Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

I enjoyed meeting the group and new people who had a passion for the outdoors sharing experiences and story's . Wine tasting in chez republic was a great experience and addition to the trip. I also felt a great sense of achievement on completion of the trip and has spurred me on to book another.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader jan couldn't do enough for the group to ensure we all had a great time he would go out of his way to help with any matter even in his free time. Jan was very knowledgable about all the places we visited and knew his history and at the same time had a great senses of humour . Great trip leader down to earth .

Advice for Potential Travellers

The first 2 days are rather hilly shorter distances but pretty hard going at times after day 2 it's plain sailing it's flat as a pancake or as jan would say a ruler !

Most Inspirational Moment

So many amazing moments: floating down the Zambezi,completely out of contact, no wi-fi, no phones, apart from our 7 canoes no other boats or people in sight, no sounds except the ho, ho, ho's of hippos and the gentle lapping of the river, totally at peace and one with nature. Watching a family of elephants chomping on grass then crossing the river completely oblivious to our boats just a few feet away. Lying in the tent watching a mother and baby elephant walk by in the dark. Waking to find from the prints in the sand that a hippo had slept beside us. The roar of a lion at twilight hunting for food............

Thoughts on Group Leader

CB/Cuthbert and his assistant Ackmed(?) were superb. Calm, confident, extremely knowledgeable & hardworking, friendly, patient and excellent cooks we always felt in safe hands. We could not have asked for better guides.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The rough camping, often sharing the islands in the middle of the Zambezi with elephants, was no hardship at all. Food, cooked on charcoal fires in big cast iron pots, was ample and good. Mattresses doubled as cushions in the canoes. We didn't take or need any extra food or bedding. Take fingerless gloves to prevent blisters and a powerful torch. Take everything you need for 3 days rough camping & canoeing in your hand luggage - just in case your hold luggage goes AWOL (the case of one of our party went to Kenya and did not reappear until the penultimate day of the holiday). We went straight from the airport to the canoes and having everything prepacked in our hand luggage avoided repacking in the dark and did not see -or need- our cases again until we reached the fly camp.

Most Inspirational Moment

The ride through Vienna was fun and so was the wine tasting in Mikulov!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fantastic, the good vibes!

Advice for Potential Travellers

I took an extra day to discover Budapest on my own after the tour, which I definitely recommend.

Most Inspirational Moment

Visit to Trinidad the people and vibe was amazing. Also to explore different areas of Cuba and the people and learning more about the history of the country. Dinner in a farm house in Vinales. Live Music in most restaurants. Also the dancing - salsa was amazing!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jorg - knowledgeable and helpful. Was a bit of a joker.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you stay hydrated. As it can get really hot. I suffered from bad stomach bug after so be a bit careful with where you eat.

Most Inspirational Moment

Halong bay - the postcard pictures you may have seen don't do it justice. We also by chance (while visiting Ho Chi Minh's stilt house in Hanoi) bumped into some war veterans (in full military uniforms) who were paying their respects. With our guide as translator we asked them about that time and their feelings about westerners today. They told us they hold no grudges and warmly welcomed us as visitors to their country. It was quite a refreshing experience - totally different to what I expected them to say. One last thing to include - the war remnants museum. The visit made me feel quite somber but I thought it important that I had visited. The Vietnamese pull no punches when they show the events of that time but you leave the museum with a feeling that while they remember the past, they look hopefully to the future too.

Thoughts on Group Leader

I have been on a few trips like this (both with Exodus and other similar operators) and I have to say without doubt that our guide Anh was hands down the best guide by far. Nothing seemed to be too much trouble for him, the trip logistics were handled with ease, he was fountain of knowledge for the many questions the group had on Vietnam's history and culture - and he did it all with a smile. Everyone in our group got on great (we 'gelled' as they say) and he was a part of our group... a friend.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Pack light, there is plenty of opportunities to get laundry done very cheaply - and it leaves more luggage space for the tailored clothes you will want to buy in Hoi An.

Most Inspirational Moment

Meeting a great and varied group of people. Its the people that can sometimes reset your life.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent leader however I consider that local leaders often add more to the holiday with their local knowledge of the area, culture and history.

