Duration: 13 days, 12 nights

Location: Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania

Budget: €9000

Miles Travelled: 3,600

This trip was the 20 year anniversary of the Epic Trips team – back to where it all started in 1999  – East Africa.

The first leg of the trip was to visit Amboseli NP – search for Elephants with Kilimanjaro in the background and other African widlife. Then we headed to Kigali NP in Rwanda looking for the Silverback Gorillas.

Finally we head to Tanzania and Selous NP where we are looking for the elusive painted wolf or hunting dogs of Africa.

Day 01 – Friday 26th July 2019

Today was an easy day on the trip . We headed to Dublin airport for 19:00 and parked in the long term car park and checked in for our overnight flight to Dubai. We left Dublin at 22:10 and arrived in Dubai at 08:00 local time. The time difference was two hours.

Day 02 – Saturday 27th July 2019
We looked around the airport at Dubai after getting a few hours sleep on the plane. Then we headed to the gate and go on our next flight to Nairobi that departed around 10:15 that morning. There was a five hour flight ahead of us here to get down to Jomo International Airport. More sleep and rest ahead of the busy week in front of us. Once we landed we somehow managed to avoid the big queues for the visa control and go through without too much hassle. We got our bags and headed outside to meet our driver/guide for the trip to Amboselli National Park. Hamadi was his name.

We were collected and started our journey into the heart of Nairobi around 16:00 and made it to the Stanley Hotel for around 17:00 hours. Check in was ok . We had to go through a metal detector before getting into the hotel and the truck was checked also . We went up to the rooms and grabbed and shower and came back down to the Thorn Tree cafe for a bite to eat. Once we were done here we watched a movie and headed to bed for our early start in the morning.

Day 03 – Sunday 28th July 2019

Today we got up around 07:00 and headed up to breakfast. Once we were done here we checked out and met Hamadi and loaded up the truck for the trip. It took us around 5 hours to get to the gates into Amboselli National Park. We stopped along the way at a petrol station for some air for the back tyre of the car and again for some fuel and then at a curio shop . Once all this was done we headed onto a dirt track for the last 20 ish km and made it to the lodge around 12:30.

We checked in and got some lunch there with the hotel group . We got the tour around the grounds while they cleaned and made up the rooms for us. After lunch we looked around from the view point and then met Hamadi at 15:30 and headed out on Safari for our first run at the park to see what we could see. It took us around 30 minutes to get into the park though re registration and delays at the gate so it was 16:00 before we were actually in the park. The first thing that we all noticed was that there was a lot of dust everywhere. We spent the next 2.5 hours going around the park and looking at the wildlife and taking photos. Some of the animals that we saw on this trip were

• Elephant
• Water buck
• Warthog
• Zebra
• Giraffe
• Wildebeest (GNU)
• Single male Lion
• Grant Gazelle
• Thomsons Gazelle
• Ostrich ( male and female )
• Water buffalo
• Egyptian goose
• Cattle egret
• Hippos
• Bittern
• Baboons
• Langur Money
• Yellow Baboons
• Flamingos
• Hyena
• Crown Cranes
• Giant egret
• Lapwing / Plovers

We got a good sunset this evening on the way out of the park and saw an elephant in front of Kilimanjaro when we were leaving but the view of the mountain was not clear. There was too much cloud around the place. We got out of the park around 18:45 and headed back to the hotel and the rooms. We grabbed a shower and headed down to dinner at 19:30 and did some star gazing with one of the local security guards – Benson – later on that evening. We also saw some water buck in and around the grounds. Back to the room and bed for 22:00 hours

Day 04 – Monday 29th July 2019

I got up at 06:00 for a chance to see the sunrise and maybe a clean shot of Kilimanjaro. However there was still a lot of cloud around the place so this did not happen. Buffet breakfast at 06:30 and then we headed out on Safari at 07:00 for the morning. Today it was easier to get into the park as the registrations was all done and all we needed to do was go in really. We started the game drive and saw more animals on this leg of the safari experience. Each time we re-entered the park we saw something new which was kinda cool .Today we saw a serval cat in the green cover of the water beds on the way back to camp for our noon meal. The serval was very hard to spot if you did not know that it was there. We spent an hour near where he was eating and got some photos when it decided to take a break and come up for a look around. We also saw a common snake eagle in a tree as we were driving around the park.

Back to the lodge for some lunch and a quick nap in the afternoon and then we headed out again around 16:00 to get another safari in. Mike walked down to the gate where the market was for selling goods before that though and he bought us some elephants for our trip. We collected him just as he was coming back into the lodge and headed into the park for another safari. There was a lot of elephants herds or families dotted around the park as we were driving. We came across a juvenile chanting goshawk on the ground being mobbed by some lapwings. Then we headed back for our “sundowner” evert. We went out behind the lodge and had a campfire experience and some singing and dancing with the five chairs. They brought out a special cake for our 20 year travel anniversary that was very thoughtful of them – and really nice. Once we were done here we headed back into the lodge and got a shower and headed down for some dinner and then bed. Another good day in Amboselli.

Day 05 – Tuesday 30th July 2019

Today as we entered the park Hamadi told us that there was a pride of lions spotted on the other side of the park. We all sat down and drove fast to get over to see if we could see them before they disappeared. It took around 20 minutes to get across the park to their location but they were still there. They were crossing the plains in search of water. There must have been 30 jeeps parked up when we got there. We got some shots as they went between the jeeps and then we managed to get ahead of them – and some hyenas – and got some more shots. A game of cat and mouse ensued with regards to trying to predict where they were going to go next and park there first so we could get the best shots. Eventually the lions settled down in a thicket and we decided to stay with them and see if anything happened. All the other jeeps and vehicles left and eventually it was just us. A hyena came across them when they were snoozing and made a lucky escape before they settled back down again. Then they got up and walked out to the roadside before going back to the thicket again. At this stage i think that we were nearly three hours with the lions. We then headed to the Observation hill and looked out around the Park and the lake. We got some photos and then headed back to the lodge for around 13:00 today. Lunch then and we lay down for an hour before heading back out again in the afternoon for yet another Safari. Again we headed into the park around 16:00. We could go in earlier but the light is still harsh around 16:00 and the animals are mostly resting. We drove around the park and saw spoonbills eating at one of the smaller lakes. Shortly after this there was a jackal hunting around the area oblivious to the jeep. We drove around by the Amboselli Lodge – since abandoned – and saw a zebra foal that was just born. We watched as it struggled to stand for the first time. After this we headed back towards where we saw the lions that morning. The pride was still there albeit in a slightly different position. We watched them for a few minutes and then had to head away from them as the gates of the park were closing and we needed to get out. Back to the lodge for 18:45 and then showered and dinner for 19:30 and then bed again . We repacked tonight as tomorrow morning was the last drive for us before heading back to Nairobi.

Day 06 – Wednesday 31st July 2019

We got up at 06:30 and got breakfast and settled up our bills and packed the jeep and checked out of the lodge. We went into the park for two hours driving around . We saw a lioness and three cubs down near the flamingo viewpoint. We got some reflection shots at the water before heading out a different gate and heading to a nearby Masai village. We paid 10$ each to enter the village and then we looked around and talked to the elders and members of the village. We visited the local school and looked at their curios before heading back to the jeep and traveling back to Nairobi. They separated us before showing us their wares and trying to sell us the goods. We stopped at the curio shop on the way back and then headed on again to Nairobi. We should have been back at the hotel for 13:30 but the traffic was terrible so it was 15:00 when we finally landed in. We checked back into the hotel and asked about Derek’s wallet. There was no sign of it . We grabbed a shower and re-packed the bags again for the morning flight and then headed to Carnivore restaurant for dinner that night. Traffic was still bad but not the worst. We got back to the hotel for 21:00 and then got to bed for around 22:00

