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★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Excellent hiking and beautiful island

Walking Undiscovered Tenerife and Pico Teide

We had a fantastic trip. Every walk was different and each was planned with care to show us the huge wealth and variety of landscape and vegetation in the different regions of Tenerife. Cao is an excellent guide. He is enthusiastic and passionate about sharing his island with visitors and his skill leading the group and planning the walks was much appreciated. His choice of accommodation was also very good and gave us yet more variety during the week - all good! We enjoyed meeting like-minded hi kers and had lots of fun together during the week. I would thoroughly recommend the trip.

By Ruth from CHELTENHAM | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

A wonderful holiday in a remote part of Nepal

Hidden Valleys of Naar and Phu

If you like to get into remote Nepal then this is the trek for you. Ok, there are two days up the Annapurna circuit as far as Koto then the crowds (and jeeps and motorbikes) disappear and you are in remote valleys and immense gorges, then as you gain height you get to the amazing villages of Phu and Naar. After a cold night camping at around 4500m you cross Kang La at 5320m before descending to the Annapurna circuit at Ngawal. Our leader Dinesh was superb as were the support team with Pream (ass istant leader and a great chef) and the six porters. The lodges were of good quality, some with hot showers and we were frequently the only group in the lodge. I particularly liked getting away from the crowds and the privilege of visiting the villages of Naar and Phu which have hardly changed in centuries.

By David from Jersey | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

What an adventure!

Trek Madagascar, The Land of the Lemur

I signed up for this trek wanting an adventure and excitement. It certainly delivered on both fronts! The scenery was truly varied, from the sandstone cliffs of Isalo, to the granite outcrops of Andrigitra to the ralnforests of Ranomafana and Andasibe. The drive days in between the different national parks gave the opportunity to see the rural areas and aspects of the everyday lives of the Malagasy people - sapphire mining, washing laundry in the rivers, growing rice and herding zebu. All really interesting and a great way to see the 'real' Madagascar which has a lot of corruption and poverty. The infrastructure of Madagascar is very poor, so that added to the four-wheel drive experiences when it came to crossing bridges and negotiating potholes. Hats off to our drivers and guides who got us safely across bridges with many missing planks! There were so many highlights on this holiday. We saw a stunning sunrise from the top of Peak Boby, an incredible number of different species of lemur, fantastic three course evening meals when camping, a great party with our porters and guides... The list could go on. Our main guide Niry was excellent, supportive, encouraging and knowledgeable. The guides we had in the different national parks made the effort to point out insects, chameleons and plants that we would otherwise have missed, and many of these are truly weird and only to be found in Madagascar. Initially looking for lemurs in Andasibe seemed like a wild goose chase, but then we would rush through the forest with our guide, only to spot an enormous number of different lemurs. Wow! My only recommendation for future participants is to do plenty of hill walking in preparation. I cannot recommend this trip highly enough.

By Julia from Bristol | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★ ★

Fantastic off the beaten track holiday

Secret Trails of the Tribal Heartland

We went on a KE hiking trip in Vietnam. Overall the holiday was fantastic. We felt like we got properly off the beaten track, saw some absolutely stunning places and met some interesting people. The trip advertised the opportunity to stay with local hill tribes. A couple of the homestays were more commercialised than we were expecting (more like staying in a BnB than in someone's home), but others felt very authentic, like we were genuinely sharing the home of the tribespeople. The food was slightly lacking in variety, especially for vegetarians (it was rice, omelette, tofu and green vegetables for most meals), but what there was was very tasty, and it was much better quality than my husband and I were expecting for vegetarians. Our main complaint is that there was far too much of it! The bus that we were in for all of our transport was comfortable and our driver Dac was excellent, coping seemingly effortlessly with some very challenging driving conditions and always smiling. There were some long drives, but these were mostly very scenic, and our tour leader Thanh kept us entertained along the way with lots of information. Thanh was a fantastic tour leader. He was always cheerful and enthusiastic, very knowledgeable about various aspects of the country, and made what must have been a lot of logistical work and organisation look easy. He interacted very well with the group, learning all our names straight away, showing a personal interest in us, and showing caring e.g. offering to carry things for me when I wasn't feeling well. His English was excellent, he was perfectly easy to understand. The only thing he was bad at was telling jokes - they were all terrible! But they made us laugh nonetheless. We enjoyed the format of several days of hiking followed by some more luxurious rest and relaxation at the end of the trip. The hiking was quite varied and not too challenging. We arrived a day before the trip so were fairly well rested when the trip started, but for people who arrived on the group flight I think it was a little too much to go straight into the holiday with a walking tour of Hanoi; they really needed to check in and rest a bit before an activity. Our main complaint about the trip is that there were a lot of errors in the itinerary we were given prior to the trip (even in the latest version). Several hike distances and driving times were wrong, and we didn't do several of the things mentioned on the itinerary. Some of the other pre-trip information we were given was also innaccurate - bedding was provided at all the homestays so we didn't need sleeping bags, so had these taking up a lot of room in our luggage unnecessarily. We also didn't need water purification tablets as we were provided with bottled water all the time, so wasted money buying these. Overall though we really enjoyed the trip and would recommend it; the pre-trip information just needs editing to reflect reality.

