This truly was a trip of a lifetime. Having travelled to Everest Base Camp and Kilimanjaro (with the tour operator) we thought we had a pretty good idea of what to expect on this trip. We were so wrong! This was so much tougher and in many different ways. Firstly, whilst there's an itinerary, it quickly became apparent that there's a lot that's outside the control of the operator and the on-the-ground operator. We were held up in Islamabad for longer than expected (due to leave on Saturday, left on Wednesday). Our flight to Skardu was cancelled as a result of bad weather and with just one flight a day, it wasn't possible to get re-booked until Wednesday. Once in Skardu, although visa and permits have been granted, there's still a step to complete on the ground and it can't be started until you arrive in Skardu. Here you're at the very of the Authorities and 'it takes as long as it takes'. We weren't granted permission to enter the national park until around 9pm on the day we arrived in Skardu. Sara, our tour guide, kept us informed at every step and went over and beyond, using the local operator and 'connections' to try to get us back on track. She discussed the options with us and as a group, we decided on a plan to try to keep the overall tour intact. This meant combining 2 days of itinerary into 1, twice! The terrain is hard and unpredictable, this is where Sara and the local team were invaluable in their knowledge and expertise. We really were in their hands, finding safe passage and negotiating an ever-changing landscape. This made it feel really natural and exciting. It was one of the most breathtaking places on earth, with a real sense of pure and raw beauty. We worked hard to get to Concordia and even harder to get K2 base camp. The team were unbelievably amazing, we simply could not have completed this trek without their encouragement, support, humour and importantly expertise. This isn't a well trodden path and you need to know the environment. It was obvious from day 1, Sara had an incredible relationship with the local team, she knew the country and local environment well. She had a wonderful nature and approach to the people, the country and the environment, all of which she shared so generously, with true enthusiasm and passion. She's such a modest person, someone that would shy away from the attention or thanks, instead passing it on to others. However, she was at the centre of everyday, every step and for that we are very grateful. An incredible trip and one we'd highly recommend.
One of the best holidays ever. It was a wonderful mixture of walking - where the scenery was different on every hike and incredibly unspoilt, eating beautiful authentic Spanish food , experiencing Andalusian culture and still having time to relax by the pool surrounded by magnificent views. The Cortijo Rosaria was a wonderful place to stay - the staff did everything to make our holiday special, with a surprise Flamenco event at the end of the week.
Botswana is the size of France but with just 2million people and an enlightened approach to conservation resulting in an unspoilt environment which benefits both local people and wildlife. Driver/guide Moses ably supported by chef Johnny and staff Ronny and Derek looked after all the needs of our group of seven with patience and good humour. Johnny provided fantastic food including freshly baked bread, cottage pie and fish & chips!
The Okavango delta camp provided our first brush with elephants at close quarters as two bull elephants approached to within a few feet when we were on a walking safari with Moses and the local guides. Moses was the epitome of calmness as he gently shoed them away. We were still buzzing when a couple of hours later sitting back at the camp by a small pond another two elephants decided to have a ruckus and one chased the other straight through the pond to within a feet of us again. It was only the start of the trip and it was going to be hard for Moses to maintain that kind of experience for the rest of the holiday. But he excelled himself delivering honey badgers on two separate occasions, leopard, lions galore including one at an elephant kill not to mention the usual suspects- giraffes, zebra, buffalo, wildebeest together with various deer and antelopes. Botswana is a birders paradise even in its winter (we were there in June/July) and we saw a wide variety of eagles and smaller birds. Wild camping was a great experience with people comparing what animals they heard the previous night both in the surrounding area and in camp. We had leopard and hyena visit overnight!
The only negatives related to our second night at the Audi camp, Maun when both electricity (needed to recharge camera batteries) and water were out when we arrived early evening. While the electric was eventually restored the water was not until we were leaving the following morning and the toilets were in a truly disgusting state. Also we arrived at Victoria Fall Rest Chalets to find our cabins had been given to others and we had to camp, again the toilet block was poor. One bright spot was the Nata camp site which was excellent.
