Holiday Reviews
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same trip can have different views!
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Silk Road holiday, gateway to Tartary, independent reviews
 Reviewed 3 Sep 2007 by Valerie Apted |  |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
One of the most memorable parts of our holiday was the hairy drive in a jeep along a narrow track before a three hour walk - (I confess I used a horse!) up to the wonderful paradise of Fairy Meadows-rustic cabins with candles looking out onto the green upland meadows, glaciers and the towering peak of Nanga Parbat. The other exciting event was in Pakistan when we found the road washed away and we had to head up the mountainside round the landslip to where our Chinese bus met us on the other side.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Be prepared for road hazards which are fairly normal in North Pakistan on the Karakoram Highway and in Kyrgyzstan - i.e. punctures landslides etc. Usually these are only an inconvenience and nothing to worry about but occasionally can be more disruptive as happened when the road was washed away with the recent floods. Even then our guides and tour leader did everything possible to get us safely on our way and to make sure everyone was OK. We really appreciated that!
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Because we were travelling in a small group, I hope we made minimum impact on our environment. It provided local employment for our guides/drivers and opportunities to improve their English. In some of the small towns, shopkeepers said they were glad we had come, since with the unrest in Pakistan, there were fewer visitors and the shopkeepers were having a hard time this year.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
We had an excellent holiday - made more so by our super and flexible tour leader Amanda who was everything from a nurse, sorter of visa problems, provider of crunchy peanut butter to the motley crew from the operator. We were promised the opportunity to see some of the most wonderful scenery on earth and even then, it was even more wonderful than we'd been promised. This was a really outstanding trip offering a unique route and outstanding scenery all along the way!
