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★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Fabulous family adventure in Northern India

Tigers and Temples of Rajasthan - Family India

Our December 23 trip to India was an experience that we will remember forever. 10 nights, 7 hotels, temples, palaces, culture, fantastic food, friendly people and the best tour leader and driver. We packed in so much but it felt well organised and smooth.
Would highly recommend this trip to anyone wanting to see Northern India.

By Derek from Bishops Stortford | 02 January 2024

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

New adventure every day

Everest Base Camp Trek

Awesome trip, hotel, flight and guide and porter. Exceeded all expectations from views to avalanches and experiencing a new way of life. Highly recommended

By Jarred from Whitehaven | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Expertly led trek through stunning landscapes on quiet trails

Hidden Valleys of Naar and Phu

As an experienced trekker in Nepal I wanted to get away from the ever-growing noisy crowds found on the popular trekking routes, so I chose the Naar and Phu trek – it didn’t disappoint. Above all else, full praise to Dinesh Rai our guide for taking such good care of our small group, he led and organised perfectly throughout the trip, even making changes to the itinerary we requested – more on that later. Thank you Dinesh, Pream and the porters for everything. The first two days on the Anna purna Road (sorry Circuit) weren’t that interesting for any of the group as we’d all been that way before, and competing with jeeps and motorbikes soon loses its appeal. However it’s necessary for acclimatisation, and once you leave Koto and head into the Naar Phu Valley, you are immediately plunged into wonderful quiet forest in a deep gorge. Our first night in the Naar Phu Valley was supposed to be camping in the forest, but with only four of us we were able to stop in the rooms attached to a little lodge at the campsite. Over the next few days you climb up the valley, away from the forest into pine and juniper as you reach the incredible canyon that leads to Phu. This valley is one of the highlights of the trek, we ran out of superlatives as we followed the ledge-path along the valley side, the rock canyon walls towering over us and down to the river below. It was just stunning. You eventually climb to Phu Gate and then on to the village itself. We were very lucky to discover a ceremony going on at the old monastery, and we were invited in to witness the monks and locals taking part, and we were warmly welcomed and took part as offerings were made to the congregation, a very special moment. Leaving Phu you get to experience the canyon again as you head back down the valley, and over a couple of days you then climb up to Naar. I have to say, the quality of the lodges was better than I expected. The rooms could be small at times, but the beds were comfortable and the evening food was always good. Three of the lodges in the Naar Phu area advertised Wi-Fi, but sadly they were all broken, so don’t plan on relying on any Wi-Fi away from the Annapurna Circuit part of the trek. Leaving Naar village you climb to the camp site at 4,600m. This was a cold night, -10 in the tent, but mattresses are provided, so no need for the thermarest mat listed in the trek notes, our guide told us this before we left Kathmandu, so at least we didn’t have to find room in our kit bags for them. The evening meal cooked by Pream and the team was fabulous, we didn’t know how he managed it. Next morning was up and over the pass, a long, slow plod up over the pass, but with stunning views of the mountains as you climb. We were lucky again, a herd of yaks were being driven over the pass, so we had close up views of the men on horseback moving them up through the snow. Yes, we had snow on the pass which made the climb more fun and picturesque. Some people opted to use the boot spikes provided, but I was happy to just get my poles out for stability. The Kang La itself is a narrow ridge, there isn’t a lot of space so it’s a good job it’s not very busy like the Thorong La can get. The view you get as you come over the pass is amazing, Annapurna II appears head-on over the ridge between the snow and prayer flags, it’s a breath-taking moment. There’s a cup of hot juice and a rest on the pass before you start the long descent to Ngawal on steep scree. It’s a long day, but the lodge we ended up in at Ngawal was very comfortable. And that’s the quiet, wonderful part of the trek over, you’re now back on the Annapurna Road, even Ngawal has a road now. This is where we asked to change the end of the trek. The drive in had been a long, bumpy day, with the 6 hour or so drive from Kathmandu followed by the 2 hour jeep ride to Jagat, so no one was looking forward to an even longer jeep and bus journey home on the last day or the two long days walking on the Annapurna Road. So, we asked Dinesh to change the end of the trek as follows… instead of walking the last long day from Koto to Tal, we instead drove by jeep from Koto to Besisahar where we stopped the night in a hotel. This meant our drive back to Kathmandu was much more manageable with only the 6 hour road section to do, meaning we got back to Kathmandu for a late lunch. This decision proved to be a really good one, not just for the split driving days and reduced time walking on the Annapurna Road, but the last two walking days are very long. The first of these days we still did, we left Ngawal at 7:40am, we didn’t stop for morning or afternoon tea, only a lunch stop and we still ran out of time, we had to be picked up along the road and jeeped to Koto as it was starting to go dark. The last two days walking are just too long, and to do the one we did without a tea break in the morning and afternoon made it feel more like a boot-camp than a walking holiday. I’ll point this out to KE in my review to them, but hopefully they can alter the end of this trek to make it more enjoyable. The time spent on the Annapurna Road is a necessary evil to get to and from the quiet trails of Naar and Phu, and it is worth it for sure. It’s beautiful, and I for one enjoyed the peace and stunning landscapes. The lodges used were certainly better than I expected, the food tasty and plentiful, and the local porters and guides exceptional. This was my first trek in Nepal where all the food was provided, I was a bit apprehensive about this because I like to choose what I eat, but I needn’t have worried, we still got to pick what we wanted from the usual lodge menus, rather than having the choice made for us.

