Reviews

Cycling Indochina & Angkor

The trip was a retirement present to myself and in the months between booking and departing I had intended to get many miles under my (too large) belt. When the time came to leave I was more than a little anxious as I hadn’t exactly hit my training targets, had never done this kind of holiday before and was travelling alone.

From the moment I first stepped on to the bike I knew that my fears were unfounded, The trip was among the best holidays I have ever taken. The cycling was wonderful, the scenery and ancient sites beautiful, the staff, support, equipment and organisation exemplary and the food delicious and cheap.

The accommodation ranged from very good to more modest hotels but all were clean and had en suite facilities. I had paid a single room supplement and was a litle disappointed to be sharing (for one night only) in the delighful “homestay” but this was a very minor inconvenience.

The group was large and diverse but here was huge companionship, support and banter between us and the staff ensured that both stronger cyclists and less experienced had plenty of fun and challenge.

It was brilliant to experience three different countries and cultures. In each the local tour guides gave interesting and educational background to visits. This part of the world has had more than its share of troubles and it was brilliant to see how each country is responding and developing. Throughout, the local people were welcoming and friendly – in Vietnam, for example, we were greeted by high-fiving children and shouts of “hello” at every village.

The days ranged from some long rides in the sun to occasional bus transfers and shorter excursions but all were punctuated by the excellent snack van providing lovely refreshments and fresh water at very regular intervals.

In summary I loved it, was sad when it finished and am already browsing the web for the next adventure.

A wonderful trip

A wonderful trip full of busy days that take in the history and culture of 3 beautiful countries. The food was delicious, the accommodation was all superb, the Exodus guides were fantastic. Plenty to see and do for the adventurer that likes something slightly different

Excellent

This was one of the best trips I have ever done. The country was beautiful and very varied with excellent walking. The superb local and historical knowledge of our extremely friendly and able guide Ruwan made the trip come alive and he introduced us to many local people all of whom were incredibly friendly and warm. The local food was delicious and the locations well chosen

Cycling the friendliest island in the world

Highly recommend this trip as the best way to see Sri Lanka. Not only is it a most beautiful country that has such varied landscapes and sites to see each day, but you do it all by 2 wheels with very little overland journeys in a minibus. Its also a fantastic mix of cycling and sightseeing. What’s more the local people are so friendly everywhere you go…could it be the friendliest island in the world?

Classic Vietnam and Angkor Wat

We’d never visited South East Asia before so everything was new to us. We weren’t disappointed. Although there are the classic high spots like Halong Bay and the Angkor Wat complex, the overwhelming emotion we came away with was all about the people. Given the recent histories of Vietnam and Cambodia it was amazing to find the people so happy, friendly and, apparently, without resentment towards Westerners. (Even making allowances for the fact that tourism is so important)

Inspirational Vietnam

This trip is wonderful and is up there as one of my best holidays, ever. It is suited for people that are willing to go with the flow – we were lucky that all 18 of us were of similar ability, like-minded and happy to have a go. You need to have reached a base level of fitness and be comfortable with road traffic but most of the cycling is on country roads, with some hills and breath-taking scenery. The trip is structured to gradually build up your fitness and miles so by the end, I felt I was achieving far more than I had ever expected.

Snowshoeing in Transylvania

This trip provides a varied programme of walking/snowshoeing in beautiful scenery, with visits to a bat cave, a bear sanctuary, Bran Castle, a fortified church and the medieval town of Brasov. Physically, two of the longer days were quite demanding, so a reasonable level of fitness is required. We stayed in a very comfortable and remote guesthouse in the mountains; the food was excellent and plentiful, special diets were accommodated and our hosts were friendly and spoke excellent English. We were part of a very sociable and well-travelled group, and came back with plenty of ideas for other trips. Romania has a fascinating if troubled history and our guide, Holger, was very knowledgeable and provided a good insight into both ancient and more recent periods.

Does what it says in the notes

A trip full of variety which moves at a good pace. Definitely feel we know more about Chile on return.

South Africa Walking and Wildlife

Well, what a trip! Soaking up the sights and sounds of South Africa and Swaziland was truly an amazing experience.

A truly life enhancing experience

This was an intensive two weeks of exploration, adventure, learning and physical challenge. As the holiday approached, I had begun to feel some apprehension as to whether I (aged 65 )was fit enough for all the activities, especially the longer cycle rides. From the first day, on arrival in Hanoi, we fell in love with Vietnam. The expertise, knowledge and support of our fantastic guide, Bac, helped us to meet all the challenges, including the 40+ km cycle ride on tracks along the Mekong Delta. All the members of our group ‘gelled’ very quickly. This was fortunate as the day after arrival we were off to our first home-stay with hill-tribe families where we all shared sleeping quarters and limited washing/toilet facilities in a traditional long house!

This was supposed to be the dry season. We expected it to be a little cool in the North but it was really quite cold and damp with unseasonable amounts of rain. In the south it was warm but also wet. Nevertheless, we found the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of Vietnam to be thoroughly alluring even if the more distant mountain views on our hill treks were shrouded in mist – still very atmospheric!

Don’t expect to have much time for relaxation – the schedule is pretty tight. This tour gives you a really good taste of the country, from North to South and also perhaps, a desire to return to spend more time exploring in greater depth and at greater leisure!