Reviews

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!

Cycling Vietnam

This trip exceeded all expectations. It is a very busy trip but the organisation and planning is exceptional. Everything happened on time and exactly as described in the trip notes. Our trip was full and had an interesting balance of 16 ladies and 2 gentlemen! The group was delightful and gelled immediately and our cycling abilities were of a similar standard.
The cycling was excellent and was planned to prepare us for the final day ascent of the Hai Van Pass. I was slightly nervous before the trip wondering whether I was fit and enough and would I be lagging behind. It turns out we all had similar fears but they were ill founded. Each day the cycling was either longer or mote challenging so building up our confidence and fitness.
We are all delighted to make the 100k day – despite a full on coastal head wind all day.
Our leader Long and his support team were exceptional. Every 15-20 k we were meet with wonderful snacks and fresh fruit and whilst we grazed they filled up our water bottles.
Vietnam is a fascinating country and you really do get to see so much of it and learn so much about its history. The people are very friendly and welcoming. Hotels were much better than expected .

A unique and fabulous experience

We have done several Exodus trekking trips and this caught our eye as an opportunity for a completely new experience and we were not disappointed. I have been raving about this trip to all who will listen ever since I came back. The scenery was beautiful and the environment offered a serene escape from the hustle and bustle of city working life. We got to try some new experiences in a relaxed way with Basecamp Oulanka staff who you could feel safe with and made some like-minded friends within the group. If you enjoy adventure and new experiences, I cannot recommend this trip enough.

Cycling Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama

Would class myself as a ‘veteran’ having been on many previous cycling adventures but this is the first trip I have ever left feedback on. I realise that when you return from holidays you are on a high but I can honestly say this is one of the best, maybe even the best cycling trip I have done. The whole thing gels completely. The cycling, the views, the rafting, the different cultures, the wildlife, all brought together by a fantastic support team makes this a 5 star trip. Breakfasts are early, sometimes 6-30am, to get you cycling before it gets too hot, but this means you have downtime at the end of the day to relax, and take everything in before dinner. It’s a full on trip with always things to do, then bang, a day off on a pacific beach before going at it again. Brilliant planning. Loved every minute of it. Thanks.

Jolly Hockey Bikes

What a fantastic way to see 3 fantastic countries. This trip however is not for the faint hearted – expect to be on the go 24/7 from the moment you land in Nicaragua. Despite this trip being focused around cycling it was so much more than that with plenty of activities off the bike. If you are looking for a real adventure with lots of laughs along the way then this is the trip for you.

Cycling – There was a real mix of cycling from tarmac roads to gravel tracks. There were some challenging hills that required a decent level of cycling fitness to complete especially in the heat that reached over 100 on some days. The views were spectacular and wildlife was spotted along the way. We averaged around 30 miles a day and our group was fairly fast so this was usually completed within 3-4 hours. The approach to the cycling was pretty relaxed so if you wanted to stop at any point for a rest or to take photos you were free to do so. The cycling catered for everyone and it was up to you if you wanted to race or just relax at the back! We had our guide along with 2 support cyclists (mechanics) in Nicaragua – Roberto Aguilar (aka Chino), Albaro and Paul and then for Costa Rica and Panama there was just Chino and Paul. The support vehicle, driven by the very safe driver Ronal, was always on hand to assist anyone who may have been struggling, to provide water, rest-bite or even extra fuel (fruit & biscuits).

Other Activities – One of the trip highlights for me was going up to the top of the Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua at night and actually looking into the top of it – looking into the top of a live volcano was something that I never thought I would have the opportunity to do – breath-taking!
Volcanic Spa at La Fortuna (Costa Rica) – a great way to relax in the evening after a days cycling. It was like being in heaven with Cocktails on hand! River Rafting (Nicaragua) – our guide spotted all kinds of wildlife that unless you have the eye for you would have never seen. Crocodiles, Toucans, Iguanas and much more. Nature trail on Ometepe, natural Spa…….. There is just too many things to mention.

A special mention has to go out to our tour guide Chino and his support staff who were exceptional.