By Mark from Worcester | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Lovin' the mountain huts

High Tatras Trekking - The Carpathian Mountains

I've come to trust K.E. for accurate descriptions, fair gradings & great itineraries - as well as good organisation & support. Same again then, in the High Tatras. Thank You. Mountains are rugged & beautiful, transfers not too long - relative to the time trekking. Mountain huts are a real highlight and a proper getaway from the 'white noise' of modern society ... one of the important reasons for me to go. Guide - 'Carlos' - gave us everything from geography lessons, to history, geology & horticulture, famous composers to pathetic jokes! A star attraction. (I bet he sleeps really well!) Only frustration was the knarly paths - especially on the Polish side. (I don't expect steps & carpet !!!) ... but, most of the paths were poorly made up of round, cobbled stones ranging from cricket ball-sized rubble to rocks the size of large pumpkins. It just made for uncomfortable walking/climbing some of the time and you spent too much time looking down at foot placement. ... imagine walking on a stony beach, slowly, barefoot. They're not going to re-lay them just for me (!!!), but be aware of this if you have dodgy ankles or knees. ... not a complaint, just a "heads-up". AND a suggestion for K.E. ... having more than one noble summit as an objective within a week-long trek would be better. We lost our Rysy summit day to awful weather. Had our Guide not been able to suggest an early start to catch up the next day, we wouldn't have topped out for summit pictures and celebratory jelly babies anywhere. My star rating would be 4.5 if I could, but only because a little too much time was spent walking into the mountains on approach roads i,e, tarmac. (I think 'off-road' alternatives would have been possible). Very Good trip overall.

By Guy from nr Tenbury Wells | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Excellent

Everest Base Camp Trek

An excellent trip to Everest Base Camp. A slight delay at Ramchap which resulted in us missing our first day trek from Lukla to Pakding but we made up later on combining two short days into one. However we felt lucky considering the previous weeks delay’s which caused havoc to some trekkers plans. Our Trek onwards was flawless with excellent weather conditions. All this made more special thanks to our guide Pasang and his magnificent team of Ang ( Assistant Guide) and Porters Manila & Macendra. Pasang's attention to detail, local knowledge, care and professionalism was second to none. I have traveled far and wide around the world and Pasang and his team are the best I’ve ever had. Be prepared for basic accommodation in Gorak Shep near EBC. Our lodge was overcrowded, cold and restrooms sadly very un-hygienic compared to our previous lodgings. One other uncomfortable thing was that we sadly learnt that our Guides had to sleep outside in Tents in -15 weather conditions due to overcrowding in the accommodation, something that didn’t sit well with our group and find unacceptable. Our trek up Kala Pattar was a memorable one but be prepared for very cold temperatures if doing the sunrise trek (-15). Highly recommended Trek but room for improvement with regards to Guide and Porters accommodation standards. Sad to see the all inclusive Meal deal has been removed from 2024 dates onwards, this alone was a deal breaker for me when booking this trip. Paul Burgess.

