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97% of our customers rated their holiday Good or Excellent

2133 Total Reviews

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★ ★ ★ ★ ★

A 5 star holiday all round: a great break and I really didn't want to come home

Walking Lanzarote - The Island of Eternal Spring

We walked the island from south to north and had a day on the island of La Graciosa. Each day's walk was very satisfying - I'd expected easier walking such as on the Gozo holiday but these walks took up the day and were at a good pace. The guide Andreas was excellent - very organised, very good company and knowledgeable about the island - geology and biology. The food was great - the picnic every day varied and balanced and the restaurants he'd chosen for evenings were of high qua lity. He, the group I was with and the island made this a very enjoyable holiday.

By Gwen from Machynlleth | 16 November 2016

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

fantastic, well organised in an untrodden part of the world

Shey Gompa and Inner Dolpo

A fantastic experience, great variety of scenery and terrain. Just when you thought it couldn't get any better it did. Apart from the fantastic scenery there are many habitations you pass through, some beautiful monasteries and Phoksundo lake, a must. Our leader, sirdar, cook and crew were all first class and the internal flights, not to be missed.

By Lynda from Prenton | 16 November 2016

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Warm white mountains, lovely!

Secret Sierras of the Costa Blanca

A three centre trip with very different accommodations from simple to elaborate, all were excellent in their way. The hiking was interesting and not too arduous for myself and wife who were both out of practice due to accident and age. Jose, our guide was great and the transport arrangements worked like clockwork. We much enjoyed the lunches and evening meals organised by Jose, especially the paella. We went on this trip partly because a previous reviewer had said it was so good she'd been twice. I can understand why!

By Anthony from Rugby | 15 November 2016

WADI RUM AND PETRA

Jordan's Wadi Rum and Petra

By Terry from Abergavenny | 15 November 2016

★ ★ ★ ★

Beautiful countries, lots of culture, but could be better organized.

Mountains and Marvels of Central Asia

In Tajikistan, the guides did not speak English (most of the time a Native Dutch-speaking Belgian had to translate the French (that one of the hiking guides spoke) to English. This caused potential problems, such as the day I asked the "English speaking guide" if there would be a stream or spring or any water that we could get on the hike during the day and was told "yes". Later when I ran out of water and asked when we would be getting to where there was water - was told &qu ot;no water anywhere". Saying that, many of us became ill - and they took wonderful care of us, which I know was difficult for them in such a remote place. So the hiking guides were good, but needed at least one actual English speaking guide for safety. The guide in Uzbekistan told - not sure what to tell you....thought he English was OK, he was not good. For example he told us that no one would take dollars anywhere and there would be no other place to change money, so we had to change all the dollars we would need for the rest of the trip the night we got into the country - and at a rate that gave him about 1/4 of the value (he made hundreds of dollars that night) when in fact most places preferred dollars and there were lots!!!! of places to change money. Soured the whole trip when we realized how badly we had been taken advantage of...... Also, that Uzbek guide knew almost nothing about the sites we went to. Would strongly suggest that a local guide be hired who knows about the history and the sites to make the most of the cultural part of this trip (like the ones we listened in on at the sites so that we would understand what we were looking at). Thus my advice - KE needs to ensure much better guides! While I understand these countries are just starting to have tourists etc. this can be better. We hired a local company in Kazakhstan and had great guides who knew a lot about the history and the sites, and the hikes AND spoke good English - so it is possible. I have been on lots of KE trips, and this one had the most inadequate guides.

By Adventure from Johnston | 14 November 2016

KE Adventure reply

Thank you for your review. Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are emerging destinations for adventure travel so things don't always run as smoothly as we would like. KE have been working hard with our local leaders to ensure they meet our usual high standard and in the past few years we have received some excellent feedback for this trip. We are sorry that the leadership offered by the Tajik guide fell below your expectation and we are putting additional resources into our local leader training for this part of the world. We understand from our agent that the Uzbek guide was trying to be of assistance to the group in arranging to exchange their dollars but we have now instructed all our guides that they are not to do this in future and should always take their groups to the bank to exchange the money themselves.

Bike tour of Cambodia October/November

Backroads of Cambodia Bike

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By Lois from Tacoma | 14 November 2016

Early Morning get together,group and our leaders.

