reviews
Read holiday reviews by Mountain Kingdoms travellers.
We want you to know that we thoroughly enjoyed it all. The ship was excellent - the team was super, the Captain too, and they all did their very utmost to give everybody the best possible experience, and some of the lectures were outstanding. The general ship’s crew were also excellent and everything was done or provided to a high level, with a smile and obvious willingness. Unfortunately the desserts were irresistible! It was certainly a well-run and happy ship. So many thanks to Mountain Kingdoms - to Jim for his well-timed phone call that put us on a ship with the desired route with only a six-month wait (many on board had booked two years in advance), for April’s efficient flight booking and Liz’s overall organisation and question answering. Mountain Kingdoms have been recommended by us already, so hopefully you’ll get some more bookings. We hope to travel again with you in the future.
It was great to visit mountain communities and to trek traditional ancient paths once used by the Incas and still in constant use by the local farmers today. The high passes that you cross feel wild and remote, but one of the great pleasures of the trek was meeting locals along the way, herding their llamas and tending to their high pastures. The Sacred Valley, with its amazing Inca remains, can at times feel quite busy, but out on the Lares trek you really do get away from it all.
We had the most unforgettable holiday in Bhutan. Apart from visiting all the cultural sites, we were invited to join local people having a picnic at the Paro Tsechu, listened to the nuns singing their prayers at the Kila Gompa nunnery set high in the mountainside and even tried our hand at archery, their national sport. Our guide was exceptional and all the arrangements for our stay were excellent. We felt very privileged to have been able to visit this beautiful country and it's people.
Despite cloudy weather we had a fantastic time.
I had an absolutely amazing time whilst visiting Bhutan and really did not want to leave! The country is spectacularly beautiful and the people we met were incredibly friendly and accommodating. The success of the trip was principally due to our guide who (along with his team) looked after us and made sure that we got the most out of our experience.
From the quirkiness of Mrs Bandhari's Guest House in Amritsar to the heritage style of Chateau Garli and Grace Cottage in Dharamsala. The food too couldn't be bettered whether masala dhosas or aloo paranthas for breakfast or the river fish cooked three different ways for Alan at the Mayflower Hotel in Manali. Our guide, Sanjay, was very experienced and enjoyed taking us to off- the-beaten track places such as the local farmhouse where we sat on a colourful quilt on the balcony floor and indulged in delicious lemon tea while taking in the fantastic views. The walks were a bit demanding at first due to the altitude and steepness of some but we soon acclimatised and ended the trip feeling very fit. Sanjay was always prepared to accommodate any special requests if at all possible and when I realised we would be stopping briefly in Chandigarh, the home of Nek Chand's Rock Garden, he managed to fit in a fleeting visit - fantastic! The cultural aspects of the tour were fascinating from the hurly-burly of the golden temple at Amritsar to the meditative calm of chanting monks in one of the Buddhist monasteries we visited. Shimla with its wonderful pedestrian mall provided a few shopping opportunities - such fun exploring the colourful stalls in the local bazaars - as did both Dharamsala and our final stop, Delhi. Our driver, Ram, in Delhi was brilliant at locating several book shops for us, quite difficult as so many shops were closed on a Sunday. We visited the Janta Mantar here for the first time and thoroughly recommend it. We felt very safe with Sunam, our main driver for the trip. He was a most careful and courteous driver and greeted us each morning with a lovely smiling 'Namaste'. So all in all a wonderful experience and many thanks to Mountain Kingdoms for arranging things to go so smoothly.
A wonderful holiday. Seeing Cities, Mountains and the ocean. A full on trip, lots to see and do.
A packed itinerary of safari rides & walking in the wilderness. The local tour leaders and all the support staff really made this holiday a very special and unforgettable experience. We were able to view so many animals and birds in the wild, and often close-up. The camps were very comfortable with excellent food.
This alpine mountaineering adventure is a great experience for those looking to learn, or refresh, their skills/experience with crampons and ice axes. It's an amazing action-packed short trip, packing in an exciting Via Ferrata and a climb of a stunning 4,000m peak.
Just returned from a wonderful holiday visiting the Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti Plains and Wilderness area. The variety and abundance of wildlife and birds were amazing as was the sheer scale and scenery of the areas we travelled. A pleasure too to meet Masai people. We couldn't have been better looked after, food was plentiful and delicious, our guides and camp staff were excellent and provided us with a number of lovely surprises. A holiday of a lifetime that will not be forgotten.