By Elizabeth from Bishopton | 12 December 2023

KE Adventure reply

Thank you for your review Elizabeth. We're pleased to read you had a fantastic trip and glad we got you off the beaten path. We will be reviewing our information in the light of what you have told us. However, we don't approve of using water bottled in single-use plastic containers, which is why we include water purification on our equipment lists.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

A fantastic trek in Nepal!

Annapurna Sanctuary and Poon Hill Trek

We had a brilliant time trekking to Annapurna base camp in October 2023. 10 days of beautiful scenery and lots of walking (tough at times - my poles were essential!). Great support from our brilliant leader & team and our fantastic porters. A holiday of a lifetime!

By Judith from Scottish Borders | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Wonderful trek in sight of Everest

Everest Yeti Trail Luxury Lodge Trek

We had to wait 3 years to do this trek, but it was worth the wait! The scenery was stunning, the lodges comfortable and our guides were helpful, caring and knowledgeable. We think the trek is correctly labelled as level 5, there were 3 hard days but all doable with a reasonable level of fitness, and the days in between were great to acclimatise. The highlight was definitely making it to Konde where the views of Everest were amazing, a very special place and having breakfast outside at 4250 metre s will never be forgotten! The other special thing about this trek was that after you have left Namche you have the trail virtually to yourself, the terrain is also varied, always something to look at. Our only advice is to have warm clothes and thermals for the lodges, they were very comfortable, clean and served lovely food, but apart from the communal areas they are unheated, though you do have electric blankets or a hot water bottle! This was a great trek, worth the money so go for it!

By Amanda from Brampton | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

A wonderful week of walking.

Walking Undiscovered Tenerife and Pico Teide

This was a quickly arranged replacement for a Lebanese Mountain Trails trip and it certainly didn't disappoint. Each days walk was well planned to provide variety of both terrain and flora showcasing the best of Tenerife. Cao proved an excellent guide and host and has great enthusiasm in sharing his local knowledge. La Laguna proved a great location for a relaxing free day in this World Heritage site. Accommodation was excellent and well placed throughout the trip.

By John from Lincoln | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Monuments and Mountains - couldn’t ask for more

Choquequirao to Machu Picchu

So glad we picked this route to walk to Machu Picchu. To have the trail to ourselves and camp in spectacular campsites and only see fellow travellers as we got near Machu Picchu was fantastic and meant we could walk at our own pace and enjoy the route and sights to ourselves. The terraces and constructions of the Incas are truly awe inspiring….and finally Machu Picchu…what can I say! Thanks indeed to Rolando (guide) who did a fantastic job keeping us happy, informed and laughing all the way. The support staff were phenomenal…the best vegetarian food I have ever had on a trek and the lads didn’t stop working making the whole trek run smoothly. And, as an animal lover, it was lovely to see the mules looked after so well. Ponchos are THOROUGHLY recommended!!!!

By Susan from Lydney | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Madeira is just beautiful!

