Author: Tatiana Koval, Ukraine
It was my first hike, probably the last time I went in my teens, and I had already developed a fear of heights, so I wondered if I would be able to do it.
What I want to say... It exceeded all my expectations. First of all, it is an incredibly beautiful island with its cozy towns, nature of rich colors and mild climate, where the air temperature is almost always the same, and.... mountains, levadas are a separate story of my love... It is better to see once than to hear.
Every day we went to levadas, waterfalls, climbed mountains, conquered peaks, got acquainted with the culture and cuisine of this area and finally we swam in the Atlantic Ocean. The program is rich in moderation, very harmoniously and interestingly constructed, so that I forgot about everything at the time of the trekking trip... it felt like childhood. As a psychologist, I can say that my “inner child” was happy and satisfied in these moments 😁
And another very important point, with which I think I was very lucky, is our team leader Victoria @viktusyatravel with incredible charisma and sense of humor and our group, our team!
So much humor and care at the same time, support and warmth, everyone brought their own personality and it was a beautiful symbiosis ❤️ We became friends during these days and it was even a little sad to leave. We also ate a lot of seafood, tried the national drink of this area - poncha (I liked the combination of rum and fresh passion fruit), played Mafia and one of the participants led us in yoga, it was cool!
There was also a fabulous forest, magically shrouded in fog, and you feel like Mavka, as if in a fairy tale, an unforgettable experience)))
And finally, when we got to the highest peak (1880m), we unfurled our Ukrainian flag and felt so proud.
I am grateful to God, my friend Olichka, who shared these moments of “wow effect” with me and all the organizers for this amazing training hike!
I am already saving money for a new hike with Victoria and the kuluar company ❤️ This is love!
