Expert Insights

October 08, 2013 High Tea & Walking in the Himalayas

Read time – 4 minutes The instructions were simple. If it was clear at 5am, Dilip would rouse us with a shout of “mountain view” and a steaming cup of tea. If, however, the Himalayan heights were obscured by a stubborn morning mist, it would be a 6am wakeup call accompanied by a cup of...

October 04, 2013 A Mayan Adventure

Read time – 1 minute Palenque, Uxmal, Tikal and Chichen Itza are just some of the dramatic Mayan sites we visit on our trip The Ruta Maya. The highlight for me on this trip is the contrasting settings we visit; from the Caribbean Sea to rich tropical jungles. Our trip starts in Antiguawhich is viewed as...

October 04, 2013 The Taste of Turkey

Read time – 4 minutes Turkish food is a feast for all the senses, not just the taste buds. This vibrant, colourful cuisine can be smelt wafting through the streets at mealtimes; expect to be left salivating over the scent of kebabs unlike anything you’ve seen before, sticky-fingered after a plate of honey-soaked borek and...

October 04, 2013 The Lost City of Machu Picchu

Read time – 2 minutes The sense of anticipation rose as we climbed the pathway. We were moments away from the highlight of our trip. For the previous few days, we’d been building up to reaching The Lost City of Machu Picchu. We’d already visited a number of Inca sites, Saqsaywaman, Pisac, and Ollantaytambo, each impressive...

October 04, 2013 Tour of Mont Blanc Group Reunion

Friends for over 20 Years after ‘Tour of Mont Blanc’ (TMB) trip in 1989 By Loyal Exodus client Osanna Whitehouse. Twenty years ago, in August 1989, 16 people, together with two leaders joined an Exodus walking and camping Tour of Mont Blanc – evermore known as TMB. It was, initially, a ‘normal’ group, some couples,...

October 04, 2013 I’ve started so I’ll Finnish

Tucked away in the far east of Finland, just south of the Arctic Circle and only 50 miles from the Russian border lies the town, and region of Kuhmo. With only two inhabitants per square kilometre the population of around 10,000 are spread out over some 5,000 square kilometres, living in the main town or...

October 03, 2013 Best Activities in Turkey

Read time – 2 minutes The turquoise waters that lap the Lycian coast not only provide a fantastic place for diving but also provide the beautiful backdrop for the rest of the trip. The small town of Kas – our base for the week – has in recent years become renowned for being the adventure...

October 03, 2013 Galapagos Wildlife Moments

Read time – 3 minutes The Galapagos are a ‘Mecca’ for wildlife enthusiasts and should be visited at least once in a lifetime. The variety of marine, land and avian species here is staggering. Visiting this natural wonderland will easily rank as one of the best trips I am ever lucky enough to go on....

October 03, 2013 Burma: Out of the shadows

I am reading the last few pages of an epic adventure with tears rolling down my cheeks. Epic – a heavily overused word these days but totally appropriate in the context of From the Land of Green Ghosts: A Burmese Odyssey by Pascal Khoo Thwe. Burma has been in the press more in the last five months...

October 02, 2013 Winter in Kvitavatn

Read time – 2 minutes Cross-country skiing in Kvitavatn is an idyllic winter holiday. Located in Telemark in Norway, a three-hour drive west of Oslo and south of the Hardangervidda plateau, this picture-postcard resort sits beside a frozen lake at the foot of Gaustatoppen (1,882m), the highest mountain in southern Norway. Founded in the 1970s...