Most Inspirational Moment

Standing on the wall, it disappearing into the distance & looking behind & it disappearing .

Thoughts on Group Leader

A true gent! He couldn't help us enough as a group & individually. His knowledge, well their wasn't a question he didn't have a answer too.. & a really good sense of humour. Genuinely a nice guy.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring coffee! Once you leave beijing that's it.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were inspirational moments every single day of the trip. Whether it was seeing the actual rock from which Paul addressed the Corinthians, bicycling on the most beautiful stretch of coastline I have ever seen (near Nafplio) or simply cresting a challenging hill, the trip was filled with magical moments.

Thoughts on Group Leader

I cannot say enough good things about our trip leaders, Yiannis and Kristos. Yiannis was generally in charge of bicycling with the group, acting as tour guide, and telling Greek mythological stories. Kristos was in charge of driving the van, bicycle maintenance and was in charge of everything food and alcohol related. Both did a masterful job keeping us safe, informed and well-fed. I was most impressed with how the two communicated with one another and synchronized their actions. It seemed as though Kristos magically appeared at the busier intersections and blocked traffic for us with the van. Yiannis was always aware of the traffic around us and masterfully directed traffic to keep us safe. I especially enjoyed hearing Yiannis' take on current events in Greece and respected his convictions and ideology. Both leaders possess a terrific sense of humor which is perhaps the most important trait for creating an enjoyable trip experience.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Book your trip to Greece and be lucky enough to have Yiannis and Kristos as your trip leaders! You may want to ride a hill or two before you come. I'm from Iowa where the world is still flat so it took me a day or two to get used to the hills.

Most Inspirational Moment

For me, it was getting to Stella point. I struggled on summit night and was almost spent by that point! I was rather emotional when we arrived, but the leader (Chris) and the rest of the group gave me the push I needed to reach the summit! Other highlights for me were the Barranco Wall - it looks intimidating but it's so much fun and was very different from any other day.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Chris was brilliant. Cool headed, calm, and completely in control. It was very reassuring to have someone like him in control. The assistant guides were also fantastic, our full team of 45 guides and porters (for a group of 11 passengers) could not do enough for us! From bed tea, warm water for washing, delicious and varied meals served to us and our camps set up when we arrived in the afternoon - everything was taken care of.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you are anything like me, take more than enough layers! I get very cold, and even with the high quality hired sleeping bag, my thermals on at night and a hot water bottle I'd still wake up a little cold! I highly recommend hiring the gear - the down jacket was brilliant, and cumbersome as it is you will be thankful on summit night. Hand/foot warmers were also invaluable to me. You are well catered for so don't need masses of sweets and snacks, but I found it helpful to have something to keep you going that you can put in your pocket (also - the guides LOVED my toffees - if anyone needs any suggestions of gifts to take!) Some of the group had clip devices that they put their cameras in - this is something that would make things a lot easier - getting your camera out of your pocket is difficult at the best of times and it would dissuade me from taking photos. Diamox is an interesting one - we were 50/50 and 9 out of 10 made it to the top. It is very much a personal choice, I didn't take it, and I was glad I hadn't, but for some I think it proved invaluable.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking up to Mycenae Palace and seeing the spot where Agamemnon sat on his big chair and decided to go and mix it with the Trojans. Impressive, rather than inspirational, was walking up through the Acropolis entrance and emerging on top to see the Parthenon columns soaring above you.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Yiannis (leader) and Kristos (driver/mechanic) were a superb team. Yiannis regularly took time out to explain the history and culture of Greece and the sites we visited. This added to the trip. Great sense of humour and made everyone feel involved. Regular briefings to inform and answer questions. A good person all round. Kristos was always there with food, water, help and big, big smiles - nothing was too much for him. Between them they gave you a deep appreciation of Greece and its people.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't worry about whether your legs will be OK, because your bum will wear out before your legs. So get some bum on saddle practice. We took our own saddles. We put 50 euros each into a kitty, mainly for lunches - which lasted all week. Kristos did a great job of using this to provide varied snacks and lunches along the way. We ate altogether (15+Yiannis and Kristos) in the evenings and I think this is best. It made for a good atmosphere and I'm sure we enjoyed the food more with the guys to guide us.