Day 07 – Thursday 1st Aug 2019

Got up at 04:00 and checked out at 04:30 and headed to Jomo Kenyatta international Airport for our 07:15 flight to Kigali. We had to put some air in the back tyre of the jeep en route. We got out there around 05:15 after going through a security scanner on the way in . We got out of the jeep – went into a building and walked through a scanner – and then hopped back in to the jeep again. Once in the airport we checked in the bags all the way to Kigali. We had a 90 minute flight to Bujumbura, Burundi and then 20 minutes on the ground there before a 25 minutes onward flight to Kigali. There was a 1 hour time difference also between here and Nairobi.
We landed into Kigali and paid our 30$ for the visa and collected our bags. Phyllis and Didi met us when we went outside the terminal. We got the briefing for the next few days and then Didi – our driver/guide – took us north towards Volcanoes National Park. We stopped for some lunch in Kigali first and then headed to the Genocide Museum for an hour. Once we were on the road, it took approximately 3 hours to get to the Mountain Lodge. We were delayed close to the lodge as the road was closed due to the President coming through in a motorcade. This delayed us for nearly 2 hours but we bought some painting and chilled out at a nice coffee shop in the town. Once we got to the Mountain Lodge hotel we checked into the rooms, lit the fire as it was colder up here at this height and then got some dinner. After dinner it was lights out and bed for around 21:00

Day 08 – Friday 2nd August 2019

We got up at 06:00 and got some breakfast and then Didi collected us and took us to Volcanoes National Park HQ for 06:45. We waited here and got assigned to a group for the hike. We were going to see the Sabyinyo Group with four other hikers. We had a briefing at 07:30 and left then heading towards the starting point of the hike. We were on the trail for 08:20 more or less. It took us an hour to hike up the hills and into the forest in search of the gorilla group. Shortly after that we found them. It started to rain as we entered the forest but thankfully it stopped shortly after that. The rainforest of bamboo and trees was really impressive and seeing elephant tracks on the mud trail was also pretty cool. The gorillas themselves were unreal – so big and so quiet. The adults were content to sit and eat for the most part and the babies and juveniles were more inquisitive that anything else. The guides keep a good idea on us and them though and made sure we did not come into contact with each other. We spent an hour moving around to different members of the group until finally we met the alpha male – the Silverback . He is one of the oldest – if not the oldest – Silverback in the NP coming in at nearly 48 years of age and weighing in and around 220kg. A very impressive sight when we finally met him. After we were done here we walked back down the muddy trail to the jeep and back to the lodge for a shower. The shoes were cleaned for us when we entered and there was also an option of a foot massage.
Then it was lunch and drive back to Kigali where we spent the night before heading to Dar Es Salaam the following morning

Day 09 – Saturday 3rd August 2019

We got up at 07:15 and got some breakfast before Didi collected us at 08:00 and took us to the airport. We had to get out of the jeep and walk through a security check while the jeep was scanned like an MRI machine. Then it was into the airport and we dropped off our bags and went though security . We waited at the gate and had a cuppa before boarding our flight at 10:50 and headed straight to Dar Es Salam. We landed around 14:30 and got our bags and our visas. 50$ was the cost of the visa upon arrival. Then it was a short 40 minute drive into the city and the Slipway hotel. Quick change and out to explore around the complex. We got some food and walked down by the waters edge. Then back to the room to chill out and watch some tv and hit the hay before another early start in the morning for our onward journey to Selous.

Day 10 – Sunday 4th August 2019

So we got up at 04:00 and grabbed a quick shower and got our taxi to the airport at 04:30. There was no traffic at this hour of the morning and it was a weekend. We were out at the airport at 05:10 and checked in without any trouble. The bags were weighed and we went through to the departure lounge. We waited here until 07:00 and then headed outside to board our flight to Selous via Zanzibar. 20 minutes to Zanzibar and five more guests got on and then one hour to Selous National Park – Mtembere Airstrip. Our drive/guide for the next three days met us here – his name was Ezra. We loaded our bags into the jeep and headed out on a drive from 09:00 until lunch. The big highlight of this drive was two giraffe fighting near the lake on the way to the camp. Ezra told us that we witnessed a younger male de-throne the older reigning male ruler. It was only his third time ever seeing this event in 12 years of guiding. We moved on and headed to the camp then for around 12:30. We met Beatrice – the camp representative – and got our talk re the running and workings of the camp. Then we went to our rooms and dropped off our bags before lunch at 13:00.
Once lunch was done we headed back to the room to rest and recharge the batteries before heading out on a boat safari for the afternoon. The captain – Faidh- took us around the area to see a lot of hippo and crocodile. Kingfisher roamed up and down the banks of the river also – brown hooded, pied and malachite kingfisher were the main types that we saw. We also saw African bee eater as well as. White throat bee eater later on near sunset. We went to their colony and came across a monitor lizard eating one on the bank near the burrows. Fish eagle, yellow billed stork, Goliath heron, giant egret and other water birds were also in abundance. Back to camp for 18:30 and then we changed to dinner. Briefing was at 19:30 for the following day and then dinner at 20:00. We had a genit cat come down to us for dinner as well as some bush babies – they look like lemurs. Bed for 22:00 and early start in the morning.

Day 11 – Monday 5th August 2019

So we got a wake up call at 06:00 with some tea biscuits and coffee. Then we loaded up the jeep and headed over to the other side of the park looking for the wild dogs. We arrived in the area around 7:30 and another van told us that they had seen them with an impala kill in the area. We drove around and found the pack eating what was left of the impala. We stayed with them until 09:30 and had our breakfast in the bush after we took some photos and videos with the dogs. There were 18 doges in the pack that we saw – the size of the family was 23 according to Ezra. We drove around and found other wildlife on the safari and the headed back to the camp for 13:00 for lunch.
After lunch, Mike, Derek and I headed out fishing while Garry went back to the tent. We spent the next two hours fishing for tiger fish. Mike caught a crocodile first and then was successful with a tiger fish. Derek got a cat fish next and finally I caught another cat fish before calling it a day. The one that I caught was a monster weighing just over 11kg. Then it was back to camp for the afternoon game drive. We had some trouble with the jeep – bearing was acting up – so we switched and continued the drive. Back to camp for 18:30 and then a quick change and briefing at 19:30 and dinner at 20:00 down by the pool tonight.

Day 12 – Tuesday 6th August 2019

Up at 06:00 and out again for 06:30 with the plan to go see the Hyena den and pups. On the way we can across a pride of lions and small cubs. We stopped here and saw a lioness hunt a wildebeest near the water. She was not successful this time but it was exciting to witness. We decided to wait here in case there was another hunt. Unfortunately a lot of jeeps came and hindered the hunt so we did not see any more action from the lions before lunch. We had our breakfast waiting for the lions and then headed back to camp.
After lunch we went on a walking safari for two hours before dinner. It was very interesting and cool to see and learn about the animal signs and behaviours. Back to camp then for some dinner and repack of the bags before bed

Day 13 – Wednesday 7th August 2019

We got up around 08:00 this morning for breakfast at the camp. Then we loaded up the jeep and headed to the airport. We got there around 09:45 and waited for our flight back to Dar. We landed around 11:10 and the lads went on to Zanzibar and i transferred to the International airport. It took a few minutes to get across. I went in through security quick enough just to get in out of the heat. There was one or two curio shops outside and nothing to write home about inside so if you have any shopping to do you best do it out there before entering the airport. Nothing much to do inside until you check in your bag. I had to wait a few hours for the counter to open and then drop off of the bag and proceed on though security and passport control. This was the first place that they weighed my camera bag and i was overweight. They wanted me to buy another seat for the flight but thankfully i convinced them to let me know with it as is. I went through passport control and then got a pizza and coke before going to gate 2 and waiting for the boarding at 16:45. 5 hours later and we were touching down in Dubai when i was met by a representative from the hotel . The heat when we got off the plane and onto the bus was unreal Once we got to the terminal i checked into the hotel and went to bed. It was very convenient and easy once you know where everything is. The gate for the onward flight in the morning to Dublin at 07:15 was 5 minutes from the hotel room.Bed for midnight.

Duration: 9 days, 8 nights

Location: Greenland ( West)

Budget: €5000

Miles Travelled: 2,100

Part two of the Greenland journey sees us embark towards the west coast of the country – destination Illulisat. This is our base of operations for the coming week where we plan to do day trips from. We travel around the area in boats looking for calving glaciers, humpback whales, sunset cruises as well as walk around the area and do some hiking.

