Mountains

Wrap up warm and get ready to experience a true **winter wonderland**! There’s nowhere better to celebrate and capture the spirit of the festive season than snowy, mountainous **Kyrgyzstan**. We will put on our mittens and scarves before starting our cross-country adventure, exploring these untouched landscapes **on horseback and by sleigh**. We’ll traverse beautiful, powder-covered hills and valleys **where nomads roam**, hearing the crunch of hooves on fresh fallen snow and the jingle of reigns from our winter sleigh – an experience made for unforgettable holiday pictures! In this idyllic winter-scape of pure air and clear, starry skies, we’ll **celebrate the holidays** in style, rounding off the trip with a festive feast before retiring to our **cozy yurts**. So pack your winter wear – plus coal and carrot sticks for snowmen – and let TREKKUP whisk you away to your yurt in the snow! **Let's go!** **Day 0 // Friday** Meet at **DXB T3** at 20:30 for our flight at 22:45. **Day 1 // Saturday** Welcome to Kyrgyzstan! We’ll arrive at Manas Airport in the early hours. Once we’ve cleared immigration, we’ll grab some breakfast before making the 2- to 3-hour drive to **Chong-Kemin Valley**, spending time visiting nomadic villages and immersing ourselves in the rhythm of rural life. This beautiful, forested river valley stretches more than 100 km from east to west, and incorporates the **Chong-Kemin State Nature Park**, home to animals such as alpine ibex, ermines, snow leopards, deer, golden eagles, saker falcons, and bearded vultures. It’s the perfect place to get out and explore the great outdoors, and in the afternoon we’ll **mount our horses**, making our way through snowy pastures (*jailoos*) and taking in the breathtaking wintry panorama. Tonight we’ll enjoy a **festive meal** and spend the night in our warm and cozy yurts. **Day 2 // Sunday** We’ll begin our day with a typical nomad breakfast, and start our **horse sleigh party**! We’ll dress warm and pile on the blankets for an unforgettable ride through this magical landscape, surrounded by dense forest and white mountain peaks. We’ll take a break to build a **roaring campfire**, warming our hands while our guides prepare a delicious **alfresco barbecue**. Later, we’ll have more scenic vistas as we wind through the magnificent **Tchu Valley**, in the northern part of the Tian Shan mountain range, on the way back to Bishkek. Once in the capital, we’ll pass by a market for some souvenir shopping. After dinner we’ll get a few hours of sleep at our hotel before heading to the airport. **Day 3 // Monday** Early morning transfer to the airport and return flight home, arriving at DXB at 08:20. **Level of difficulty**: easy, no previous horse riding experience necessary. **Activities:** experiencing real winter of Central Asia, horse riding in the snow, sleighing, sightseeing and few surprises!! **Duration:** Weekend, fly out on Friday 22.40, back home 08.30 AM on Monday. **Accommodation & meals:** included - homestay in yurt and hotel - sharing, local festive foods. **Requirement:** winter clothing, daypack, pullover or fleece jacket, windbreaker, scarf / muffler, winter shoes, gloves, toiletry & towel, wipes, power bank, sunglasses, warm cap. **Cost: AED 2350 excluding flights** until DEC 15. **Excluded:** any cost related to visas, insurance. **Visas:** Many passports get visa free entry, for the rest [e-visa](https://wa.me/971504848238). **UAE RESIDENTS can obtain visa on arrival**, if they are holders of following passports: Algeria, Egypt, India, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Tunisia, Sri Lanka. See yah at Christmassy Jailoo x Trekkup Crew [Whatsapp 050 4848238](https://wa.me/971504848238) / [info@trekkup.com](http://info@trekkup.com/) [Find all trekkups at linktr.ee/trekkup](https://linktr.ee/trekkup)

