Thoughts on Group Leader
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Reviews
Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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Reviews
Not your typical Angkor hopping
13 days in a small country, not too full of attractions, enables one to delve deeper into this fascinating yet troubled destination. Personally, I found the tour enjoyable and fascinating (not boring for even a minute). If you’re lucky enough to have Bun for your guide, than you hit the jackpot!
Discovering the Bedouin
A week in Jordan is a crash course on the archeology, geology, culture, and cuisine of this time honoured country. Starting in Amman we met out tour guide, Mekheld, who has Bedouin family roots. Very quickly we began with a tour of some spectacular Roman era ruins at Jerash. Magnificent in the size and quality of the ruins. We also toured a Roman Theatre, that was acoustically perfect. Finishing the day with a local market walk that left us spell bound with the sights and sounds of local people with stalls selling literally every food and finished product imaginable. This was just one day! Each of the days that followed was just as exhilarating and unique. Our guide, Mekheld, proved to be a master of logistics, making sure all 20 guests were made to feel comfortable snd secure. We ate local cuisine every night at his hand-picked restaurants. Every meal was fabulous! The accommodations were good to excellent. Our bus and driver were top notch. The trip notes do not really convey how stunningly beautiful each attraction or location actually is. Petra, Wadi Rum desert, the Dead sea are places you will never forget.
Most Inspirational Moment
Learning about the Bedouin and experiencing the desert was a trip highlight for me. Our guide Mekheld shared with us much personal knowledge about the life of these desert nomads that he experienced growing up with Bedouin relatives. The night we spent at the Exodus desert camp was a real bonding moment for our group. Marvelling at the sand dunes and sandstone rock formations, looking at the vast landscapes, and seeing a truly dark night sky was simply the best.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our leader Mekheld is an affable, easy going fellow with a sharp Bedouin wit. After the group got use to his style of very dry humour we had great fun and much laughter when he caught someone not paying attention. He was master of logistics, making sure the trip ran smooth and efficiently. He found the best restaurants wherever we were and made sure a good lunch was always available. Mekheld has an excellent knowledge of Jordan and its people, which he shared with us. I felt he was a superb tour guide, leader, and now friend. Thank you Mekheld!
Advice for Potential Travellers
If you have the time, consider staying a day or two longer at the Dead sea. The tour really only provides for a few daylight hours and floating in the Dead sea and really getting into coating yourself in mud is too much fun and should be repeated more than once. Bring extra Dinars. Things are a bit more expensive here and there are lots of optional activities you will want to do. Bring good walking shoes. My wife and I walked 15 km in and around Petra, more than most. There are lots of sand covered steps in the ruins, so sure footing is important!
Excellent Wadi Rum, Do it..
Overall, the trip was excellent, totally exceeded our expectations in every way, from start to finish the trip was very well organized, we were well looked after and felt completely safe. Trip leader Abdullah was the best, extremely knowledgeable, always helpful and available, nothing was any trouble, the trek through Wadi Rum was amazing, absolutely unbelievable landscape which constantly changed, the climb up to the bridge was unexpected but an absolute highlight and well worth the effort. The trekking was comfortable with plenty of breaks, with Abdullah constantly passing on his vast knowledge of this place and its amazing history. We could have happily spent another couple of days in Wadi Rum. Also have to credit Abdullahs team who were all amazing, always singing and laughing, setting up the camp, along with a campfire, and keeping us topped up with tea, the food was plentiful and excellent, we have enjoyed a lot of treks with Exodus and this one is up there with the beat, would highly recommend, and Petra will just blow your mind.
Most Inspirational Moment
Climbing up to Burdah Bridge and standing on top of it, and the first sight of the Treasury in Petra.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Couldn't have asked for a better leader.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Do it and embrace everything. you'll be glad you did..
Amazing
Great trip! Well thought-through itinerary with plenty of variety. Great tour guide (Mekhled)
Most Inspirational Moment
The hikes in Petra
Thoughts on Group Leader
Fantastic!
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take plenty of memory on your phone as you’ll get great photo opportunities
Great trip
This was a great adventure through lots of stunning scenery, staying in some lovely accommodation & enjoying some really nice food & wine. It would have been nice to do more wine tasting along the way though.
Most Inspirational Moment
One of the highlights has to be seeing the whales come so close to our boat. I definitely recommend whale watching if you’re there in the right season - it was magical.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Adonia & Ernest really looked after us all. They were both very knowledgeable about everything to do with the area aswell as looking after our bikes & making sure we were safe on the roads. They worked really hard to try & ensure our trip went smoothly.
