Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

the smiles of the local people, everyone seemed pleased to see us and help us.   I was particularly grateful for the Masaii men with their torches in our tent camp.....I am sure I would have lost my way otherwise....and the sound of the animals at night (plus monkeys playing football on my tent roof) won't be forgotten for a long time.

Thoughts on Group Leader

b oth of them very good.  their driving was exceptional (and tiring I am sure)  and I still can't see how they spotted some of the animals so quickly whilst driving!!!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

just go with the flow. be prepared to be thrown about on the unmade roads, take a good camera and binoculrs (mine were rubbish)...don't bother packing dressing up clothes.....you will be too tired at night to even change......just a good meal, a drink and then bed to end a perfect day.

Most Inspirational Moment

The Col de Ferret: beautiful weather, a lovely day's walk and incredible views.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Nick was superb. A light touch from someone with a great deal of experience and knowledge.  

Advice for Potential Travellers

You need to be quite fit to walk for 7 hours a day up and down mountains carrying your pack.make the pack as light as possible. Nowhere really to do washing. Washed hair once in hotel, but not in dormitory accommodation so no need to carry shampoo along.  Showers were sometimes busy so needed to queue and occasionally cold!

Most Inspirational Moment

There were a number of highlights:- the amazing Victoria falls;- the huge array of wildlife in picturesque settings.  In particular the Chobe river cruise should not be missed.- the view of the milky way at night- sounds of the jungle at night, when camping in remote areas

Thoughts on Group Leader

Group Leader Sam, together with support from Mellow and our game park guide Press, did a great job in making sure we made the most of our holiday.  They organised us effectively when required; provided every opportunity to see the available wildlife; prepared great food in difficult conditions and were good company.

Advice for Potential Travellers

August is a good time to visit as the land is starting to dry out but it is not yet too hot.  It definitely helped to have a decent sleeping bag and a fleece for the early morning drives.Make sure Exodus have booked the campsite at Savuti.  For our tour the booking was too late and we ended up 1.5 hours away at Zwee Zwee, which is useless in the dry season when there is no wildlife there.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were so many WOW ! moments it is hard to single one above the rest, the views from the high points of the walks, the animals, sleeping in a tent with wild animals outside certainly got the heart racing on the first night, the sheer scale of Canada everything is SO big clean and beautiful.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Well the legend of Renee and Catherine lives on ! They are the "Dream team" of leader and assistant we have never witnessed leaders that have worked so hard from morning to night. Renee drove , lead walks , was informative about flora fauna and history,shopped for food, chopped wood, and cooked delicious evening meals, even on days that we were moving to a new campsite we had delicious buffet lunches layed out in picnic areas truly amazing The variety and quality of the food breakfast, lunch and dinners she and Catherine produced was astounding.And all of this they managed to make look effortless by working in harmony and with such delight in the countryside and us, they were a joy to be with and made a great holiday even better Renee gets my vote for Leader of the year need I say more ?

Advice for Potential Travellers

Pack lots of layers as the weather can vary greatly but keep it simple don't take too much stuff it's a pain on moving day to struggle with your holdall and then have to take down the tent, as the starts are early, best plan travel light there are places to do laundry or wash out on site as you go.Take a camera with a zoom lens we didn't and missed out on photo's of Grizzly bears etc although the memory of being within 10 metres of a Grizzly will never leave me

Most Inspirational Moment

On day 2 "flying" down the hill,heading for the northern end of Lake Garda.Following several hours cycling,  strolling around Padua's Prato della Valle, possibly the biggest town square in Europe. 

Thoughts on Group Leader

He did a very good job getting a disparate group of 16 people ftrom Bolzano to Venice safely.He had an impressive knowledge of the area, it's architecture and history. Perhaps some of the stops could have been briefer or eliminated to allow more exploring time at our destination points.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Ensure that you are "cycling fit" and learn a few (or maybe more than a few") words of Italian, partly because after this tour you are likely to want to come back to Bella Italia and partly because you will feel happier about getting the food you want in the places you fancy ! 

