Expert Insights

October 01, 2013 My Kilimanjaro Climb on the Rongai Route

I arrived home and flopped down to some mind-numbing soap opera when I suddenly realised what I’d agreed to. “I’m going to climb the tallest mountain in Africa!” I told my kind and supportive flatmates, who all burst into laughter. The next day was the first of many spent in preparation for Kilimanjaro. It became...

October 01, 2013 High society

It had been 15 years since I’d last looked upon the Nepalese Himalaya. Flying into Lukla was the perfect, hair-raising springboard into the Khumbu Valley, anticipation building for the next 22 days of serious trekking. A day in Kathmandu gave time to finalise kit and meet the expert guide Kangbu Sherpa. The expedition started in...

October 01, 2013 Reasons to visit Amalfi

Read time – 3 minutes Amalfi Amore The sun’s rays caress my eyelids as I sit back on the terrace and allow the floral aromas of a crisp white wine to gently unfold on my palate. I open my eyes in the knowing bliss that the holiday has begun, and that there’s a week of...

October 01, 2013 Sailing Down the Nile

Read time – 2 minutes The sun is setting now. A gentle wind sweeps through my hair. I am content here. Sayed, our leader, knew today’s early morning visit to Abu Simbel would tire us all, and that a felucca ride on the Nile would be the best way to end our day. He was...

October 01, 2013 Canyoning in Turkey

Read time – 2 minutes I am not usually afraid of heights, but as I watched my group disappear one by one over the side of a forty-metre waterfall, my heart started to beat harder and faster. A Lycian Activity Holiday We were standing in a deep canyon that formed part of the River Esen,...

October 01, 2013 Ruins, Rainforests and Beaches of Central America

Read time – 2 minutes “Vamanos … time to go … vamos” our guide kept repeating, leaving me with no option other than to (reluctantly!) part with the cool bench where I had sought refuge. Mayan Civilisation Sitting and observing the grandeur of these pyramids in Tikal Guatemala had left me so mesmerized that I...

October 01, 2013 Trekking in Wadi Rum

Read time – 3 minutes The small dot wheeling above me was a steppe buzzard. I only knew that because Mr Nabil had pointed one out earlier that day. Passing high to my left, it had appeared from over the red mountain to the south, which although looked close enough to touch, was actually 25...

September 30, 2013 Hiking the Picos De Europa

Read time -3 minutes Exodus client Phillip Beck reports… In Northern Spain about 2.5 hours west of Bilbao airport is a special mountainous region called Picos de Europa. The mountains in this region rise up to over 2,000 metres and are made up of three different massifs in three different provinces. Exodus runs either Grade...

September 30, 2013 Cycling Central America

Read time – 3 minutes As a veteran of several of the more leisurely Exodus cycling trips but no more than an occasional cyclist on the mean streets of South London, had I made a foolish decision this time by opting for a tougher grading than on any of my previous trips? At arrivals in...

September 30, 2013 A Classic Tanzania Safari Tour

Read time – 3 minutes The African safari is one of the quintessential travel experiences, and the epic language and imagery used to describe it is familiar to us all. The endless Acacia-dotted plains, the nights spent under canvas beneath starry skies, falling asleep to the sounds of the African bush, hot dusty days ending...