Advice for Potential Travellers
This is a very hilly trip, a lot hillier than we were all expecting & probably should be graded as a moderate 4 rather than 3. There’s a lot of cycling on busy main roads too, in fact the vast majority of it is on really busy roads so it’s something to be prepared for.
Vietnam Oct 2022
This was a great trip for seeing a huge amount of Vietnam – a rich fortnight of many new experiences and a wonderful introduction to a new country for me. The leader and his team were super and the bikes were excellent.
Most Inspirational Moment
Many highlights - the street food experience, the coffee, the warmth of the Vietnamese people, the green abundance in the fields and markets, the architecture in Hoi An and Hanoi, clear waters and calm at Whale Island, caves and kayaking in Halong Bay.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Chi was calm, kind and very organised. Things ran very smoothly and we were never aware of any mishaps etc which probably means he was working very hard in the background. Three others supported him and they worked really well as a team, I always felt looked after, well-supplied with snacks/water and safe on the roads.
Advice for Potential Travellers
We did a free walking tour of Hanoi with a couple of students which was a really good way to spend our final morning. The exhibition in the Maison Generale (Hanoi Hilton) is definitely worth seeing. Be prepared to get wet (we travelled last half of October) - although the rain is warm it is worth having a change of cycling gear/clothes on the bus for this, and to use walking sandals rather than trainers for cycling in these conditions. I did a load of laundry in Hoi An (moped delivery from/to hotel) for about £2.50. There is more cycling on suburban roads than I expected. There is a lot of development underway - a market visit listed in the trip notes did not happen because the market had been displaced by road construction. Halong Bay is beautiful but it is not worth swimming - we were taken to a tiny crowded designated beach and it did not seem that swimming was permitted anywhere else. We anchored with about 15 other cruise boats of various sizes, two playing loud music in the evening which was a shame. We were lucky that we kayaked and looked at the caves without anyone else around.
Trip of a Lifetime
This trip is well worth booking, challenging yet rewarding I am so pleased we chose to do this through Exodus. The food is great, it’s hard to believe food to such a high standard is prepared in a tent.
Most Inspirational Moment
The team who helped us throughout the week are so inspirational. They work so hard and yet always have a smile on their faces. There is no way we would have completed summit day without their expertise and support. We were a group of 6 with a team of 23!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our team leader was called Happiness and she was amazing in everyday. Supportive, professional, inspiring and so experienced. Happiness ran a great team, always made sure we were feeling OK, checked how much we were eating and drinking and made sure we dug deep to get to the top. Her assistant guides Lucy, Simon, Pendaely and Floriam (for summit day) were equally amazing. They all work so well together. Nothing can prepare you for how difficult the summit walk is and without good guides it would be impossible to make it.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The tents are small so if travelling alone I think the single supplement is money vety well spent! I also think arriving a couple of days early really helps prepare for the climb. The whole trip is extremely dusty so bring plenty of spare clothes! One of the members of our trip hired a sleeping bag and it wasn't warm enough, every camp is cold so do research and bring a good sleeping bag and roll mat.
Wildlife Bonanza
This trip will go down as one of my best, if not the best, holiday experiences. If you love birds and wildlife it is not to be missed. There is quite a lot of traveling between locations, 4-4 1/2 hrs according to our guide each time & he wasn’t far wrong. However the journey was always punctuated by stops for loo breaks, drinks etc but also for spotting the wildlife be it a soggy looking sloth high up in a tree in the middle of town, a pack of squirrel monkeys crossing electricity wires or a king vulture sitting in a tree that had our driver Randall very excited as he had only ever seen them in flight before. On the plus side 2 nights are spent in each location so there is plenty of time to relax and unwind. Even the early starts were not a problem as it is dark by 5.30pm but light by 5am so early nights were the norm. We soon realised however that our guide was planning the timetable to the weather forecast and if he recommended an early start it was because there was a risk of rain later whilst a late start was because we would be waking up to rain. We had been concerned about going to Costa Rica in October as it is during the rainy season however we were fortunate in that most of the time it rained at night. Only once did we have a whole afternoon of rain and that was when we were in the rainforest! Again our guide must have known as we did 2 early morning walks before the rain started and the rest of the day was free – we still went swimming in the pool, had to be done! On the plus side, going in low season meant that the majority of the time we were the only people in the hotel or doing a tour whereas, knowing the current popularity of Costa Rica, I had expected to be surrounded by other travellers.
