Traveller Reviews
Read holiday reviews and feedback by Mountain Kingdoms travellers.
Traveller reviews of Mountain Kingdoms
Overall holiday rating: 5
Total number of reviews submitted: 1187
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So many unique memories of Japan, a truly outstanding experience.
The programme for this cultural tour is excellent, with a range of experiences from watching Sumo wrestlers at their daily training, to spending the night in a Buddhist shrine, where we attended their prayers at daybreak. From a mountain trip to watch macaque monkeys playing in the snow, to boat trips on Lake Ashi, where we saw Mount Fuji, and to Miyajima Island to admire the stage setting for the No theatre productions. We returned truly different - with so many unique memories, really healthy after the cuisine. and mindful that a holiday can make such a difference. This was a holiday to bear comparison with any other in the pantheon of outstanding experiences. We both thank you as the originator of this trip. You had the imagination to appreciate what it could be, and the efficiency to realise the dream so effectivley. You can be proud of your work!
An exceptional holiday to Bhutan.
An exceptional holiday. Such a delightful contrast of culture, festivals, information and history. Travelling across the country with beautiful scenery and welcome from everyone. Our guide was so informative, good company and attentive to every detail. Thoroughly enjoyed the walking.
Everything I hoped it would be and MORE!
I travelled to Uzbekistan with a couple of friends in mid April, visiting the fascinating Fergana Valley first of all, as a trip add on - a must in my view! It was exciting travelling to Kokand on the very comfortable train through the lush countryside and mountains. For me, the culture of the Fergana area and opportunity to visit top artisans of silk weaving, batik and ceramics, alongside beautiful palaces and mosques was a unique experience! Our guide throughout the whole trip was excellent...she was so knowledgable, charming and prepared for anything, a real joy to spend time with. We travelled widely across the country but everything was so smoothly organised, the drivers excellent (even if the roads were a little bit bumpy!) and the transport high quality. All the hotels we stayed in were very comfortable, not too big and in great locations. As for Uzbekistan...the star of the show! What a beautiful country, lovely welcoming people - especially the children who love to practice their English with you! There is so much to see and absorb and having around 4 days in each city - Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand in particular- was a really good amount of time to explore them properly. Leisure days in each place were welcome, if only to wander, especially very early in the morning, meet Uzbekis and then shop and haggle in the wonderful markets and bazaars! Each place we visited had its own special atmosphere and mood. I loved the quiet majesty of Khiva in the early hours and the busy back streets of Bukhara! The colours and patterns on the buildings combined with their history was heady stuff - so beautiful! We all loved the delicious food too - everything cooked from scratch wherever we went, fully seasonal and yes, quite meat based, and so tasty but with lots of substantial salads, soups and fresh bread too. The local beer is very welcome after a long day sightseeing! Mountain Kingdoms were excellent( and very patient!) from the very start in helping us plan and organise this trip...there was even a birthday cake on my arrival in Tashkent! What a lovely, thoughtful surprise. I HIGHLY recommend the Silk Road to Samarkand holiday, it really was everything I hoped it would be and MORE! Thank you to Mountain Kingdoms and our brilliant guide Shakhnosa for making it such a special adventure.
Thought provoking trip to Armenia
Hiking Armenia is a thought provoking and full on trip with long days not to be underestimated. Armenia is well worth a visit with some stunning sights.
Impressive guide
We were impressed by the pride and enthusiasm of our guide who told us about so many Armenians who are not honoured for their achievements as Armenian eg the inventor of the MIGb aeroplane Artem Mikoyan and the humbling respect for their many ancient monasteries and churches.
Breathtaking Patagonia
The varied itinerary and breathtaking scenery. The local guides were very knowledgable, enthusiastic, helpful and caring of our wellbeing. Overall the organisation and planning was well thought out and executed. The standard of accommodation was very good, in particular the Eco Camp. We were very fortunate to be part of a small but convivial group.
Gentle Walking Bhutan - tailor made holiday
An exceptional holiday. Such a delightful contrast of culture, festivals, information and history. Travelling across the country with beautiful scenery and welcome from everyone. Our guide was so informative, good company and attentive to every detail. Thoroughly enjoyed the walking.
Beautiful Bhutan
We were a small group of four ladies, who fortunately got on very well. The tour was very well organised by our exceptional guide Tshokey and driver Dorji. Everything about Bhutan exceeded my expectations in ways that are difficult to describe. The scenery was stunning, temples interesting and colourful and the people genuinely happy and obliging without exception. The accommodation was all of an acceptable standard and the food plentiful, although a bit repetitive, but that did not matter. The icing on the cake for me was managing the climb to the Tigers Nest which would not have been possible without the encouragement and patience of Tshokey. I cannot fault Mountain Kingdoms in any way.
