What we’re about
Do you feel stranded in a concrete jungle of a city? Do you miss nature? Do you crave for adventure? Do you enjoy active holidays more than lazy hotel resorts on a beach? If you answer YES to any of those questions you’ve just found a right place and the right company :) In search of possibilities to spend time outside the city, we created this space for all like-minded people who would like to join us, and since adventure in a group is always more fun, help us make our own holidays a more amazing experience! We don’t mind missing a night out in clubs to get up at 4 am in the morning to go hiking. We enjoy carrying our rucksack rather than a Gucci bag and prefer swapping Louboutin stilettos for hiking shoes. And finally – we prefer walking a few kilometeres uphill than cruising along Sheikh Zayed Road in an air conditioned Porsche (well, most of the times anyway).
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See yah soon!! xx
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Kingdom of The Clouds 2024 | Trekking Across Simien Mountains, EthiopiaDubai Airport, Dubai
There are not many places in the world as Simien Mountains. Located in Northern Ethiopia, this mountain range offers the most spectacular landscapes in the world. The high enscarpments and passes make astonishing trails, covered with patches of meadows and flowers accompanied by low flowing clouds. It is in fact highest Savannah in the world, classified by the population of Labelias growing here in population of thousands.
Welcoming villagers will show us their daily ceremonies, with their traditional Ethiopian coffee brewing. Each day with so different ambience makes this place absolutely special.
https://vimeo.com/242694361
https://vimeo.com/229876807We are planning our expedition there at the end of raining season to assure the stunning game of the clouds to entertain us on each day. Trek is not very challenging, we ll be crossing the highlands with many plateaus and few peaks up to 4500 mts. Nothing easy though, trekking days are long. We ll leave it up to you to decide whether this is a roof of Africa or rather Kilimanjaro...
Welcome to Simien Mountains!!
Day 0 / OCT 19:
Departure to Addis 04.40 AM and connecting flight to Gondar.
Overnight in Gondar, hotel.
Day 1 / OCT 20: GONDAR - DEBARK - SANKABER
The van takes us 100 km north on the Ethiopian highland to Debark, a small city of about 30,000 inhabitants at the border to the famous Simien National Park. After a quick stop for the formalities at the head quarter offices and for collecting cook and scouts we will drive out on a rough road to Sankaber from where we will take a short walk of 2-3 hours, depending on our available time, to assist the acclimatization process. We will get a first impressive view over the dramatic mountains range.
First night in the tents at the Sankaber camp.
Day 2 / OCT 21: SANKABER - GICH
13 km, 5-6 hours. At Sankaber we will pack up our gear and meet our mulemen before commencing the trek to Gich. We will traverse along the escarpment before dropping down to get impressive views, for example of a beautiful waterfall.
From here we will ascend through terraced farmland to the village of Gich and walk through to our camp at 3,600m. In the evening we will have the possibility to walk up to the mountain Kedadit and to assist to an unforgettable sunset.
Day 3 / OCT 22: GICH – IMET GOGO – SAHA – KEDADIT – GICH
8 km, 4-5 hours. We will walk for about 3h to the summits of Saha (3,760) and of Imet Gogo (3,926m), which is one of the most beautiful view points. Then we will return to our camp and relax in the afternoon.
Day 4 / OCT 23: GICH - INATYE - CHENEK
15 km, 6-7 hours. We will walk along the whole escarpment with some ups and downs and wonderful views on the lowlands, climb our the peak Inatye (4,070m) and reach our camp Chenek in the afternoon (3,650m).
Day 5 / OCT 24: CHENEK - BWAHIT - CHENEK - GONDAR
13 km, 4-5 hours. In the early morning we leave from our camp Chenek and first climb up about 700m to the Pass Bwahit (4,200m). We will continue our climb up to the peak of Ras Bwahit (4,430m), one of the highest in the area. Then we will descend to Chenek and the car brings us back first to Debark and then to Gondar. Overnight in the hotel.
Day 6 / OCT 25: Castles of Gondar
Gondar previously served as the capital of both the Ethiopian Empire and the subsequent Begemder Province. The city holds the remains of several royal castles, including those in Fasil Ghebbi (the Royal Enclosure), for which Gondar has been called the "Camelot of Africa". Connecting flight to Addis, overnight in hotel.
Day 7 / OCT 26:
Last souvenir shopping, return flight home.
Level of difficulty: moderate with limited facilities. Available for fit beginners. 4430 masl ahead (Mt. Bwahit). Portering / horse support included (you can rest on a horse back).
Activities: trekking, tribes encounter, sightseeing.
Duration: 8 days
Accommodation & meals: hotel, camping, meals included.
Requirements: daypack, hat, sunscreen, trekking shoes, walking poles, mosquito repellent, sleeping bag, mattress, camping gears.
Cost: 4700 AED excluding flights, 8300 AED flights included until OCT 10th.
