Name: Balkan Kaleidoscope - 8 Balkan Countries in 14 Days
Brand: Penguin Travel
SKU: N/A
Price: 990 USD
Availability: LimitedAvailability
Rating: 4.6 (1 reviews)

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Kosovo Budget Tours & Packages

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Kosovo Budget Tours & Packages Tour & Trip Reviews |...

Stressless leader, fantastic route, great adventure - dispite a few hickups outside of the leaders control.  All in all, best holiday ever!

Intrepid Travel

Stressless leader, fantastic route, great adventure -

Kosovo, Albania & Macedonia Explorer

Exodus Adventure Travels

Contiki

Penguin Travel

Awesome canyons, mountains rivers and lake views whilst cycling through 4 
Balkan Countries.  A great variety of scenery and some challenging hills and 
satisfying downhills make this an excellent choice for those who enjoy great 
views and cycling.
The Tara Canyon is just spectacular and the Durmitor Mountains where the view 
keeps changing around every bend were possibly the most beautiful varied 
countryside we have had the pleasure to cycle in.  The first views of the Bay 
of Kotor take your breath away.


Josh is fairly new and enthusiastic to guiding.  The trip is still in its 
infancy and he is trying to fine tune it.  He is building his knowledge of 
the 4 countries and has a passion for the Balkans but we did occasionally 
encounter language barriers as none of the team spoke Macedonian but this was 
soon rectified by him Juli, or Dhimitraq.

Juli our driver is a real fun character, full of life, who has friends 
everywhere and is always making new ones.  He makes sure everyone is hydrated 
on the rides and checks on everyone at regular intervals.

Dhimitraq is the quiet one but has lots of knowledge and passion for the 
countries visited and cycling.  He balances the team dynamics.  We loved the 
walks he took us on around the lake and up to the castle.


The hills are in big chunks which we were not used to..... some were 10 - 15 
km long with 600-800m of elevation gain with little or no respite. They are 
quite challenging but saying that all of our group managed them.  The reward 
is beautiful scenery and some awesome long descents.  There were a couple of 
poorer condition roads which were ok on the climbs but made the downhills 
slower and more challenging and for me less rewarding.  We had fantastic 
weather 40 deg most days but the weather can be variable as our guides said a 
few weeks earlier it had been deep snow and ice.  Worth taking a bright front 
light and a back light for the few tunnels that you have to cycle through.


If you have an adventurous spirit and love to cycle through awesome scenery 
(and love cheese!) then get yourself booked on this trip.

Cycle the Balkans

Beautiful weather and scenery in a part of Europe that gets easily 
overlooked. Lots of uphill cycling but you do get the long downhills as 
compensation. The guides Dhimitri and Juli were great - always helpful and 
Juli (also the driver) scuttling back and forth to ensure everyone was OK and 
had enough water. Would recommend this trip and the local provider Cycle 
Albania.
If you mean 'What were my highlights?' then:
Old Town of Ohrid
Tara Canyon and the zipwire ride across the gorge.
Painted Mosque at Tetovo
Durmitor National Park
Kotor


Group leader Dhimitri was good and always briefed the night before on the 
next days cycling and during the ride for meet up points. Juli was excellent 
(he used to be a guide) and was on top of his game as well. When my wife had 
an accident they both stepped up a gear and Juli called a contact who could 
translate at the hospital for us. Nothing was too much trouble for these 
guides.
On a negative note - (1) They were focussed on the cycling and had to be 
badgered to say anything about the area/countries we were in. Many requests 
had to be made before any history/politics were forthcoming. (2) This is a 
fault that we have found before on Exodus trips - the guides are so focussed 
on meeting the main group flying in that they don't leave any meet-up info at 
hotel receptions for those overlanding or arriving at a different time.


When you reach Ohrid (N. Macedonia) go for a walk around Old Town and around 
Kotor (Montenegro).

This has to be without doubt the most fantastic trip we have ever done, with 
breath-taking scenery around every corner. Josh, Dhimitri and Juli were full 
of local knowledge, well organised and complimented each other as a team. If 
you have never cycled a steep hill without some motivational Queen or Ram Jam 
then you have never met Juli!

Accommodation and food varied, as you might expect, but was well above what 
we have experienced on other trips and generally superb.

The roads were quiet for the most part, but some busy sections with manic 
drivers have to be negotiated, but no worse than in the UK.
The mountains of Montenegro and the Tara canyon were particular hi-lights, 
but when you just thought you had reached peak scenery and taken every 
possible photo, around the corner was even better.


Josh was great and is really passionate about The Balkans and their history. 
We would have learnt a lot if not so tired after the days cycling. We had 
thorough briefings about the rides ahead and he would often take personal 
responsibility for minor things that went wrong that were really out of his 
control.   Dhimitri is full of knowledge and is quietly efficient, even to 
the point of serving us breakfast at one slow hotel. Juli is loudly 
efficient, caring and tremendous fun!


