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1930 Total Reviews

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★ ★
Holiday not as described
Canadian Summit Scramble
Unfortunately this holiday wasn’t as described in the KE brochure. Guides - Their brochure states “A professional mountain guide (2 guides over groups of 6) will be provided” – In fact we had an apprentice guide and an assistant who had no qualifications not even to help with the driving. The Apprentice Guide was based in Montreal and returned to university the week following the trek to complete her training. The guide had walked few if any of the routes and was largely following the ro utes she had downloaded onto her phone, taking wrong turns on occasion. Because of her limited experience and lack of familiarity of the area a number of the routes and the described summits weren't achieved. Most of the final routes to the summits are unclear, not waymarked and cross difficult terrain including mobile scree slopes and snow fields. As an experienced mountain leader I believe it essential to have a guide with previous experience of following the described routes to the summits to lead this trip. This was not provided. In their response to me KE claim she was “fully qualified” but also accept she was on “3 years probation” and being “remotely supervised”. I am not criticising the guide per say, who did her best with the limited direct knowledge of the routes and in coping with some unfortunate incidents that occurred on the trip. As such this guide would have been ideally suited to be an assistant guide. The bottom line is that a more experienced team was required KE have not accepted this stating she was “familiar with the walks on this itinerary”. The definition of “familiar” in my dictionary is “intimate or well-known knowledge” which was certainly not the case here. They have made no comment on the fact that the other “guide” had no qualifications at all which meant the entire responsibility for the group rested on a remotely managed guide on 3 years probation. Accommodation - The headline itinerary describes the accommodation as being gite/hostel on days 2,3,4,9,10,11 and 12. The use of the descriptor gite in these notes is confusing. In fact Canadian Youth Hostels were used on all these days with the dormitories in Banff and Lake Louise in particular being cramped and noisy. The accommodation used on days 7 and 8 at Revelstoke is described as a "hotel with twin/double rooms and shared ablutions”. In fact it was self-catering accommodation with 3 dormitories and 1 ensuite double bedroom. Thus expect to sleep in dormitories, some cramped and noisy, for every night of the trip except the first and last. One positive from the Revelstoke accommodation was access to a free washing machine. KE have responded say “we do understand that the hostels in particular did not match the expectations you had for them, and we will review our accommodation description for this trip to ensure we are managing our client’s expectations”. In respect of the Revelstoke accommodation they say we were notified in advance of the change from the Cube Hotel to the Base Camp Guest House whilst missing the point that the accommodation in the Base Camp Guest House is mainly in dormitories and not in twin/double bedrooms described in the itinerary Meals - The notes say "Meals are provided except 6 dinners". Elsewhere it says "members are invited to participate in meal preparation". In practice members made their own breakfasts and lunches from the food provided and helped with the preparation of the dinner and did all clearing up after all meals. Tour members were generally content with this but the level of commitment to meal preparation expected from the tour members should be clearly set out in the trip notes. KE have responded saying “we will review what we say in respect of member participation in meal preparation”. Walks For me the biggest disappointment of this trip was the failure to reach the described summits on the itinerary. KE feedback references forest fires and storms as being the main reason. But these only affected the itinerary for 3 days. The reason summits were not achieved on other described days was in large due to the relative inexperience of the leader, particularly having not previously taken the described routes to the summits. I have written to KE describing what was achieved on each day in comparison to what was described. It was a disappointment to many on the trip who were taking the trip of a lifetime. When I challenged the leader in respect of why we were not completing the described routes to the summits she became tearful and said I was being disrespectful towards her. Unfortunately this soured the relationship between us for the remainder of the trip. Hopefully KE will now review the guidance notes for this trip as they say they will in respect of meal preparation and accommodation, making clear dormitories are used everywhere outside Calgary. I would also recommend the hostel in Banf is not used in future. KE has not accepted that the overall experience of the two guides on this trip wasn’t sufficient nor that this was a significant factor in certain walks not being achieved. I thoroughly recommend trekking in the Rockies particularly if you get the opportunity to do some summit scrambles. Unfortunately, with the exception of the short 3 hour walk from Bow Hut replacing the longer walk described on our revised itinerary, I didn’t get that opportunity for any summit scrambles on this trip and cannot recommend it. It is not up to the standards I’ve experienced on previous KE holidays in other countries.
By Keith from WIRRAL | 29 October 2022

