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The Tour of the Jungfrau region (TJR) is a horseshoe trek among some of the most spectacular scenery in all the Alps. It is a journey into the Bernese Oberland that will leave you awestruck: ridges, summits and passes, glaciers, waterfalls, gorges, beautiful mountain lakes, and always the extraordinary backdrop of the Eiger, Wetterhorn, Silberhorn, Mönch, and Jungfrau. Most of the places you stay are in atmospheric locations with breathtaking views, ranging from Alpine refuges with bunk beds and mattress platforms to comfortable small hotels with twin rooms. At certain points the trek includes short sections of fixed cables and some exposed sections that will stretch your comfort zone. No luggage transport is feasible, so you carry the extra clothes you need in your pack. At the mid point of the trek you'll walk the famous Eiger trail to the foot of the Eiger's north face where the summit will feel within arms' reach. Yet while this trek is strenuous, none of it is technical or at altitude. All bedding is provided so you'll only need a sheet liner. Spare gear can be kept to a minimum, and any unwanted travel gear can be left at the hotel in Interlaken where the holiday starts and finishes. You can catch the train there from either Geneva or Zurich airport, buying your ticket at the airport station for approximately £54 return. Alternatively you can do the whole journey by train from the UK, leaving in the morning and arriving in Interlaken at 19.35 for approximately £123 return. Whether you fly/train or train/train, we can help you book your tickets. The amazing mountain train from Interlaken to the start and end of the trek is included in the price. Guided by Sara B who will meet you in Interlaken station. Group size 8 max.

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Travel - flight or train to Interlaken is not included: You can fly to Geneva or Zurich from several UK airports & take the train from the airport to Interlaken. Alternatively you can take the train from the UK to Interlaken (from £123 return, taking all day).

Includes: breakfasts & 6 evening meals; mountain train & mountain bus beyond Interlaken to reach start of trek.
Not included: flight or train to Interlaken; lunches - for lunch we will stop at huts & refuges along the way - from £6-£9; 2 evening meals.

You can book online - or phone us on: 08456 445335

Fuller detail
This exciting new holiday with Anita and Helen involves a 5 night trek through the extraordinary scenery and rocky terrain of the Sinai Desert and its mountains. The Sinai is an arid Biblical landscape dotted with secret Bedouin gardens. There are high mountain passes to cross including some scrambles at High Level, and steep rocky ground at times even along the High Intermediate route. We will walk in the company of knowledgeable and friendly Bedouin guides and their camels. We will sleep beneath the stars and eat freshly prepared meals around cosy campfires. The High level walks will ascend mountains, including Mt St Katherines (2629m), and finally Mt Sinai (2285m), whilst the High Intermediate walks will follow stunning but demanding trade routes from oasis to oasis. On one day we will follow Wadi Talaa, a steep lush valley with many interconnecting pools, including the famous blue pool of Galt El Azraq, with streams of water disappearing and resurfacing further down the valley. Everybody meets up each evening, so you can keep your options open and swap grades from day to day if you wish. At the start of the holiday there will be a chance to visit St. Katherines Monastery and prepare for out trek. After the trek, we will enjoy 2 nights in the chilled out beach resort of Dahab on the gulf of Aquaba where the snorkling is truly stunning. (Snorkling gear can be hired inexpensively from the where we stay). Here we have reserved ensuite twin and single rooms, all with fans or air conditioning, some with balconies (Single supplement here is £10-£15 a night). There will also be a feast included on the last night to celebrate! For our other meals here we'll stroll out to enjoy the atmosphere of the many little eating places along the front (not included but inexpensive). There are scuba diving and wind-surfing schools for the more adventurous - a perfect contrast to the ultimate desert experience! (Day pack only - your luggage is transported for you by camels).

Flight to Sharm el Sheik is not included. Transfer to St Katherines IS included!
There are flights to Sharm el Sheik from Gatwick with Easyjet, and from Manchester with Viking. Our 2 transfers will meet these different flights. Please talk to us before arranging any other flight).

You can book the Easyjet flight on the Internet when it comes available. The Viking flight from Manchester is available now however it can only be booked through an agent such as Charterflights.co.uk. Please ask us for details. (Alternatively we are happy to book it for you - for a WW flight booking fee of £10).

Includes: full board at St Katherines & on trek; all transfers meeting Viking flights; luggage transport by camel; local guides & camel drivers.

Not included: Flight to Sharm el Sheik; Tourist Egyptian Visa (£15); 2 breakfasts, 2 snack lunches & 1 eve. meal in Dahab; tips (allow up to £15).

You can book online - or phone us on: 08456 445335

Last chance in 2010 to join this once in a lifetime Intermediate experience of Nepal - Kathmandu temples, Pokhara & Fishtail lake, 6-night tea house trek in the Annapurna foothills...

