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.

Simply use the selector below to search our trip reviews and start reading real feedback from real Exodus travellers who have ‘been there and done that’!

Lots of our clients also like to post handy tips and advice about their travels. It’s great to know what to expect on an Exodus adventure before you go, so make the most of their experience and you’ll make the most of yours!

Haven’t posted your review yet? Here’s how to do it…

Once you return from your Exodus adventure holiday, you will be emailed a link to add your review. Any feedback collected is posted onto our website, totally unedited.

Alternatively you can navigate to the relevant trip page and add your review via the Reviews tab.

Select a trip specific review:

Select

14440 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Susan Sargeant

Reviewed February 2015

AOA150125

Cambodia is a fascinating country with so much to offer. The trip included boat trips, cycling adventures, fabulous temples, and the horror of the killing fields and S21. Our leader was inspirational and introduced us to so many local people and their crafts. The mosquitoes were horrendous and vicious even when thoroughly sprayed with Incognito. And the country was spoiled with so much rubbish everywhere. Even so, one of my best Exodus trips

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting the fishing villages, especially our afternoon at Tonle Sap, and so many opportunities to meet local people and sample their foods.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Keasar Hong was quite superb: enthusiastic, cheerful, incredibly efficient, full of bright ideas, and ready to adapt the itinerary as and when. He was passionate and knowledgeable about his country and one of the very best leaders I have had with Exodus.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take plenty of anti mosquito sprays, and Incognito, though I have used it before, seems totally inadequate for Cambodia. Also the cycling was quite hard work, especially in the hot sunshine. But it was a very worthwhile part of the trip, and especially around the villages and Ankor Wat temples

Martin Martin

Reviewed February 2015

Cycle Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama

As expected, another excellent Exodus trip. The pace was felt to be unexpectedly high but suited most of the group.
The pace could be compared with a ‘drop bars’ trip and for most of the cycling could be done on a road bike.
I ‘survived’ thanks to some pacing on some days and did enjoy it. I can do some hills at home now that i couldn’t before !
The meals were very good, far better quality and lower priced than at home. The boat trips and ferry journeys added to the interest and my companions were great – all ages from 20 to 68 (me)

Most Inspirational Moment

The surprisingly fast ride following the river rafting, up to 70kph, the scenery, the two islands that we spent 2 nts at each were lovely and to try something new - the zipwires at La Fortuna (not mentioned in trip notes, but leader will book for you)

Thoughts on Group Leader

Roberto the leader and the 'bike boys' were great. Very helpful and so well organised, meals, room keys, boats, all appeared exactly on cue.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Pack a dry t-shirt in your rucksack or leave on coach. When you have finished a riding stage and are soaking wet with perspiration (or rain), it is nice to have a dry top on if you are then going to have an hour or two coach transfer.

Caroline Maffia

Reviewed February 2015

Powder, powder everywhere

This is a truly stunning part of Finland, with a landscape of snow; snow on trees, snow on roofs, snow on lakes, snow on roads. The muffling effect of the snow makes the silence truly unique and special (for when we weren’t laughing and chatting as a group). The optional activities meant the trip was as laid back or as full on as you liked and the hot tub and sauna helped recouperate for the next day.

Most Inspirational Moment

Stomping thigh deep through the pristine snow

Thoughts on Group Leader

Martti really knows and respects his 'office', the wilderness of the national park. He was considerate, easy to talk with and would try and fix problems if they arose. The whole team at Basecamp work hard to make the trip as enjoyable as possible.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Book it! Then buy some thermal underwear as that's not available on site. Even if it was, would you really want to wear second hand long johns?!

Robert Heaps

Reviewed February 2015

MUC, 3 countries in 2 weeks!

4 and a half stars really. A packed itinerary, you can do visit 3 countries, do wildlife spotting, sightseeing, walks, swimming in the Caribbean, Pacific and lakes, boat trips, and even zip lining, as well as the usual cycling, eating and drinking! 3 countries with contrasts, old and modern parts and a huge mixture of people. The cycling is challenging with some climbs, mainly on road and long hot flat sections which can be done at pace if you want, even in 30c+ however I personally would have preferred a bit more off road terrain.