KE Adventure reply

Thank you for your review Keith. We are aware that your group had a difficult trip, particularly with the major forest fire and the storm warning, which meant you were unable to complete some key elements of the trip. Our guides did their best to give you an alternative itinerary taking into account the state of the trails and the experience of the group, and we are sorry you and your fellow trekkers returned unhappy with your experience. To correct a couple of statements you have made about the guides. Your lead guide was not an ‘apprentice’. She has completed her training and has received her Canadian Mountain Guide qualification. In Canada, all Mountain Guides have 3 years of remote supervision, following their qualification. The guide was familiar with all of the routes although it is true that some of these were completed by her on skis rather than walking. We are sorry also that you were unhappy with the accommodation on the trip and, as we have responded to you privately, and also to your fellow trekkers, Eric and Joanne, we are currently looking at the pros and cons of changing the accommodations for this trip.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Great way to experience Madagascar
Cycle Madagascar - Highlands to the Coast
We thourghly enjoyed the trip and were very well looked after by our Guide, Trip Manager/Assistant Guide, Driver and Mechanic who were all lovely and caring people. There's a good mix of cycling and exploring National Parks. The team made us amazing lunches everyday. Everything went so smoothly and I know the team worked quietly in the background to ensure this. Even small things were taken care of eg making sure our bags were in our rooms when we arrived and offering good advise about what to eat in the evenings. We stayed in some wonderful places and ate some great local and international food. Cycling through rural Madagascar, especially off-road is a wonderful way to get to know the country.
By Joanna from Edinburgh | 29 October 2022
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
A great desert walking experience
Jordan's Dana to Petra Trek

Having Oscar as our local tour guide really enhaunced our exprience of walking along the Dana to Petra trail and the Petra site.

By David from Fareham | 29 October 2022
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
India in all its intensity
In the Shadow of Nanda Devi
This was a wonderful trip which combined trekking in a really remote area with opportunities to see Indian rural life. The start in Delhi was overwhelming, the noise, the crowds, the dirt and the guide packed a huge amount into a day from the wide avenues of New Delhi to the tiny alleys of the spice market. The sleeper train was the only downside, ignore the romantic description in the trip notes, treat it as an adventure and accept you won’t get any sleep. The trekking is in a beautiful, very remote area and while the distances covered are fairly short and it’s not high altitude, it’s a tough trek because the ascents and descents are so steep. You will be doing 800m of relentless down and uphill on unmarked trails so you need to be fit and have strong knees. And you’ll still be overtaken by villagers in flip flops. While we had some rain every day and even some snow, the clouds did clear enough to get views of the high mountains which were wonderful and spectacular. The practicalities of the trek were extremely well organised, we were very well fed and the guide was very good at keeping us safe as we picked our way down sheer mountainsides and across raging streams. The campsites usually provided lots of interest from a flock of 500 sheep and goats passing through, to cows trying to eat your trainers and our own horses who liked to gallop round the tents at 3am. In some ways the toughest part of the holiday was the travelling at the end, a nine hour drive on really bad roads with constant traffic jams, followed by another overcrowded train, all interesting but hard work. India is not for the faint hearted, the noise, the litter, the bureaucracy are all challenging but I crammed a huge number of amazing experiences into these two weeks which made it truly memorable holiday.
By Fiona from Barnet | 26 October 2022
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Magnificent
Annapurna Sanctuary and Poon Hill Trek

A superb trek though lush green valleys up to the mountain and scrub area of the Annapurna Sanctuary. It's not easy, with countless steps to climb and descend on most of the days. However, the scenery and sense of achievement is like nothing I've ever seen or done. Our guide and his team were first class, they went out of their way to make sure we were safe and happy during the holiday. I can definitely recommend this trek.