Self-Guided Walking on Madeira

We undertook the self-guided Madeira walking holiday in November 2023, and fell in love with the island. The self-guided walking is straightforward: - None of the walks are difficult. They’re on good surfaces, and whilst the detailed route notes talk about a need for sure footedness and a head for heights in places (eg the walk from Boco do Risca to Porto da Cruz), there’s arguably an over-abundance of caution being exhibited. My wife doesn’t have a good head for heights, and at no time on any of the walks did she feel apprehensive. She too thought the detailed route notes over-egged the warnings in this respect. - The GUIBO app access provided for this trip for navigation is brilliant. I’ve used OutdoorActive on previous KE self-guided trips, and whilst you can use it for this Madeira trip (KE provide the GPX files), I’d say the GUIBO app is better for this particular holiday. I never once needed to resort to the route notes or paper maps. - Transfers and luggage transfers never missed a beat. - The long descent into Calheta can be skipped, if desired. It’s a long stretch of very steep asphalt that some may find hard going on their knees. However, if you are happy doing it, I’d recommend it, as the views are fabulous (don’t be put off by the fact it’s on asphalt), and it means a more fulfilling end to the walk. - The day from Calheta to Funchal is quite a long walk if you do the full thing, at around 25km. The basic walk is 12km or so, and if you want, it can end there, at a fabulous view point. However, if you’re up for it, I’d recommend carrying on with the optional extension and walking-in all the way to your hotel in Funchal. It’s a lovely walk, and a very satisfying way to finish. - The scenery on the walks is fantastic. - The day’s walk on the Paul da Serra plateau is harder than it sounds on paper / in the app. There’s no big ascents or descents, but it’s on “rolling trails” all the way, making it surprisingly leg-sapping. The first hotel of the trip (Hotel Costa Linda) in Porto da Cruz was lovely, clean and basic. “Basic” isn’t a criticism - it’s actually perfectly in keeping with the quiet and small nature of Porto da Cruz. The hotels then get even better and better! The Calamar at Sao Vicente was lovely. Fabulous little spa and great sauna (just make sure to turn it on plenty of time before you use it … you can set it to be incredibly hot!). Tip - we were booked into a “mountain view” room. For a €5 upgrade, we got a sea view room - well worth it! The hotel at Porto Moniz (Aqua Natura Bay) is better still, and then the hotel at Calheta (Hotel Savoy Saccharum Resort & Spa) is just absolutely superb! (We paid a €30 upgrade to get a sea view room, on a high floor, and it was well worth it). For us, the hotel in Funchal was a bit of a disappointment, but that’s just us - for us, it wasn’t as good as all the other hotels on the trip. Good food and good coffee matter to us when on a walking holiday, so special mention goes to: - Bar a Pipa in Porto da Cruz - best coffee on the whole trip, even though the coffee in Madeira was pretty universally excellent; - Pasteleria Terenzinha in Porto da Cruz - great cake shop and good coffee; - Padaria do Calhou in Sao Vicente - fabulous cakes; - Conchinha in Porto Moniz - fabulous little cafe / restaurant. A lovely self-guided walking holiday - nice mixture of walking, beautiful scenery and great food and drink. Probably the self-guided walking trip we’ve enjoyed the most, so far.

By Adrian from Leeds | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

A challenging climb rewarded with incredible views of the majestic Himalayas

Mera Peak

I'll start this review by clarifying the Kathmandu to Phaplu flight rarely runs as the airport struggles to cope with International flights let alone domestic flights. Therefore, on the first morning you have to get up at 1am to embark on a 5 hour bus journey to Ramechapp airport. If you manage not to throw up on this journey - you're dong well ! After experiencing the chaos of both Ramechapp and Lukla airports, the first week of this trek is spent hiking up and down through the peacef ul, forested foothills of the Himalayas. Daytime temperatures are nice and warm so shorts are ideal (Ladies - wearing shorts is not a cultural problem at all). Teahouses in the lower regions offer showers, wifi and electric sockets for a reasonable fee. Enjoy this while you can, because as you gain in altitude, you'll find these little luxuries become more expensive and even unavailable in the more remote lodges. As you enter the second week of the trek, you enter the morraine of the Hinku Valley and start to experience the vastness and beauty of the true Himalaya - the scale of these huge mountains has to be seen to be truly appreciated. Temperatures begin to drop, you start to feel the altitude and you can only dream of hot soapy bubble bath! Suddenly you're in Khare, experiencing the last teahouse on the trek before camping. You feel you've landed in the lap of luxury with free sockets in your room, a large sunroom to relax in and great food. From here, it gets serious. You ascend easily and swiftly to basecamp which is a very pleasant and civilised experience. The following day, the big boots and crampons go on and you ascend the very steep snowy slopes up to camp 2 which is hard work, but the scenery is amazing. Camp 2 is literally perched on a cliff edge but there is a functioning kitchen built into the rocks and questionable toilet facilities which are pretty dire. Ascent to the summit commences at 2am in the morning. We split into 3 groups/3 ropes. It's a hard 4-5 hour slog to the top, but the 360 views are fabulous and your exhaustion is soon forgotten. After having descended back down to the Hinku Valley, you have 2 very long days hiking up and over the Zatrwa La pass followed by a 6000ft steep descent back to Lukla which is a killer on the knees! Arriving back to the Aloft Hotel in Kathmandu is likened to coming out of 'I'm a Celebrity, Get me out of Here'! Sitting on a toilet, turning on a tap, taking a shower and sleeping in a comfy bed seems an absolute novelty. After a few G&Ts in the bar you can reflect on the amazing ascent of Mera Peak which really is a fantastic mountain to climb. It's certainly left me with memories I'll never forgot. We had 3 superb guides who had all summited Everest multiple times. They made us feel safe, ensured we were fed, watered and comfortable at all times and couldn't do enough to make us feel at ease. If you are a fit fell walker with a gritty determination, you'll love this trek. It's hard work, but rewarding. Book it !