Specifically excluded: meals on transfers, insurance and visa cost.
Visa: Most passports are eligible for evisa. Details here.
All other trip details available to confirmed RSVPs.
See yah in Simien x
Trekkup Crew
Whatsapp 050 4848238 / info@trekkup.com
Find all trekkups at linktr.ee/trekkupNot open - Lemur Trails | Journey Across MadagascarDubai Airport, Dubai
Just a few places on Earth offer such an intense kaleidoscope of nature as Madagascar. Sandstone canyons, limestone karsts, mountains, fertile hills cascading with terraced rice paddies, forests of every kind – wet & rainy, dry, spiny – and a laterite-rich soil that gave the country its nickname of 'Red Island'. With 5000km of coastline, the sea is never very far, turquoise and idyllic in places, dangerous in others. It is the world’s fourth-largest island and its roads are dismal.
https://vimeo.com/292618272
https://vimeo.com/194405246
https://vimeo.com/224965822The island's signature animal is the lemur of course, but there are many weird and wonderful creatures: the eerie-looking fossa (a cat-like predator), colourful and camouflaged chameleons, oddly shaped insects, vivid frogs, graceful rays and turtles, several species of sharks, and humpback whales during the winter months.Trees and plants are just as impressive with the distinctively shaped baobabs, the fanning ravinala (travellers' palm), the hundreds of orchids or the spiny forests of the desert south.
We have prepared a short but intensive program to West Coast of the island, most representative part, that will allow us cover all of the highlights in one go. Here we go:
DAY 1 : ARRIVAL IN TANA - DRIVE TO ANTSIRABE
DAY 2 : ANTSIRABE - MIANDRIVAZO
DAY 3 : RIVER TRIP - RIVER TRIP
DAY 4 : RIVER TRIP - BELO - TSINGY
DAY 5 : VISIT TSINGY
DAY 6 : TSINGY - KIRINDY FOREST
DAY 7 : VISIT KIRINDY FOREST - BAOBAB - MORONDAVA
DAY 8 : BEACH RELAX IN MORONDAVA
DAY 9 : MORONDAVA - TANA ( FLIGHT ) + DEPARTUREComplete program available to confirmed RSVPs.
Grade: Easy with elements of climbing (Tsingy Forest)
Activities: trekking, sightseeing, cruising.
Visas: Any country can obtain a visa on arrival valid for 90 days. Stays up to 30 days are free of charge. All visitors must hold a passport valid for 6 months.
Cost: 7,100 AED excl flights on Emirates, approx. 5,600 AED or Ethiopian 3300 AED.
Cost valid until OCT 10th. Past deadline cost will change.Single room 1,328 AED extra.
You can use your own connection given you arrive earlier and depart later.
Specifically excluded: Lunches and dinners in local restaurants.
Specifically included: Stay in local hotels, internal flight, AC Minibus, 4WDs, motor boats, ferries, local English-speaking guides at the locations, entrance fees to national parks where applicable, encounter local tribes, customs and wild life with all its specifics.
Clips:
https://vimeo.com/194405246
https://vimeo.com/224965822Trekkup Crew
Whatsapp 050484823 / info@trekkup.comNot open - The Saffron Magic | Weekend in Mashhad, IranDubai Airport Departures Terminal 2, Dubai
Cleopatra added it to her milk baths, Buddhists dye their robes with it, Alexander The Great used it to patch his battle scars. Saffron has been present in the history from ancient times. Today, it is not only Persian classic spice but also it can be found worldwide, ie. in paella or in Indian cuisine. The spice comes from delicately dried stigmas of crocus flowers, grown extensively on farms in Northern Iran, near border with Turkmenistan. The picking process is quite complex handwork, to produce kilogram of saffron some 200 000 flowers need to be collected - no wonder it is the most expensive spice in the world, more costly than gold.
On this trip we will have opportunity to sneak peak onto the farms well kept secrets but also pick some of it ourselves and take home a bunch.... but that’s only a part of our weekend!
Since we are flying in and out Mashhad, we can not skip a visit to Shrine of Imam Reza that makes this metropolis Iran's holiest city. The mausoleum and its annexes form a remarkable architectural and historical assemblage of buildings, truly city within a city, very unique to the country were so many of rare places have been reduced to ruins.
Additionally, on our way we will pass by another Iran hidden gem – Torgabeh ancient village.
Before we take off, traditionally we will pass by the carpet bazaar, particularly 2 outlets which are serving the wholesalers market, rumours are they have remarkable stocks and prices. If not falling for carpet, you can always bring home turquoise jewelry or superimposed picture of yourself with Holy Shrine...
Level of difficulty: easy, available for anyone
Activities: saffron harvest, sightseeing, cultural immersion.