Day 12 – Reykjavik to Ilulissat
Date: 11 August 2018

We got a taxi to the airport at 08:00 and arrived around 08:30 and got to check in without any trouble. Bags were taken and we waited for the all to board. Flight left at 10:15 and we arrived in Ilulissat at 11:30 in the morning. We got our bags and got a taxi to the apartment for around 12:30 in the day. We dropped off our bags and then went for a walk around the town and got our bearings. We had some trips and tours to re-organise based on the delayed departure so we spent the afternoon doing that and then we got some dinner in the apartment and watched some tv. We headed out around the hiking trails this evening on the end of the Blue trail to see the Glacier and take some pictures and then back to town for some more tv and bed.

Day 13 – Eqi Glacier Day Tour
Date: 12 August 2018

We had this booked with World of Greenland before we came out and it starts around 09:00 and has you back around 18:00 to the harbor. We spent 3.5 hours sailing up and the same coming back and about 2 hours in front of the Glacier to watch it calve and marvel at the size of some of the bergs that were breaking off it . The day was impressive now as we had some good weather on the way up and when we were up there. Some hikers left the group when we got there and we collected some others that were returning to Ilulissat with us. We got back down around 18:00 and took it easy – went out for another walk via the Power Plant and the yellow trail. We got up there and saw approximately 10 humpbacks hunting in the bay in front of the glacier. The fresh water melting off the glacier and mixing with the salt water makes it an ideal location for fish and krill so the humpbacks come in here and hunt certain routes and areas. The sail and tour boats were out with their passengers looking at these huge animals feeding or sleeping in close proximity to the ice fjord.

Day 14 – Hike the Blue Trail and Evening Sunset Cruise
Date: 13 August 2018

We had planned to go to Ilimanaq for the day today but the boat was full. There are only 10 spaces available on the shuttle seemingly. Anyways the weather was nice so we decided to hike the blue trail instead – around 7km around from the quarry back to the Heliport location. We walked out to the Spar first and got some break for sandwiches and then walked over to the Quarry for 09:30 and started the hike . It was easy enough to find the start of the trail and most of the loops – blue, red and yellow – all have markings on the ground so it isn’t that difficult to navigate. We stopped at several viewpoints – denoted by cairns of rocks that dot the landscape as you walk – and got some nice images and drone footage. We proceeded to walk back to the apartment for just after lunch and got something to eat and relaxed for the afternoon. We got some diner and then went down to the harbour and met Philip. He was our driver for the sunset cruise tonight. We had 6 people on the rib and we got floating suits to put on before we headed out. These kept us nice and warm as well as keeping you dry and afloat if you happen to fall into the water. We went up to the bay where we saw the whales the night before and saw a few humpbacks – not as many as the previous night. Upon exiting the bay and heading further south for the Ice fjord we spotted some humpbacks out on the open water and one of them was breaching. We sped out and got to them in time to see some more breaching up close and the whales swam right under the rib on their way towards the south. It was really close and really special. And really exciting!. We continued on towards the fjords and stopped for coffee and hot chocolate and just sat and listened to the Ice popping and cracking all around us. We got back into the harbour at 22:00 and headed back to the apartment for a relaxing evening and bed before midnight.

Day 15 – Day Trip to Ilimanaq and Evening Sunset Cruise
Date: 14 August 2018

We got up and headed down to the meeting point at World of Greenland for 09:00 and headed down to the harbour. The cost of the day ticket – return – to Ilimanaq was 990 kr per person . There was a problem with the boat so it was 10:00 before we left and it took us 90 minutes to get down .We packed our own lunch as there is not a lot of options down there to eat and you need to book your lunch in advance of leaving if you wish to get something to eat there. We packed some food, grabbed our gear and headed out to the headland and sat down and ate it as we watched the icebergs floating by and the whales hunting. We saw several humpbacks in the 3 hours that we were there on the cliff. The weather was good and the mosquitos and smaller flies were not too bad as there was a nice breeze blowing. Six humpbacks came in close to the cliffs where we were sitting just near the end – around 200mtrs from our location. I got the drone up and over them before they swam away and captured their feeding. It looked quite different from this view. Then we headed back to the port and got the 16:00 boat back to Ilulissat. The journey time was about 35 minutes this time. We got off and headed back to the apartment for a rest and to drop off the gear. We got something to eat and headed out on the boat again with Philip at 20:00 hours. We saw fewer whales tonight but the icebergs and the views were very different from last night – even though some of the route was the same. The sky and clouds were shifting constantly so the views are always changing. We got back into the harbour at 22:00 and then back to the apartment for some tv and bed.

Day 16 – Rest Day and Evening Kayak Trip
Date: 15 August 2018

Today there was nothing planned for the morning so instead of sleeping in we got up at 03:30 and walked up to the view point on the glacier to look out at the sunrise and take some photos. We spent about three hours up here taking images of the early morning light and watching the whales feeding. It was really something special .We headed back to town for 07:00 and went to bed for a few hours. We got up and got some lunch and then went down shopping for souvenirs before dinner. We got something to eat in the town to try out the Halibut and then went to PGI Greenland for our 20:00 kayaking tour. This cost 1300kr per person instead of the usual 1595kr so if you leave it late enough re booking you can save some money. We got our safety briefing, got into our dry suit and headed for the launch area near the church. We headed out on the water and kayaked down to the bay where all the whales were. We saw and heard them out in the water and we just sat there and enjoyed the experience. We got back on land around 22:30 and back to the apartment for 23:15 and headed to bed as we were to be flying home tomorrow.

Day 17 – Cancelled Flight to Reykjavik
Date: 16 August 2018

We got up and got some breakfast and then headed down to the Ice Cap reception and dropped our bags in there for the meantime while we waited for our taxi to the airport. Mike was flying home on a different flight so we all headed out to the airport with him and went into the check in area. A think fog started to blow in when we were there and little did we know that it was the precursor to a very bad day ahead. Mikes flight was delayed so we waited with him till noon and then we walked back into town – a distance of around 2 miles or maybe 30 minutes. The fog was chilling and cold as we walked back into town but the sun was trying to get through it and burn it off. We got back into town and got something to eat and then headed back out to the airport ourselves for our flight . Our original flight was cancelled that morning so we re-checked once we got int re the new flight via Kangerlussaq. The check in person told us that this flight was cancelled as well so we had to go back into town and stay with Ice Cap apartments for another night. We went back to town, dropped off our bags and just relaxed and slept for an hour or so before heading back out to the glacier view with the fog all around. We got back into town, got dinner and went back to the room and watched some tv and went to bed early. Hopefully there would be a flight tomorrow to get us back to Iceland and from there onwards to Copenhagen and the wedding.

Day 18 – Rescheduled Flight to Reykjavik
Date: 17 August 2018

We got up before 08:00 and got down to the Ice Cap office and called the Air Greenland helpdesk to see if we were flying today They said we were booked on a flight at 14:30 to Kangerlussaq and from there a later charter flight to Reykjavik around 18:15. We went back to the apartment and took it easy for the morning and watched some tv before we checked out at 10:00. The weather was wet and misty this morning – the first real rain we got since coming to the Disko Bay Area. We got an early lunch after this and then travelled out to the airport and waited for our flight. This was delayed – surprisingly – and left around 16:30 for a 45 minute flight to Kangerlussaq. We got in here after 17:00 and went into the airport proper and looked around . Got something to eat and then relaxed until the security check which opened at 20:00 for our delayed flight to Reykjavik at 21:10. It took 3 hours to get down and with a 2 hour time difference we were on the ground at 02:00 local time. The bags came through ok and we headed outside to chill out and relax before the next flight.

Day19 – Flight to Iceland via Kangerlussaq
Date: 18 August 2018

The next flight was at 06:30 to Copenhagen with Wow Air. The check in was open 3 hours before hand so we got to self check the bags and print the passes and tags before going through security. We got something light to eat and needed to the gate and boarded and flew the.3 hours to Copenhagen. We got some sleep on this flight ok as we were running on fumes now as we had been up nearly 20 hours at that stage. We landed, got our bags and headed outside to the platform and got the train to Malmo Central. It cost us 110kr one way and took about 20-25 minutes to get to the station . Once we got in, we met Mike and walked the 20 minutes to the hotel and checked in., Quick shower and change and out to meet Tracey off her flight and at the station. Then we got some pizza and headed to the church to meet Tommi and Anna and attend their wedding day. Church, reception and celebrations carried on well into the night and then it was back to the hotel and bed.

