Culture Holidays in Costa Rica

My last Exodus trip was cycling Kerala (just before lockdown) and it was fantastic. This trip to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam was just as good. We had 18 in Kerala and no couples, this one was only 13 and mainly couples so different dynamics but another great group. The whole trip was well organised, especially considering we had to travel through 3 different countries. Nut, our main leader was fantastic and went above and beyond in my opinion. All the many other guides, mechanics, drivers etc were also great, friendly, helpful and informative. I enjoyed the longer cycles in Thailand but feel we saw less of the real country than Cambodia and Vietnam. Lots of culture with temples, rice fields, water buffalo, boat trips etc. The killing fields and S-21 in Cambodia and the War remnants museum in Ho Chi Min City were sombre with many personal horrifying stories from our guides. The home stay was a highlight, lovely accommodation in the Mekong Delta and with a chance to try cooking our own Vietnamese food. Bikes were good, food excellent and nice hotels. Note for next trip, check flight options as there seemed to be a variety of options that were slightly more direct.

Claire Norfolk Cycle Indochina & Angkor

First of all, this is an AMAZING trip. It is perfectly designed to have the right amount of activity, sights, experiences and cycling. There’s downtime, there’s bike rides, there’s not too long in the coach, there’s swimming and hammam and sights and I really appreciated three nights in the same hotel in Petra. I had never been on a cycling holiday before and so I have a few things to say about that! I cycle around my home town a lot and go to the gym so I kinda thought I would be fine. And I was fine, BUT what I wasn’t prepared for were the steep downhills! So that is what I would like to warn people about. If you are not a confident cyclist and if you are scared going fast downhill, then be warned, there is a LOT of that! Here is my breakdown of the cycling. Everything else was pretty much PERFECT! Obviously, we pretty much all got sick! And our cycle guide was pretty useless, but apart from that…! DAY TWO [first day of cycling]. Got our bikes, our cycle guide Iz, zoomed off downhill along a major road, without any introduction. I found this a really challenging first day. There was no gentle introduction to the roads, off we went! There was a mix of downhill and flat, but the pace was crazily fast. Things settled down on day three, but I thought the guide was really rubbish on this first day and there was no pacing at all. He was monosyllabic anyway, but I was at the back the whole time and he really didn’t care to check in! Our guide eventually had a go at him and he did token checks on us, but not impressed! DAY THREE gentle ride to Nebo and then we had to go down the windy highway for ages. I was dreading it, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought and actually better than yesterday! The pace was much better. The last part of day was a flat, hot slog along a motorway [!] to the Dead Sea. DAY FIVE Pleasantly undulating! My favourite day of cycling. Little Petra was fab too! DAY SIX I was of course sick by this point. The big bad long day! There are maybe two super steep sections and maybe two long ascents, but it was definitely a great day’s ride. Iz didn’t want to tell us about the ride, for some reason, but he eventually described it as section one downhill, section two undulating, section three flat, and that’s broadly true. DAY SEVEN needed a bag for swimming, a bag for wadi rum camp ,and a bag for the bus. So that was a mental challenge!! Today’s ride was another flat, hot slog, but great. I’m starting to think I actually prefer undulating! At one point the guide, Iz, told me to get a move on! Wadi Rum completely exceeded expectations. Loved the camels. Loved the stargazing. Loved everything – food, culture, the sights, the hotels, it was all great. I give this trip 10/10 for experience. Consider if the cycling is the right level for you, it WAS the right level for me, but I was always at the back because of the scary downhills, but i’m SO GLAD I did it! Also, our group was just gorgeous.

Lynne Bateman Petra & Wadi Rum by Bike

This itinerary offers something for everyone! From Safaris to National Parks to Whale Watching, City tours and Wine Tasting, every day offers a new adventure and something exciting to look forward to. The pace doesn’t feel to rushed with no long drives and even the slightly longer ones broken up with coffee stops and viewpoints. The East Head Viewpont in Kynesa being a particular highlight of mine! You meet some lovely locals including the charming owners full of stories at St Martin’s guesthouse and whale watching off the shore line in Hermanus was truly one of the most amazing sites seeing so many whales congregated in the same place breaching and teaching their young to strengthen their fins before heading across to Antarctica to feed. I choose to travel in South Africa’s Spring time because I really wanted to see the Whales migrating in Hermanus, little did I realise but it’s also an excellent time to visit because all the flowers are in bloom so the drives were really stunning, our guide even mentioned that he hadn’t seen the landscapes so green. If you’re looking for a leisurely paced trip with a passion for wildlife, landscapes, food and wine then this ones a winner!

Catryn Scantlebury Cape Town & the Garden Route