Eastern Europe Cultural, religious historic sites Trips

I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful holiday in the truly beautiful country of New Zealand. The itinerary was very well designed to take us to most of the country's highlights, and although it was fast paced to include as much as possible it was all definitely worth it. We were lucky with the weather, the accommodation and organisation were excellent throughout All enhanced by having a marvellous group of travelling companions, and a leader who put in a phenomenal performance, always going above and beyond. New Zealand is, of course a very long way, but it is such a fantastic country that I can't recommend it highly enough. You're sure to love it!!

The trip is a great introduction to Sri Lanka well organised with a packed varied and interesting itinerary. There was a good mix of activities (walking, rafting, cycling) varied transport (buses, boats, bikes, tuk tuk and a train as well as culture (temples, ancient cities, tea & cinnamon farms, markets, botanical gardens and beaches. There was still enough free time to explore on your own or use the pools/swim in the sea. The hotels were better than we expected, in good locations, most with lovely pools. The exception was Araliya Red in Nuwara Eliya which was a huge cold soulless barn of a place with the worst food and service of the holiday.

Not even unusually rainy weather could dampen our enjoyment of the trip. The indomitable, spirited and informative guide, Juan Carlos, exceeded all expectations in presenting the culture, history and wildlife (particularly the birds) of Costa Rica.

This was definitely a very full on trip but very enjoyable. Our guide, Ahmed was absolutely excellent, with an extensive knowledge about all aspects of Egypt but also very personable and made everyone feel included. We were also lucky enough to have a really nice group. We covered a lot, both geographically and historically, in the 10 days but without spending lots of time stuck in a bus etc. so plenty of activity. The 3 days cruise also added to the variety. It was also great to be able to eat at some local family homes. I would highly recommend this trip.

A very memorable experience travelling from the amazing museums in Cairo, and then down to the tombs and temples of first Aswan then Luxor. We followed the stories of various characters, learning how to recognise Pharaohs and gods from their pictures and symbols. It was dusty and polluted in Cairo (and the traffic was indescribable!). Aswan was fresher and more laid back, and Luxor between the two (I was glad of my hat and drank lots of water - the sun in Valley Of The Kings was unforgiving!). The hotels were great, with beautiful pools. I was really pleased that I had chosen rooms with a Nile view where available. The food was good but for a non meat eater sometimes a little unimaginative. The Nubian restaurant in Aswan (included) and Abydos Nile View (not included) were highlights. I was also pleased that I chose to stay an extra two nights in Luxor- the pool really does float on the Nile!

Excellent itinerary with many highlights. Personal favourites being Tikal, Palenque, Xunanatunich , Uxmal and the creepy folk horror church in Chamula. Flores & Caye Caulker were also lovely and Mexico City was unexpectedly interesting. Also unexpected was the amount of wildlife we saw, especially in Guatemala & Belize, including many birds, howler & spider monkeys, coatis, iguanas & crocodiles. The transport was all good with plenty of space, although a couple of buses had broken or absent seat belts. Several long drives, but that can't really be helped. Accommodation was all excellent and especially appreciated the centrally located hotels in Oaxaca & San Cristobel. On a negative note, to much time was wasted on very long, very late lunches which resulted in a couple of late arrivals at our hotel with no time to look around and a very rushed boat trip in fading light in Sumidero Canyon. Suggest people just take a snack. Also no time was given to see the Sun Pyramid (the main attraction) at Teotihuacan so that we could go to a souvenir shop and a long lunch. Despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in this part of the world.