By Zoe from Halifax | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Not for the fainthearted but hugely rewarding!

Dolpo to Mugu Reconnaissance Trek

Not for the fainthearted. This was the most challenging and toughest trek I have ever done. Given its remoteness and routing (including the high passes to be crossed), the envisaged itinerary can be varied at short notice due to changing conditions and weather at short notice. In 2023 we successfully concluded the trek but had to vary rest days and on one occasion when the envisaged camp was not viable had to undertake two originally planned trekking days in one day! However, the rewards are spe ctacular in every respect. Highly recommended if you don’t mind surprises and are prepared to be severely challenged. Excellent support (again in every respect) from the first class guide / support team (lead by Bihm Tamang) with a special mention for the fellow guides, cooks, porters and mules!

By Stephen from Harrogate | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★ ★

A great trip with varied landscapes

Kangchenjunga Trek

This was my 5th trip to Nepal and it provided a different experience than the others, the area is a lot less busy than the Everest and Annapurna regions, which for me was a bonus. You start trekking at a relatively low altitude, through villages and around paddy fields before you descend into the forest, past rhododendrons and bamboo before emerging in a more alpine setting with high mountains and glaciers. Some of the early days are being affected by road building but they are not busy and I do n't think it detracts too much from the setting. Make no mistake this trek is quite hard, the paths are very steep, fairly narrow, rocky, gravelly and muddy. There are some relatively long days with significant amounts of ascent and descent (up to 1400m), some of which are at over 4000m in altitude. You need to be confident in descending and sure of how your body works at altitude to truly enjoy this trip. It was also very cold (-10 at night) at the top camps so be prepared! Our guide, Prem, and his team were fantastic throughout and a special mention should be made of the kitchen crew who managed to provide a great variety of food throughout the trek, there was no need to go hungry. We didn't entirely follow the trip notes, for perfectly valid reasons and the trip was no worse for it, so be prepared to be adaptable, it is adventure travel after all.

By Sandra from Chipping Norton | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Spectacular and challenging cycling experience

Bike Jordan Dead 2 Red

Fabulous trip. Go prepared - cycling fit for all terrains, tough climbs & descents. Ensure you pack on & off bike clothing for all weathers. We had cold temperatures, strong winds & rain overnight for the first couple of days. Even if the day is sunny it can be cold in the evenings & first thing in the morning. A 2-3 season sleeping bag rather than just a sheet sleeping bag and a “down jacket” isn’t a bad idea. We took the opportunity to sleep under the star s in the Wadi Rum desert. That said our guide, ex pro & Olympic cyclist, Anas was fantastic. As per other reviews he was always there to support, encourage, inform or tell a story. His support crew were lovely and helped to really make the trip. Petra was amazing & quiet due to Middle Eastern events. Take comfortable walking shoes for a full day of exploration. We extended a day at the beginning in Madaba with interesting churches, mosaics & ruins. Our Aqaba extension allowed us to wind down, snorkel in the Red Sea & save on weekend flight prices ! The hotel & beach complex was very nice but deserted. A complementary afternoon bus into Aqaba, several kms away, was available. Do it, book now !

By Timothy from Cheltenham | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★

Came back with a "its been good" not a wow!!

Backwaters and Beaches of Kerala Cycle Tour

The trip was an amazing experience, as it should have been, seeing and living Kerala and being immersed in Keralan ways of life. The cycling was far tougher than described - the first few days were in the mountains with many steep hill climbs in 32+ high humidity conditions, better towards the end of the week cycling along costal paths. Hotels were bearable to poor, homestays very good. The guide was overall excellent, and the support team excellent. More detailed daily briefings would have made a positive difference, many uncertainties questioned during the day, not sure the planned agenda was wholly accurate. My partner and I went out a week early to explore, and having sought help from KE, felt somewhat dismissed, citing no responsibility for our actions, and linked us through to Active India, who equally were of little help. Review requests came three days before we arrived home, considering KE booked the flights I would have expected some human intervention! Written review forms bearing KE logos were strictly requested by our guide on the final day. A good adventure, not sure I would use KE again

By Philip from Sowerby Bridge | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★ ★