Duration: weekend
Accommodation & meals: 4 star hotel double sharing, local meals - included.Cost: 3200 AED incl. flights, excluding any cost related to visa. Cash payment during briefings only. Cost valid until OCT 20th.
Specifically excluded: E-visa cost payable on arrival or in Consulate (we apply for your evisa). UK, USA, Canada – leadtime of 30-45 days.
See yah at Saffron horizon x
Trekkup Crew
Whatsapp 0504848238 / info@trekkup.com
Find all trekkups at https://linktr.ee/trekkup - Planet Danakil | Danakil Depression + Tigray, Bucket List of EthiopiaDubai Airport Terminal 1, dubai
Planet: Danakil.
Location: Galaxy of Ethiopia, close proximity to Sun.
Oxygen in norms, water towards lower limits. Life existent but limited due to temperatures, high population of flies.
Humans, known as Affars, use camels for extracting salt deposits of crystalized salt from the surface of volcanic lake. Salt mining unlimited on the connection of 3 tectonic plates - geological madness explained.
Potassium, salt, Sulphur, coffee, beers - unlimited. Sugar restricted.
Volcanic activity at high alert, fuming enormous, precautions taken.https://vimeo.com/765781751
https://vimeo.com/303054724
https://vimeo.com/257364344
https://vimeo.com/293805878Located at the meeting point of 3 tectonic plates, with some of the greatest geological pressures on earth, the Danakil Depression is extremely active and scattered with a large number of volcanoes, including the Erta Ale, while the landscape is covered with lava flows almost everywhere you go.
Danakil, also known as "Afar Depression" is also one of the hottest and the lowest places on the planet, with an average temperature of 34C, day and night. This is the harshest microclimate in Ethiopia, questioning every single life form around for the choice of habitat.
Lake Asale is a former bay that used to be a part of Red Sea. When water evaporated, it now consists of a vast surface salt deposit, which for several thousands of years been a source of wealth for the Ethiopian rulers, as the Afar mined and traded the salt, transporting it on their camels over distances of hundreds and sometimes thousands of kilometers.
You will feel Mother Nature deadliest phenomena at your feet, where you will cross the rim and enter the smoking hot lava lake, at night, just a step away.
Lets go!
Day 0 // Departure
Evening flight to Addis, overnight.Day 1 // LAKE AFDERA + ERTA ALE LAVA LAKE
Domestic flight, local breakfast accompanied by BUNA, traditional Ethiopian coffee. Drive to Salt Lake Afdera to swim in natural hot springs. Continue offroad drive to Dodom, at the base of Erta Ale, dinner. In the evening, we start simple night hike to Erta Ale. It takes 1.5 hour to trek to Erta Ale volcano rim at 613, where we will stay overnight on the top of the mountain (or descent to camp, depending on the volcano activity). Its time to watch a hypnotizing spectacle of bubbling lava.DAY 2 // SUNSET, SALT BARS, MIRROR LAKE
Continue drive around and visit potassium lakes nearby and few faults in salt surface, proving that salt flat is in fact a massive salt deposit on the top of the lake. The desert has several points lying more than 100m below sea level, we will continue our drive through Afar salt flats, where salt is still extracted using ancestral techniques such as salt bars, which once were used as local currency. In the afternoon, we reach the shores of salt lake for spectacular sunset over a white mirror surface. Overnight at camp.Day 3 // DALLOL SULFUR SPRINGS
Morning departure to Dallol. Dallol Spring located 116 meters below sea level is one of the lowest places in the world, but what surprises the most, it is actually a cinder cone volcano. On a more or less flat surface we will discover endless sulfuric hot springs, discharging rainbow colored brine or acidic liquid in a bubbling rhythm. This nature phenomenon is called phreatic eruption. We will continue drive around and visit potassium lakes nearby and few faults in salt surface, proving that salt flat is in fact a massive salt deposit on the top of the lake. In the evening local restaurant with “little party never killed nobody” themed evening. Overnight in Mekele, hotel.DAY 4 // MEKELE + SKY CHAPPEL Abuna Yemata Guh
Breakfast and hit the road to Tigray. We will start with the legendary Abuna Yemata Guh climb to discover this unique cave church (and its keeper), located at vertical cliff of 250 mtrs. Basic climbing with harness here for just few meters will make it memorable experience for everyone. **Watch this **Return to airport for flight back home.Activities: Striking sightseeing, trekking, close encounters of lava fields.
Accommodation & meals: Hotel (dbl sharing) and local camps, incl. overnight at the rim of volcano. Local meals included, except meals on transfers (in Addis).
Cost: AED 7280 all incl. international and domestic flights from Dubai; except visa and insurance; or 3780 AED excl. all flights.
Cost valid until OCT 20th.Visas:
Evisa. It is responsibility of participant to secure admission to the country of destination.See yah at Lava Lake x
Trekkup Crew
Whatsapp 050 4848238 // info@trekkup.com