Day 20 – Flight to Copenhagen to Dublin and home
Date: 19 August 2018

We got up around 09:00 after a night of deep deep sleep. We headed down to breakfast and finished up with the packing and got the number 2 bus to the train station. From here we got another single ticket – 110kr – to the airport and went through a similar self check in process as that of Wow Air in Iceland. We got through security ok and headed to the gate where we got on the 14:10 to Dublin with SAS. A full flight but other than that it was fine.

Duration: 11 days, 10 nights

Location: Greenland ( East)

Budget: €5000

Miles Travelled: 2,800

Another Epic Trip – this time in the far North and in the remote location of East Greenland. We flew into Iceland first to get everything in order before heading North East to Constable Point in East Greenland.

From here we boarded our schooner – our home for the next 7 days – and headed out around the fjords and locations in the area.

Day 01 – Flight to Keflavik, Iceland
Date: 31 July 2018

Travel to Dublin for flight with WOW Air to Keflavik Airport. Flight time was just over 2 hours and bags arrived safely. Took the FlyBus to downtown Reykjavík and it cost us 2950 ISK or approx 25 euro. At the time of this trip , the exchange rate was 123 ISK to 1 euro. The bus took approx 45 minutes to get to BSI – the downtown bus station where we met Mike and walked to the apartment – approx 1 mile away. There is an option to pay an additional 1000 ISK and the bus will take you to your hotel or a hotel nearby. Most metered taxis start at 2000 ISK before they even drive anywhere so be aware of this before you get into one. Checked into the apartment, got some food in a nearby Supermarket and then relaxed and went to bed.

Day 02 – Reykjavik Domestic to Constable Point
Date: 01 August 2018

We got up and got our bags ready and walked down to the bus stop – approximately 5 minutes away. Then we waited for the bus at this stop – Hlemmur – and got number 15 to the airport. It took maybe 15 minutes or less and cost 460 ISK one way. We went inside and checked in our bags. There were 24 people on the flight – 12 for the Donna Wood and 12 for Opal. 09:15 was the official take off time but a notification told us that the flight was delayed and then it was cancelled. Seemingly there was rain in Constable Point and the runway was too wet to land the plane so they cancelled it and said they would try again tomorrow.

We got a taxi to downtown and checked into a hotel – Hotel Cabin – paid for by the airline company. North Sailing – the tour company – offered us a trip around the Golden Circle but we had already done that so we passed on it. We walked around down town and came back for some lunch at 13:00 . Then we went downtown and organised a Whale Watching tour with a company called Special Tours called the Rib Express. 12 pax headed out at 16:00 but only had brief sightings of minke whales so we got a free pass to come back again in the future. Back to the hotel for dinner – which was the same as lunch ie a salad and some soup – and then we repacked and went to bed in the hope that the flight would go tomorrow.

Day 03 – Reykjavik Domestic to Constable Point
Date: 02 August 2018

A bus collected us at 06:45 and we headed to the airport after a rushed breakfast at 06:00. We checked in and the flight did take off at 08:30 with a flight time of 1 hour 40 minutes to Constable Point – a small airfield west of Hurry Inlet in Jameson Land. The runway was wet and it was raining and cold when we arrived. We got our rain jackets and boots on and walked down to the boarding point for the Donna Wood. It took around 20 minutes at an easy pace and we got the Zodiac to the Donna Wood – anchored in Hurry Inlet. We waited for a phone call for the engineer – Garda – and then we set sail . There is phone coverage at the airport and no where else on the route seemingly. We got some lunch with Andy the Chef and then set sail. The lunch was tomato soup and it was lovely – just what we needed to warm us up after the boarding. We set sail down Hurry Inlet to its mouth and out into Scoresby Sound. This took around 3 hours. From here we sailed to Ittoqqortoormiit – a large settlement about 90 minutes away with 500 odd inhabitants. The closest village to here is about 800km away seemingly. It’s name means “People who live in large houses” . Ittoqqortoormiit – one of the most isolated villages in the world. We arrived here around 18:30 and went inland and looked around the village . Ittoqqortoormiit was founded in the 1925s by people from Ammassalik island. It is the most northerly settlement on the east coast of Greenland. The 500 odd inhabitants make their living mostly by subsistence hunting of seals, Narwhale, Muskoxen and Polar Bear. The quaint little houses dot the rocky slopes of south Liverpool Land with magnificent views of Kap Brewster and the Volquart Boons Coast to the south.
After we had finished with our visit we headed back to the Donna Wood and got some dinner – Cottage Pie – and then sailed to a nearby glacier stream where we filled up the water tanks on the Donna Wood. There are two tanks – one on the port side and one on the starboard side and their capacity is in and around the 7000 ltr range It took around 40 minutes to fill the tanks Then we set sail back across Scoresby Sound for an overnight sailing to try make up for lost time on the trip so far.

Day 4 – Sailing in Scoresby Sund – Denmark Island
Date: 03 August 2018

Sail west between whole palaces of icebergs that gently drift under the influence of the currents in the Arctic waters in the mighty fjord of Scoresby Sound, after calving from the parent glaciers originating in the Inland Ice. We awake in the morning at a place called Soll Glacier where we sat and waited and enjoyed the majestic views. The sun, the blue skies, mist and fog on the water and the mountains, calving glaciers and ghost ships sailing through the mist – a truly epic visage. We left Soll glacier and had breakfast and headed up towards Denmark Island to continue on our way. We spotted an animal that I did not expect to see on this trip – a Polar Bear swimming in the water. The Opal had passed on ahead and missed it and we were really lucky to come across it heading out to the open water to hunt. After leaving the bear we continued on our way trying to find our way though the pack ice. It was think and heavy in places and the going was slow but it was really enjoyable and exciting. The imagery was amazing and the little auk’s kept us entertained on the open water as we tried to get some images of them before they dived beneath the surface. We finally made our way into the straight after going around the North of Denmark Island – the main route was blocked with pack ice so we had to double back once or twice. We had some dinner and continued sailing throughout the night to our next destination – Red Island.

Day 5 – Sailing – Føhnfjord/ Rødefjord/ Harefjord
Date: 04 August 2018

After a night of sailing we arrived at Red Island and Iceberg City. We sailed west through the narrow Føhnfjord with the majestic basalt mountains of Gåseland on the port side and 2000 metres high sheer granite cliffs of Milne Land on the Starboard side. After being up close to the peculiar looking Red Island and even landfall at the red sandstone shore the tour continued to the north through Rødefjord which is often filled with both larger icebergs and ice crust from icebergs that were breaking up. After a morning of exploring Iceland city from the Zodiac and doing a short excursion on land to overlook the whole area, we set sail at lunch time on to our next destination – Harefjord. We arrived here in the late evening after navigating our way across the waters between Icebergs and growlers. We dropped anchor in a small remote sheltered bay and went ashore to have a BBQ. Some issues delayed the start of the BBQ but we got to fly the drone and get some nice footage of the Donna Wood at anchor. Back on the boat around midnight and straight to bed.

Day 6 – Hiking around Harefjord
Date: 05 August 2018

The whole day was spent ashore in Harefjord scouting for muskoxen, snow hares, grouse, geese and other wildlife, which normally graze on the south facing slopes. Between 6 and 7 hours of easy to moderate hiking with a lunch break at the top of a ridge with a breath taking view over Harefjord where the glacier tongues descend into the sea. The majority of the people on both ships went on the excursion and we saw Musk Ox off in the distance grazing and resting. We arrived on the other side of the peninsula around 16:00 and headed back to the Donna Wood where we sailed up to a glacier for a closer look. We stayed here for 30 minutes or so before turning around and sailing back down the inlet and onwards on our journey around Scoresby Sund.

