Choose a Challenge Reviews 232

It has been an immense pleasure and privilege to be part of the Budapest team this year with Choose a Challenge!!!! I had the best time and so has everyone that I have spoken to ☺️ The organization went so smoothly and it is absolutely amazing to watch so many students tick a marathon off their bucket lists🥇 An absolutely tremendous achievement!!
Loved the people and the city and most importantly the staff that made it all possible ❤️❤️❤️

Amazing trip! Amazing everything!

Budapest is a stunning city to be running a Marathon in, and the itinerary of the race itself is super flat - which makes it perfect for beginners!

All the staff were very supportive and made sure everything ran smoothly and the dinners were super tasty! (big shout outs to Katja for operating everything!!)

Would recommend to anyone who’s ready to step out of their comfort zone and push their boundaries!

Amazing trip, had the best time and such a great achievement! All organised really well too!

Banging trip. Best uni experience I've had so far.

Such an amazing experience for the 2024 Budapest Marathon! Great team leaders would most definitely go again!!

Budapest Marathon 2024 🏃🏻
Signed up with Choose a Challenge who came to Loughborough University offering the opportunity to participate in the Budapest marathon (with some fundraising). It has turned out to be an unforgettable experience shared with an amazing group that took the ease out of the challenge. The organisers were extremely friendly, knowledgeable, enthusiastic and provided support throughout. Would highly recommend and may go back for future challenges :).

Completed the Budapest Marathon with choose a challenge and definitely was high value for my first marathon experience.

Our experience was a very special one to me, we had an absolutely amazing time thanks to our sherpas Rudra and Sunam. Always being patient with us and very good to talk to. They were fun and talkative, always checking on everyone and keeping us engaged and happy in difficult circumstances. Would definitely recommend this trek to anyone as long as they go with Rudra and/or Sunam.

Just completed the trek to Everest Basecamp and it was an experience of a lifetime. Our guides Rudra and Sunam were insanely knowledgeable and extremely kind throughout the expedition providing solutions to all kinds of problems. Our team of porters were also very friendly and the whole trek was successful. Would definitely recommend to anyone!! JAM JAM

Incredible experience, would 100% recommend. Special mention to our guides Pralhad, Prem and Ngima who made the trip extra special. Memories to last a lifetime.

Avoid Choose a Challenge – Disorganised, Unfair, and a Complete Nightmare

I recently travelled to Tanzania with Choose a Challenge to climb Kilimanjaro, and it was, without a doubt, the most frustrating and disorganised experience I’ve ever had. From shocking payment discrepancies to chaotic on-the-ground logistics, this company failed in almost every aspect of providing a professional and enjoyable trip.

1. Payment Discrepancies and Last-Minute Stress
Two months before the trip, I received a phone call from *Choose a Challenge* informing me that I was £3,060 overdue—on top of the £515 and £265 deposits I had already paid, as well as the £2,700 for the trip itself. They told me I had to pay this amount within a month or I wouldn’t be able to travel. While I admit I misunderstood the fundraising process (and that’s partly my fault), the entire situation was handled with no clarity. It would have been helpful if someone had ensured we fully understood the payment structure earlier on.

Thankfully, I was able to pull together the £3,060. However, upon arriving in Tanzania, I discovered that many of my fellow travellers had not been given the same ultimatum. Some only had to pay around £400 of the fundraising target. I ended up paying a total of £6,540, while others on the same trip paid as little as £900. This blatant inconsistency and complete cheating has left me disgusted with Choose a Challenge. It is abhorrent.

2. Total Lack of Organisation Throughout
The disorganisation didn’t stop with payments. During our two-day safari trip, we had no idea where we were staying and were shuttled around by drivers who spoke little to no English, leaving us entirely in the dark about our plans (we had not even been told hotel names or anything before our trip so we were completely at the mercy of the guides). The accommodation in Zanzibar was equally appalling. The hotel was unsafe, with no locks on the windows and keys that could open any room. This felt like a serious breach of safety, especially given the amount of money we had paid.

3. Bribed Reviews
After climbing the Kilimanjaro we relaxed for a celebratory dinner where we were told that we would get a free drink if we left CaC a 5* review. Being uni students, most people happily accepted. Do not trust these reviews.

While the on-the-ground staff were friendly, they were insufficient (apart from the crew on the mountain, they were fabulous) in terms of organisation , English skills, and communication. For the amount we spent, we expected far more professionalism and basic competence in managing such a high-cost, complex trip.