Most Inspirational Moment
The wildlife seen throughout the trip is amazing but by far the best moment was experienced in the Esquinas Rainforest Nature Reserve when we treated to the rare sighting of a Tayra as it came to the lodge to feed on the bananas there. Equally inspirational was learning how so many of the Reserves were privately owned, run by and for the benefit of the local people in an effort to preserve the local flora & fauna.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Armando was just the most amazing guide and he, above everything, was responsible for making this such a memorable trip. With his sunny smile and quick witted humour he had the whole group gelling together in no time. His skill at spotting wildlife even in the depths of the forest was amazing. At the start of the trip he asked each of us what we were hoping to get out of the visit and what we most wanted to see, he then made it his mission to tick off as many of those birds/animals as possible. We saw all 4 species of monkey and 4 out of 6 species of Toucan. He knew where to find the endangered Scarlet Macaws and, of course, succeeded in finding the Resplendant Quetzal. I challenged him to find a sloth with a baby & he did that on day 3! The only animal he failed to find was a tapir but we all agreed that the Tayra made up for that. Some birds/animals were difficult to spot but he would set up his telescope so that we were all able to see them and then he took pictures through it with our mobile phones. Nothing was too much trouble for Armando and equally for our driver Randall. They made a great team and if you are lucky enough to get them on your tour then you will not be disappointed. Pura Vida!
Advice for Potential Travellers
I would recommend taking some dollars to get through the first few days as it isn't easy to get to an ATM. Credit cards can be used everywhere but cash is needed for tips. Food & drink is quite expensive but portions are extremely generous and one dish could easily be shared between two. Temperatures vary between locations and some warmer clothing is definitely required for the last stay in Savegre.
AWeek in Jordan
I’ve recently returned from an amazing trip to Jordan. The highlight of the trip for me was visiting Petra. I’m glad we had two days there, but it still wasn’t enough time to see everything. The place is huge. I went to the “Petra by night” event and was a bit disappointed it was so short, but it was an amazing sight to see all the lights. Another great tour was Jerash. It was wonderful to walk through so much history.
Most Inspirational Moment
The two most inspirational moments for me was when I managed to climb up both sets of stairs to the "High Place of Sacrifice " and the stairs to the "monastery". I am not the fittest but even though it took a while I made it. The views from the High place of Sacrifice were stunning and well worth the climb.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our group leader Khaldoun was a very informative guide who made the trip one to remember. His love for his country was clearly shown by the way he spoke about day to day life in Jordan. Nothing ever fazed him, even when I was late getting back to the meeting point after our first day at Petra! He is a proud family man, who told us stories about life and religion through his family. His English was perfect too.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Try everything. Don't give up, keep going. It's well worth it.
Nice walks. but a lot of down time
I really enjoyed the walks and the scenery they provided. Walking around the villages was also fun. Our guide Cecile was great. She explained a lot about Greek culture, plants, cuisine and history. The hotels we stayed at were were just ok for the most part. Nothing memorable but everything appeared to work. On most days I was really disappointed with the breakfasts that were included in the tour. They were sad, cold, boxed meals that didn’t contain much food I would eat. With the exception of the hotel on Naxos, I ended up having to buy something to eat later. The restaurant dinners organized by Cecile were very nice however and I certainly did not end up starving. Perhaps the aspect of the tour that I wish I had appreciated first was just how much time was spent getting to, riding on, and making our way to hotels from the ferries. I just don’t feel the pleasure of the walks and sightseeing visits were offset by the down time spent in transit. I would definitely recommend visiting the Greek Islands, but before recommending this trip I would make sure the person was comfortable with all of the time devoted to logistics.
Most Inspirational Moment
The walk on Santorini was my favorite.
Thoughts on Group Leader
She was professional and provided a lot of informational content to the tour. She was also clear about where and when to meet to catch buses and ferries.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Read the itinerary carefully before deciding if you will enjoy a tour the visits 3 islands in such a short time. The ferry rides might be relaxing for some people, but I found them boring.
Reply from Exodus
We’re really grateful for Janeen’s review, and are so pleased to hear that she enjoyed the walks on this trip and that she was impressed with her tour leader, Cecile. We were, however, sorry to hear that she was disappointed with the structure of the tour and felt there was a little too much down time. This is a relaxed walking tour which offers our groups the chance to trek the most scenic routes of Naxos, Santorini, and Paros, as well as allowing them the time to explore each island at their own pace. We understand that the ratio of free time to activities is a delicate balance to strike on any trip, and we are confident that our trip notes provide an accurate reflection of what our customers can expect on this particular tour.
Having reviewed each of the feedback forms we have received from Exodus clients in 2023, we can see that this tour scores an average of 4.5 out of 5 for its itinerary, and an average of 4.67 overall, which we feel is a really positive rating and indicates that our customers’ expectations are being met. We will, of course, continue to monitor the feedback we receive, and will not hesitate to make changes should more of our clients express views similar to Janeen’s.
– Vivien Urban, Exodus Product Manager