Reviews

Gorillas and Masai Mara (reverse)departing July 27th

This turned out to be the trip of a lifetime so far. Every day brought fresh highlights and the holiday just got better as we progressed. Each of the 3 countries visited are so beautiful and the people so warm and friendly that you won’t want to leave. Of course, the wildlife is a real highlight – especially spending time with the serene mountain gorillas.

Not nearly as active as you would think...

Vietnam is a beautiful country. I would 100% recommend visiting it and I will definitely do so again myself. This trip provides a good opportunity to attempt to squeeze the highlights of the whole country into just a fortnight.

The activity levels however are a bit misleading. If you are thinking of booking this trip with the hope of some good trekking/kayaking/cycling etc., you will be massively underwhelmed with the overall activity levels – I would describe the trip as ‘leisurely’ and certainly not challenging in any way.

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting Saigon and in particular the museum dedicated to the retelling of the 'American War' was a highlight. Generally speaking the food was fantastic throughout and definitely worth a mention. I had thought that kayaking in Ha Long Bay would be the highlight but it was actually a bit of a let down in the end. There are just SO many tourist boats everywhere and the litter floating in the water etc. just completely take away from what I am sure was once an idyllic scene. I think the chance to see it 'as it was', is now unfortunately gone. Also, if you're looking forward to a day or even afternoon's kayaking after reading the trip notes, be warned that it's actually only about an hour or so.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very good. Our leader was Khoa Nguyen. He is a nice guy, very friendly and his knowledge of his country is fantastic. He is always full of interesting stories and facts.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you want to see Vietnam in just two weeks and don't mind a slightly 'touristy' vibe then this trip is good for you. If however, you want to be very active and have taken on other Exodus trips rated Moderate or Challenging and think this will be in the same mould, you will be pretty disappointed.

Reply from Exodus

We are glad that Ryan had a good trip overall. We have looked into the points that he raises and have replied to him directly. Following his feedback, the trip manager is investigating ways to include extra optional activities, such as additional cycling sessions for clients who want an extra challenge and we have re-graded the trip to grade 3 Moderate.

Megan Devenish – Trip Manager for Vietnam

Treasures of Sicily

An excellent introduction to the island of Sicily, taking in history, culture, geography/geology and cuisine! It gave me a good idea of what I might want to see again on a return visit.

Cycling the Back roads of Sri Lanka

This was my first cycle tour and I am sure to look at doing others!!
So that’s a great start.
Exodus and the team on the ground performed well up to expectations.
I loved riding the back roads even the bumpy ones especially with the hundreds of smiles and waves from locals we received most days.
I didn’t like the various roads “under construction” which obviously is unavoidable but dusty and not much fun – a bit of an endurance test. It is not always possible to go on ” Back roads” so this happens.
I felt safe 99% of the time unless a red local bus was passing nearby they were worse than Tuk Tuks.
I loved the food and fruit – fantastic its best to like curries and vegetables.
I loved the achievement of our day climbing to Nurawa Eliya, really tough ,such variable climatic conditions but made it.
To finish that day at a retro Plantation owners hotel was really quirky.
Our support team and leader made us feel respected and encouraged and they were always ready to assist in any way – fantastic.
This is a trip with some tough days, but worth the struggle to have the food the landscape and the overall experience which was positive.

Wonderful but hard work

On this trip you get to see some wonderful things but it is very tiring with lots of very early starts and long coach journeys. The days at altitude are quite draining.

Mt Blanc Circuit

A fascinating, varied walk that is very doable if you are reasonably fit. The description of the walk on the web site is good & fits in with what you get.

Uzbekistan

This was a well organised trip to a very interesting country.

Treasures of Sicily

This was a lovely introduction to Sicily because we travelled round the whole coast line. Though we stayed in quite a few locations it didn’t feel rushed. It was varied, informative with quite a bit of time for us to explore by ourselves.We got a good feel for Sicilian culture and history, ancient and recent, formed over the centuries by all the different “visitors” to its shores.

Mont Blanc Highlights

This was my first trip with Exodus. They were well organised, helpful and friendly all the way along preparation. The chalet where we stayed was very cosy and run by an exceptionally helpful couple. The food was wonderful and the setting magic at the foot of Mt Blanc and her neighbouring mountains. The local village of Chaminoix was delightful with many restaurants. Shops were overly expensive. Daily walks were quite tough even for me an experienced trekker…. but each day was different with superb scenery.

Most Inspirational Moment

On our day off we took cable cars up to the top of Le Midi at about 4200. The views were breathtaking as the Alps spread near and far. Simply stunning.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Peter our leader was very approachable and knowledgeable as well as friendly. I was very disappointed and upset that he did not do more for one of our walkers who had a serious fall and fractured her tibia.She had to limp in pain and with tears for 4 hours to the pick up spot. At the very least the transport should have been at the bottom of the mountain waiting. There was no evidence of a first aid kit with basic splints. Peter didn't even know if there was a local hospital to assist..... NOT GOOD ENOUGH!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take walking poles as parts are rough. Take knee braces if your knees are dicky. Good boots with ankle support are essential as is the capacity to carry 2 litres of water. Do NOT leave it til you get to Chaminoix to buy gear... much cheaper at home. A good hat and sun cream is also essential as the sun can be fierce.

Reply from Exodus

We are delighted that Joan really enjoyed her first Exodus trip and to see the range of positive comments. We were of course concerned to read Joan’s account of the way in which the accident was handled. All tour leaders who lead this trip have an International Mountain Leader qualification and first aid training, so we are confident they have the skills to cope with accidents and emergencies. On this trip a client injured their ankle, but it was not clear to either the leader or the injured person if the ankle was sprained, twisted or fractured. In hindsight, we agree that Peter should have discussed the option of calling a helicopter and that he should have had a bandage or splint as part of his first aid kit. We have addressed both matters for the future. The hospital in Chamonix has recently been closed although the A&E department has remained open, however Peter chose to check this with his manager before taking the client there for treatment. We of course always regret any accidents on our trips and we have been in touch with the injured person. Chloe Knott – Walking & Trekking Programme Manager

Challenging but rewarding

This was only our second walking holiday after doing the Inca trail the year before so we are fsirly new to walking holidays. Found the first day fairly difficult but soon got into the swing of it and loved it!! The hardest part was walking with the pack on your back so pack light! However, being able to do the circuit point to point, experiencing a range of accommodation with such stunning views made this so worth while.