Fuller detail -
The incredible experience of trekking in Nepal need not be purely for high level walkers. The Hindu and Buddhist temples of Kathmandu, the amazing medieval city of Baktapur, the serenity of Phewa Tal ('Fish Tail Lake') in Pokhara, and the breath taking views of the Himalaya are all features of this intermediate holiday to Nepal - including a 6-day circular trek to Gorapani in the Annapurna region. At Gorapani, weather permitting, we'll climb Poon Hill and watch the sun rise over the magnificent Annapurna range. There'll be bamboo forests and huge rhododendron trees in flower, monkeys in the trees, steep stone steps that we'll take as slowly as we need, and little villages dotting the terraced hillsides where we'll stop for tea. While staying at Pokhara before the trek, we will have a warm-up walk to Sunrise View at Sarankot, and maybe cross the lake by boat to climb to the Peace Temple for another special view of the mountains. The walks on this holiday are to the full limit of Intermediate, and on one trekking day we will be walking uphill slowly and steadily for 6 hours. Our accommodation over this holiday will vary from 3-star hotels in Kathmandu and Pokhara to simple tea houses on the trek (basic accommodation with clean rooms and filtered water. Some have squat toilets). Luggage is transported for you - you carry a day pack only.

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Flight to Kathmandu is not included. Taxi transfer IS included!:
The October 2010 flights have not yet been released. However it is most likely that Marian will fly with Qatar Airways from London to Kathmandu via Doha. Our Taxi transfer will meet this flight when it lands. Please ask us for flight details in December 2009.

We are happy to book it for you if you wish (we charge a £10 flight booking fee; you will only need to pay a flight deposit at this stage, and you will be protected on our agent's ATOL licence). Please let us know if you wish to book a different flight.

Also includes: 13 nights in Nepal in Kathmandu hotel & Pokhara hotel or simple lodges ('tea houses') on trek, breakfasts in Kathmandu & Pokhara, all food on trek, Internal flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara, transport of luggage on trek, + guided walks & trek.

You can book online - or phone us on: 08456 445335

This is a superb introduction to trekking in Nepal among some of the most beautiful scenery in the whole country. From the Hindu temples and maroon-robed Buddhist monks of Kathmandu we travel to Syabrubensi - the start of our trail up the Langtang Valley. The first few days are through varied wooded countryside, always in sight of snow-covered mountains and never far from the turquoise Langtang Khola in its deep gorge. There are monkeys in the bamboo and on the rocks, wild lilac and rhododendrons, orchids and mysterious birdsong. Climbing out above the tree line we then reach another country, wild and rocky, where weathered people of Tibetan descent herd yaks around Langtang Village. Prayer walls, and flags streaming in the wind, Lammergeiers wheeling overhead - life is hard here. Kyangjn Gompa further up the valley at 3800m is surrounded by the majesty of Langtang Ri and Langtang Lirung. Here we take a day off, or there's a chance to climb to Kyangjin Ri at 4350m for spectacular 360 degree views. Returning to Lama Hotel and Syabru we now make our way steadily to Gosainkund, a mystical high lake sacred to Hindus, where we spend a second altitude acclimatising day before crossing Laurabina Pass at 4610m. From here we descend the ridge through the lovely Helambu region: first more trees - hemlocks and rhododendron, sandier, broader paths, then deciduous trees, Lipodendrons and marijuana, terraced fields, butterflies until finally we reach the end of the trek at Sundarijal and return to Kathmandu for our last 2 nights. (3 star hotels in Kathmandu: tea houses on trek).

Trekking in Nepal is a once-in-a-lifetime experience but it also takes us well outside our normal comfort zone: altitude, long ascents and descents which you need to be fit for with plenty of stamina; mainly cold water washing and limited showers until we regain Kathmandu; and the food while trekking is simple, and based mainly on lentils, rice, potatoes, and pancakes.

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Flight to Kathmandu is not included. Taxi transfer IS included!:
The 2010 Oct/Nov flights to Nepal will come available in December or January. Linda will fly with Qatar Airlines from London Heathrow to Kathmandu via Doha (Overnight going out, day flight coming back). Our Taxi transfer will meet this flight when it lands.

You can book this flight (or another arriving on the same day) on the Internet - eg. Expedia. Please ask us for the details. Alternatively we are happy to book it for you as soon as it is released (we charge a £10 flight booking fee; you will only need to pay a flight deposit at this stage, and you will be protected on our agent's ATOL licence). Book early for the best flight prices!

Includes: 4 nights in Kathmandu hotel on a B&B basis, 14 nights in tea houses & all meals on trek, airport transfer, all transport in Nepal, cost of porters & local guide, & full day sightseeing in Kathmandu.

You can book online - or phone us on: 08456 445335