Expert Insights

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...

October 02, 2013 Conquering the Aconcagua Climb

Read time – 3 minutes Having successfully completed a number of high altitude peaks over 5,000 metres, Aconcagua in the Andes has always been my ultimate trekking goal. So when the opportunity to attempt the highest ‘trek-able’ summit outside of the Himalaya presented itself, I snapped it up. Comprising nine males and three females aged...

October 02, 2013 For the Love of Safari Adventure

Read time – 2 minutes For me it was Kipling, for my boy Madagascar, for others it could be a postcard or a billboard. Many will be seduced this autumn by Disney’s new feature African Cats, but for any safari fan (and few only do it once) there is always something that ignites their African evolutionary touch...

October 02, 2013 Inca Trail Alternative – Moonstone Route

Read time – 3 minutes Trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is rightly considered to be the most iconic walk in Latin America and many of you will have completed the four-day, 35km hike. However, there is another (and in my opinion, better) way to reach the fabled ruins: the Moonstone Route. Views on the Moonstone trek Reasons to...

October 02, 2013 In Search of the Snow Leopard

Read time – 2 minutes Ladakh in winter? With sub-zero temperatures and cut off from the rest of the world by the snow?! Yes – the Hemis National Park is as pretty in winter under snow as it is in summer and is home to one of the most elusive cats on the planet –...

October 02, 2013 Penguins, Penguins, Penguins!

Heading south for the winter would normally mean lots of sun, a nice sandy beach and a chance to get a tan in January. But that depends on how far south you go. When I left a very cold and rainy London last December I had packed my thermals and woolly hat. There’s no chance...