Day 7 – Sailing to Bear Island
Date: 06 August 2018

The sailing continues eastwards through the awesome Øfjord. This was one of the most spectacular parts of the trip. Terrific mountain peaks and granite walls tower 2000 meters up from the sea just like if the Cerro Torre (one of the majestic mountains of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field in South America) and Fitzroy river (in Queensland, Australia) have been moved to the Arctic: A true feast for the eyes. We stopped at a small glacier along. the way and some of us did a little hike in and around in before heading back to the Donna Wood and on to the next destination – Whiskey Rock. Here we stopped and had a quick drink and admired the views some more. The sky was a little overcast and grey but offered some nice diffused light for the images. There was a stiff breeze coming down the channel but we didnt mind as the views were worth it. After Whiskey Rock we sailed on towards Jyttes Havn Bjørneøe or another similar location to set anchor around 21:00 and retire for the night,

Day 08 – Early Morning Hike and Sail to Constable Point
Date: 07 August 2018

We got up at 05:30 and headed inland and did a short hike around the island as the Captain wanted to be underway for 08:00 to make the long 20 hour sail back to Constable Point. We landed on Jytteshavn in Bear Islands and did a 90 minutes walk before heading bake to the Donna Wood and getting some breakfast. We set sail then and left Bear Island behind us and started to head south towards the mouth of Scoresby Sund and Hurry Inlet which would take us back to Constable Point. We set sails on the way down and got some nice drone footage of the Donna Wood in the Sund. This was a really great crossing as the weather turned nice around lunch time and we got to do a polar plunge as well in the early afternoon.

Day 09 – Constable Point to Reykjavik
Date: 08 August 2018

We had an early breakfast and checked out of the rooms on the Donna Wood by 08:00 as they had to be cleaned for the next group of travellers. We spent some time on the Donna Wood and went back inland around 10:00 and walked back down to the airport. The flight was a little delayed and we got eaten alive with Mosquitos so stay inside until they are ready to load the plane would be my advice.
Once we got back to the airport, we collected our car and headed out towards Hella and our accommodation for the evening – the Stracta Hotel and Apartments. We drove around two hours to get to here and checked in without any trouble. Everyone was tired so we went to the restaurant and got something to eat and then had an early night. We planned to get up early and go looking for a crashed plane on the black sands near Vik the following morning so sleep was important.

Day 10 – The Golden Circle and Flight to Ilulissat
Date: 09 August 2018

We got up at 04:00 and loaded up the car and drove approximately an hour to the location for the plane. It is in off the road and takes anywhere from 35 minutes to 60 minutes to get to it depending on your speed. Distance is approximately 2 miles from the road. We hiked in quick enough and got there to be presented with just one other photographer there ahead of us. We spent over an hour taking images and video footage of the wreckage and then headed back to the car for a return trip to Stracta and some breakfast. We stopped off at some waterfalls on the way back to the hotel and got some more images before getting back for some food and a quick nap. We checked out at noon and headed for Gulfoss, Geysis and the Tingvellier National Park where the tectonic plates meet. We did the loop and got back to downtown and got some dinner in TGI Fridays and then headed out to the airport and dropped off the car. We went to check in with Air Greenland for our flight at midnight and it was cancelled. There was no text or email or any form of communication whatsoever from them. We met another photographer – Ivan – who was on the same flight. We chatted and eventually found out that we were being put up for the night in a local hotel and had taxi over and back and our meals covered . The hotel was called Vogar and seemingly our flight was cancelled for the next two days. We went to the hotel and went to bed and said we would sleep on it and decide what to do in the morning.

Day 11 – Reykjavik Day Tour – Unplanned
Date: 10 August 2018

We got up and had breakfast and tried to decide what the plan was now with regards to our flights and trip etc. We decided to cancel the outward leg of our flight with Air Greenland and book a new ticket with Air Iceland Connect from the domestic airport. We did that for the following morning to get up around noon to Ilulissat. The other flight was not arriving until after midnight. We spent the day with Ivan looking around the Snakesfell Peninsula and stopping at various locations. He had a camper van so it was great – and he knew all the locations to go and see. The weather was not ideal but it was not the worst either . Rain was due in later on and tomorrow seemingly. We paid for the fuel and did a 12 hour tour with Ivan and got back to the hotel around 21:00 where we crashed out for the night and repacked for the onward leg the following morning.

https://www.extremeiceland.is/en/destinations/snaefellsnes-peninsula/center-of-the-earth

Duration: 6 days, 5 nights

Location: Poland, Europe

Budget: €1200

Miles Travelled: 1,200

A short week in Poland looking around beautiful Warsaw before heading out into the coutryside to look for wolves.

We spent a few days trekking and tracking wolves across the wilderness befor heading to the Salt Mines and then back to Warsaw before the journey back to Ireland.

Day 1
As usual, The day started off early – Mike called over at 0600, as in oh my God its 6am!. Bags which were packed carefully the night before were thrown into the back of the car and off we headed into the breaking dawn – The Magics Back.

After an hour on the road, We stopped on the way in Mikes house and picked up Kevin, who was sitting back nice and relaxed having breakfast – mornin lads, he said with a broad smile.

We took a 3hr flight from Dublin Airport to Warsaw via Franfurt – we arrived at Okecie airport at 18h00. When we arrived it was nighttime but luckily our prebooked guide – Boris – was waiting for us, so we transferred our bags one more time into another vehicle. First impressions was that Warsaw airport was small but very clean infact amazingly clean, maybe after travelling to the 4 corners of the world and some very dodgy airports meant that we werent expecting too much from Eastern Europe – however it was spotless and the trip into the city only reinforced that. Far from been some backwater city trying to catch up the throws of the Iron Curtain etc. – on the way into town we started to get the strong impression that Warsaw was an amazing vibrant city, with excellent roads, modern cars and very beautiful women!

We arrived on the outskirts of the old town of Warsaw where we had booked the Hotel Cytadela. It was a good central hotel and we were going to share it with about 100 Polish troops! We checked in at reception and noticed one or two officers in full uniform walking around the lobby (which you usually dont see in tourist hotels), but we just chalked it down, as by this stage we were all pretty tierd and just wanted to get our room and have a shower + change of clothes. Of course murphys law being consistent we were going to be on the top floor of the hotel (which obviously had no lifts) and we had to walk up 3 flights of stairs with our bags on our backs (They would make a fortune from a porter enterprise in this country!). The rooms themselves were simple and clean – so we dumped our stuff, washed and headed into the night in search of part-ay. (Its amazing how the thought of clubbing with pretty young things will reinvigorate 3 lads who have travelled all day across mainland Europe)

We walked from the hotel to the city centre (10 min), to stretch the legs after all the flying – despite initial doubts – this turned out to be a good idea as the cold polish air in our lungs really perked us up. Once we hit the colonial centre we headed for a bank machine to get some zlotys then went in search of bright lights. Sure enough the very first bar we saw was an irish bar! (all over the world!)….so it would have been rude to pass without calling in “for one”. Then we headed towards St. square where we found a decent restaurant and chowed down. We asked around where was a good place to club and we were directed to Club , however when we got there they wouldnt let us in as apparently we didnt match the dress code (shirt tie or cocktail dress – this place looked pretty swish) – disappointed but not defeated we headed on to the pulsating heart of the city and soaked up the atmosphere – someone had told us about a super club over by the Hilton Hotel, so we wandered over that direction, our eyes looking in all the ditches for a tie.

The main icon in Warsaw is the Palace of Science and Art – it is the Eifel Tower of the East. A huge building monument which looks like a tapering office block with a 4 face clock on top – it is quite bewitching at night. On the way past the back of it, Mike spotted a few pretty girls disappearing into its bowels – now the Hilton was still a bit away and we were bruised with earlier attempts to get into a swish disco – but fortune favours the brave, so we headed up the steps and sure enough what looked like the official entrance to the Palace was also the doorway to a superdisco – Quo Vadis. We blagged our way in at the door (it was a college night) and headed down into the the club – it was amazing. The place was laid out like a colleseum with a huge circular dancefloor, with a fountain, yes a fountain, with water in the centre. The place was mobbed with all the beautiful people of the city (and us) living it large – so many pretty girls shaking what their mammas gave them – thanks to jedi kevin we got talking and boogying with some lovely locals and had a great night.

Day 2

Up after 5hrs sleep! – the holiday had really started! Down for breakfast (food is a great substitute for sleep – so we were starving!) – when we hit the dining room however the place was swarming with officers. We had been beaten to the buffet by the Polish 5th Airbourne division, by the time we got to the cereal and toast table it had taken heavy casualties and there was also collatoral damage on the eggs+bacon stand. However we managed in this sea of iron pressed dark green uniforms to mount a daring assault on the fruit and bread bowls and then retreated to a corner of the battlefield to feast upon banana sandwiches.