The only redeeming part of the experience was our Choose a Challenge supervisor, Cyrus, who was an absolute delight and the sole positive aspect of the company. Other than him, this is easily the worst company I’ve ever had the misfortune of dealing with.

Rudra and Sumon were so supportive and made sure everyone was okay. They always had a smile on their faces and making everyone laugh. They made this trip easier and more fun. For me, they helped me acclimatize well, looked after me when I was ill and always checking up on you. Their positive attitude helped so much when things got tough.

We all had an amazing time on the Everest Base Camp Trek. Everything was well organised and ran smoothly, and whenever an issue arose, Choose a Challenge and our guides were on hand and incredibly helpful. Special thanks to our guides - Pralhad, Neama, Breem and Buddha - who went above and beyond and helped to make this an unforgettable experience. I cannot recommend this challenge enough!

What an incredible experience! Met the most incredible people and saw insane veiws throughout. A massive thank you to Bhudda and Perna our guides during the trip. Their knowledge was endless and passions plentiful. Also a thank you to the porters that took our bags up and down the mountain. Without this team of wonderful people this trip wouldn't have been possible or nearly as fun. Thank you so much for the incredible experiences, laughs along the way and memories of a lifetime.

An incredible experience with incredible people. Buddha our guide was amazing taking care of all of the group ensuring everyone made it, showing excellent leadership skills and charisma. Purna, the porters and the rest of the team were fantastic ensuring the team bonded and uplifted each other throughout the whole trek. The views were incredible but our group made this an experience of a lifetime. Looking forward to the next trek we take as a group.

What an experience. Fun, beautiful, and most important of all, challenging. And it's all thanks to our clever, charismatic tour guide Buddha. His expertise extends beyond the Himalayan region and its history, culture and religion. He is an avid entrepreneur with a Masters' degree pursuing multiple business ventures. Generosity is also his strong suit, with many under priveliged Nepalese children in full time education as a result of his support.

His english is excellent, and his cheerful demeanor made this trip one to remember. We cultivated a team spirit that could not waver even by the immense pressure of the altitude! He knows when to be serious, providing detailed advice and relevant guidance to achieve success. But he also knew when humour was appropriate to lift our spirits.

I don't usually write reviews like this, but Buddha's a hard working and kind individual. Highly recommended. Thank you Choose a challenge and thank you Buddha. Best of luck with your future endeavours. Stay in touch.

The EBC Trek was a truly unforgettable experience. The knowledge and expertise of our guide Buddha was second to none, and he insured that everyone in our team made it safely to basecamp and back. We couldn't have done it without the support from our guides and porters. The trek was wonderful, but the team was even better!

Having just completed Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to Bhudda and Perna, and to the all the amazing porters who put so much hard work into making this all possible for us. They were incredibly friendly and always helped and motivated us through the hardest parts of the trek. Without them, this trek would have been so much harder and i’m incredibly grateful for that. They knew the region exceptionally well and I felt like I was their friend rather than their client. I honestly couldn’t have wished for a better experience! I would recommend these guys and the trek itself to anyone, it was completely unforgettable. Thank you so much!

Buddha, our guide made this experience unforgettable. The whole journey was safe, remarkable as well as challenging. The trek itself is stunning but it’s all about the people, our group had a synergy unmatched and thanks to our guides, our porters the journey was smooth and well organized. I highly recommend Buddha as a guide, he created this bond in our group and showed fantastic leadership skills, I am so glad I met him. I left the group to go on an additional adventure and even once the trek over he helped me figuring out everything to make sure I was safe, he is the very best !
I cannot recommend more this challenge, it will keep a big place in my personal achievements! What are you waiting for ??

Our recent trek to Everest Base Camp was an unforgettable adventure, and we owe much of our incredible experience to Buddha, Purna and his exceptional team. From the very beginning, Buddha and Purna were amazing and friendly guides, always ensuring our safety and comfort.Their deep knowledge of the region and its culture enriched our journey, making every step more meaningful.

The team of brave porters who accompanied us were nothing short of heroic. They carried our gear with unwavering strength and dedication, allowing us to focus on the breathtaking scenery and the challenge of the trek.Their cheerful spirits kept us motivated even during the toughest parts of the climb.
we couldn't have done it without Buddha and his team. Their professionalism, kindness, and expertise made this trek a 10 out of 10 experience. We highly recommend them to anyone looking to embark on this incredible journey.