Reviews

Cycling, wine tasting & penguins!

A great trip overall, good mixture of cycling, wine tasting, wildlife & lovely scenery.

An unbeatable wildlife photographic experience .......................

I had done the same trip once before when I barely knew how to use my camera. Six years on I felt I could fare much better and I wanted to put myself to the test. This wildlife safari gave me every opportunity I needed to exercise my skills. Fantastic wildlife viewing under the tutelage of an internationally renown expert in a wonderful environment.

Coastal Secrets Costa Rica

I totally recommend this trip to experience the beautiful diversity of Costa Rica. We had a trip of a lifetime. Great trips, accommodation, food and a tour of a beautiful country full of wonderful wildlife and birds and friendly people. I would love to return on day.

Trails of Vietnam 20th January 2018

Just returned from this trip The Trails of Vietnam and we have had the time of our lives. It’s the first time as a couple we have attended a group holiday and we were a little nervous about how we would mix with the 12 other participants. We need not worry as our group were all of a similar age group (50 plus) and we all got on very well indeed. The group leader was called Thanh Vo although he preferred to be called ‘Ten’. Ten was a absolute legend and made the whole trip so enjoyable and he was professional and knowledgable throughout.
The balance of activities is perfect and the organisation was impeccable. We stayed in homestays with families in the Vietnam countryside and in some rather nice hotels in the towns and cities. What struck me is we never had to spend time waiting for anything. When we’d arrive at a hotel we didn’t have to all queue to check in. Instead we would immediately be given our room keys and sometimes our bags would already be waiting for us in our rooms. There are times when you need to pack for just 2 nights and leave your big suitcases at the hotel so take a rucksack too. The whole transportation of our baggage was very well organised throughout.
The overnight train is also great fun and its surprising how well we all slept on this journey. In some of the home-stays you are all in the same room (although you do have privacy) and the odd snorer in the group may keep you awake so take some earplugs!
The cycling was a reasonable length of time but do take gel cycling shorts to prevent a sore bottom. There is absolutely NO need to take a saddle or helmet as the equipment provided is of a high quality.
The walks/hikes were not too taxing and were very scenic and done at a leisurely pace.
There are plentiful times to do shopping to buy ‘original copies’ shirts/bags/trainers etc.
The bus journeys are done a very comfortable bus with plenty of room and WiFi onboard with suitably spaced out refreshment/toilets stops. We chose to relax and conserve our energy on the bus journeys and they were also some of the funniest parts of the trip too.
This really is a wonderful holiday experience. Go for it!

SNOWSHOEING IN THE CATALAN PYRENEES

HOLIDAY REVIEW CATALONIAN PYRENEES
Dates 21/1/18 to 28/1/18
Leader: Miguel Ibanez
We stayed in two towns in the Catalan mountains called Rialp and Esterri d’Aneu. They were surrounded by wonderful snow covered peaks. The towns were in deep, wooded, rocky valleys with high cliffs and fast flowing rivers. The scenery was wild, rugged and beautiful. Ancient villages perched on the steep slopes of the surrounding mountains. It was a pleasure to explore their old narrow streets. Vultures were often flying above when the wind blew, or sunshine caused rising air currents for them to soar on, without flapping their wings. I saw up to 14 flying together in circles in one group. I also saw 7 herons fishing together early in the morning on a lake in the main valley. There were also two red kites flying together. These have been supplied to the Chiltern hills in Britain, north west of London, where they are now flourishing and spreading in territory.
Our snowshoes allowed us to quickly gain height through the forest and reach view points higher up to see the wider landscape. The new snow in the forest made beautiful patterns on the branches of the trees.
Hotel Victor in Rialp provided delicious food and was kept spotlessly clean. Our hotel in Esterri d’Aneu was spacious and provided beautiful views of the surrounding snow covered mountains from the big windows on the top floor. The food was excellent.
Leader Miguel was a very friendly and helpful person, who was very eager to make the holiday go well, and provide any help when needed. He provided a wealth of information about the history of the area, and arranged very enjoyable wine and cheese tasting sessions.
Our bus driver Mario drove very carefully on the difficult mountain roads, with professional skill, which was much admired.
We flew back over the Pyrenees in very clear air and saw the great mountain range covered in snow, laid out below us, stretching away into the distance for hundreds of kilometres. It was a wonderful sight and a great end to a wonderful holiday.
Andrew Grun

Discover Costa Rica

Very varied trip with good range of experiences despite poor weather at the start. Great accommodation though the breakfast at Arenal Montechairi was poor.

An absolutely fabulous trip

I had a fantastic time on this trip. The boat crew is great. Whether it’s serving your meal, helping you on and off the boat, or taking your hand in the water to show you whatever’s been spotted, every member takes their role very seriously and strives to ensure that they give you the best experience possible.

The ship’s captain accompanied me on a dive and filmed it on his own camera. He then presented me with the disk on the last day, which was so thoughtful and unexpected.

The amount of fish, sharks, mammals etc to see is vast and the colours are amazing. I swam with a whale shark called Fernando, who is 22ft. I also saw huge manta rays and lots of sharks.

The ideal introduction to a stunning, varied and fascinating country

The pace of this tour was perfect and attracted a delightfully varied range of people and ages from 30’s to 70’s. We had at least 2 nights in each place, the only early start was 8.15 and there was enough time factored in to relax / explore on our own. Yet we saw and packed so MUCH into the 12 days. It really felt like a holiday, as well as an adventure, and I will always go for the ‘leisurely’ trips from now on.

Snow shoe walking in the Catalan Pyrenees

I really enjoyed my holiday: I have never been away in the snow before – choosing to go south for better weather – and was pleasantly surprised at how much the environment drew me in. I can’t highlight enough the beauty of the area. We had a few days of quite warm weather with some snow and then the last two days, after heavy snow fall, were just magical: the sound and silence of the snow was mesmerising and I will never forget it. Our group leader, Miguel, inspired confidence and was attentive to all our disparate needs. The first hotel (Victor) was really lovely (great food and hospitality); the second was not so good, but this was found at the last minute after our scheduled hotel had a fire.

Overall a great week from which I returned calm and rejuvenated.

Costa Rica Coastal Secrets

This is a fabulous tour which I highly recommend to anyone. It takes you across Costa Rica from the Caribbean to Pacific Coasts, experiencing a wide variety of scenery and habitats, from humid rain forests and lowlands to cool cloud forests. Our tour was well organised with an excellent tour leader and driver. Everything went exactly to plan! You stay for two or three nights in most places, so there is time to appreciate things and not feel too rushed. Travel in the small bus was comfortable, apart from a few short sections of bumpy roads, which is all part of the experience! Walks are easy and taken at a comfortable pace.