Sierre Leone and Freetown, Liberia and Monrovia - **freedom country and freedom town** \- two destinations where slavery and emancipation take on a whole new meaning\, with one being the site of **African resettlement from Europe and the other from America**, these are lands of searing heritage. Sierre Leone’s Freetown, with its vast beaches along the peninsula, lively surfing culture, chimpanzee sanctuary among the rainforests, and nearby islands with decaying slave fortresses, or another with butterfly colonies and pygmy hippos! **Bunce Island**, where trading in gold, ivory, cane wood, and slaves in the tens of thousands was launched from a fortress all the way across the Atlantic to the Americas, where the vast majority of the slaves of the Antebellum south came from. Today it’s a ruin of old stone and rusty cannons but the memories of this place continue to haunt. Just a little bit American and kind of West African, **Liberia is unlike anywhere** you’ve been before, with mountains to climb, world’s most beautiful beaches to surf and swim, vast parks full of untouched wildlife, city scenes out of the American south, and founded as the homeland of freed American slaves, it’s a step off the map into Africa’s last frontier! Monrovia is a scene of stately ruins, like the **Hotel Ducor and it’s famous swimming pool**, or the Masonic Temple’s peeling paint, broad streets of plantation-style mansions and Antebellum architecture, a marked contrast to Freetown’s Portuguese influence. You’ll even find a few speakers of “Pidgin” English, if you listen carefully! **Let’s go!!** **Day 1 :: Arrival + Firestone, The Rubber Tree Forests** Liberia is the only country that has **never been either a colony or a protectorate**; it was founded by Krio, freed slaves who returned to Africa from the US, hence the name "**Liberia: the country of freemen"**. Krio make up 5% of the population and control a large part of the economy and politics; they are considered the creators of the nation and the modern economy. 80% of the population speaks the Krio language, which is a form of "Pidgin" English. Immigration clearance and proceed to on a rough road through a spectacular **rubber plantation forest called Firestone**, the largest contiguous rubber plantation in the world, located in Harbel, Liberia, which first opened in 1926. In the mid-1990s, former Liberian President Charles Taylor's soldiers, many of whom were children, raided the Firestone plantation for fuel and supplies. Firestone pulled its executives out and left the plantation, and many of the company's Liberian workers were later killed. After the civil war, the company revived its operations and is now back on track. After a tour of the plantation and the surroundings, head to our ecolodge for overnight stay. **Day 2 :: Libassa + Monrovia** Leisure morning in tropical idyll setting. For curious, exploration of the site in a **search for Pangolins** \- live a dream of Liberia's wild and unspoilt nature\. Later in a day\, its time to head to Monrovia city\. Check in to hotel, start exploring Monrovia, we’ll pass by many curiosities including the **Temple of Masonic Lodge**, the most significant symbol of the Krio culture and the abandoned **Ducor Palace Hotel** (or what remains of it), a former luxurious hotel with a swimming pool overlooking the ocean. We ll also learn about the Mende people and the Bundu Mask in the forests outside the city. Head back to our hotel in the evening for dinner and rest. **Day 3 :: Crossing to Sierra + Tiwai** Check out from hotel and head to Sierra Leone on slightly better roads towards the border. **Bye bye Liberia!** Further on the boats to Tiwai Island for some **monkey jumping, bird calls, and maybe a crocodile** or two. If we’re really lucky, we’ll spot the elusive Pygmy Hippo! **Day 4 :: Tacugama via Bo** After binch beans and some coffee, we’ll head out to the second capital of Sierre Leone, the bustling Bo before moving on to **Tacugama Chimp Sanctuary**, home to many chimpanzees who have become injured and need help returning to the wild. We’ll drive into the hills for a panorama of the city and charming sunset. **Day 5 :: Bunce and Tasso Island** Bunce Island, made famous for being the last stop on the slave trade before being sent off to the Americas. The island was declared a national monument in 1948. A major European commercial fort was built here during the slave trading era, serving as a meeting place for European traders and African merchants. Over 50,000 slaves—women, children, and aged men—were transited to the Americas. The trading of slaves, gold, ivory, and cane wood was prevalent during the 1800s, and many slaves sent to South Carolina and Georgia were traded on this island. See and feel the island by touching the history yourself. **Day 6 :: Banana island + Freetown City Tour** Morning set out towards Kent for Banana Island, where we spend half day **swimming and getting to know the local community**, explore the Portuguese influence, and learn the ways of the Krios peoples of this former slave island. After lunch, return to the city, start with visiting the National Museum and the Big Market, which operates daily. It is a covered market selling a range of crafts, bric-a-brac, traditional medicines, and mystical items. **Day 7 :: Crossing to Conakry** **Bye-bye Sierra Leone!** Early in the morning crossing to Guinea Conakry, check in to hotel, city tour. **Day 8 :: Isles de Los** We will end up our trip with idyllic escape to Iles de Los, tropical paradise of 3 islands, for some swimming, relaxing or just playing beach football with the kids. **Day 9 :: Departure back to Dubai** Its time to head to airport for return flight home, Bye Bye West Africa! **Grade:** Easy - available for everyone. **Activities:** Trekking, boating, swimming, sightseeing. **Accommodation & meals:** hotels and lodges - double sharing, meals excluded. **Cost: 9,200 AED** excl. flights. Cost valid until DEC 10th. **Flights, approx. 5000 AED:** Day 1 DXB-ROB Ethiopian Day 9 CKY-DXB Emirates **Specifically excluded:** flights, visas, restaurant meals, single room supplement. **Visas:** **Sierra Leone:** E-visa 85 USD **Liberia:** Pre-arranged visa 110 USD **Guinea Conakry:** E-visa 85 USD See yah in West Africa x Trekkup Crew [Whatsapp 050 4848238](https://wa.me/971504848238) Find all trekkups at [linktr.ee/trekkup](https://linktr.ee/trekkup)