Singalila Ridge - One of India's finest Treks

By David from NOTTINGHAM | 13 November 2016

★ ★ ★ ★

Challenging but a brilliant country with great people

The Laya Trek

First the bad news: I'm very glad that I took KE's advice and booked this trek rather than the Snowman trek. I'm nearly 60 and I found the higher altitudes harder going than before. This was just about the right length for me. Also we caught the tail end of a very rainy period with one campsite in particular being a quagmire. It felt like nothing would dry out and I wished my boots were more waterproof and I'd brought a scrubbing brush for me and my kit. The good news: It sto pped raining after 2 days after which we had snow, winds, sun, fog, everything but rain. This is a very peaceful gentle country. Kathmandhu seems mad in comparison with 20 years ago and with Bhutan, but nowhere in Bhutan felt busy. They seem thoughtful, gracious people who take Buddhism almost as seriously as they take archery. The local tour group and leadership were excellent. We just missed the (fifth) King, who was walking to Lunana over 5200m. One group member suffered from altitude and another from D&V. Maybe it was just luck, but I've learnt from previous treks to be mainly vegetarian and to be obsessive about hand sanitising and was fine. However we were told that the meat was vacuum packed in the 5 star hotel in Paro, and what little I had tasted great. I payed for the day when I packed my hat and forgot to put on suncream, so take that and lip protection. On the other hand there were very few midges and no need for repellent (in October). It was no problem changing money in the hotels, which were of good standard, but in future I would get a 30 day Nepalese visa before arriving in Kathmandhu. I did know to take photos, which meant I could ignore the machines in arrivals. If like me you arrive without a visa, take the form they've given you on the plane, pick another longer form up from behind those machines (which you use to copy your passport photo if you don't have photos) and get straight in the queue. You'll have time to complete the forms in the queue, but you will need your flight, passport and hotel details. If you wait til you've completed both forms, the queue will have grown to the extent that you might have an hour's wait. After that, you're very well looked after, both in Kathmandhu and Bhutan, and the Tiger's nest if an excellent reward after a challenging trek. My 4 (rather than 5) stars is about my relative lack of fitness, which left me trailing the fitter members of the party. That being said, the support I received from the crew was excellent.

By Andrew from HOLMFIRTH | 10 November 2016

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

A trek amongst giants !

Everest Base Camp Trek

From start to finish everything was spot on including the weather. Rajendra and his team were great and very knowledgeable, the only down side was the cleanliness of the toilets at some of the tea houses ! So well done KE ! I will be back. (if the wife lets me !!!) Glyn Kent.

By Glyn from Chorley | 10 November 2016

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Burma by bike - brilliant

Burma - The Road to Mandalay

Organisation of the trip was excellent, and made by the support team we had - our excellent cycling guide Ko and the unflappable Mr Win as our driver. Cycling is a good way to engage with Burma - people are charming, friendly, generous and welcoming, especially in the off the beaten track places reachable by bike. The experience is more immediate and intense - this is a colourful country, curious and engaged and we felt welcome pretty much everywhere we went - from a rock concert in Mandalay (no t on the itinerary but inevitable when we found that Burma's biggest band, Iron Cross, were playing in the city during our stay - our guide, mechanic and truck driver came too!) to a ruined pagoda field full of hidden treasures. Markets, temples, roadside cafes - it's a feast for the eyes and we loved it. All round a very big tick from us. Best bits? the people - the little boy who cartwheeled for joy when we stopped to have a giggle with him at a pagoda entrance, the smiles everywhere we went, the unspoilt land. Our guide - a total star. Could do better? Bikes - quality not great and all were less good than they should have been for the hire. The itinerary is a bit restrained - there should be more scope to go off the beaten track and adapt to the moment. The cycling is a bit tame - distances ok but mainly on roads. Hotels generally better than I had expected, restaurants perhaps a bit less adventurous than they could have been - we opted out of an early visit to a pasta/pizza restaurant in favour of a market café with the drivers - no English spoken but a great time had, by us at least. Ko however did a great job with food orders and adapted to our group dynamic very quickly. In two weeks you barely have a chance to scratch the surface, but cycling and taking boats helped balance that; the comfy hotel rooms were always very welcome but I was glad throughout that we were at street level, getting closer to the life of Burma and the people we met than is ever possible from a car. And it says a lot for the magic of the place that despite early fears we might be pagoda'd out in the first week, we chose to spend our free afternoons going back for more. One tip - take quick release cycling shoes if you can - barefoot visits to temples from the bike several times a day can be a right pain if your shoes are lace up. I'd go again, like a shot. Great job.

