Our grading system explained
Holiday News and Offers
Here's where you'll find the most up-to-date information about what's happening at Mountain Kingdoms. Check below for details of any upcoming events we are holding, any special offers we are running, any news we've got to share and any holidays that have spaces and are due to run in the next few weeks. You can also sign up to receive our monthly e-newsletter.
Kev Reynolds - farewell to an old friend
![Kev Reynolds - farewell to an old friend](/u/holidays/Kev-Reynolds.jpg)
It was with great sadness that we recently heard that our dear friend, Kev Reynolds, passed away aged 78.
Kev led treks for Mountain Kingdoms to Bhutan and the Indian Himalaya, and he also held a series of presentation evenings for us in which he shared his passion for the great mountains of the world with a rapt audience. Nepal was one of his favourite trekking destinations, especially Manaslu which he regarded as the ‘most beautiful walk in the world’.
Many of you though will ‘know’ Kev through the numerous Cicerone guidebooks he wrote over a span of 40 years including classic trekking guides to the Pyrenees, Alps and Himalaya. He also wrote walking guides to his beloved home region of Kent and Sussex, and had a collection of poems published in 2020 which he wrote as an antidote to the Covid lockdown.
Kev inspired many people through his writing and lived a wonderfully fulfilling life doing the things he loved the most. He was also the kindest, warmest, most generous man you could ever wish to know and a devoted family man. Our deepest sympathies go to his wife Min and their two daughters, Claudia and Ilsa.
November competition winner
![November competition winner](/u/holidays/Cresswell-Turner-Miles-EBC-Trek-Kala-Pattar-300px_2021-12-07-113509.jpg)
Congratulations to Miles Cresswell-Turner who won our November Walking the World photo competition with this joyful photo of Everest taken from Kala Pattar. The photo was taken this October as Nepal re-opened to visitors and Miles was lucky enough to have the trail to Everest Base Camp all to himself – a very rare privilege indeed. Our December theme is Simply the Best, so send us your favourite images before the end of the month for the final chance to win our 2021 photo competition.
November enews - Nepal latest
![November enews - Nepal latest](/u/holidays/enews_News_and_Views_Nepal.jpg)
Our November enewsletter brings you the latest news from Nepal as it re-opens for tourism. We also share some of our favourite views from the Himalayan Kingdom including the stunning panorama from Gokyo Ri and breakfast in style in the Annapurnas. There's an update on the work being done to support porters by the charity CAN plus details of the winner of our October Photo Competition.
Sign up here if you'd like to receive our next enews.
Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival
![Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival](/u/holidays/Steve-300_2021-11-15-120818.jpg)
A local event for all you Gloucestershire folk - on Saturday 27th November our MD, Steve Berry, will be joining a panel of adventurers at the Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival.
Steve will be recounting some of his yeti hunting exploits and reading from his travel memoir Straight Up: Himalayan Tales of the Unexpected.
Tickets are limited and can be booked online for £5.
October enews - Travel is Go!
![October enews - Travel is Go!](/u/holidays/Newsletter-main-image-Oct-21-300px.jpg)
Nepal, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka and lots of other destinations are finally open for travel again. In our October enews we take a look at favourite destinations we can't wait to revisit, and celebrate September's winning photo competition image, Roy Stout's take on 'Local Life'. Check out his fabulous photo, and find out how to enter this month's photo competition.
Sign up here if you'd like to receive our next enews.
BBC4 The Age of Nature, Bhutan episode on 20th October
![BBC4 The Age of Nature, Bhutan episode on 20th October](/u/holidays/Age-of-Nature-2-300px.jpg)
Over the course of thirty five years MD, Steve Berry, has travelled to Bhutan over 20 times. As a result he has made friends with people from all walks of life across the kingdom making him the perfect film 'fixer' and Bhutan expert for various productions, from the BBC's Last Man Standing to Michael Palin's Himalaya series. Most recently Steve assisted in the making of The Age of Nature for an episode profiling Bhutan as the only carbon negative country in the world. Sadly the stability of Bhutan's pristine environment is threatened by neighbouring countries and their actions are causing the Himalayan snows and glaciers to melt at an alarming rate.
You can watch the Bhutan episode of the Age of Nature on Wednesday 20th October on BBC4, and also on BBC iPlayer.
Destinations open for travel
![Destinations open for travel](/u/holidays/Open-for-Travel-Sri-Lankan-tea-picker.jpg)
Overseas travel has certainly become much easier in the last few months but understanding where you can actually go still isn't all that easy. To help you make that long overdue holiday a reality we've created our good to go destination list - places which welcome fully vaccinated British travellers, are approved by the FCDO and don't require quarantine on return.
Travel regulations are constantly changing though, so for the very latest information, and for advice on the tests required to travel, do give us a call on 01453 844400.
British Bhutan Society
Mountain Kingdoms has been a member of the British Bhutan Society since its foundation in 1992 and this year our MD, Steve Berry, was invited to present a film about eastern Bhutan after the Society's AGM in September. You can watch Steve's film, 'A Journey Through Eastern Bhutan', here.
The film was very well received and was followed by a lively Q&A session during which the Society's President, Sir Simon Bowes Lyon, shared anecdotes of trekking in the very remote regions of northern Bhutan in the 1960s.
The society now numbers some 500+ members and continues with its aims of promoting knowledge of the Kingdom of Bhutan and encouraging links and good relations between the people of Bhutan and the UK. To find out more about the work of the Society visit: www.bhutansociety.org
America opens up
![America opens up](/u/holidays/yosemite_america-reopens.jpg)
A major announcement sees America re-opening to vaccinated UK visitors from the start of November leading to a surge of interest in holidays across the pond. If you want to take the trip of a lifetime to America, we offer two immersive small group walking holidays that explore the spectacular scenery and wildlife of America's premier national parks including the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone - take a look here for full details.
Wilderness Lecture with Helen Sharman
![Wilderness Lecture with Helen Sharman](/u/holidays/helen_sharman_wilderness_lecture.jpg)
The Wilderness Lectures are a much-loved Bristol tradition spanning some 34 years. After a year out in 2020 they made a welcome return this month with one of the best lectures ever delivered by Helen Sharman, CMG, OBE, HonFRSC Britain's first astronaut. Helen enthralled a sell-out audience with stories, anecdotes and fascinating details of the time she spent training and aboard the Russian space station back in 1991. Helen is pictured here with our MD, Steve Berry, one of the three founders of Wilderness Lectures.
The next lecture takes place on December 9th and will be given by world famous climber, Peter Habeler. Some tickets should be available on the door. For further information visit Wilderness Lectures