By Karen from Sutton-in-Ashfield | 25 October 2022
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Fantastic week in Madeira
Levada Trails and Peaks of Madeira

Madeira is a wonderful place to explore and the mountains are just spectacular. Great hotels, food amazing, diverse range of treks through the week and overall a fantastic week made all the better by Jorge our guide who was 5-star! Probably a level 4 trip rather than 5, although definitely a few challenging parts during the week. Overall, highly recommended!

By Philip from Wantage | 25 October 2022
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Highly recommend this trip - It was Amazing!
Climb Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro
Having just returned home to Ireland after a successful summit of both Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro, i would highly recommend this trip. It was amazing!. The extra acclimatization that we had on Mount Kenya was a major benefit when it came to summit night on Kilimanjaro. Our guides (Benson, William and Gabriel on Mount Kenya, and Onex, Kym and Josef on Mount Kilimanjaro) were fantastic, especially when it came to ensuring that we maintained a steady pace, timing for ascents, providing constant re assurance and ensuring that all members of the team were healthy and safe at all times. Their knowledge of the mountains, which they openly shared, added to the overall trip. I was amazed at the quality and quantity of the food provided on the trip - a special thank you to our cooks, who ensured that we were provided with warm, healthy, fresh and nutritious food. A special thank you to our porters on both mountains - they played a key role in helping me to achieve my personal goal of summiting both peaks. Excellent teamwork added to the overall experience - as a team, everyone in our group summited both Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro. I feel very humbled and lucky to have shared this experience with a wonderful group of people
By Breda from Limerick | 25 October 2022
★ ★
Disappointing and not good value for money
Canadian Summit Scramble
Canada is a beautiful country and the people were so friendly wherever we went, we would both love to go back again. The guides were lovely and worked really hard doing all the driving, cooking and leading of the walks - there really needed to be more staff to enable them to focus on their key roles. It’s unfortunate neither guide was fully qualified and didn’t know the area well; one knew it as a skier but neither had done most of the walks on the itinerary before. Sadly, neither did we com plete them as the summits were omitted even on the days when the weather was great and the one slower member of the party not walking. I think we only did three of the described walks, most days we did significantly less and there was no scrambling. One example, having hiked to the unpleasant Bow Hut (the promised Stanley Mitchell hut is awarded by lottery apparently and almost never available) on the full (glorious) day we spent there, we only pottered to the Onion, barely an hour away, and spent most of the day sitting around. Equally disappointing was the accommodation – every placed described as a gite/hostel was a hostel, some of which were of poor quality. The statement “you may need to share with others” translated to you always share with others (apart from the hotel in Calgary) including a very cramped room in Banff where 5 of us struggled to fit in a space that was allegedly meant to be for 6. We weren’t expecting luxury but for the price paid but we were expecting something a bit better. The most frustrating thing for me was KE’s response to my concerns which boiled down the non-apology of “we’re sorry you feel that way” and “we’ll try to manage expectations better in the future”. This does not appear to have happened looking at the description some months later. The response to the last review says “We’re sorry you had to leave the trip so early” when in fact Jo missed a few days due to illness, but came back and was with us for most of the time. Although perhaps not totally untrue the statement is, rather like the trip notes for our experience, misleading to say the least.
By Eric from Hebden Bridge | 22 October 2022

KE Adventure reply

Thank you for your review Eric. We whole-heartedly agree that Canada is a beautiful country and the people are friendly. As stated in our private correspondence with you, and also in response to the review from your fellow trekker below, much of your itinerary had to be changed due to the major events of a forest fire and the storm. This was not within our control but we are sorry it impacted your enjoyment of the holiday. To clarify a couple of points: your group was led by a qualified mountain guide, and we cannot agree that your trip was not value for money - a simple comparison with other companies offering similar itineraries will confirm this. We do, however, take your point that using hostels to keep the price of the holiday down, is not for everyone and, as already stated, this is under review – so watch this space.

Excellent walking country
Walking the White Mountains of Crete

Excellent walking country , nice variety of routes in hills or along coastal paths , very good food especially the lunches ! Jean offered good clear advise when requested , had extensive knowledge of flora and fauna as well as the routes and conditions , was extremely friendly and approachable and took good care of all abilities in the group .