By Sally from London | 08 November 2016

Kilimanjaro via The Lemosho Route - Sept 2016.

Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route

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By James from HORNCHURCH | 08 November 2016

Levadas and peaks of Madeira images

Levada Trails and Peaks of Madeira

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By Koen from BRUSSELS | 08 November 2016

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Amazing experience

Mera Peak

Just returned from Nepal, where I climbed Mera Peak. It has been a lifelong ambition to climb a high altitude Himalayan mountain, and the trip couldn't have went better. We were met in Kathmandu by the KE representative, Dawa Sherpa; his passion and commitment to KE were obvious and the organisation in KTM was excellent from the luxury Hotel Yak and Yeti to the brilliant meals at The Old House, Kilroys and Le Sherpa. On the trek, our hospitality, the accommodation, the meals, the Sherpa tea m and the porter support were organised by Sona Dendu Sherpa, his experience and expertise made a very complex job look seamless and it was a pleasure to be in his company. Our Sherpas were Dawa, Tshering and Namgyal Sherpa, they were very experienced and their help in getting 9 of us to the summit was invaluable. Our leader/guide was Pasang Tensing Sherpa, an extremely experienced (10 times Everest summiteer) guide, his leadership, support, encouragement, advice, and his passion for Nepal and its mountains were second to none, and it's was an honour to climb with him; and I personally wouldn't have made it to the top without his help and support. The group was great, 9 of us from the UK, one from India, and one from the US, the group cameraderie made what was a tough trek into a very enjoyable and interesting experience. I should also mention the people of Nepal, everyone we met was genuinely friendly and polite and courteous. This was my first trip to Nepal and I definitely would like to return. It has been over a week now since I stood on the summit, with perfect views of Mt Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Kangchenjunga, and loads of other Himalayan Giants, but I am still on a high, and will be for a long time!

By Andrew from South Shields | 07 November 2016

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Hard work but rewarded with fantastic views of Everest

The Ultimate Everest Trek

Thanks KE - an excellent trip, great Sherpa's, great route with amazing views. Yes its hard work, yes 'simple and basic' lodges means that (!) but the effort is well rewarded. For me this was a return visit some 36 years after I first trekked to Everest Base Camp via Gokyo and the Cho La. Much has changed: more trekkers, lodges not camping and glacier melt but Nepal was and remains the world's best place to walk. Nepal needs trekkers

By Peter from Harpenden | 07 November 2016

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

A great trek. Highly recommended

Annapurna Sanctuary and Poon Hill Trek

This was an amazing trip, I would certainly recommend it. My daughter and I were very fortunate with our trekking companions; a couple from Sandbach who were the best possible company, very easy going, helpful and fun to be with. I was surprised that the trip went ahead with only the four of us and a support team of three porters, a lead guide and his two assistants. Our sirdar was a Sherpa by the name of Bala Kaji who was a superb leader, very patient, gentle, knowledgeable and extremely suppor tive. I was very grateful that Bala took the time to describe to us so many fascinating aspects of Sherpa culture and life among the mountains of Nepal. This trip was not just about the scenery and reaching Annapurna Sanctuary, we learnt so much along the way from Bala. His support team were also great company and so friendly and cheerful. If I go again, and I certainly intend to, I will make point of trying to go on a trip with Bala as the leader. This was my second trekking adventure in Nepal. Previously I went to Everest Base Camp with a different trekking company, but I am glad I chose KE on this occasion. Better value for money, they seem to care for their in-country staff better than other trekking companies and show genuine concern for the environment. Scenically, I rather thought the Everest trek was the better of the two, which of course included a memorable flight into and back from Lukla and the grandeur of the Khumbu region. But Annapurna was just great, though for me at 63 not an easy trek by any means. The lodges along the way varied in their quality; all basic, but some were cleaner than others. Personally I didn’t take to the local food, but I was alone in our group in that respect – just too fussy! What would I recommend to other trekkers planning to go on this particular trip? I based my packing on the Everest Base Camp experience and so made a few mistakes. The trekking on this trip was much hotter (we went in October), in fact baking hot (up to 30 C lower down) so I wish I had taken a cool pair of shorts. We borrowed a down jacket and sleeping bag each from KE; no cost to us but I wish we had taken our own, they were very bulky. I wrongly assumed that our kit bags would be carried by yaks, as on the Everest trek. Consequently I gave little thought to the weight of the bags, but ended up feeling rather guilty because they were carried by porters not yaks. Remember to take a good stock of loo paper, bottles of hand gel or hand wipes for hygiene and your favourite sweets or perhaps energy gels. We were caught out by the tipping at the end of the trek. KE recommends £50 to £60 each, but with only four of us and six in the support crew, we were obliged to tip more than this. I don’t begrudge the money; it’s just that we hadn’t planned for this. It wasn’t really a problem as we reached an easy agreement with our amiable trekking partners. I would recommend arriving in Kathmandu at least one day before the trek begins, especially if you haven’t been to Kathmandu before. The start of the trip is then less rushed and you have time to relax and get to know Kathmandu. My favourite place in Kathmandu is now The Garden of Dreams near Thamel – just so peaceful, great coffee and apple pie, despite a cheeky chipmunk trying to steal my portion!

