Reviews

Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It’s the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you’re interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers.

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234 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Reviewed February 2012

DISCOVER SRI LANKA

A varied and highly enjoyable tour of a beautiful lush country.

Most Inspirational Moment

Watching the shadow of Adams Peak form on the clouds behind the peak.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Good, helpful.

Advice for Potential Travellers

1. The Adams Peak walk was tough, only 1100m of ascent but >5000 concrete steps. Is this one of the longest staircases in the world? It took 5 days after the hike before I could stride normally. My preparation with 600m of steps twice a week for 6 months wasn't enough preparation. We rushed up in 3hr15min; down in 2hr 15. Would advise taking it more slowly and resting more. It is difficult to gauge how far you have ascended when walking on a well lit staircase surrounded by darkness. There were 2 x WCs about half way up. So if you reach that point in under 2 hrs, you deserve a rest! Take your time and don't rush!2. Mosquitoes. Plenty about in Jan/Feb. We did use insect repellant and, at night, permethrin impregnated mosquito nets. We only got one bite each.

Reviewed February 2012

DISCOVER SRI LANKA

ok but not as relaxing or as much fun as I hoped. V little contact with Sri Lnkans had I not arranged to meet a friend who retreats to Sri Lnak for the winter I would not have spoken to anyone except the staff of the hotels

Most Inspirational Moment

Watching elephants in the river below where we were having lunch, whale watching though I did that with mySri Lankan friend, not with the group

Thoughts on Group Leader

Extremely over anxious, but appearred to know his stuff

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you do Adams peak don't rush; it is easily 'doable' in 3-4 hours sitting on the top getting cold waiting for dawn really left some of our party frozen. I was a bit slower so did less sitting around and did not get so cold but was able to easily keep up going down in the light- I had struggled to see my way at night the trail lights cast more shadows than light, I also recovered faster than those who rushed.

Reviewed February 2012

DISCOVER SRI LANKA

Wow! What an amazing holiday. Such a beautiful lush country, full of bright colours and friendly, smiling people. I loved every minute. It’s definitely a very varied trip, with something for everyone.

Most Inspirational Moment

The bike ride was a highlight, as it gave us a chance to get close to the locals. The train journey was great fun, the elephant ride was worth every penny but the most inspiring was seeing an elephant in the wild, not even in a park, just ambling across the road, it was very special.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sujan was fantastic with "maximum tolerance"! He was very patient, helpful and knowledgeable, with a great sense of humour, which he needed, with 16 of us!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Missing a night's sleep to climb Adam's Peak was hard but well worth it. However, it's very cold at the top, so wear trousers and take a fleece... or two!Mosi repellant is definitely needed, especially by the coast.I think it's important to know that the Whale watching costs an extra £50.00. Perhaps a little pricey but I was glad went, I got to see humpback whales and dolphins.

Reviewed January 2012

DISCOVER SRI LANKA

If I’d been to Sri Lanka a million times and spent years planning this trip I’m pretty sure I couldn’t have done a better job. Superb.

Most Inspirational Moment

For me the most inspirational moment of the trip was climbing Adam's peak. Absolutely fantastic experience walking in the dark with all the incense smells and watching the sunrise amongst people for whom it obviously had a deeper meaning than just the breath taking beauty. However it is really hard to pin point just one inspirational moment. For me what made this trip was the perfect combination of activity, culture and wildlife.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader was absolutely superb. Everything went so smoothly and it was mostly I'm sure, down to his leadership. His knowledge was amazing, ethusiasm insparational and organisation superb.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The only thing that could have made this trip even better than it was for me would have been if I'd got to have gone whale watching. It's an optional activity but as it says in the trip notes, only at certain times of the year. Our leader went and spoke to local people about the last sighting and informed us that the liklihood of seeing one was minimal. So I'd check it's the right time of year for this if you're interested.

Reviewed January 2012

DISCOVER SRI LANKA

An interesting and varied trip that covered many different parts of Sri Lanka.

Most Inspirational Moment

It was amazing to see the elephants bathing in the river at Pinnewala. We had a brilliant view from the terrace of the restaurant where we had lunch and were able to go down to the water to get a closer view... a little too close in my case when a tiny baby elephant decided to head-butt me. It's certainly an experience I will never forget!

Thoughts on Group Leader

I couldn't have had a better group leader. He made sure we had all the information we required for each day and answered any questions we had both about the country and the activities we were doing. He even managed to get us lunch when there were a cyclone in the area we were staying and the hotel had lost all power and part of their restaurant's roof. He always made us feel safe and at ease during the whole trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

All the activities I did, both those as part of the trip and the optional ones, were really good so I would definitely recommend making the most of every opportunity when you're out there.