By Peter from UK | 20 October 2022
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
A Trek to Remember and Recommend
Peaks and Valleys of Jebel Sirwa - Morocco
My husband and I enjoyed everything about this trekking adventure. We were amazed and surprised by the varied scenery and topography we walked through. We met Berber villagers and farmers who see very few tourists and they were gracious and welcoming. Highlights were seeing the restored Tizgui Agadir and watching members of our group summit Jbel Sirwa. The description and information provided for this trip was accurate except we found the elevation to be more taxing than the trek description imp lies. Yes, the days are scheduled to provide some acclimation before getting to Sirwa, but as “flatlanders” we could feel the altitude at 2500 meters, especially when hiking uphill. I only say this to encourage some cardio training if you think you might need it. Otherwise, the hiking is not technical, but it is up and down throughout the day. Also, in October we were glad we packed layers as suggested. Temperatures some mornings were near 0C, but then could be 26C later the same day. Puffy coat to t-shirt. I followed guidelines to dress conservatively and wore hiking pants, I wished I had packed at least one pair of hiking shorts for the hotter days. Our guide was professional and knowledgeable, cook was excellent (we had beignets!), muleteers and mules were wonderful. We’d recommend this trip, especially if you want to get away from the crowds and have a truly local experience.
By Kristin from Clam Lake | 19 October 2022
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
An epic adventure thank you KE
Everest Base Camp Trek
An Epic Adventure, thank you KE! We completed our Everest Base Camp Trek with KE in October 2022, having postponed twice due to Covid. KE is an excellent company who from the beginning when our Qatar flight was over 24hr delayed were extremely helpful and accommodating. KE arranged for us to have an internal flight to the Himalayas, and one of the guides waited behind for us and we were able catch up with our group, with no detriment to our trek/ acclimatisation. The lodges you stay in during th is trek are basic, but cosy, and we played cards every evening with our guides whilst warming by the fire. Our group was six hikers, which was a perfect amount. Despite what the overview states, there is a wide variety of food available at the lodges (although most people are vegetarian whilst on the mountain, due to meat not being fresh) Our group leader Pasang Sherpa, our assistant guide Neema and our porters were excellent. All the staff, particularly Pasang were extremely accommodating and absolutely made the trip. Pasang has excellent local knowledge and went out of his way to made sure we had an amazing and stress-free trip. Thank you Pasang! The trek itself is beautiful, with absolutely stunning scenery that you will see. Unlike the pictures and videos we saw, we would have all four seasons across most of our days, so good clothing is essential! We are regular hikers across the UK and this definitely helped with our fitness/ resilience to the daily hikes and inclines. The altitude is challenging the higher you get, but none of our group suffered with any altitude sickness. If you’re considering booking onto this trip, I would definitely recommend booking with KE and if you enjoy hiking, you will love this trek. We will definitely be booking with KE again in the future. Chris, Charlotte and Ben
By Charlotte from STRATFORD UPON AVON | 19 October 2022
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Lisbon & Sintra
Self-Guided Walking in Lisbon & Serra de Sintra

In general, very revealing tour of Lisbon, and a chance to sample some of the gorgeous coastline near Sintra. Plus seeing some of Sintra itself, a very quirky, photogenic and unique town.

By Lelia from Colorado | 19 October 2022
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Well organized tour
Self-Guided Walking in Las Alpujarras

Well organized tour. Very attentive, professional and informed staff. Very good planning. Realistic trekking expectations. Wonderful choice in venue (Las Alpujarras). Every day had many high points. The Alpujarras are a wonderful destination for anyone wanting a good combination of challenging hiking, wonderful natural views and a cultural experience to beat none.

By Michael from Virginia | 19 October 2022
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Super from start to finish!!
Walking in Madeira

Super from start to finish!! Everything ran very smoothly. Jorge was very confident leader, knowledgeable, planned are day’s perfectly all round smashing chap.

