We had an amazing start to 2020 with eighteen people going on a Kilimanjaro trek via the Lemosho Glades in Tanzania. In the lead up to this expedition we had been hearing that it had been really wet in East Africa and to expect our trek to be very damp indeed. Not for us! The weather was perfect and the team was absolutely fabulous, as we expected! Well done to all for making it to the roof of Africa!

We put a lot into the planning and organisation of our expeditions to make them a success. Kilimanjaro was the culmination of 18 months of planning. We had teamed up with a new safari operator supplying all female guides and used a head female guide on Kilimanjaro too - a great bonus for women’s empowerment in East Africa! The female guides got on very well with our all gay group and the trips was a great success.

On return from Kilimanjaro we started planning our next expeditions to Nepal and Morocco in earnest. Then the World seemed to do a little somersault and we had to re-evaluate everything we do. We hate cancelling expeditions. It is not only our clients that loose their trip of a lifetime our local guides loose their job and our local hotels loose their income. It has been devastating for all but we will survive and continue.

We are privileged to have a small village close to Snowdonia National Park as our home and office. In the initial weeks we faced some upsetting and distressing times as a business that, like so many in our area, relies on the income generated from tourism. Before the lockdown was enforced our area was inundated with tourists seeking solace in the hills. They were not welcome as they normally are. This led to some ugly graffiti, and behaviour and irremovable signs that are now thankfully being cleared up by virtuous locals with lots of spare time. The scars may take longer to heal but the understanding that most actions were driven by fear has helped calm tensions in our small community. We are a friendly bunch and will welcome you back to Snowdonia when the time is right.

Dr Rich Griffiths has been keeping himself busy in A&E in our local hospital and MD Nick Read has been working on the vegetable patch, planning new trips and working on making the website more user friendly ready for you to book your next trip. Our guides in Nepal, Morocco and Tanzania have mostly closed their tourism businesses and headed to their homes in the country for some relaxing time with their extended families.

We send all our love to you and hold onto hope for the future. We hope to be going back to Nepal in October and November for an Everest Base Camp trip and a Happy Himalaya trek and raft trip. These trips are open for booking.

Check out our website for more details www.prideexpeditions.co.uk

Stay safe and we look forward to travelling with you again!