My Highlights - Cirque de Gavarnie and the views on the next to last day... after the painful ascent (but it was worth it). Day 2 was nice when we walked through several small villages and passed by various medieval buildings. From a logistics perspective, this trip went off without a hitch. Luggage was waiting for us on arrival, hosts were expecting us, and we received warm welcomes at all hotels. Even the weather cooperated, but this is never guaranteed!
Our recent TMB was excellent. Not only did we have spectacular weather to go along with the stunning scenery we had two top notch guides in John and Emily. The pace John set for the 14 trekkers was bang on; resting when called for and pushing us as we needed to be coupled with a great π sense of humour. Emily made certain out campsite was setup each evening after our long treks and cooked us fabulous meals given we were camping βΊοΈ. Her energetic personality provided a welcome spark especially at the beginning of the day. G Adventures in Peru π΅πͺ were really great π too but Exodus our did them with respect to quality of the guides and the excellent dinners. A little more variety in breakfasts and lunches is strongly πͺ recommended for sure. I would also suggest stretching the tour to 14 days given there are currently some extraordinarily long days of trekking. Another trip of a lifetime for me. Thanks John and Emily! π₯Ύ
Chemin St Jacques, Moissac to St Jean Pied de Port: after a largely Covid-induced 4 year break, we completed our 2019 walk (from Le Puy en Velay to Moissac) without incident (apart from some minor aches and a niggling shin splint). The accommodation and food were fine; we had our favourites but all were good. We didn't get lost, though we didn't in the end use the Guibo app; I prefer the IGN GR65 maps and Dave Whitson's new Cicerone Via Podiensis guidebook is excellent! Natalie and Julia in the Auckland office were brilliant when we were organising the trip. The only letdown is that it was all over too soon; wish I was still there!