Guided Walks - with Dave Best
We've worked with Dave for many years and he is a great friend as well as being an accomplished tour host and walking guide.
Dave is a renegade town planner, originally from London, but has been based in Australia for almost 20 years. Once an aspiring rock musician as well as serving his country as a young colonial officer in British Hong Kong, Dave is a man who has trodden many paths from France to Asia and New Zealand. In late 2008, he returned from an epic 5-week journey from one end of Vietnam to the other, accompanying two walking groups and discovering plenty of new restaurants! Dave leads tours for those who care to mix travel with a good walk. Dave is constantly dreaming up new travelling/walking programmes, all with a decent amount of unique flair, a skill Dave excels in.
We work very closely together on the behind the scenes logistics that go into making an enjoyable tour. Today we work with Dave in three areas. The Pyrenees, a region of south-west France Dave knows like the back of his hand having led walks there for over fifteen years; Vietnam and Cambodia, home to awesome walking and cultural experiences, as well as the Lycian Coast in Turkey - a region we are exploring together for the first time this year. (You won't get lost as we have a locals assisting Dave)
If you are unfamiliar with the Dave Best travel style, think of it as adding the ‘extra’ to the ‘ordinary’, providing good value programmes filled with the mainstream ‘must do’ attractions but enhanced with insights into the culture, history, cuisine and people of the destination. We research our programmes thoroughly; there is no hit-or-miss attitude. We also recognise that local cuisine is an important part of any travel experience, as are comfortable and clean accommodations.
Classical Turkey and the Lycian Coast - September 2010 (tour fully booked!) Ask about 2011.
We begin in Istanbul, capital of the Ottoman Empire for over 450 years. We visit the splendid Topkapi Palace, Haghia Sofia and Blue Mosque, and have time to explore the vibrant bazaars. We then head south and for several days we explore historic and classical sites, including Anzac Cove, Troy, Pergamum and the celebrated ruins of Ephesus. Our trip then changes gear as we shift our focus to the stunning coastal scenery. We explore the ancient ruins of Kaunos, with an afternoon walk through magnificent scenery; from Fethiye we hike up to the ‘ghost village’ of Kayakoy, abandoned by the Greeks in 1920; we walk along parts of the Lycian Way, spending the night at a rustic ‘tree camp’; and we follow Patara’s ancient aqueduct which leads us to its ruined amphitheatre. We spend three nights in the charming coastal village of Kaş and from here we explore the sunken ruins of Kekova in sea-kayaks and take a day trip to Arycanda – the most impressive of the Lycian ruins. Leaving Kaş we visit ancient Olympos, where we walk through the forest and see the flames of the fabled Chimaera sprouting from the hillside before flying back to Istanbul. Click here to download the 4-page Turkey brochure.
Walking the French Pyrenees - October 2010
Spend a week of walking based in our renovated Basque farmhouse, 'Etxexuria' - in a secluded valley in the foothills of the magnificent French Pyrenees. Walk up to, along and over the border with Spain. Follow the same paths the mediaeval pilgrims took en route to Santiago de Compostela. Enjoy superb French style cooking washed down with Bordeaux red and white wines. This is Dave's 15th year escorting walking programmes to the beautiful Pyrenees. Click here to download the 4-page Pyrenees brochure.
Classic Vietnam & Cambodia - November 2010
Dave has led trips to Vietnam for more than a decade, typically with a focus on walking in both rural and urban settings. This year, we include all the classic sites of Vietnam, from Hanoi in the north, a cruise on spectacular Halong Bay, the historic town of Hoi An and south to Saigon (today known as Ho Chi Minh City). We change the pace of the tour and spend two days cruising through the waterways of the Mekong Delta, towards the Cambodian border, before a short river trip from the Vietnamese town of Chau Doc brings us to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Our programme concludes with a visit to the stupendous archaeological sites of Angkor. Throughout, Dave will lead several walks in a range of settings in both Vietnam and Cambodia – and introduce you to some outstanding restaurants! Click here to download the 4-page Vietnam brochure.
We are working on a very busy schedule for Dave in 2011, including an new tour in Turkey and walking in Tanzania! Email us for details.