Expert Insights

September 26, 2013 Rock ‘N’ Troll: Hiking the Norwegian Fjords

Read time – 2 minutes Exodus’ Gina Lawrence gets her nose out of her favourite book, The Hobbit, just long enough to live the real thing in the Norwegian fjords. Tiny cloud-like puffs of fluffy wildflowers, little white cushions scattered on a bed of bright green grass, encircled by a theatrical backdrop of soaring mountains. After...

September 26, 2013 Ski Racing with Mary Wray

Read time – 2 minutes Cross-country skiing aficionado and Exodus leader, Mary Wray, gives us the low down on ski racing… I am often asked “What’s the best thing about taking part in a ski race?” and my answer always remains the same: “Crossing the finish line!” You’re on a natural high as you glide...

September 26, 2013 Timkat Festival in Ethiopia

Read time – 2 minutes Throngs of white-clad festival-goers sleepily make their way to the holy baptismal pool. As the early morning sun starts to warm the crowds, the feeling of anticipation is palpable. Children climb trees to get good views and adults jostle for space. The priests and deacons arrive, their blue velvet robes...

September 26, 2013 Leader in the spotlight – Sayed in Egypt

We’re often asked what makes a small group adventure holiday so special. Some say the journey of discovery; some say travelling with like-minded people; some say the element of the unknown. We couldn’t agree more, but believe that none of these moments are possible without one person… the leader. We’re firm believers in our leaders,...

September 26, 2013 Ladakh and The Indian Himalaya

Read time – 2 minutes Sandwiched between the vast ranges of the Karakorum and the Himalaya in the far north of India is the highest, least populated, most remote and most beautiful region in the whole country. Lying in the rain shadow of the Himalaya, Ladakh is an ideal summer destination that enjoys plenty of sunshine. To...

September 26, 2013 Lost City of Petra: Past and present

Read time – minutes 200 years must seem a mere blip in the lifespan of a building carved in the 6th Century BC. Yet for us, those 200 years remain something to celebrate. It’s now been 200 years since Petra was rediscovered. So this August, let us raise a glass in honour of Petra: the...

September 26, 2013 Polar Bear Necessities

Read time – 3 minutes Sometimes there comes a day which breaks so many wildlife records that it will be indelibly etched on memory rather than megapixels, one where so many contributory factors combine to produce animal alchemy, a grail from the very top drawer. Spitsbergen is not just about Polar bears but on July...

September 26, 2013 Desert, Dunes & 4W Drives

“We’re not going back to camp yet. Not in this light” our leader, Durr, announces in his thick Afrikaans accent. “We’re not going up there are we?” a member of the group questions. He turns his head to face us at the helm of his indestructible 4×4 and smiles. After a vertical climb we gingerly...

September 26, 2013 Snow Place Like Home: Snowshoeing in the Dolomites

Crystal blue skies, the wind whistling past my ears and the crunch of snow compacting beneath my snowshoes – the landscape absorbed me. I let my thoughts drift like the falling snowflakes, just for a moment, on the snowy escarpment. All around me, the dramatic crags of the Dolomites seemed to pierce the cold air...

September 26, 2013 Walking the Great Wall of China

Read time – 3 minutes The Great Wall of China can be seen from the International Space Station, (although the view was probably better before China’s industrial might took hold) and I dream of one day seeing it from space for myself – in fact I am saving as quickly as I can for this...