Most Inspirational Moment

For me, Day 3 which was challenging with the hills but just so beautiful that I was distracted from the burning thighs! Michele the leader was fantastic at encouraging us forward through the rain- the only day it rained but was a great day and ended at a fantastic hotel and view. Day 6 was cycling mostly along the southern coast and again was a beautiful cycle with a great beach and made for some great photos of the Sardinian coast.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alessandro and Michele were both great, the tour was well organised and the fruit and snacks they had for us on some days was a brilliant idea.Michele was an exceptional leader as he was excellent at checking on us at the back of the group and had a great sense of humour with a very caring nature. He should be voted one of the top tour leaders as he really is a fantastic guide. We may do the dolomites next year if he is leading it.....Thank You guys for a great trip

Advice for Potential Travellers

Try a cycling tour, if you have not done one before. They are really great fun and you get a great sense of achievement. I would recommend doing some hill training before you go and if you have a reasonable level of fitness you can do it.  My mum is 67 and she managed this tour and loved it, with some summer training before. I do hope to be doing the same when I am her age. Go for it if you are fit and have a bike to practice before......It is the only way to travel

Most Inspirational Moment

The crystal alpine Black Lake in Durmitor National Park and the walk & lunch at Lukomir, Bosnia's highest village. The contrasts of Sarajevo from the chilled Otoman influenced cafe culture; war damaged buildings; communist era trams; the war tunnel museum and great baklava.  

Thoughts on Group Leader

We lucked out and benefited from two excellent and extremely knowledgeable tour leaders (one was learning the itinerary for a future trip). Anaidt was an infectiously enthusiastic history student and able to provide the historial insight. Alen was a mountaineer and snowboarder so great in the mountains. Both were great travelling companions and dealt extremely well with water born illness which struck down half the group event though they themselves were also affected by the bug.    

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bear in mind that you are crossing lot's of boarders (mostly very smoothly and quickly) including an unexpected crossing at the beginning of the trip where you cross somewhat unnecessarily from Croatia into Bosnia and then into Montenegro - rather than from Croatia direct into Montenegro which the trip notes don't mention. All the hotels were of pretty good quality. The hotel in Sarajevo is the best on the trip but located about 5 km from the city centre - although very easy to get in by tram.     

Most Inspirational Moment

Climbing to the summit of Mt Elmo crystal clear skys and views to die for. Eating lunch looking over to the other side of the valley reviewing yesterday's walk and picking out the bunker we sat on and didnt even know until we continued the walk.

Thoughts on Group Leader

No group leader it is self guided

Advice for Potential Travellers

Dont be put off by the fact its self guided the walking instructions are easy to follow and with the maps provided very difficult to get lost. The Dolomite paths are the best sign posted we have ever come across our own national parks could learn a lot from the Italian and Austrians.

Most Inspirational Moment

The most inspirational aspect was without doubt the way in which the whole group and the locals rallied round in an emergency.  Luckily, we had a doctor and a nurse within the group, although there was nothing that could be done to save our fellow walker.  The helicopter rescue service and local cafe owners all played a part, as did the group members and the Exodus staff, who helped the daughter over the next few days.  The general conclusion of the group was that, tragic as the death was, there was something to be said for an instant and painless death on the slopes of the most magnificent mountain in Europe.   I already agreed with the Nike slogan, but this event just serves to reinforce the reality that life is fleeting.  "Just do it !"

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mark was a genial, knowledgeable and experienced guide.  He quickly assessed the abilities of the group and made sure that everyone knew what was proposed for each day.   He was calm and controlled during the incident described above and instilled confidence in the group as a whole. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

All of the walks started with a steep and unrelenting climb for at least a couple of hours.  It would be unwise to sign up to this tour without making an effort to get fit beforehand.   We followed the advice of John & Jayne and previous reviewers and went to the nearby Hotel Aguille du Midi on the "cooks night off".  This restaurant offered several menus including a five course menu at E33 and some decent wines at under E20. The food, the atmosphere and the service were extremely good.  If this restaurant were near me, I'd be there every week !On our "day off" we took the cable car up the Aguille du Midi and then traversed to the Mer du Glace and took the train back down to Chamonix.  At 3840m the AdM quite literally takes your breath away, with incredible views down the valley and across the Mont Blanc massif.   The much diminshed Mer du Glace looked a sad and rather pathetic shadow of the photos on the station wall showing the glacier 100 years ago  

Most Inspirational Moment

Climbing to the top on the last day

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very efficient, good humoured, helpful and patient.