By Lisa from Tetbury | 19 October 2022
Excellent
Self-Guided Walking in Cinque Terre

The guide booklet for the walks was excellent - obviously written by someone who knows the paths and gave very clear directions. We got "lost" once, but that was user error, not the instructions ! Beautiful walks. A real variety, with some paths being very popular, and others quite empty. Some of the paths very strenuous ! Wonderful walking.

By Charlotte from UK | 19 October 2022
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Stunning trekking in magnificent unspoiled mountains
Trek the High Taurus Mountains and Cappadocia
This was a wonderful trip in all respects which exceeded my already high expectations. Walking in these mountains was nothing short of a privilege, especially given the exceptional weather we experienced, combined with the almost total absence of any other trekkers. Anyone looking for a high alpine trip should not hesitate. For various reasons we benefited from two guides on this trip and both were of the highest calibre and also exceptional personalities. The efforts of the support crew were ga rgantuan in looking after all our needs. The 3 days in Cappadocia were a substantial icing on an already wonderful cake ( not least the jacuzzi in our hotel bedroom!) Unreservedly recommended.
By John from Hawick | 18 October 2022
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
A wonderful week
Timeless Trails of Portugal's Algarve
Had a wonderful week with Jonathan and Violeta starting 10 September 2022. Spectacular walking on deserted beaches with dramatic cliffs and pounding surf, stunning scenery. Evenings were made fun with general chit chat with other nationalities and Jonathan and Violeta make great hosts. The stars are so brilliant at the farm you could almost touch them. Food was plentiful and catered to everyone's tastes. Interesting packed lunches were provided with a variety of rolls/sandwiches or a contai ner with a variety of salads ideal for long walks. Our walking days ended with a nice bar or a good cuppa back at the farm. Accommodation is spotless, plenty of hot water. A delightful spot to unwind and see a different aspect to Portugals Algarve.
By David from Kent | 14 October 2022
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
The walking was fantastic
Timeless Trails of Portugal's Algarve

The holiday matched the brochure description. The walking was fantastic. Jonathan was attentive and knowledgeable. He was good company on the walks and easy to chat to. And the food at the lodge was excellent.

By Alison from Nottingham | 14 October 2022
★ ★ ★ ★
Beautiful and varied scenery
Walking Croatia's Coast & Mountains
My first visit to Croatia and it is a beautiful country - lakes, waterfalls, coastline and mountains. This is a more gentle walking holiday than I am used to, but the walks were interesting with diverse scenery - lakes and waterfalls and mountains. The boat trip was great fun (although we had to rush to make the boat on time!). If you are vegetarian or vegan, bring snacks with you to supplement the packed lunches and maybe some peanut butter or marmite or something. There were 2 days when i was offered fish as the vegetarian packed lunch option (they don't offer a vegan packed lunch). But I had a jar of peanut butter with me so made my own peanut butter roll at breakfast and donated the fish sarnie to a fellow trekker. Although the walking is relatively easy, it is quite a packed itinerary as some of the transfer drives are quite long - they are longer than stated in the itinerary. But I enjoyed the holiday overall - it really is a very beautiful country to visit - and it was nice to visit the cities of Zagreb, Zadar and Split.
By Julia from Chesterfield | 13 October 2022
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
An "Experience" and no mistake!
One Week Mount Toubkal Trek
Having been on a number of KE adventures before, I was amazed by how tough I found this one. I don't know whether it was just a matter of old age creeping up on me, a reaction to a potential covid episode a few weeks before setting off, or just not coping very well with the heat and altitude on this occasion, but I found the going very hard - and like someone said in an earlier review of a Toubkal trip, thought it rated higher than the "6" it is given. Whilst there isn't anyt hing particularly technical to deal with, the days and distances covered were very long! Nothing but positive comments about Mohamed, our guide, the muleteers and the chef - they were all tremendous; the accommodation was generally pretty good and the food both in Marrakesh and on the trek was excellent. I wish I could have eaten more of it! Also, I would offer thanks to the companionship provided by our fellow trekkers - worth its weight in gold!
By Geoffrey from London | 09 October 2022
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