Most Inspirational Moment

Some of the scenery, Volcanoes, lush forest and 2 coastlines, very varied

Thoughts on Group Leader

Roberto was a very good cyclist, he bonded very well with the group and was very organised (needed to be to keep up with the schedule) this was OK for me as a solo traveller but may not suit anyone who likes to do their own thing!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Dollars are OK everywhere but you get change in local currency, be prepared for some hot days and some wet warm humid days. Early starts to avoid the heat and try everything!

Kevin Nicholas

Reviewed February 2015

Cycle Kerala & Tropical India

A thoroughly enjoyable and informative holiday – what better way to see a new country than on a bike. This trip was really well organised, enabling us to see a good cross section of southern Indian life.

Most Inspirational Moment

I enjoyed cycling through the villages, seeing village life and finding everyone so friendly and welcoming. One of the most inspirational places was Guruvayoor and watching the pilgrims come to the temple.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Safi, aided by Joseph and Vishnu made an excellent team. They were well organised and unflappable making the trip a seamless journey. They were happy to answer any questions and talk about about Indian life, religion, etc.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared to go with the flow.

Andrew Collins

Reviewed February 2015

A most enjoyable trip to a beautiful country.

We have just returned from the late January / early February slot and had an excellent time. The tour ran as per the itinerary with no disruption as a consequence of the heavy rain back in December, and offered a good balance between walking and culture / sightseeing. The Group all got on well together and we enjoyed plenty of laughs. We were looked after incredibly well by the whole ‘crew’ throughout our stay.

Most Inspirational Moment

The trip had many highlights but we particularly enjoyed the walking in the Knuckles Mountains which are well off the tourist trail. The walk at Horton Plains is also very enjoyable, albeit quite busy. On the cultural side the caves at Dambulla are exceptional as are the very early wall paintings at Sigirya. For those interested in wildlife, the range of birds seen on the various walks was unexpected.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rewan was an excellent guide - very knowledgeable, always helpful, well organised, sociable and everything was done with a smile. His talks on the bus journeys on a variety of subjects including the history of Sri Lanka were fascinating. In addition to Rewan, mention should also be made of our bus driver who was very accomplished and showed great skill in manoeuvring the bus around some tight roads.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The kit list suggests walking in trekking sandals and has walking boots listed as optional. In my view walking boots are essential given the terrain of some of the walks in the Hill Country and to offer protection against the leeches that exist on the damp forest paths. I would also recommend taking a lightweight pair of waterproof overtrousers as when it rains it can be very heavy and the mountain weather is unpredictable.

Malcolm May

Reviewed February 2015

The Most Exciting Way to see Sri Lanka

This is a cycle trip to savour. As well as being a wonderful way of getting a real feel of the country, you also visit 3 of the 4 ancient capitals, eat some very good meals, especially street food and gain glimpses of the family, cultural and political life of this fascinating country. The cycling is mainly on quiet country roads. It’s challenging at times but well worth the effort. The bikes are in excellent condition with semi-slick tyres which, along with a very good mechanic, make for easier road cycling.

Most Inspirational Moment

The climb to Kandy and the following day's climb to Nuwara Eliya could be called 'inspirational' I suppose. It's tough at times; more of an enjoyable slog than a steep climb. The 2 big runs downhill from Nuwara Eliya are both exhilarating and inspirational! What makes the trip most inspirational is the day to day scenes on the quiet country backroads, interspersed with small villages, stunning countryside, giggling and waving children and smiling inquisitive adults who may be entertaining the thought "why do these westerners want to cycle when they can jump into a car or tourist bus"?

Thoughts on Group Leader

Apart from the beautiful country and its people, it was Juresh, our leader who made this trip such a success. With the experience of 8 cycle tours, he is certainly the most imaginative and considerate tour leader I've met. He is a man of considerable integrity who will go that extra mile to ensure the customer is happy; everyone in our group of 15 held the same opinion. He not only led the daily cycling with enthusiasm but organised a fascinating range of activities from a curry cooking evening to an absorbing visit to a multi-faith temple; from an hour of hilarious games on the beach to a couple of easily understood sessions on Sri Lankan history and many more including an enjoyable evening hill walk in Ella, one of the most scenic parts of the island.