If you are considering this trip – DO IT!!!

Finnish Wilderness Week

An absolutely spectacular trip with some of the best scenery ever.
Although we did not see the Northern Lights we were not disappointed, nobody can control Mother nature.
The activity’s, ( included and optional ) were all incredible.

An amazing trip

Cycling is such a great way to see a country and this trip didn’t disappoint. There was a great range of cycling from tarmac roads to rough off road. Cycling experience and fitness is a must. The roads are undulating and on some days there were some long climbs, made all the more difficult in the heat. It also meant there were great views! In addition to the cycling there were great trips and even some free time to relax.

An outstanding cycling trip

What a fantastic way to see 3 countries ‘on a bike’. Not being a cyclist and having a knee operation in July I was a little sceptical about whether I would be able to complete 2 weeks of cycling but the trip was just the right balance of sight seeing and cycling. The cycling was challenging but very enjoyable with ‘amazing views’, the terrain was mixed which added to the experience. Our guide for the trip (Roberto Aguilar aka ‘Chino’) was outstanding couldn’t have asked for a better one, his knowledge of all the countries was fantastic and really helped us in understanding the history of each.
I felt the trip was quite expensive for a young couple and I feel if it was cheaper would appeal to more younger people to book.
Chino’s support for the 2 weeks was Albarro and Paul who were also great and really helped the weaker cyclists but also challenged the more experienced cyclist too which was good. Even when we lost Albarro at Nicaragua and just had Paul for the remaining trip the standard didn’t slip.
Due to the weather in Costa Rica on the Caribbean side our trip had to be changed at short notice whilst this may have been stressful for chino this didn’t show and didn’t impact on our tour and it all went through smoothly and didn’t impact too much on the original itinerary.
What I would suggest for future trips would be for the hotels to offer free laundry whilst the weather was warm it was humid and if hand washing we struggled to dry them and with staying only 1 night in some hotels you travel with damp clothes so didn’t really smell fresh when eventually dried and needed washing again.
I would also recommend exodus invest in purchasing kit to cover the maximum size of the group. There was 12 of us within our group and all our luggage was delayed for 1 day which meant we couldn’t take part in the first day cycling because there was only 2 spare helmets but if there was spare we could have purchased spare clothing and still took part. Our first day wasn’t ruined because chino stepped into action and arranged a trip for us around the local town on horse and cart which was fantastic to see.

Unforgettable experience

Recently returned from the Finnish Wilderness Week, staying at Basecamp Oulanka Jan 14-21st 2018 and it was without doubt one of the best holidays I have ever experienced. Firstly the staff, accomodation, facilities and food at Basecamp Oulanka are out of this world (special shout out to our tour leaders Martti and Tiia who were exceptional). The camp is located in the heart of the forest, surrounded by towering trees and a stones throw away from the lake!

The activities included in this tour are also fantastic and truly ‘once in a lifetime’ (the husky sledding being the stand out). Theres a wide range of optional activities too which are reasonably priced and allow you to experience a new adventure every day!

Exceeded Expectations

This trip exceeded our expectations! The cycling was often challenging with some biggish hills in hot weather but also great fun (what goes up has to come down) and mostly on well made roads without too much traffic. Two longish sections on dirt roads challenge the suspension but are fine in the weather that we had for those sections. At the end of the trip we felt we had achieved something worthwhile. But it was not all cycling with trips to an active volcano, hot and cold springs and and wildlife spotting during river rafting among the notable highlights. The trip accommodation and food ranged from good to adequate. The hotel at Las Lajas and the last meal in Old Panama being particular highlights.

The trip was well organised and well run with Roberto (Chino) and his team doing a great job. They responded very well to the issues of our delayed luggage and very poor weather in the Caribbean. The latter meant that we had an extra night at Las Lajas which was more than welcome. Chino, Paul and Ronal had become great friends with the group by the end of the trip.

If you enjoy a bit of a challange and doing something a bit different from the usual holiday routine then this trip is for you – overall a superb experience which is going to take some beating!