Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

I personally loved Walk of the Gods but also Vesuvuis. Naples was somewhat of a surprise. This was the part of the holiday I'd been least looking forward to as cities are not my thing. I'd also been lead to believe that Naples has had a bad press. Thanks to Paula our fabulous guide and her enthusiasm, Naples quickly became one of my personal highlights. Really vibrant city, amazing churches, fabulous crammed tiny streets, street markets, mad Vespa drivers and lunch in a local taverna that Paula had thoughtfully sourced herelf. Also more great coffee and lovely views of Vesuvius accross the bay. How can I also forget the food?! I was in food heaven. Fresh tomatoes, artichokes, basil, bread, pasta, cheese, wine... And Chef Giovanni's 'mealt in the mouth' Panacotta.  Everywhere you looked there was fresh produce either growing on hillsides or lying in front of you on your plate... Fabulous

Thoughts on Group Leader

Paula is enthusiastic, helpful, friendly, approachable, witty... all the attributes needed for a great guide. Im only sorry I couldnt get to know her and stay with her for longer. I'd like to think we'd all end up firm pals! She showed us Greco- Roman ruins and we would like to show her the Greco-Roman Architecture of Manchesters Trafford centre one day- the offer still stands Paula!!  Paula was also really good at giving us Italian travel advice as we extended our trip and travelled north on our own. Thanks for the Italian lesson- we got round Italy unscathed and arrived home safely! Thank you Paula, I havent got a bad word to say!

Advice for Potential Travellers

PLEASE take into account added extra expenses whilst away. The trip notes suggest 10Euros for lunches but once you've had the obligatory Italian Espresso this is more like 15. There are also one or two added extras to pay for such as slight seeing on your free day and Funicular/ bus fares/ chair lift on Capri. If travelling with a family I would imagine that this would really tot up. Also the Gellato in Amalfi is compulsory ( trust me.. it puts Mr Whippy to shame!)... all of these things really do add up. If travelling on a budget PLEASE budget for more Euros than you think you'll need. Unlike other exodus trips that I have done this really is in a touristy part of the world and I really wasnt expecting the tourist prices for a coffee. 

Most Inspirational Moment

The walking was challenging but the views wonderful and it was great to return to a big meal and nice hotel each evening.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The tour leader Vladimir was excellent. He was extremely knowledgeable about his country, it's history, culture and wildlife. On the last day in Sofia he took time to show us around the city, which was an added bonus.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Providing you are fit enough for the walking this is an excellent trip for people who enjoy a challenging week but want to return to some comfort at night. Bulgaria is a wonderful place and is highly recommended.

Most Inspirational Moment

The weather was almost always just right for the day (not too hot when walking, perfect sunshine on the rest days.)  The only rain enabled us to stay cool on a stiff climb "three col" day.  Seeing one of the refuges in front of a glacier appear out of the mist was pretty dramatic.The most inspirational moment was funnily enough nothing to do with views.  It involved our guide Mel (Potter) squatting in the dust with a toy bulldozer and a Snickers bar describing the formation of morraines and other aspects of the surrounding scenery.  If you can picture the peanuts as erratics and the cracks from bending the chocolate bar as crevasses, you get the picture.  The clarity of thought and ease of explanation would have made any geology professor green with envy. 

Thoughts on Group Leader

On our only previous Exodus trip we were unimpressed with the group leader and so were not expecting anything special.  How wrong could we be?  Mel was amazing.  She was clearly very knowledgeable and informative (the two do not always go together!) on every aspect of the Tour from camp life through to plants, birds and wildlife.  She was friendly and amusing throughout and certainly made the trip into something special.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The books on the TMB suggest that a choice of clockwise or anticlockwise is possible.  Having seen the walks I would suggest that the Exodus starting in Chamonix and going clockwise is good, leaving the steep challenge of Brevent to the last walking day. The sense of elation having reached the Brevent top (and Mel opening the champagne) was out of this world and a worthy final stretch.Ask to get Mel on your trip!!  Pascale the chef/driver/fixer was also fantastic

Most Inspirational Moment

Watching the sunrise over the Drakensburg mountains from Sungubala tented camp.Watching the sunset over the crashing waves at Tsitsikamma.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rob was young and enthusiastic and a good listener. He needed to be be more organised. His inexperience was tempered by Sifiso who was very knowledgeable about wildlife and culture plus being an excellent cook and driver.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for long days in a minibus.Check accommodation address for Mozambique visa application as one given hasn't been in use for some time.If you want to 'stuff your rucksack' then the Malealea Developement Trust in Lesotho current wish list includes needles, cotton, scissors etc. for them to start a sewing group and medical equipment etc. suitable for a small clinic.