Advice for Potential Travellers

For those who don't like hills, try not to be too daunted by the 2 climbs. It's not a competition and there's no shame in jumping in the mini bus if it gets too difficult. The 2 climbs are not steep, just rather long but once you get into a rhythm, the miles glide by. Don't worry about about cycling in town traffic. Things are a bit chaotic but drivers are experts at predicting and avoiding the maneuvers of other road users; no problem. As well as your posh cycle tops, bring a couple of old T shirts which can be used if it's raining and you're cycling through road work areas. The red mud splatters everything. For some reason, Exodus do not fit mudguards; some cheap short ones would make a big difference when the roads are wet.

Rebecca Cain

Reviewed February 2015

The first of many cycling tours for me

I loved every minute of the tour. The cycling is amazing, and quite challenging at times, and Vietnam is a beautiful country to visit. A great mix of cycling and sight seeing.

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling to the top of the Hai Van Pass and having my tour group buddies there to cheer me over the finish line. And then the exhilarating ride down the other side was pretty amazing too. Being surrounded by many fit and adventurous people is really inspiring.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Chi was so warm and friendly. It was lovely to spend 2 weeks with him, and learn about Vietnam through him. He's also great cyclist who pushed the fittest riders (not me!) to challenge themselves. The rest of the Exodus support crew were amazing as well - very good at their jobs of driving, mechanics, setting up drink stops, and also really friendly and a lot of fun.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Definitely take padded shorts. Two pairs is enough, 3 is plenty, and you can wash them overnight and get laundry done fairly frequently. If you're a slower rider like me, then you might benefit from having a camelback drink bladder so that you don't have to stop to drink water or to take your eyes off the road to grab your bottle. It's 20kms between scheduled water stops, and sometimes I felt like I didn't want to pull over to have a drink because I didn't want to be miles behind the rest of the group. I didn't have a camelback but I will get one before my next cycling tour. If it's going to be a particularly hot time of year, also bring some electrolyte tablets to put in your water while you're cycling. It's just added insurance against dehydration. It makes a nice change from plain water as well.

James Fletcher

Reviewed February 2015

Everest Base Camp

12 days of trekking (with a couple of days in Kathmandu on the end) in the Himalayas, walking from Lukla, where we flew to, to Everest Base Camp. The accommodation was teahouses, similar to youth hostels, where you order your food from the menu and the family that owns the teahouse will then cook it for you. The walking probably averaged about 6 hours per day, with stunning views of the Everest Range. Weather was very clear, perfectly mild in the daytime but cold at night!

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching Everest Base Camp at 5360m. To think that I got to the point where people who have gone on to conquer the mountain have been based was quite something. The first proper view of Everest was also a really awe-inspiring moment, thinking "that's the highest point in the World, just up there!"

Thoughts on Group Leader

Lhakpa was brilliant. He was friendly, he was knowledgable and above all he imparted into the group a sense that he completely knew what he was doing. I think that when you're somewhere that is very exposed and can be quite dangerous, that ultimate trust in your leader is a very important thing, and I had 100% trust in Lhakpa.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for cold nights, be prepared not to wash for a few days, but really the kitlist that Exodus provide pre-trip is very complete, and if you follow that then you will be fine.

Sarah Stevenson

Reviewed February 2015

Snowshoeing in the Dolomites

An amazing week in wonderful surroundings, a luxury hotel and everything taken care of. Totally good value for money and life memories every day.

Most Inspirational Moment

The summits were by far the most breaktaking and beautiful but Durrakopf has to beat all the others.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Simon Van Dam was exceptional. He went all out to ensure that everyone had a special week and was kind and funny and integrated in the group. Having been on 6 Exodus trips before, I have to say he was one of the best leaders I have known. He was very capable and looked after all the needs of the group superbly -we didn't have to worry about anything.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you wear lots of layers, take a snood and goggles for snowing days, prepare to be fit for hours (up to 6) of walking uphill and a hip flask or thermos flask is recommended for 'anti-freeze' - snowshoeing is easy and requires no skill but you need to be fit to do the hours in the mountains.

Prev 1 … 981 982 983 984 985 … 1,444 Next