Beautiful but What I wish I knew

Annapurna Sanctuary and Poon Hill Trek

It's a beautiful, remote area. My expectations were off and it would have been better if I understood these facts. 1) flights can be booted & are unpredictable. I wanted to spend the first 1/2 day in Pokhara but didn't arrive til dark. 2) The first morning and the last 4 hours of the trek are hiking on a dusty road with car/bus traffic. Kudos to KE for arranging a way for us to jeep instead of walk the last day, so we could see Pokhara! 3) This trek is thousands of stone steps, maybe 80%. I should have researched. 4) Super common to get a cough/respiratory issues trekking. You share a room with 1-4 others. So chances are, someone will be coughing in the night. Another woman and I were coughing most nights and had poor sleep. 5) The sanctuary has no animals, and thus is mostly vegetarian. If you're looking for a Nepal trek with only a few nights at elevation, this is very pretty and not too strenuous. I preferred other treks (Kili & Patagonia) to this in terms of beauty. But Nepalese are warm and the Himalayas are the biggest.

By Victor from Bellevue | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Stunning challenging trek in remote part of Himalayas

Kangchenjunga Trek

This was an outstanding experience. I have been on several KE treks in the Himalayas and this one was in many ways very different. The variety of landscapes encountered from jungle to 8000m mountain scenery was breathtaking (both in a scenic and literal sense!) and this was enhanced by the scarcity of other trekkers. As has been said the walking is challenging and you soon realise the concept of a Himalayan flat simply means the gradients might be slightly less severe! It did become very cold at the higher camps with sub zero temperatures inside the tents and you need to be prepared for that. The support crew, kitchen staff etc can not be praised highly enough….we were treated with incredible generosity by everyone. The leader, Prem, who previously led the Mera Peak trek I was on, is one of life’s great people and my heartfelt thanks go to him. There were undoubtedly (serious) issues with the lengthy and uncomfortable jeep transfers but KE have made it clear these are being addressed. This is probably not suitable for a first trek to the Himalayas but subject to that I would unreservedly recommend this as a wonderful opportunity to explore a beautiful quiet part of the Himalayas and enjoy unmatched walking/exploration in some of the world’s greatest mountain scenery.

By John from Hawick | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Amazing trip

Cape Town to Victoria Falls Lodge Safari

An amazing trip, an adventure, 4 very interesting countries, well organised by local partner, a lot of travelling, 3500 miles in 3 weeks, early starts, long days, a small group (max 12) who all got along very well, lots of wildlife, varied types and grades of accommodation, mostly good / excellent, a lovely day spent on a river cruise, a relaxing ride in a mokoro canoe, we had two excellent guides Tawanda and S'fiso, both very informative and knowledgeable about the trip, the wildlife, the people and the countries, good cooks, S'Fiso was a careful safe driver, we had good weather on my trip, varied sights and scenes throughout the three weeks, I would agree with the other reviews and comments in 2023 about this trip, recommended.

By Simon from Washington | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Excellent Trek

Annapurna Sanctuary and Poon Hill Trek

Completed this Trek on 25.11.23 and as usual with KE, Logistics, Guides etc were excelent. Everything worked well and was as described in the trip notes. A few points I would offer to others, when trying to make comparisons between treks.
- Scenery on the ABC/ Poon Hill Trek is hugely varied and has numerous highlights, Unlike some other Nepal treks I have undertaken, there were no days of hard slog through dense jungle or similar, in order to get to the more dramatic locations. Even the last day ( which involved some road walking ) was hugely enjoyable.
- The walking is challenging but never overly demanding. Yes, there are a lot of steps ( this is an Annapurna Trek ) and they need to be properly prepared for. The relatively low max altitude ( c 4100 ) means there is less stress around altitude factors and side effects, and that makes for a more relaxed trek.
- The trail is busy. There are a lot of co trekkers and that in turn has advantages and disadvantages. On the upside, there are plenty of lodges for Tea / Coffee stops and the lodges themselves have, in the main, very good facilities. On the downside, there are accommodation pinchpoints, particularly at Himalaya and ABC. On our trek ( Nov, so peak time ) that meant five men sharing a room on two nights, and three of us sharing on two other nights. KE warn of this and its all doable, but its cramped and there are obvious privacy issues. ( The same occurred for women in our group )
- Tied in with the above, I saw far less wildlife on this trek than others I have been on. Time of year is a factor ( especially for birds ) but number of trekkers is an obvious factor.
- Trek has the huge advantage of flying in and out of Pokhara ( which is still a lovely location ) so no long, tortuous jeep / bus rides. Again KE warn of amendments to flight times in and out of Pokhara ( and our flight in was changed significantly )
- Trail itself is very well maintained and safe, and we came across none of the areas of landslide which sometimes pop up and create concern for those of us with balance issues.
Above are a few subjective reflections. I would recomment the trek, for the consistent variety, quality of scenery and drama of the Annapurna Sanctuary area.