Albania....friendly Albania....beautiful Albania

I woke very early (I'll have a word with that cockerel later) in a seemingly utopic, very rural, very isolated verdant mountain valley. For a brief moment the steep, jagged mountains carpeted in dense, green woodland that towered impressively all around echoed with just the sound of silence. I was of course still half asleep, the family of the farmstead where I was staying were already busy (things start very early in Albania) in the kitchen preparing breakfast, their sheep were wandering around doing "sheep stuff?", the turquoise coloured mountain river thundered in the distance and smoke was rising willowy from the chimneys of the couple of other wooden roofed houses that call this unspoiled valley home. And, there was the sound of my still happily snoozing, fellow intrepid trekkers....click here to read more

Trekking in Nepal - December 2009

"I've just returned from one of the most fantastic holidays of my life. Every day in Nepal was different from seeing the various sites of Kathmandu, the Everest flight and the wonderful trek in the Annapurnas. The organisation was fantastic with someone to meet me at every stage of the trip, and my guides were knowledgable and friendly, both in Kathmandu and on the trek. I was particularly touched by the fact that my guide on the trek came back to meet me at the airport before i left Nepal and presented me with a gift. I have e-mailed Dharma Adventures in Kathmandu to thank them for their hospitality, and I would like to thank you both for all your advice prior to my trek, and for making all the arrangements for a wonderful trip." David A.

Peru in Style - Christmas 2008

"We are late in writing to THANK YOU for a once in a lifetime trip to Peru -BAR NONE! And, we tell you this after having been to some pretty fantastic places during our lifetime...

You worked tirelessly on our behalf over a very short period of time to put together this memorable trip for us, and as a result, we wanted to share with you a few of our favorite pictures and trip highlights. While we traveled to Peru to hike the Salkantay Trail, we had time on the front end in Cuzco and Ollantaytambo to acclimate to the altitude and we traveled to Lake Titicaca on the backend. The trip was even more memorable as a result of these experiences."

In the Footsteps of an Explorer - Canada

Deep in Canada's British Columbia, the wilderness is as untouched as it was when the explorer, Alexander Mackenzie, first crossed the entire North American continent. Jo Newton follows in his footsteps...

'First published in the May 2007 issue of Go Active magazine'

A Sense of South Africa

I began in the best way possible - a walking safari on the edge of Kruger National Park. I can honestly say that this was one of the most moving experiences of my life. On foot you have a heightened sense of your surroundings, of excitement and inevitably, a tingle of fear. The feeling of being totally at one with the wild animals surrounding you, of tracking such magnificent creatures such as lion, rhino and elephant is something that will remain with me for the rest of my life...

Ethiopia - Why the poor press?

In October 2006 I was fortunate to make my first visit to the Simien Mountains of Ethiopia - a region I had wanted to visit for a long time. The country I saw was stunningly beautiful, lush and green with fields full of crops; the people friendly and welcoming. After 25 years of travel I did not expect to return home so emotionally moved by this wonderful country - but moved I was beyond a doubt...

Libya - Secrets of the Shifting Sands

First impressions count for a lot - they can make or mar a holiday. My first impressions on arrival in Tripoli were pretty positive and any lingering concerns I had about Gaddafi's Libya were soon dispelled. Tripoli at first glance came over as shabby - after all it did endure decades of sanctions - but its pre-war Italianate architecture has a definite charm. The traffic is frenetic but life is generally unhurried and there is certainly nothing to cause the Western traveller any worries...

Why Walks Worldwide?

Dear Walks Worldwide
I wrote to you on March 8 2007 about Dordogne Encounters. Unfortunately for us we chose not to go with you because we felt 18 kilometres a day was a bit far. Little did we know that the company we chose on their web page stated 12-13 kilometers per day, imagine our horror to be handed our first walking sheet with 20 kilometers on it! We wish now we had come with you. We certainly will next time....we meet some people in Les Eyzies that were walking with you and they said you were fantastic!
from a future Walks Worldwide client! click here to see the Dordogne Encounters holiday

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Ecuador

How shall I begin? How can I possibly describe the incredible feelings and memories that the past three weeks have given me? How will the beauty of the scenery and warmth and friendliness of the people of this awe-inspiring country ever come across on 'paper'? How do I inject enough enthusiasm and verbal pictures in my writing to inspire others to go there - and they must. Everyone MUST experience this unforgettable place. As Rudyard Kipling urges us 'Go and look behind the Ranges'...Go!'. So I urge you too. Go and see for yourselves a land of dense, lush rainforests, high altitude paramo wilderness, vibrant, colourful markets, snow-capped, smoking, live volcanoes, fabulous unique islands full of indigenous and rare species, elegant colonial cities, Inca ruins, steaming hot springs, and a people as genuine and welcoming as if you were the first traveller ever to set foot in their country...click here to continue reading

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Alison's Christmas in Costa Rica

There were moments when I thought that I was a bit mad carrying a Christmas cake for 25km into the heart of the steaming Corcovado National Park. However the atmosphere and remoteness of the walk was so awesome that I soon forgot about the temperature - and how much a Christmas cake weighs! The heat under the rainforest canopy is actually quite comfortable, it is just the humidity which gets to you after a couple of hours. Above us howler monkeys were lazing, draped high in the trees and our Costa Rican guide imitated their call (to the group's constant amusement) in an attempt to get them to dance through the canopy but they were far too relaxed to be enticed. Further down the trail the Capuchin monkeys were in a very similar position except they were so close that we could have prodded them into action (which we didn't and they posed gracefully for their photo)...click here to continue reading

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Bob Spence in the Moroccan Sahara

After flying to Ouarzazate, we took a spectacular drive through the rugged Anti-Atlas to Zagora and the 'Route des Kasbahs' with time for a quick stop to pose in front of the famous sign 'Tomboctou 52 Jours'. We headed off across stony plains into the desert and found ourselves at our first camp which consisted of a large comfortable mess tent (with rugs, table and stools), four camels lolloping around a nearby well and two very pleasant chaps one of whom only spoke Berber and the other fractured French, which matched mine quite well. There was no difficulty in communicating and we quickly established a good rapport. There is no class distinction here, unlike on our other treks, and it was good to chat with Hussein 1 and 2. We called them Hussein and Saddam, and they call us Ali Baba and Bahmed...click here to continue reading

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