By Graeme from Cardiff | 06 November 2016

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Good trekking combined with Tibetan culture

Minya Konka Trek

Good opportunity to do a remote KE mountain trek combined with experiencing Tibet and urban China today. The trek is not demanding in itself although altitude limits quick progress. Trek is quite basic with less frills than on treks in Nepal, for instance. Food is also pretty basic and worthwhile taking some "extras". Sadly the Chinese also think it is fine to leave a large amount of litter on the trails too which is a bit concerning. Remote Tibetan area fantastic and views better than expected which make the long journeys tolerable and interesting too.

By Graham from HARROGATE | 05 November 2016

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

A very nice, well run trek

The Laya Trek

The trek was well run. We accomplished everything promised. The food and service was very good.

By David from Vancouver | 04 November 2016

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

bucket list ticked

In the Shadow of Nanda Devi

A great trek in an amazing, scenic and unspoilt area of India. The trek crew were fantastic and we thoroughly enjoyed the trek food, we would have been happy with spicier and more Indian style food but understand the need to please different tastes. The day train was a more enjoyable journey than the night train. We thought time to wander and shop in central Delhi would be better than the City Coach Tour!! Tips...leave the thermarest at home, take your Down jacket and poles were definitely usefu l!

By Lesley from Wigton | 04 November 2016

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I've been to Mars or wadi rum in jordan

Jordan's Wadi Rum and Petra

I saw wadi rum on the film the Martian and was blown away with the scenery and it lived upto this image and then some. The day hikes were strenuous and climb on few occasions but brilliant. The desert was just awesome with views that went on forever. Petra was magnificent. The staff were really happy all the time and always helpful they were just great as was Sad am the English speaking leader. Even the wild storm in the desert didn't dim our enthusiasm with wild lightening strikes and stro ng winds. You just gotta see Mars but think on this is a fairly strenuous trip.

By Terry from Abergavenny | 04 November 2016

★ ★ ★ ★

Breathtaking mountain views but.........

Annapurna Sanctuary and Poon Hill Trek

This trek did not reach my expectations. The mountains were amazing the people very friendly, our guide and porters superb and all KE arrangements went perfectly but the Trek itself was disappointing. We arrived on 10th October and it was far warmer than we expected 25C +. You are warned that there are lots of steps in the trip notes and believe me there are LOTS of steps both up and down. I spent most of the trek looking 3 paces in front of me at the floor so as to not fall over. It was very ha rd work in the heat of the day on the lower part of the trek. The accommodation on trek was very basic but generally clean; on 3 occasions we had to share with another couple due a shortage of double rooms at higher altitudes. On the plus side we had rooms with en-suite on 2 occasions. Food was excellent and not set as detailed in the trip notes. You could choose freely from the menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner and food was a combination of western and local dishes. Guide and porters were brilliant; could not do enough for you and our guide was very careful to keep us safe from altitude and local food/ water issues. The KE flights were excellent with Etihad and we even got an upgrade to business class on the way back. The short internal flights were excellent and nothing to worry about :). Pokhera we really enjoyed; well worth a few extra days. Kathmandu was a mad place; dusty, dirty and very busy; our 2 extra nights at the end of our trip was probably 1 too many; glad to get away. Hotels in Pokhera and Kathmandu very good.

By Stephen from Sandbach | 03 November 2016