Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Feeding wild deers at Nara Koen Park, seeing snow monkeys in the mountain, admiring cherry blossoms (due to cold weather these blossoms were late and lucky for us!), seeing wild temple cats, travelling in bullet trains (trains do not turn but seatings do!) - just few of many more...it was also interesting to see how Japans que for metros and how nicely their behave in them (phones on silent and no talking or eating) and how clean Tokyo is (no rubbish & no rubbish bins!).

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ayaka Tsukamoto had excellent admin skills (arranged all entrance / travel tickets for us in advance with no problems), was patient (answered all questions several times - even after just explaining them to us), was enthusiastic on all planned trips (transferring her enthusiasm to us), was responsible (managed all 18 of us through rush hour using various local transports), was caring (directed one in our group, who used walking sticks, to escalators / lift when ever these were available) always explained our daily plans and associated timings in advance (organisation skills) and told us relevant informations regarding the destinations (excellent historical knowledge!).

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared to walk briskly and be always on time to avoid delays - and have sauna every evening (as I did).

Most Inspirational Moment

Giving my bananas to the elephants. Seeing the Taj Mahal Seeing the 2 tiger cubs

Thoughts on Group Leader

Vijay organised everything very well and ensured we were all at the right place at the right time, though at times it was not easy to understand all he said. He took care of all the tipping, which made life much easier.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Plastic is not allowed in the parks, so take something else to protect your camera from the dust, which is worst in Bandhavgarh. You need the smaller 3 round pin plugs, but the European 2 round pin works everywhere. The lunches were all served buffet style at 500 rupees and were very similar to the evening meals. It was possible at Pench to order from the a la carte menu but the order took a long time, at Kanha it was buffet only, but at Bandhavgarh it was possible to get omelette and delicious chips. Take mosquito spray and anti histamine and hairdryer if needed.

Most Inspirational Moment

Swallow-tail Kite starting out and rising on a thermal. Being watched by a caiman The spider monkey adventuring in the dining hall in Tortuguera

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent guy - (Meyer Jiminez). He was very considerate and helpful; he knew how to rearrange a timetable when we had been held up by first road works and then an accident, and we still fulfilled the programme for the day. He is a considerable bird expert, and has a good knowledge of trees, geology, economics, ecology, farming and all sorts. I'd say we were very lucky to have him.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Enjoy!! Be aware of the range of temperatures from coastal heat to mountain cool Someone on our party was able to get Colons from a Travelex office in a large Tesco. Colons work a bit better than dollars, though you are not going to be badly out-of-pocket with them.

Most Inspirational Moment

There are a few: The Mekong Delta - sailing on the Mekong, walking in the coconut/banana plantation and going along on a sampan boat. Getting back to nature is just magical after being in the cities. Hoi An - Phat rearrange the walking tour so that we had a whole day free. I spent it with some others seeing the main sites, shopping and visiting coffee shops, finishing the day with a cooking class making our dinner for that night. Vinh Moc tunnels and the War Remnants museum - these really bring to life the atrocities of the Vietnam war. The museum has a lot of upsetting images, I needed some quiet time afterwards to wipe away tears and get my head around everything.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Phat is a fantastic leader. He is knowledgeable and has a great sense of humour. He would rearrange days to make sure we used the short time we had really well, even giving up some free time to take us on a tour of Hanoi. He was on top of the various dietary needs of some of us. Phat reminded us constantly about responsible tourism - he is a gem!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a good pair of walking sandals and do laundry in Hoi An. If you have the time, go to Hanoi a day early to do some sightseeing (or just recover from the jetlag), and go and see the water puppets. The overnight train starts in Hanoi, so the sheets and cabins will be clean - but take a sleeping bag liner and pillowcase just in case. If you are on a top bunk, it can get cold from the air conditioning. Order takeaway food for the train. There are 2 western toilets for each carriage, which are topped up with toilet paper during the journey. It is noisy and jerky so be prepared for little sleep. Walk along the Perfume River in Hue - there is a dedicated walkway away from the traffic. And go to the embroidery art museum. The cookery class in Hoi An is fun, you learn about Vietnamese cookery and you eat what you make. Buy lanterns in the night market in Hoi An if you want one - the best and biggest choice is there. On the last day the group flight leaves Ho Chi Minh City after midnight - book an extra day in the last hotel so that you can do sight seeing in HCMC and then freshen up afterwards. In HCMC on the last day, go to the cafe on level 50 of the Bitexco building (this is free - the observation deck is ~$10 - although the drinks can be pricey). And check out the street food market and the rooftop bars of the Majestic Hotel, Caravelle Hotel and Rex Hotel. The jade emperor pagoda is mentioned in the guide books but I found it a bit disappointing.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many highlights - watching a turtle nest and lay its eggs, watching the sunset over the sand dunes, the hustle and bustle of the morning cattle auction at Nizwa, Muscat's Grand Mosque with it's incredible dome and chandelier, sampling countless dates and drinking Omani coffee. The camp in Wahiba Sands was also very luxurious considering its location.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader (Qais) was very experienced and had a great sense of humour - the Omani people in general were incredibly welcoming everywhere we went.

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling the Hai Van pass

Thoughts on Group Leader

Brilliant !

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just book it. You won't be disappointed.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking in the Mountains and gorges, Fes was also very interesting in the old and new part of the city.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very good group leader, very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful when I was not well.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Great holiday to see Morocco, but if you do not like travelling hours in a bus it could be too much especially when you feel rough!!!

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling Hoi Van Pass. Visiting the beautiful city of Hoi An. Cruising and kayak on Halong Bay. Island stay at an eco-lodge.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Tung was excellent. He kept the group safe and took great care of accommodating everyones need. He prepped us well with the days activities. It was also nice he shared his personal history and experiences with our group.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Would totally recommend the trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

Views of the mountains, the achievement of completing the long hike and getting to the lake on the last day and being brave enough to participate in the hammam experience which was a little out of my comfort zone but felt great afterwards .

Thoughts on Group Leader

Hassan was brilliant . Full of knowledge, answered all the questions and took us to some good places . Very supportive to all grades of walkers

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring waterproofs. we had rain but it didn't spoil anything but we did get wet . Also good boots and poles if you have them

Most Inspirational Moment

Certainly the 2 days at Petra. You really get a feel for it as you get into all the nooks temples and caves. Although the bright spring flowers at Jerash within the 2000 year old ruins was also pretty special too.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Bassam was enthusiastic, tried hard and meant well. His English was very easy to understand. Through no fault of his own his weakness came from inexperience with the details of trip (like how much spare time we need for photos, where exactly we went next, what they wanted from experience) and also with the diverse group of travellers that come with an Exodus group tour. But I have to say the tour ran according to the itinerary and he was pleasant company.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We went in March. The Spring flowers were in bloom and some sites were set off beautifully. With Spring in mind the weather was variable. Hot and sunny at Petra, hail stones at Wadi Rum and either hot sunny or cool and overcast at Dead Sea. Changed every day, pack for all weathers. For camping at Wadi Rum in Spring we recommend a sleeping bag liner, probably thermal or wear thermal pyjamas? The bus transport was a good size for us as everyone packed reasonably. Be aware if you take oversize luggage it may overflow into passenger compartment to make it cramped for travellers.