Reviewed January 2012

DISCOVER SRI LANKA

Just the perfect combination of activities, scenery, history, tour leader, group dynamics, fun, weather, accommodation, food, organisation, information and support staff.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were quite a few. Achievement and reward - climbing Adam's peak (5,500 steps) and seeing the sun rise across the mountains and the shadow cast across the landscape behind - just magical.Scenery - from the walk to Worlds End and the view from the train journey were all awesomeEnjoyment - watching the elephants at the orphanage play, bath and interact so gently with each other it made you marvel at the sensitivities and humility of these fine large animals

Thoughts on Group Leader

Faultless. He was well organised, calm, polite, knowledgable, humorous and good fun. He also cared a great deal about his county, its people, history, culture and its future so you empathised much more with the country through his knowledge, passion and balanced observations. He joined in with the group and at the end he said "he felt he was on holiday with us". I think that is a great compliment to him and the group that went.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go.

Reviewed January 2012

DISCOVER SRI LANKA

Fantastic holiday – lots of variety, not too hectic but plenty to do. Great food too.

Most Inspirational Moment

Whitewater rafting (on a very gentle river) watching the world go by and the locals bathing in the early evening. The Sri Lankans were amazing friendly and hospitable. I have never been to a country where so many locals waved spontaneously as we passed.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Roshan was outstanding. He's the best tour leader I've ever travelled with. It is no surprise that he won Exodus tour leader of the year. He was incredibly insightful on Sri Lankan history and culture and gave us a perfect level of detail.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take lots of mosquito repellant.

Reviewed January 2012

DISCOVER SRI LANKA

Great trip in every way. A good selection of activities and could not have seen more of Sri Lanka in such a short time. The guide, Roshan, knew how to balance being there when he is needed and not being pushy.

Most Inspirational Moment

I loved the cycling day and spending some time with the local family.The local games we played at a local banana plantations was also great insight into the local life.Good to see the work Exodus and Roshan had done for the tsunami victims.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just enjoy!

Reviewed January 2012

DISCOVER SRI LANKA

I can thoroughly recommend this trip to anyone considering Sri Lanka as a holiday destination. The country is beautiful, the people so friendly, and every day there is something new to see or do on this very varied trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

There wasn't any one moment that I could pick out as we did so many different and interesting things on this holiday. Among my highlights were cycling around the paddy fields and viewing it's great bird life, visiting the ancient capital of Polonaruwwa and the hill station of Nuwara Eliya, then catching the train down from the hill country, playing Sri Lankan games in a banana plantation, then...... well nearly every day had it's own inspirational highlights. And I must mention the great local food we ate at lunchtimes, particularly on the bike ride, at the house of a Tsunami victim, and some fabulous samosas and other snacks just before the train ride.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Roshan Fernando is one of the best leaders I've been with - I think it says it all that he won the Leader of the Year award in 2010!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a decent waterproof - it rains a lot even when if it's not officially the monsoon season. Change plenty of currency at the airport, then you need not bother again until Kandy where there are several options available, but the hotels will all accept credit cards if you prefer. Don't worry if you're not a fan of curry - there are plenty of other options as most evenings you eat in the hotel where you can choose from a huge range of foods from the buffet, or order from the menu. I do love curry myself, and ate plenty of different curry dishes - highly recommended and not too spicy!

Reviewed December 2011

DISCOVER SRI LANKA

I choose this Exodus trip because I wanted to go on an adventure and having seen the itinerary I suddenly didn’t want to go anywhere else! I felt that this trip was offering so much variety with the wildlife, sunshine, walking, cycling, rafting, cultural/historic sites, jungle, beaches, hill country…I could go on…but to sum up, it delivered all that was promised and more.

Most Inspirational Moment

One of the most enjoyable activities on the trip was the bike ride to a local village, where we stopped at a farmers house for the best curry I had on the trip! The reason this bike ride really touched me was the peaceful way this allowed you to soak up the atmosphere and the scenary, but also the friendly welcoming atitude of local people...we must of looked like quite a spectacle, 15 British people and a Canadian...on bright yellow bikes, wizzing (and sometimes wheezing!) past peoples houses...children came out and waited by the side of the road to wave to us as we went by :)I'd also have to mention the first time we saw an elephant in the wild, catching a train from up in the clouds of hill country, the view from the top of Sigiriya Rock and as a keen photographer...all of the inspirational photo opportunities throughout the trip!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sujan our tour leader was absolutely brilliant, we always knew exactly what was happening and what was expected of us; he kept us amused and informed, teaching us Sinhalese and Sri Lankan songs! And went above and beyond when we ended up in the midst of an unexpected cyclone, he made sure we were all safe, reassured us and then created a cocktail to calm our nerves when the storm had calmed! Sujan obviously loved his homeland and this love was infectious, also him and his crew had an amazing eye for spotting wildlife and maximised the number of elephants we got to see!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for all weather conditions!!! We had so many days of beautiful sunshine, but I wasn't quite prepared for how wet it could be when the heavens did open!

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