We then headed out to scout around Warsaw by day – we checked out the tomb of the unknown soldier, the old quarter. We wandered around its many parks in the brisk cold autumnal air. As we walked around the city yawned and woke up – busses whirred past us as did cars and trams. We then headed back to the hotel, grabbed our gear and got a taxi to the central train station (Dworzec Centralny) – we needed to book tickets for our return trip to Krakow -where we would meet our other Adventure Amigo – Garry. We boarded the train and got a compartment for the three of us and off we went into the countryside – clickty clack. It was the end of autumn, so the trees that werent already bare wore rich golden overcoats of leaves. Some forests were a rainbow of browns, coppers and yellow.

We arrived in Krakow-Glowny at lunch time and again took a moment again to marvel at the beauty of the local women. We headed up town in search of the Hotel Jan, where we had arranged to meet our compadre. Good planning had ensured that the hotel was bang smack in the heart of the cities old quarter. We entered a narrow marbled lobby where we were given directions to our room and informed that our buddy had checked in that morning. The door to our room was like a bankvault door, huge black steel with copper studs – after a couple of thumps – Garry opened the door with a laugh – howya lads – fancy meeting ye here!.

After some joking around we headed into Krakows famous square (30 sec from the hotel). It is the largest in Europe although some of it was been dug up for pipe laying. We headed into the Cloth Hall the squares indoor market and was greeted with a treasure trove of souveniers. Wooden carvings, oil paintings, sparkling jewelery, precious gemstones, fur skins, chess sets, swords and shields even dragons (which are closely linked with the city). It was haggling paradise for us. We surveyed what was there (no point getting anything until we returned from the forest) – however that didnt stop Mike buying a 5ft sword!!. Horse and carriages clopped past us while the sun set and we headed back to our hotel.

Food deprevation set in so we went in search of a popular restaurant we had read about – Pod Animoili (Beneath the Angels) – many of Krakows restaurants were underground in basement cellars. When we got there they were full up (as I said its very popular), so we made reservations for later and went down to Krakow Castle and the Jewish Quarter. Krakow Castle at dusk was atmospheric, you could picture dragons circling overhead – it is also famous as it is reputed to hold one of seven sacred holy shakra stones – stones of energy that are distributed around the world according to Hindu mythology.

We headed back to Pod Animoli, down a narrow stairs to a caveronous medieval restaurant and a slap up meal.

Day 3

Another beautiful day in Poland and time to head into the hills in search of european wolves- we packed our gear (3 rucksacks, 2 camera bags and a 5ft sword!) and headed down the street to meet our guide. Our guide, Darek, when he saw the 5ft weapon remarked that the Wolves arent that big! We set off in our jeep due east of Krakow into the Carpathian foothills. We arrived in Magurski NP at noon and met the Gracon family in Krempna we would be staying with. They owned a small forest farm on the outskirts of the NP where they had built a few guest lodges around the main farmhouse, which we would be staying in. The were friendly folk who couldnt speak a word of English and we couldnt speak Polish so Darek did all the translating. The were highly amused that a bunch of Irish guys would come so far for the slim chance of seeing wolves in the dense forest – we explained that it was just as much about being where the wolves roam as actually seeing them and just because we dont see them, doesnt mean they didnt see us. They thought this was a sound philosophy and gave us a quick tour of their place – which included a fish farm! They were farming a couple of hundred trout for resale and promised us that we could try and catch our supper tomorrow night.

The weather was overcast and drizzling as We headed up the hill to our lodge which was amazing. It was shaped like an inverted V, with the black slate roof acting as the walls as well. The rest of it was made out of deep brown pine – it had a balcony and a satellite dish and blended in perfectly with the surroundings. Inside it was just as appealing, one room with adjoining bathroom downstairs with a bed, table, wood stove and tv and upstairs there was the second room with three beds (matresses) – so we divided up bunk space and put the kettle on. Within minutes there was a intoxicating foresty smell of burning wood and soon there were hot cups of tea been poured out.

The farmer was a park ranger at Magurski and through our translator started telling us stories over dinner. Dinner was mushroom soup and homecooked bread as well as compot, a local favourite – a red fruit drink made out of fermenting berrys which are boiled.

After lunch it cleared up nicely into a blue sky afternoon, so we headed into Magurski NP for our first nature hike, looking for those wild canines. This was beautiful country with gently rolling hills and valleys in the backdrop of the mighty Carpathians. And against the blue sky the decidous forest tapestry of leaf colours was picture postcard. At park headquarters we met our park guide for the afternoon – Leslaw Lesniak. He showed us around his hunting lodge and explained his itinerary for the next 48hrs for us. He wanted to give us a flavour of the whole park region, its peaks and glens, the rivers and meadows – he explained the ecosystem of the region and told us what we might see – wolves (a long shot), bears (longer still), deer, beavers, wild pig etc. He seemed to be a bit anxious to explain through Darek that he had been working in the park 16 years and only 3 times had he come across the wolves by accident. But we assured him that we knew this and gave him our nature philosphy that we had given the farmer and he seemed happy (that we wouldnt be too disappointed), but also I think he respected that we were here not just for the big money stakes of the wolves, but to get an appreciation of the whole environment – to be close with nature.

We left his lodge and with him as point man, we headed up our first (of many) hill. On the way he stopped every so often and told us stories about local shepherds who had experienced wolf attacks on their flocks. It was dry and slightly windy and the grass was wet underfoot, but it felt great to be in the great outdoors again in Gods own playground. After only about ten minutes we spotted a movement up ahead – something had broken the horizon on top of the hill we were climibing – it was a deer, no two. The forest shyest animals had walked right across our path. We froze, luckily Leslaw was a good guide and we had climbed the hill with the breeze blowing into our faces, so the deer couldnt smell us and now that we had stopped walking we blended into the grass and clumps of thicket in our green combat pants and tops. We whirred off some camcorder footage and snapped some 35mm on our SLRs at full 300mm zoom – our primal senses heightened, we beamed at each other at this early success and at that the deer headed off into the forest.

Across the open meadow on top of the hill, the breeze blew across us carrying the distant barking sound of the deer and the rustle of leaves. We headed down then into a valley, the meadow closed in around us and soon we were ducking around thickets and scrub and sploshing in mud patches where the sun hadnt shone since the end of Summer. Leslaw wanted to bring us to a glade in the forest where the wolves were known to go in the late afternoon to soak up the last solar energy of the day, however as we circled the glade nothing was there except the odd sound of the forest fruit plopping to the ground when the wind shook the boughs. Plan B was to head towards the river to see could we pick up the wolf trail there – river banks had mud and mud meant a chance of finding all kinds of interesting tracks hopefully of the lupian kind. We heard the river before we saw it, gushing through the heart of the forest. Along the riverbank Leslaw and Darek would stop and tell us stories about the micro environment of it and with magician like skill Leslaw would lift a rock and there would be a newt or frog. Like a good storyteller, he was able to weave a tale just by pointing out the types of trees on the bank, the species of plants , even with the geography the of the river he was able to tell us which fish would be found at different parts. We searched the banks for tracks and found deer and pig prints but no wolves. This part of the forest was semi naked, the wind had removed the trees clothes over the past two weeks according to our guide and what was once covering the brances was now on the ground squelching under our feet. By now we left the riverbank and headed deeper into the forest – this was real Hansel and Gretel countryside, I was just waiting to see breadcrumbs on the path. Into the towering forest we tried to pick up the trail once more, looking for animal paths in the sea of leaves on the floor. Leslaw pointed out the wild pig path to us, which after some training we were able to spot ourselves (it is true that the more you know the more you see). We walked for ages under the grey giants, as the setting evening sun sparkled through the canopy and the wind whistled through the forest like an organ player. Eventually Leslaw told us that this plan was going to work either, as the animals could hear us coming due to the crunching of leaves by our boots – this was confirmed when we spotted fresh deer tracks that had recently bolted (due to our footwear no doubt). Ah well we had learned a lot and seen twice as much, so we headed back home. The great thing about nature though is that we saw plenty on the way home too – Leslaw pointed out trees where deer had eaten the bark and explained how we could tell how fresh it was. Once we were out of the dark forest, we headed back across the hilltop meadow through chest high fields of golden grass, where Leslaw introduced us to the wonderful world of fox pellets! As we walked through the field he pointed at a slight mound in the grass and remarked that it would be a good place for a predator to position himself to see the local terrain – when we headed over to it, we found plenty of evidence of local predators in the form of bones, pellets and even some feathers – this was Tracking 101.