By Paul from Arbroath | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

An outstanding trek into valleys little visited by the "mainstream routes"

Hidden Valleys of Naar and Phu

Very noticeable a soon as you leave the Annapurna circuit after day2 that this is more of a quiet wilderness trek. Tea houses were as good a quality as the circuit. The rock strata in the valleys and the views towards tibet are amazing from Kyand to Phu through the Phu gates was my especial highlight. Our leader Dinesh had an excellent support team including happy and able porters and an expedition camp chef / second leader (Pream). It was amazing how they managed to procure evening meal and bre akfast of such high quality at our high camp Kang Pedi at -10 deg C! At the agreement of Dinesh and the team, we did not walk the last day's itinerary since we had already trekked this on the way out, the road was dusty and long and we felt a jeep pick up from Koto i.l.o. Tal would mean we could drive to Besih Sahar for the night in town then and early bus drive and early arrival back in KTM. Perhaps this last point could be made permanent into the full itinerary ?

By Andrew from Chelmsford | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Everything I'd hoped for

Everest Panorama Trek

Fantastic trip! KE were endlessly helpful beforehand, and all the organisation was superb. Best of all was our guide, Arjun, who worked out very quickly what each person in the group needed and did everything possible to make the trip enjoyable for everyone; he knew when I needed his help and when (and why) I wanted to try things on my own. However, the walking was harder than I expected, with lots of steep steps. I think the best way to train would be to load up a rucksack and run up and down y our stairs every day. Be prepared! And make sure to take plenty of energy bars, because although the food was delicious and (mostly) interesting, you don't get a lot of protein. Also make sure you take a flask that can hold hot water, because the boiled water provided is delivered hot! But be prepared also for spectacular views. You will be stunned every day by what you see. I just wanted to see Everest - and we had perfect weather, so Everest was visible at every possible opportunity - but there were so many other things to see and experience: peaks and powerful rivers, the friendliness of the people, the chaos that is Kathmandu. I was the oldest in my group by quite a long way, and was always the last, but that's fine; nobody criticises, and anyway it's good to take things at a slow pace when you're at altitude. In fact it has its advantages - because I always had a guide with me to point things out, I saw things that other members of the group didn't see. The days were hard sometimes, and the nights were freezing, but apart from that this was a dream trip, and I can thoroughly recommend it.

By Brenda from Tewkesbury | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

A stunning remote trek on the Indian side of the Himalayas

In the Shadow of Nanda Devi

If you like quiet trekking, not seeing many other people except perhaps local shepherds tending their goats, stunning scenery and star filled skies at night, then this is the trek for you. It was spectacular, beautiful and remote. Our guide Anup was a quiet presence moving amongst us, quickly spotting any problems. We were completely spoilt with his wonderful team, from the muleteers and their mules to the chaps in the kitchen – everything ran like clockwork and the food, service and help was outstanding. We wanted for nothing. The weather threw everything at us – hail, snow, rain, thunder, lightening – and some sun! I was fearful of being cold and would recommend taking a Thermarest mat plus lots of the obvious ….. hat, scarf, gloves, thermals, and the warmest down jacket and sleeping bag you can find. I slept for 3 nights in all my clothes, with my old metal water bottle doubling up as a hottie at night – it worked for me. But the beauty of that whole area made up for everything and the fairly ghastly 2 days of travel in and out again at the end are necessary for us to be able to trek in such a remote and unspoilt part of India. Day 13 is a long travelling day, you eat on the train which was very busy, and for us at any rate it was 11pm before we got into our rooms at the Delhi hotel near the airport. And then the next morning half the group had already left. So I suggest you treat Day 12 as your last night as a group. The hotel on this night (somewhere near Almora) was simply beautiful and the first shower for 9 days felt totally amazing. Although Anup did accompany us back into Delhi, we gave him his tip that night along with our grateful thanks, and it was lovely to be all sitting around the table having dinner together for the last time. This is a tough trek because it is so steep both up and down, and often on unmarked trails. But it was worth it! We did have a discussion about the grading of the trek – the consensus being that it is probably more than a 5.5.