The climbs tend to come in big hits, which can mean 2-3 hours of constant 
climbing. We managed them all though and thank you for all those who waited 
patiently for us at the top!

Be warned though, despite the mammoth climbs, miles and the burning of 27,000 
calories, somehow we still managed to put on weight ! All those lovely cheesy 
dishes, beer and coke I think.


Our only concern now is how do we top that ?

The challenges were so worth while.  The guide and driver/mechanic Dimitri 
and Juli were lovely guys. Juli made you smile every time he passed us 
slogging up the hills :)
We saw different kinds of villages and towns, some busy some remote, all with 
their own charm.
Having everything organised for you frees your mind to just enjoy the 
wonderful scenery and sweeping descents (some a little scary).
Cycling up a remote valley, seeing traditional farming and hearing the calls 
for prayer.

Cycling through beautiful no-mans land between borders.

The first view of The Bay of Kotor.


Lovely guy.


Take lots of layers for hot or cold weather.  We had a lot of rain and it got 
cold. Definitely take light overshoes, they take no room.


I didn't get much hill practice in, living in Essex but your climbing ability 
does improve every day.
I loved how different this holiday was, it was very different to the 
Indochina I did.

Great climbs, wonderful scenery, good food and company.

This is an opportunity where you get to see and absorb four countries in one 
trip, lots of uphill’s, but there is always a downhill on the other side.  
If you like cycling, good food, beautiful scenery and an adventure, I would 
recommend this trip.
It has got to be the climb out of Zabljak through the Durmitor region. The 
most scenic route on a bike ever!!  Tara Canyon second - you can just "Lose 
Yourself" there.


Dhimitri was our group leader.  I must say he did an amazing job briefing us 
the night before and nothing was too much trouble for him throughout the 
trip.  He organised the most amazing food for us, keeping a running total of 
the bill, which wasn't easy when there are multiple currencies involved.  It 
made our lives easy.  He is a genius, very kind and trusting.
Juli was his wingman and kept us entertained, watered, snacks, tunes en route 
and the bikes running smoothly throughout the trip. Excellent safe driver and 
can reverse a trailer to a tee!!
The two of them made a great team and worked hard to make our trip enjoyable, 
what an asset they both are to Cycle Albania.


Try the black chocolate ice cream in Kotor and have a walk around.  Take some 
warm clothes for the downhills in the mountains.  No need for the uphills.


Just book it and go

A challenging and beautiful journey through Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia 
and Montenegro with breath-taking scenery. The cycling was challenging with 
lots of climbing, but the bikes that we were provided with were perfectly 
geared for and suited to the terrain. There were regular re-groups on the 
hills as everyone climbs at their own pace and is able to enjoy the holiday 
at a pace that suits them. Delicious healthy and reasonably priced meals were 
provided in the hotels and cabins that we stayed in.

Our guide Joshua was knowledgeable and efficient and provided us with 
information each day about the route and some background history. He arranged 
for a local guide in each country we visited to give their personal 
perspective and an opportunity to ask questions about the complex history of 
the region.
The climb through Durmitor National Park in Montenegro with its wild and 
rugged scenery, exposed to the elements. The very welcome Turkish coffee 
brewed on a portable gas stove at the top, before the stunning descent 
through switch backs and short tunnels. At out destination in Rudinice, we 
were greeted with a dramatic sunset with a double rainbow across the 
mountains, a delicious roast lamb dinner and comfortable stay in a log cabin.

Standing up high on the castle walls at Prizren, Kosovo, hearing the call to 
prayer from across the city from the many mosques below with the Pashtrik 
mountains in the distance.

The opportunity for quiet reflection on the beautiful climb through no man's 
land between North Macedonia and Kosovo. The thunder and lightning on the 
last part of our descent into Berane which thanks to our guide we avoided the 
worst of.


Joshua and drivers Toni and Juli made a great team - very welcoming, funny 
and approachable. Joshua gave detailed descriptions of the route ahead such 
as rough roads, descents, metal grids, tunnels, city traffic and any 
inclement weather. He gave advice on how to negotiate these safely and as a 
result there were no serious mishaps. We regrouped regularly after climbs and 
descents. Coffee stops and meals were efficient with a group tab system. We 
were given some free evenings to explore the area we were staying in and make 
our own arrangements for dinner which was nice to have a bit of freedom to 
explore/take a break from the group. This safety conscious but relaxed and 
friendly approach worked well and it felt like a holiday!


Take layers for cycling: the mountains were cool in Montenegro and we did 
encounter some rain. For the descent from Durmitor I was regretting not 
having my long finger gloves!

Rehydration tablets

I did have a slightly upset stomach on a couple of occasions, which was fixed 
with loperamide!

Take Euros with you to pay for meals/settle the tab at the end of the 
holiday.


I would recommend this trip, it was fantastic.