Varied itinerary, excellent food and hotels
A varied itinerary covering over 2000 miles, exploring 7 of the 8 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Sri Lanka with five other like-minded travellers in the group. Food and hotels were almost all excellent, especially Lady Hill in Galle where the welcome and service were excellent. Our guide was informative and went out of his way to make sure all went smoothly. The highlights for me were the day spent visiting Sigiriya/Dambulla and the day on Nainativo exploring the Hindu Nagapooshani Amman Temple and the Buddhist shrine Nagadeepa Purana Viharaya.
Smooth from start to finish
Everything went so smoothly, from start to finish. All the guides were very knowledgeable and entertaining and all the accommodations and transportation were very comfortable. I could not have asked for a more enjoyable holiday. Well done Mountain Kingdoms!
In-depth exploration of Sri Lanka's hill country
We very much enjoyed this in-depth exploration of Sri Lanka's hill country. The walking was a mixture of fairly easy tracks through the iconic tea estates and some more challenging sections so the overall trip grading is about right. The scenery, from plantations to grasslands and forests was lovely and meeting so many local villagers on the way was a particular highlight. Our guide, Sujan, was excellent, very knowledgeable on history and wildlife, and our driver, Vigitha, was always reliable.
An abundance of highlights
Amazing Holiday. Highly Recommended with an abundance of highlights, beautiful country lovely people lovely food and amazing wildlife and scenery. Its absolutely a country I could return to in the future
Bucket list experience
A truly bucket list experience! I thoroughly enjoyed myself and thought Hameed (not sure if spelling correct) was fantastic. He was an asset to the company. I would highly recommend this outstanding trip.
Exactly what it said on the tin!
Loved everything! The trip was exactly what it said on the tin - a really good mix of seeing the best of the Silk Road cities of Uzbekistan & moderate level walking in two quite different (and beautiful) mountain areas. Nowhere was a disappointment & I was pleasantly surprised by the low numbers of overseas tourists (apparently the benefit of being at the end of the season). The Registan was indeed the highlight of the trip, not at all crowded and quite stunning!
Immersive tour of a fascinating place
Colours of India - what a good description of the holiday that weve just had. And not just colours, but sounds and tastes. I had never been to Gujarat, and what a fascinating place it turned out to be. My interest in joining a tour focusing on textiles was not in making things, as thats not my forte, but in enjoying beautiful things and the workmanship and skills that go into creating them. And the tour exceeded my expectations, with a knowledgable, passionate, energetic and thoughtful leader who was on hand to deal with any problems that arose, an itinerary that could be adjusted to suit prevailing circumstances, an excellent local guide, Pravin Danghera, who gave us insights into many aspects of Gujarati life and helped with everything from menu choices (the food was delicious) to strange beeps in the hotel room, and a calm, careful driver who kept us safe. The vibrant colours and the smiling, friendly local people we met will stay with meas will of course the glorious things that I boughtadded to which are the unforgettable landscapes, the birds, the animals encountered on the road and in the markets, and the wonderful local music played by such talented musicians. The tour was relaxed and never rushed, allowing us to immerse ourselves in the places we visited. There was only one place where we would have liked to linger longer, Rann Riders, had time permitted, but we understood the limitations. Well done, Sue Lawty, and everyone alongside you who made this happen. I hadnt heard of Mountain Kingdoms before this trip but will certainly be keeping an eye on future opportunities.
Gujarat - you can't not go!
If you love fabrics or sewing you will find heaven in Gujarat. You have the chance to watch fabric being made from scratch; spun, dyed, printed, woven, embroidered and finally worn. Throw the many wonders of India into the mix - exotic food, amazing temples and mosques or tranquil bird watching - and you cant not go!'
Absolutely fantastic trip to India
Absolutely fantastic trip with a superb guide Suraya (apologies if spelt incorrectly!) who had bottomless historical knowledge, he also took charge of a "tip kitty" which took any stress off us! The variety of accommodation was brilliant especially enjoyed the Korta Escape which was a rural farm and Castle Bijaipur Hotel where we were included in the family's Diwali Celebrations. We did an extension to Jim Corbett's Retreat which was superb and we saw a real, live, wild tiger!!
Couldn't fault it!
This was a great trip, the country is beautiful and the trip took in a lot of the diversity between the areas visited. We were very pleased with the itinerary which had obviously been well thought out and the accommodation wherever we stayed was of a good standard. We were with a group of 10 lovely, friendly people but one of the highlights of the trip was the group leader, Rey. Rey really made our trip with his knowledge, attitude and sense of fun, he went above and beyond on many occasions.
Exquisite scenery
We loved finding out more about the culture. We met some lovely local families. The scenery was exquisite.
Great memories
I had wanted to go trekking in Nepal for at least thirty years. As the trek progressed I knew I had made the right choice. Challenging, incredible scenery, three high passes, nice lodges, Everest basecamp and some quieter areas. Purna and his assistant guides worked tirelessly in looking after us with warmth and good humour. I will not forget the last night of the trek in Lukla where we all got up and danced with Purna, the assistant guides and porters to a catchy Nepali tune. Great memories.