Most Inspirational Moment

The wildlife and the scenery are a definite highlight for me

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leader has been living in Sri Lanka for the past 20 years. Most of this time he has been doing bike tours in Sri Lanka and India. This really shows in all the little details, every thing is nicely planned. But not to strict to be confining. Surpises are dealt with swift and decisive actions. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do some training before you leave. There are some real though climbs, but they are totally worth the effort. During this trip you will ride atleast 700-800 km and climb and desent atleast 7000m! 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Bruno is a very experienced group leader and did a good job of looking after us. There was a wide range of walking experience in our group but he managed this very well.

Advice for Potential Travellers

My walking poles wouldn't fit in my suitcase but they would have been useful for the descents which are quite steep in places.

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching Gilman's and realising I could try to reach Uruhu which I thought was beyond me. Also seeing the posters do their ceremony at the end of the trip, watching their faces light up, seeing their appreciation and sharing the donations we had supplied to them.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Awesome! Priscus was not only great with us but also ovserving him with his team, he always seemed really fair, in control and encouraging by letting the other guides get involved in everything. He clearly wanted what was best for us AND for all of his staff. Was really refreshing to see. His knowledge was brilliant, all the guides had amazing knowledge and all did their best to get to know us all and that made us pull together as a team. What an amazing group of people! 

Advice for Potential Travellers

Pole, Pole! Slowly, slowly! No need to rush, take your time, enjoy the views. Drink loads and eat pleanty, you need the energy - the food made was amazing throughout the trip so enjoy it!Take some snacks with you, you will especially need something for summit day, so try some sugary type things, squares of chocolate or nuts/dred fruit.Take babywipes and a flannel for 'washy, washy' and a small bar of soap. Might sound obvious but I didn't realise we would have access to a small bowl of water most days which was great.Take layers, also if you have some old clothers that you may not wish to keep after the trip, please take them with you and leave them for the porters once the trip is complete. 

Most Inspirational Moment

Hmmmm.....topping out on Toubkal was great as it was the main objective and it was superb to see my wife Susies happy wee face having climbed it - very proud of her, but I also really enjoyed Toubkals South Summit as I was the only one on it and the day after we bagged Ounakrim which was more challenging and quieter - our group being the only ones there instead of the 50 or so people on the summit of Toubkal the day before.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Couldn't have asked for anyone better. Abdullah was knowledgeable, professional, very experienced and you couldn't meet a more likeable guy.

Advice for Potential Travellers

These things are all relative depending upon your previous experience but, if you are a competent UK hillwalker comfortable on the higher UK mountains, you should be OK. A lot of the terrain higher up is loose and can be steep - think the Scafells, the Mamores Munros, Ben Nevis from the Carn mor Dearg side rather than the tourist path. My Susie has done around 60 Munros and isn't a fan of heights and she managed fine. Doing this the long way around gives plenty of time to acclimatise and get used to the type of terrain you will encounter on summit day. The trip is well supported and you only carry your own daypack. Plenty of food - more tending to veg than meat and typically Moroccan - though we also got chips in the high hut which was good.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking round the crater summit of Vesuvius and looking down over the thousands of houses that would be engulfed if Vesuvius erupts again.  With only three days' notice and no main route out, the possibility of a catastrophe is very real.  However, trying to race those elderly people up to the summit didn't come easy, but going down was much easier.  If you are lucky enough to have the same guide as we did, you get the privilidge to walk around the whole of the crater.The hospitality of the family run hotel and the friendliness of the group made the holiday for me.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alfred led us on some mighty walks!  Punctuality and his friendliess were his forte and he certainly had our safety at the forefront when we were confronted by a forest fire.  Although this meant turning back and retracing our steps, the staff of the hotel came out in the middle of the day to drive us by road nearer to our destination thus avoiding the fires.  We nicknamed one of them Emerson (after the racing driver) because he knew how to take every bend in that well run route!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you are fit and can cope with lots of steps.  I know the trip is graded leisurely/moderate - it certainly falls into the moderate category taken at a leisurely pace.  I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with knee, hip or foot problems.  That put aside, the views are spectacular  and so is the food.  Although the hotel does not have a pool, which is a shame, take a swim suit as you do get the opportunity to swim in the sea - which you have to negotiate the hot pebbles to get to!

Most Inspirational Moment

The amazing panorama of the Matterhorn and the surrounding mountains as you round the final bend on the Europaweg in Mattertal.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leaders did everything possible to support the group achieving the goal of completing the Haute Route and with a relentless sense of humour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure that you are fit enough, particularly having recent experience of strenuous walking uphill. There are days which involve 5 hours of walking uphill!Don't underestimate the possible drop in temperatures with altitude and at night in camp when packing.