**Are you ready to spend your weekend away Indiana Jones style and pocket the memories of a lifetime?** Here comes another chance to visit Petra with a plunge into super salty Dead Sea, but thats just the beginning! We will also take a look at the highlights of Amman, do the short hike across the gorgeous wadi with year flowing stream, and follow steps of Lawrence of Arabia in Wadi Rum. Little known 2 hours trail will lead us to the famous pink rock complex from the backside, making our way to the one of Worlds 7 Wonders directly to its highest point - Monastery. Standing alone towards ancient facades, will make you feel like Indiana Jones!! Lets go! **Petra is famous complex of rock-cut architecture**, established in 312 BC as a capitol of Nabataeans Empire. It was only possible to create a city in a dessert by building a water supply system but that's not all, the area was flash flooded regularly so the system of dams was built around it too. The whole area obviously found its way to UNESCO Heritage list. [https://vimeo.com/209766786](https://vimeo.com/209766786) **Dead Sea is the lowest point on the planet** at -429mtrs below sea level, its also one of the worlds saltiest bodies of water together with Lake Assal in Djibouti. This salinity makes for a harsh environment in which animals cannot flourish, but nothing will stop us to take a floating swim in it! Activities: sightseeing, short 3 hrs hiking and getting amazed with Nabatean City! **Grade:** easy, available for everyone. **Accommodation and meals:** included - dbl sharing, 3 star hotel and Bedouin camp. Single occupancy at 295 AED extra. **Cost: AED 2410 excl. flights, until DEC 17.** **RSVP:** Please make sure to include your email address and WhatsApp number in the related field when you join the event. This is to assure we can contact and send you all documents. **Excluded:** * Jordan Pass (entrance fees) jordanpass.jo - one day pass at 70 JOD. **Lets go!!** **Day 1 // Friday** Meeting at airport at 5.30pm for a direct flight at 7.20pm. Arrive at Amman 21.15, transfer to north Amman, check in to the hotel. **Day 2 // Saturday** After an early breakfast, quick look at Amman highlights - Citadel, Ummayyad Palace and Roman Amphitheatre before we hit the road to Dead Sea. At the Beach Resort we’ll have lunch and time for a swim in this incredibly salty lake before travelling further south to Petra. On the way, we stop by Wadi Numira or Dana Nature Reserve to stretch the legs before head down south. We will arrive to Little Petra at about 6-7pm, in time for sunset and dinner at luxury Bedouin Camp, which is a wonder on its own. **Day 3 // Sunday** Half day in Petra. An early start at 6.30am, then jeeps take us at 6.30am through the desert to the start of the backway trail to the Monastery. This is ‘the backdoor’ to Petra, with fantastic views over Wadi Araba, and few steps, it’s the perfect way to enter Petra. Once we’ve reached the Monastery – the largest of Petra’s temples, we will go down the stairs and walk through the Roman area, visit the Royal Tombs and stop for picnic lunch. Next it’s past the Street of Facades and finally arriving at The Treasury – the most famous of Petra’s sights. A walk through the Siq takes us to the entrance where we will jump on the bus and head to Wadi Rum before drive back to airport. [https://vimeo.com/217694073](https://vimeo.com/217694073) See yah in Petra x Trekkup Crew [Whatsapp 050 4848238](https://wa.me/971504848238) / [info@trekkup.com](info@trekkup.com) [Find all trekkups at linktr.ee/trekkup](https://linktr.ee/trekkup)

It’s a women-only desert adventure designed for those who love excitement and exploration. You’ll learn how to drive in the desert and Wadi and have workshop in ARB showroom , then unwind with dinner, a movie night, popcorn, and more activities. A yoga session is included to heal and recharge after the drive. On the final day, we’ll enjoy breakfast at the camp, head back to the Wadi for another drive, and wrap up with a professional photoshoot.

**Note : Registration is confirmed only through [MeetNtrain](https://meetntrain.com/community/Volleyballpartners)** [WhatsApp Group ](https://chat.whatsapp.com/IPwYiB48lTz8Ud3pVdrGAc) Get ready for an exciting evening of **beach volleyball** on soft sand! 🌴🏐 Whether you're a total beginner or a seasoned pro, this fun and friendly game welcomes all skill levels. Come play, vibe, and enjoy the energy! **📍 Location:** Kite Beach - Dubai **🕘 Time:** 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM (2 hours of play) ⏳ *Spots limited to 18 players – secure your spot early!* ⏱ *Note: Timing may change – join the [WhatsApp group](https://chat.whatsapp.com/IPwYiB48lTz8Ud3pVdrGAc) for updates.* **💵 Fee:** 40 AED per player **✅ What’s Included:** * Cold water 💧 * International music with high-quality sound 🎶 * Guided games & refereeing by your host, Noah 🎤 📲 *Join our WhatsApp group for full details & to confirm your spot!* **📬 Contact:** Reach out via WhatsApp or email to confirm your participation. **[Book Now](https://meetntrain.com/community/Volleyballpartners)** **Noah : 0504746210**

