Trekking along Turkey’s rugged coastline is an experience for the mind, body and spirit and as Intrepid’s Summer Davis illustrates, few walks are as uplifting as wandering to Oludeniz and walking part of the Lycian Way…
“Peeping out from the hills like blank faces, the abandoned houses of Kayakoy, Turkey, are a sad reminder of the 1923 ethnic swap, which forced Turkish Christians and Greek Muslims to trade places. This small village was abandoned shortly after, when its new inhabitants fled in search of more arable land. The gray building skeletons and faded paint on the church walls could distract an explorer for hours, as one tries to imagine the people of the town’s past. But these shells are just the beginning – a façade for the vibrant life lying ahead on the other side of the hill.
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For most of us there comes a time on a trek when you decide enough is enough. But then you think about how far you’ve come and what a let down it would be not to go the distance now. The Nepal challenge proved almost too much for Intrepid Express reader Kirsty Christmas, but suddenly it was all worth it when the summit was in sight…
“I didn’t anticipate that climbing a 5416 metre mountain pass in Nepal would be the highlight of our journey. My captivation for Nepal laid in the vibrant, culture-rich 300 km trek that meanders around the spectacular Annapurna massif. But I was yet to discover the immense feat of surmounting Thorung La…
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There’s no doubt handle-bar height gives the best view of Vietnam. Cycling gives you a chance to meet the locals in ways that wouldn’t be possible otherwise and as Jo Gilbert discovered, once you rise to the challenge of the roads for the first time, you’ll be freewheeling all the way!…
“Attempting to even walk across the manic streets of Hanoi is a mean feat, but cycling? Standing on the curb in Hanoi, clad in my beautiful new lycra attire and clutching my bright mountain bike, my heart was beating madly and thoughts were racing through my mind. Was I hallucinating when I signed up for this?
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Before you blow out your candles on your next birthday cake, maybe you’ll want to make a wish like Intrepid Express reader Michelle Geraghty…
“At this point, I’ve had 31 birthdays – each one of them being pretty special… whether it was spending it at my granny’s when I was 4, because I got the bicycle of my dreams at the age of 12, because I got to take photos of Uluru changing colour at sunset when I turned 28 or because I was surrounded by mates having a wicked weekend on the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland when I hit the ripe old age of 30. Each of them, a happy memory that’s etched in my mind forever.
But none stand out like my 29th birthday, when I found myself breathless from the altitude (not the trekking – honest!) on the Lares Trail in Peru. Visiting Machu Picchu had been on my ‘To Do’ list for a while, and I’m not the type of person to take an easy route there!
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Seeing the iconic site of Machu Picchu is on so many travel ‘bucket lists’, and for good reason. But the 4-day trek at high altitude is no walk in the park, so Intrepid’s Dyan Mckie couldn’t wait to tell her mum that she made it all the way…
“We set off to take the Inca Trail in our stride; our Intrepid group of 11 plus local leader, Ernie, and great team of porters. The trek took us over passes as high as 4,000 metres – Dead Woman’s Pass is the highest and believe me, you feel like a less-than-lively lady when you finally reach the summit. I won’t kid you, it was hard work for a desk-bound girl like myself. Uphill all the way and when my lungs weren’t screaming, my legs were!
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This week’s top trip doesn’t make light of how tough it can be hiking in the Himalayas, but getting the light just right is another challenge that Intrepid traveller Marianne Lim was determined to rise to in Nepal…
“When I booked an Intrepid Active trip to Everest Base Camp I made a silent resolution to get up early each morning to try and catch the dawn light on the enormous awe-inspiring mountain ranges I was bound to see.
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The astounding ruins of Machu Picchu remain one of the world’s most remarkable archaeological discoveries and as Intrepid Express reader Henrietta Grant experienced, retracing the steps of the Inca to reach this ancient site is a wonderful way to explore Peru…
“Whilst I on holiday in Tanzania, one of my travelling companions spoke so enthusiastically on numerous occasions about her experiences of walking along the famous Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, that I decided what better way to visit the South American continent for the first time but to do this trek. So six months later, I found myself on day two of a three day trek at the highest point of the Inca Trail, Dead Woman’s Pass. The views from both sides of the Pass were staggering and I found it an awe-inspiring experience to look down to the valley far below where we had started our journey the previous day.
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Searching out rhinos on the back of an elephant is one of those ‘pinch-yourself’ real life experiences, but it didn’t stop there for Intrepid traveller Nathan Penny on his ‘back to nature’ adventures in Nepal…
“The early morning sunlight lit up the lower plains of the Himalayas. My 2 Nepalese guides led me through the thick jungle along a narrow track, armed only with wooden sticks. Our mission was to find an elusive sloth bear.
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There is something inspiring about following a path that is over 2000 years old, especially when that trail travels along the Great Wall. Intrepid’s Alison Mead took a wander along the iconic wall to get a different perspective of China…
“Our adventure started at the off-the-beaten-track village of Gubeikou, around 3 hours from Beijing. Accompanied by local guide Chen, complete with his t-shirt stating ‘feeling good’, our small group of six begin the steady climb over exposed ground to reach the wall.
Parts of the wall were completely ruined, other sections were overgrown, but all the way it was clear this was the mighty Great Wall of China. Round another corner, up over another tower and the views were spectacular, so much so that we forgot our weary feet and knees. And if we did remember our aches, Chen’s great story-telling quickly took our minds off any pain.
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