – definitely an amazing way to experience the scenery and local life of this beautiful country. Other than one hotel, where we had no running water (this could have been due to the torrential rain), a mattress on a concrete slab and insects galore, the majority of hotels were good and some were very good. The cycling for me (a regular but non club cyclist) was tough in places but generally manageable other than the long uphill ride to Nuwara Eliya where I managed to cycle to the lunch stop. My advice to anyone in the same situation would be to take the train – it would give you the advantage of having the afternoon in the hotel and time to see the surrounding area, rather than travelling in the support vehicle. All in all, an experience not to be missed!

Patagonia Delight

Full-on trip taking in Buenos Aires and both the Chilean and Argentinian regions of Patagonia. We had an outstanding tour leader, Pepe, whose enthusiasm, organisation skills, high energy and can-do attitude made for a tiring but memorable trip. Walking in the Chilean Torres del Paine was particularly memorable as was visiting the penguins near Ushuaia in their natural habitat on the Isla Martillo (well worth the additional cost to do this excursion). The weather was very kind to us throughout and we were granted glorious views of both the Chilean and Argentinian peaks on our full-day walks. Even in the early summer at the start of December Ushuaia was cool and windy – you’ve been warned! Don’t hesitate to go now as Patagonia is becoming increasingly popular and despite its vastness a lot of land is privately owned and not easily accessible to walkers. The walks you can do such as Fitzroy and Torres del Paine can therefore appear surprisingly busy considering how remote they are.

Patagonia

Enjoyable trip.
Guide was excellent.
Hotels were variable.
Food was variable

Great walking on a beautiful volcanic island

We did a variety of walks on the island through temperate rainforest, across coastal gorges, up in the high caldera ridge and through the caldera itself. The scenery was beautiful with amazing geology from volcanic activity. Our tour guide was very good and let everybody in the group find their own pace. The sunshine and light during December was a real bonus.

Fascinating trip to South America

Overnight flight to Buenos Aires business class with KLM. All six of us were up for cycle trip around city centre that day – we stayed in Own Recoleta and met the group[16] the next day for a walking trip! Great group all equipped and ready for walking. Early morning flight to El Calafate and the Torres had a 15 kg weight restriction so left luggage at Own Recoleta. Hotel at El Calafate was very comfortable with lovely staff. First day was a gentle walk around the Perrito Moreno Glacier- we had bright sunshine and did the boat trip so we got close to the edge. We left another bag at El Calafate Hotel an early start by bus to the Torres to do the W Trek. Stay in Refugios commenced- three over the week and six of us shared rooms with bunk beds. Showers were variable – some cold- some very busy. At start we were each given a gift of note book pen and Travel towel!Great walking quite an effort at times but we completed it all. We had two guides for Torres plus Pepe our own tour guide which gave flexibility if some of the group needed to do less. Return by catamaran and bus back to El Calafate. There was time here to get washing done – very cheap at hotel – there was a day off – we walked around bird reserve and El Calafate. Travelled by bus to El Chalten. Unfortunately it was raining on first day so trip to Mount Fitzroy was changed to a less challenging walk. Again group had two guides plus Pepe. Hotel in El Chalten had seen better days – water leaked into lounge.Weather improved the next day so successful walking up to another look out and glacier. Flight back to Buenos Aires meant we had another afternoon and evening there. Staying again in Own Recoleta which we appreciated more the second time around. We arranged to do the Iguazu Falls at end. A great hotel with a lovely pool and would fully recommend doing the boat trip at the falls – good to have the refreshing shower! Temperature went up to 30degrees.

A week in Jordan ........ if Carlsberg made a week anywhere ..this would be it!

I knew all about Petra before travelling but Jordan is about so much more than that as I discovered. A fantastic week with history, culture, food and experiences that I will never forget. People queried how safe Jordan was before I left for the trip and I can honestly say I haven’t felt safer on any trip I’ve been on before. The people were the kindest, friendliest and most open people you could hope to meet. The trip can be as active as you want with plenty of free time in Petra to trek around or just take it easy. Our guide Ibrahim was a brilliant leader who typified the hospitality of Jordan and spoke knowledgeably about history and culture. I would happily return again!

amazing

A truly stunning tour of an amazing country.

Beautiful Namibia

Just back from a wonderful trip to Namibia. There was 10 people on the group. We travelled on a truck through this amazing country. Our guides Ronnie and Chef Rueben where amazing. They were so professional and efficient,they actually made the holiday. Long drive days but these were made easier by Ronnie the driver’s flexibility. Loo stops and photo stops where never a problem. Fantastic hosts and Reuben is an amazing chef. Thank you….i put on 3 3lbs last 2 weeks haha.

Life-changing!

I had not been on holiday for over a decade before I embarked on this trip, so suffice to say I had high expectations! Costa Rica had been on my list ever since a colleague visited the country two years ago, and it was well worth the wait. We were fortunate enough to only have eight travellers, which meant that our guide, Jonathan, had ample time to answer all of our questions.

If you are looking for a holiday which will give you eight hours of sleep a night then this trip is not for you. We were up for breakfast before 8am every day and despite there being several optional extra activities listed on the trip notes, we didn’t have time to do any of them as we were constantly on the go! I felt as though I was away for six months or more, and I enjoyed moving to a new area of the country every few days. Each hotel we stayed at had a different style suited to the area of the country we were in – rainforest lodge, spa resort, mountain hotel, ranch, beach hotel. The food was wonderful – all breakfasts are included and on the days when our lunch and/or dinner weren’t included, we never felt hungry.