This was an excellent trip with 14 other people I did not know who are now friends, we had three guides Safi, Sandeep and Dipkin, Safi was our cycle leader, Dipkin cycle as well and bike mechanic and Sandeep our van driver and water man. We had daily briefings and how to navigate roads where to eat, our guides were knowledgable with local envionmental information such as trees, fruits and temples overall a really good trip, with some challneging cycling which was great
Finding the ghost of the mountains This is my second time to Ladakh for snow leopard spotting and both times have been incredible. The landscape, people and wildlife are incredible and matched by the dedication of Valerie and her team to ensure you enjoy your time here and have the best wildlife spotting opportunities. It can get cold and you should pay careful attention to the trip notes, bring plenty of layers and be prepared to trek and work for your sightings, but those sightings are the stuff of magic. The homestay and festival visit are a great extra to the wildlife too, giving you an insight into local life and culture. Lastly the food provided by the local team is excellent and plentiful, with Johnny the chef's culinary delights being worth the trip evenif you didn't have the wildlife.
This trip was just great on many levels. We had a very enjoyable holiday with a great small group and we all got on and laughed throughout the trip. Trekking for the first 6 days after arriving in Munnar, was through stunning scenery, tea plantations, mountains, views, a village seeing real local life. However it wasn’t always easy in 28-30 deg with some pretty steep ascents and I found it challenging at times even being quite fit although not at my peak! I think calling it a level 3 rating in difficulty underestimates the walking. We walked from 7-16 km each day. Camping was wonderful, excellent food was cooked in basic conditions and our hot lunch was carried by the guide each day. Just had to carry a lot of water & sun stuff. The second week was amazing too. As per itinerary we saw Madurai, temple is spectacular, we all did the street food tour & all ok after! Peniyar National park walk and the boat trip were great, saw elephants and other wildlife. The houseboat was so relaxing and the food was amazing. Out homestay was wonderful too, we were all together and spent time on the beach but it was v hot. Our guide Santosh was A** and looked after us so incredibly well, took us to all our dinners & lunches not included so we didn’t have to think at all!