We also came across a small shepherd hut, which looked very basic and we joked that we had stayed in far worse places over the years. Back to the lodge to scrape the mud off our boots, wash the hands then down for some supper. Due to the cloudcover the night was inky-black, we headed down with torches from the lodge to the farmhouse and was greeted by a chorus of five barking dogs and an escort of two. The farmhouse windows glowed a welcome in the night, once inside we had to ensure not to bang our heads as the roofs were surprisingly low especially for masai Garrry. Food was a delicious selction of cold meats, compot and home cooked bread. Conversation bustled with talk of wild deer, fox pellets and local stories. The farmer offered us a video of the NP to watch in our lodge to give us a brief overview of the area, which we watched later on. We fell into slumber around 10pm exhausted after 5hrs trekking up and down hills and forewarned of a 5am wakeup call – as wolves we were told were morning creatures.

Day 4
Up before the crack of dawn, dressed quickly and headed down for a hearty breakfast. On the way into the NP, Darek pointed out a tree which had been felled by beavers – which he said we would investigate later on. Darek was heartily enjoying his trip with us into the carpathians in particular Magurski NP, he hadnt been here in twenty years when he used to come walking here with his Dad. He confessed that this trip wasnt really a job but paid pleasure and as much as he told us about Poland and life East of the Iron Curtain we swapped stories of the Emerald Isle. We met up with Leslaw our tracker again and started trekking into the forest again. This time the Plan was to pick up the wolf trail as soon as possible and check out another region of the park where they were known to congregate. On the way through the forest we came across a large metal container about the size of a leg, Darek explained it was a bomb casing from the second world war. We were slightly taken back at this tangible relic of European history in the middle of the forest. Darek went onto explain that they whole forest was a battleground at one stage for allied forces against their Nazi foes as the park straddles Polands southern border with the Czech Republic. It was poignant to hear the stories of the ferocious battles that took place here and the fact that a lot of the hollows we were travelling through were in fact bomb bunkers or blast damage, it was good to see that the forest had reclaimed the site of so much damage and turmoil, but it was another example at the amazing landscape that was around us. It was a place of great beauty and of troubled history, many soldiers had fallen here and their ghosts echoed through time in the form of this rusting metal which we had found, reminding us that war is futile.

We continued on and found fox holes and wild pig tracks. Leslaw then brought us to the edge of a thorn thicket, where he explained his cunning plan that we would go through it ! – just before a mutiny happened he went onto explain that the reason for this apparent madness, was that the wolves often went through here and we could tell their path of direction by looking out for the visual clues of their fur trapped on thorns – excellent. So in we went, very carefully – watching for ricochating branches from the trekker on front and keeping our heads low for fear of losing an eye. We found the wolf fur and followed the track to a muddy patch where we found wolf tracks and more disturbingly bear tracks! We immediately had the uncanny feeling of who was hunting who. Now there were two top predators out there in the forest ahead with the ability to make us into a mid morning snack. I had the usual escape defence of 1) not been the slowest runner in the group and 2) carrying the universal forest ranger protection device – the personal panic alarm – pulling a pin would release a 100dB wave of sound which according to wildlife rangers worldwide should scare away any dangerous animal – that was the theory anyway and I reached into my pocket to ensure that the sound grenade was there and took some comfort from that. Of course we all had penknifes which would have been useless and Darek joked that we should have brought the 5ft sword! Our biggest advantage though against any ravaging attack was that most wild animals will give humans a very wide berth and will only ever attack if provoked which we had no intention of doing.

We walked out of the forest into a huge open clearing between hills. The wolf trail went cold here. Leslaw thought that the wolves might have gone into the forest across the way, so he positioned us with at 30 ft gaps along the edge of the opposing forest and his plan was to walk through the forest making noise and seeing what would rush out past us (deer, pig or even wolf!). It was by now a beautiful evening and after walking for 5hrs already the thought of sitting down at the edge of this forest under a tree in the meadow for an hour sounded like an excellent plan. So we all spaced out, got the cameras out and waited…and waited. Im sure some of the lads dozed off to sleep in the warm sun, the view was amazing across the hills which were patched by forests and clearings. Every few minutes I heard rustling in the forest and waited for some medieval animal to rush out in my direction, but it was invariably a magpie which even though would cackle menacingly at me from the tree was not very dangerous.

After an age of magpies, the was a discernable snap in the forest behind me. What ever made that noise was bigger than a bird rustling though the bushes – snap – crack – yes it was a big creature and it was heading towards me. My pulse started to race and I tried to keep my composure, camera lens cap off ready to shoot what ever appeared out of the gloom, sound grenade ready in case what ever came out charged me and another trick I had learned in Nepal when tracking rhinos – suitable tree identified to climb in a hurry – I was as ready as I could be and by now the noise was getting louder and closer – branch after branch broke, I clenced my teeth, the bushes shook and out into the meadow popped Leslaw!…”ello ello” he said smiling – “no wolves ?”. I breathed a sigh of half relief – no no wolves as I shook my head – he then called out to Darek and the others an we all congregated under a tree. He explained through Darek that he had walked through the forest as planned and had actually seen deer and a couple of wild pigs and had pretty much ushered them into our path – but they must have doubled back. Still no wolves though, but we were sure we heard them in the distance laughing at us!

Full of smiles and jokes and rested after our hour in the sun we headed back down the mountain to the truck – on they way by accident we found very fresh wolf tracks (we knew they were fresh as they were dented into the ground but had no water in them, even though it had rained last night and every other animal print had water in it) – there it was teasing us – soft pug marks with claws (wolves being like dogs cannot retract their claws when walking, so its an easy way to tell the two apart). It appeared from the ground that the wolf was stalking a deer – it was hunting. So fresh wolf tracks heading from the forest we had just been “guarding” heading towards our jeep. We joked about the fact that the wolves were probably getting themselves ready for a photoshoot for us back at the trucks and we didnt have to go trekking for 7hrs at all – Leslaw joked also that the wolves had actually ran past us when we were sitting down, we just didnt see them! So we took some photos of these fresh tracks and for measurement sake we put a Timberland boot track in there beside the prints of the wolf and the deer – the hunter – the hunted and the observer.

Once we got back to the jeep, no wolves or deer anywhere or even there tracks. Leslaw suggested we try our luck looking for the beavers. So we drove to the spot where we had seen the felled tree earlier on. Sure enough upon examination, there was the characteristic pyramid shape at the end of the tree trunk where a rodent had eaten around. This was amazing, seeing something that you usually read about in a magazine or saw on a documentary on front of you. We scouted around the area and soon found the traditional beavers dam, where the little animal had expertly engineered an artificial lake. Leslaw pointed out a section of the slow moving river where the water seemed more muddy than the rest – Darek then explained that we had just missed him and the animal had bolted into the river and stirred up the sediment in the water at this point.

Darek and Leslaw then promised to prove to us that there was actually wolves in these hills and they werent just going around with a wooden pole printing tracks into the ground for western tourists! They brought us to to a local family who very kindly invited us into their living room where hung on the wall was a huge wolf skin. In another room was another wolf hide and a wolf skull and Darek talked us through the anatomy pointing out the quite sharp canine teeth. The house was like a mini natural history museum with stuffed pheasants and boar, foxes and rabbits. The family told us that some of their displays had been used in a museum exhibit. Their daughters then told us that they had seen a wolf and cub during the week in the fields near their house and when the wolf saw them it disappeared. They sent us to talk to their shephard who was minding their sheep in the hills above their homested. We headed up there and found a young teenage boy, sitting over a campfire with two dogs (as big as wolves) at his side and 100 sheep in his view. He shared a wooden hut with two other shepards and they welcomed us and invited us in to have some food. Inside the hut they were smoking cheese over a smoldering fire. Needless to say Mike tasted it first and assured us it was edible! The cheese was made from the goats milk which they also kept nearby. They explained through Darek how to use the cheese with a frying pan and some oil to make a cholestoral bomb – knocks 5 years off your life! Since the shepards were inside with us, they had left the flock with they youngest of them a 10yr lad, who when we headed out of the smoky cabin, we saw that he was having trouble with the flock who had bolted across the road. The other shephards shouted loudly and headed down into the field to help him, we thanked them and were on our way.

