Yomps

I've been paraglider pilot for five years, and decided earlier this year to spend four weeks honing my skills with the paragliding school in Switzerland. On arrival to the lodge, I was struck by the luxurious surroundings and the scale and beauty of the surrounding mountains. On my first evening, a cosy fire place was burning away as I relaxed into the comfy armchairs after a three course dinner and a glass of wine, made possible by our host friendly Michelle. In the morning I was introduced to our friendly, full of energy fly-guides and paragliding coaches, Mike, Stu and the rest of the gang. What ensued was probably the most memorable and totally exhilarating four weeks of my life. Can you imagine anything more magical than soaring on little more than fabric, lines and a harness, amongst the scree slopes and the snow, the eagles, and the green pastures of some of the most majestic mountain ranges in the world? Ahead of me, as my glider surged up into a thermal, and the vario screamed 7+, I look forward to see the mouth of the Combin Glacier. A cirque of rocks above it forms the Petit Combin. This was my goal, and now I realised how high I was! For the valley floor the temperature was 25c, and up here, no more than 4c. Most of the flying I had here was thermic, so if you come from the UK and are used to ridge soaring, then you can learn to thermal here, but be prepared for some fun ridge soaring, as some of the local ridges are great fun to soar at sunset! During my stay, I made some great friends, and learnt so much more about paragliding, meteorology and airspace than ever before, realizing that my stay had seriously accelerated my awareness and pleasure of the sport. I had the chance to learn to fly and become a tandem pilot, and on return home, found a 91% pass rate at my pilot exam!! I can't recommend coming to this school highly enough. If your a beginner, or a total pro at paragliding, you will undoubtably gain a valuable amount of experience and have some serious, serious fun! Oh, and the Raclette is worth a try, too ...

When I booked my place on the Malaria prevention program in Malawi I had high expectations. I didn't just want to have a laugh, see a wee bit of the county and do a wee bit of work; I wanted to be immersed in the villages, learn about the culture, be challenged by the project, pick up some of the language.... I wasn't dissapointed. Malawi is a beautiful, friendly and optomistic country. The 'warm heart of Africa' as I was proudly informed on more than one occassion (It really is). The malaria prevention project is one of the most important for the local communities. Radically reducing malaria mortality rates by distributing mosquito nets, and spraying the inside of houses with pesticides which kill mosquito's and other insects. I loved the hands on nature of this project. Wheeling the barrow filled with nets through the village every morning, setting up under a giant baobab tree, and waiting for the women in the village to come out with their sleeping mats to get their nets was a fantastic experience. It is amazing how much you can communicate with someone without speaking the same language, and Alex, John and Joseph were always on hand to translate! I really felt part of this little community, and often saw the same people day to day. The Malawian way of greeting everybody each time you meet them means you soon pick up a bit of the language, and this is invaluable when you are out and about. I hadn't anticipated taking part in any teaching and I was a bit apprehensive when I was assigned to the HBC group, but this was one of my favourite activities at the end. The scope for and lesson planning is enormous, and having the internet meant that we could research topics thoroughly before teaching them. It is challenging but a lot of fun as well. I wish I had had longer to get involved in the HNB sessions, as they are a key part of the village healthcare system. The volunteer house was great, a lot of fun! I met some amazing people that I am in contactw ith all the time now we are home. Frequent powercuts and some friendly rats might put some people off, but it shouldn't! It's all part of the African experience! The weekends were spent either chilling out at the house, or visiting Cape Mclear and Zomba both of which were amazing. I also got invited to a wedding and a church service and taken to people's houses for lunch. A real honour! I had a great experience with YOMPS and my booking was totally hassle free, it seemed a bit too easy! They were great at replying to e.mails and giving me all the information I needed before I went. It really was the experience of a lifetime, and I couldn't have hoped for anything more.

I just wanted to let you know that I participated in a Wildlife Conservation program through Yomps. On your website, it only has 1 for the verification. It needs more! They did an excellent job getting me set up for this experience. The program was exactly what I expected from their descriptions. They were very easy to work with. I was a little hesitant to hand over so much money, not knowing exactly who they were, but it was well worth the risk. Please let future people know that they are exactly who they say they are and it is safe to give them money and travel with them!