Don't have a group, completely fine. badminton sessions for all levels.. Aed 45 for two hours, aed 28 for one hour come and play with us. teams will beade on levels to have exciting matched contact no +971 50 6658 933 join below WhatsApp group for regular updates. [https://chat.whatsapp.com/L5XeBmwIJ33GNRli4CF7Bc](https://chat.whatsapp.com/L5XeBmwIJ33GNRli4CF7Bc)

**Trip**: Christmas Family / Kids Friendly Hike with Beautiful Seaview **Where**: UAE East Coast **Difficulty Level**: Beginner. Suitable for children above 10 Years. **Trip Details**: This is a relatively easy hike on an established trail. Hike start point is about 1.5 hours drive from Dubai and any type of car can reach the start point. **Plan**: · Leave Dubai early morning around 5.00 am and reach the meeting point by 6.30 am. Park the cars at the meeting point and start the hike after a brief by our hike leaders · Hike is expected to take about 3-4 hours, and we reach back to the cars by 10.30 am or so and drive back home. **Preparation:** 1. Suitable hiking clothes (Full sleeve shirt/Top and full pants are always recommended) 2. At least 3 liters of water/fluids for the hike. 3. Fruits/Dry fruits/snacks 4. Suitable hiking footwear/Boots. 5. First Aid pack **Transportation**: Your own transportation. Any type of car is suitable to reach the hike start point. In case you do not have a transportation, please contact the organizers and we may be able to arrange a carpool for a small fuel contribution. **Inclusions:** 1. Overall lead, guidance, support and directions for the event, including for hike **Exclusions:** 1. Food and drinks for the event - it’s a self-catering event 2. Transportation, it's a self-driving event, however, we may be able to arrange a carpool for a small fuel contribution. 3. Any other gear or equipment. **Disclaimer**: Standard AE disclaimer and terms of membership apply Please remember that all adventure sports. Neither Adventure Emarat/Adventure Eagles nor any of its event leaders/members take any responsibility or indemnify the participants against any injury, loss or damage suffered by any participant during the event. Therefore, please assess the fitness & capability of yourself, your team & your vehicle before you join any AE event. Please understand and remember that YOU are the best person to safeguard your wellbeing and safety. Hence YOU have to take full responsibility for the same. Look forward to see you. Team Adventure Eagles

Some trained COUNT volunteers work together once a month at RMH (http://www.rmhc-centralohio.org/volunteer.php) as Housewarmers (usually on the 1st Sunday from 1 – 5 PM). Some schedule other shifts at their convenience. You may try this out with less fuss by following a "Fast track" or go through the normal process. Fast track • Arrange a time to shadow a COUNT volunteer. Call Dave Nohle at 614-268-9558 (cell). • Show up and try it out. • Complete application, etc. later. Normal process • Complete an online application (http://rmhc-centralohio.org/volunteer/). • Attend orientation in advance. • At orientation you will complete forms agreeing to keep family/patient info private and allowing a background check and tour the facility. • Complete one training shift. Daily shifts are: morning 9 AM - 1 PM, afternoon 1 - 5 PM and evening 5 - 9 PM. • Schedule shifts online using the on the RMH scheduling system (http://www.volgistics.com/ex/portal.dll/?FROM=32895). The Ronald McDonald House (RMH) provides housing and meals for families with sick children. The Columbus RMH is the largest in the world with 137 rooms. COUNT has been volunteering there since May 2014. Housewarmers work with RMH guests to provide a home-like environment - greet, assist with family needs, answer phones, give tours, assist with checkin/checkout, prepare guest rooms after checkout, clean facility, laundry, restock supplies and staff the front desk. RMH Housewarmers volunteer at least one four-hour shift a month. All Housewarmers must complete an application and agree to a background check before they can be full fledged volunteers.

We may pick a specific topic and post in advance or may discuss current events and various ad hoc topics . We would love to spend time hanging out and getting to know one another. Atheist, agnostics, other non-theists, and atheist-friendly people are welcome to join us. Note: COUNT operates a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/groups/COUNT.discussions (http://www.facebook.com/groups/COUNT.discussions/) to promote discussions among members and visitors.

Hi ladies. We will meet in front of the Nature Center and head to the two Observation decks. We will then hike Hickory Ridge, Ripple Rock, Overlook and Sugarbush trails to get approximately four miles total distance. We will walk approximately a 18 minute mile pace. Please wear appropriate hiking shoes.

We will hike approx 4 miles looping through the gardens, boardwalk trail and chipmunk trail.