By Diana from Chipping Norton | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Amazing

Edge of the Sahara Trek

Amazing trip to edge of Sahara very well organised - our guide lassan was awesome encouraging and informative throughout the whole trip would recommend him to guide me on future trips - no words can express the beauty of what you see throughout the Sahara it really is life changing - shout out to all that assisted on the tour you do such a great job and thank you to those within the group you made it a week to remember

By Lesley from Umberleigh | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Spires and Ice and more Ice and Blue skies

Spires and Ice - Trekking Patagonia

We’ve just returned from an amazing trip. Patagonia is a special place. We were fortunate to have Natalie(Nati) for the whole of the trip and Yasser who joined us for the Chilean part. They were both excellent and really added to the enjoyment of the holiday with their knowledge and enthusiasm. Nothing was too much trouble and we felt real looked after from start to finish. Our group was a small group of 6 with 2 couples and 2 solo female travellers all with a keen interest in wildlife especia lly birds, and regular hill walkers up for the challenge of the hikes. Logistics-wise everything went to clockwork. We flew with British Airways direct from London. El Classico hotel in Buenos Aires very friendly and comfortable with great fish restaurant across the road La Pescadorita worth trying. We only had the day to do a half day city tour of BA worth spending few days at beginning or end of trip as so much to see there. Weatherwise we struck lucky with only one dodgy day with very windy and rain on the day we trekked to Grey glacier which did look very grey that day. Good training for coping with the wind gusts though and we were able to dry our kit out at the wood burner area in the large Paine mountain refuge which was busy with other trekkers. Our bunk room for six was nice and cosy and we were well fed at the buffet. Other days we had balmy 18 degrees one day then the rest were cooler blue sky days with the odd shower and wind gust. Waterproofs always in the rucksack just in case. It was really useful that we could leave excess kit at the refuges or rangers office on the trek so we could do the day hikes moving quicker and with light packs. We used either drybags and locker at Paine refuge but some had taken smaller day bags in their main rucksack. The only day we had to carry a full rucksack on trek was from Frances camping domes (Los Cuernos lodge closed for renovation the domes were excellent with our own facilities) to Chileno refuge were we camped in their brand new tents with ladders very comfy. Only downside, facilities limited but the location was a big bonus giving us a 2 hour head start on day trippers to the Paine towers. It was snowing at the refuge and cloudy the day we started the hike to the Towers and there was some doubt we would get to the viewpoint as there had been news of ice on the plateau. None of us had brought microspikes. However luck was on our side when sun came out at the decision point to continue snow had softened and cloud cleared as we got there. Again our guides judgement and knowledge of the terrain proved invaluable.we celebrated in style with lots of Chilean carmenere wine and lamb cooked on a spit by a real gaucho at a ranch. We returned to our friendly hacienda style hotel Kau tan in El Calafate with some taking advantage of their laundry service (£6 equiv) before we moved on to El Chalten .Good meal at the hotel and Mi Rancho .Next day we had a touristy full day viewing the spectacular Perito merono glacier including a busy boat trip. We liked El Chalten a smaller relaxed town with 3 great day hikes from our base there. Nati arranged all our meal bookings including at the excellent Asadores restaurant 5 course Argentinian tasting menu with the best steak of the trip and El Muja with steak and fish on the menu. We chose to take the Iguazu falls extension, well worth it especially the Argentinian side with optional boat trip under the falls. We got soaked. Reserva virgin lodge staff very helpful and set in the jungle with walking tours to see the toucans. Food ok but would suggest 10 min taxi ride into town to find better alternatives. In summary an amazing trip, great company, wildlife and lucky with the weather. Definitely a trip of a lifetime.

By Glenn from Wirral | 12 December 2023

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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

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Overall Company Rating 96%

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New adventure every day

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Everything I'd hoped for

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