Back at the farmhouse we had a hearty meal of vegtable soup, fresh trout with boiled potatoes, rich red compot and apple cake slices with duskings of icing sugar. After lunch we agreed with the farmer that we would replace the trout we had eaten by catching some more in his “lake” (ie fish farm!). Now there is an old saying that something is as easy as shooting fish in a barrel or indeed catching them. So with high hopes we took some fishing rods and headed out back for some straight forward casting and catching. Mike kicked proceedings off with a deft cast and within 20 seconds a bite on the line, meant fishy number one. Kevin followed this with another easy catch, while Garry seemed to be having a slow start. This pattern continued for a while, whereby after about 15 minutes, Mike and Kevin had caught about 20 fish while Garry was still checking his bait and rearranging his position on the lake for optimum placement – but to no avail, all he could catch was the odd leaf and even that put up a struggle. Half an hour passed and kevin and mike were still reaping in the fish like captain birdseye and Garry couldnt it seemed catch a cold!The fish were tantilisingly close they would come right up an nibble the corn right off the hook, they were feasting like kings.

It was bizarre – it was like the fish knew it was his hook and were teasing him by jumping out of the water around it. So Garry swapped rods and got even more bait and relative feast in fish terms – but still nothing , still the distant gurgling laughter of trout. The joke was he was holding a fishing rod and I was holding the camcorder and yet after 30 minutes we had both caught the same number of fish – 0!. Eventually after much casting, joking and swearing he gently pulled the bait through the shadows of the lake and whirrrr the reel rolled – a catch – he expertly brought it in – the fish was fighting furiously for the right to swim and not fly. Garry was delighted all the ribbing by the lads and jokes for the last 30 minutes would be silenced, at this stage the fish knew it was hooked and seemed to quieten down. Garry brought the line right in to 3 feet and had the fish dangling at the end of his rod. He was bringing the fish over onto the river bank to dehook and put in the bucket, but while he was bringing it through the air the sun glinted in the trouts eye and it seemed to flicker as he realised that it was Garry that caught him – this was too much for him -this was the bloke they were all slagging beneath the water for the last half and hour and with a quick flick of his tail the fish hopped of the hook, onto the riverbank and flicked again and plopped into the water. Garry stood there in disbelief, we nearly bled with laughter.

However the curse was by now lifted and Garry started to reel them in by the bucketload, so much so that the farmer asked us to stop fishing or there would be none left. In total we had caught about 15 healthy fish which would feed the guesthouses for the week. Fresh from our aquatic success we decided on a self led tour into the surrounding countryside to try out our new tracking skills. Although it got dark pretty quick and we had to turn around and head home incase we got lost in the woods. After supper we asked if we could spend some time in the hide. We had heard about this the previous day – it was basically a tree house about 2 miles into the forest overlooking a glade – the moon was gibbous so it wasnt too dark, however it had start to rain heavily and it would cloud over and go black every so often. Despite this we requested to be brought to the hide, for one last chance to seek out those pesky wolves – this time from a tree lookout. Bemused at our enthusiasm due to the cold, rain and darkness the farmer who as I said was a forest ranger agreed and warned us that in order to see animals from the hide we should be absolutely quiet. So off we went into the night Darek, the farmer and 4 Irish guys sweeping torches left to right hoping not to catch the glint of a bears eye on the way. After what seemed like an age walking in the rain we came to the hide and climbed up – it was a tight enough squeeze for all of us, but we got in there and waved goodbye to the farmer and Darek. So there we were up an oak tree, in the heart of a forest, at the foothills of the carpathians in the middle of Poland in the pitch black waiting for wolves! It was straight from a Brothers Grimm tale, the grey shadows of the trees, the groaning of their boughs in the wind, the hooting of owls the clicking of insects – we couldnt stop laughing. It was flogging rain any sane animal would be snug in its den for the night and here were four idiots up a tree peering into the black trying desperately not to fall out of the branches. It was a great laugh and we stuck it out for about 30 minutes, by then we were cold and wet and could hear the distant laughing of wolves, so we called it quits and made our way back to our mountain cabin and heated ourselves off the wood stove. Garry put the kettle on and we all tucked into apple slices and tea and watched a BBC program about the Silk Route (which we are planning to do in the future) – Travel Fate or what!

Day 5

Up at 7am, had brekkie and said goodbye to our polish hosts. We headed back to Krakow and on the way we stopped at the world famous salt mines. Here from the visitors centre we descended 70m (250ft) by wooden staircase into the bowels of the earth. The stairs seemed to go on for ages and peering over the side was an optical illusion of lights and depth. Our guide told us about the history of the mine, then walked us through its shafts. The reason the mine is famous is due to its statues which are intricicately carved from the very salt that was mined here. The first one we saw was a huge stylesed statue of one of polands most famous sons – Copernicus. Throughout the shafts and bunkers of the mines was a bewtiching array of statues and scenes from ancient legends, christian stories and pagan lore, as well as exhibits of how the mine worked and the lives of the miners themselves. The mines are a huge lattice of tunnels and mesh of timber frames. Accompanying some of the exhibits was a sound and light show which was excellent. The mines have the usual geogological features of underground mines such as rockpools, including one very innovative pool which reflects the spiriling stairs clinging to the wall above it and with some careful placement of the lights it gives the impression of a cylinder where the stairs continues down forever. The true wow factor however in the mines is kept until almost the end of the tour, when the guide brought us into a huge cavern which holds a church. The wall had carvings of scenes from the New Testament as well as salt statues of Pope John Paul (arguabley Polands most famous son) and Our Lady of Lourdes — the place is a miracle of NaCl crystals – even the chandelliers are made from salt – a truely unique place.

We drove on to probably the most sombre place we have or ever will visit on our epic trips – Auswitch. There were a hundred reasons not to go and another hundred to go – so we went. Steven Spielberg had spent a year here on the fringes of Krakow in the early 1990s bringing his epic masterpiece Schindlers List to the screen, which has touched everyone who has seen it. We now were ready (or as ready as you can be) to go there for ourselves. The afternoon was cloudy and quiet – pathetic fallacy indeed. There definitely was an air of tragic human history and great emotion at the place. We wandered from house to house reading the stories of the people, the place was full of powerful imagagery especially the rooms full of shoes, combs and most disturbingly human hair. I think though on reflection it was good that we saw both it and , as on our trips around the world we have seen places of breathtaking beauty built and maintained out of pure love like the Taj Mahal and this was the other side of our world and a cold reminder that we must be on our guard and never let it happen again. We were all subdued and when we came out of the camp, I will always remember seeing a pretty girl who saluted us in the carpark and beamed widely lighting up the gloom – even in a place of so much hurt there was a sign of great beauty in our world and that is in my opinion the legacy of the place – we must move on.

We finished our tour of south poland by returning to Krakow city and seeking out the legendary dragon of the castle which breathes fire. The dragon in question is a 15ft metal sculpture around the back of the castle with a throat made from a blowtorch rig and for special events he breathes pure butane and spits fire into the sky – a reminder of a time when dragons ruled!

We had one last look around Krakows famous Cloth Hall market to buy our souveniers and trinkets – a lot of woodcarvings of forest animals like the mighty bear and ironically when we went looking for wolf carvings we couldnt find any! We also picked up a lot of amber which is a semi precious stone which Poland is famous for. Roman troops used to mine it up at the Baltic and send it back to Rome where it adorned many goods and maidens necks.

We said our goodbyes to Darek and thanked him for a great trip of the region. We also said goodbye to Garry who was heading back to Germany while we hopped on a train back to Warsaw for one last nights clubbing.

Day 6

Up and gone from our hotel by 8am to the airport. Flew home via Frankfurt, where we stopped long enough to do some souvenier shopping, arrived back in Ireland by that evening, tierd but happy.

Guide: Darek Kuzniar mobile phone 0604531241 (from abroad dial 0048 604531241)

agrotouristic pension of Gracon family in Krempna (photo below). Grazyna i Jan Gracon , Swiatkowa Wielka 1, 38- 232 Krempna, (0-13) 441 41 15 ,608 753 847