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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13 Reviews

4.4 out of 5

Neil Waller

Reviewed April 2024

Great walking on La Palma

Varied walking on an island with fascinating geography and history. Fun and sociable group of like-minded travellers.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking on the “Volcanoes Route” above the clouds with views over to Tenerife and seeing choughs

Thoughts on Group Leader

Good to very good. Friendly and knowledgeable. Only slight criticisms are that he could have been more proactive in arranging activities on our free day and he sometimes needed to wait for the rest of the group to catch up before imparting information.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Weather can be varied and although you can expect sunshine it can also be cloudy and windy, particularly at higher altitudes. Don’t underestimate the physical challenge. Though distances are quite short, there is a lot of up and down, which makes it challenging in the heat.

Suggestions

Meal choice at the first hotel was very limited and service was slow and at times brusque. The owner could be particularly unhelpful and rude at times.

Linda Perkins

Reviewed March 2024

Beautiful La Palma

We enjoyed our week of walking with a friendly group of co travellers and a knowledgeable guide. The walks and bus transfers were well organised and it was great to experience such a large amount of the island with different landscapes.
The first hotel was very good and the jacuzzi pool was great. The second hotel was well located although our room was cozy to say the least! We didn’t mind as it was just for a few days, it was clean and the bathroom facilities were modern. What I didn’t like was the indoor window; when people came in to use the lift at night and the light came on our room was very illuminated and it was disruptive to my sleep – these windows need to have blinds. In both hotels it would have been nice to have tea and cake/snacks for after the walks (as with ski holidays) because it’s a long time between early breakfast & late dinner.

Most Inspirational Moment

Fantastic scenery & incredible views.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Edén was very knowledgeable about history and plants and he shared a lot of information with us.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take enough snacks, some of the walking days are long and lunch options sometimes limited. On the Sunday we stopped at a tiny supermarket to buy lunch, luckily I had been prepared and bought some healthy food the evening before. Also it was noticeably colder in the first hotel compared to in Santa Cruz so make sure you pack some warm casual clothes.

CHRIS BREEDS

Reviewed March 2024

Two Halves

The first half of the week in Bolovento was brilliant. I loved my massive room. Four beds and two balconies. I liked the hotel policy of serving one meal in the restaurant in the evening. If you didn’t like it you could order something from the ‘B’ menu, the morning before. It meant the food was a high standard. I liked the staff, who were very friendly. The hotel gardens were beautiful. The jacuzzi was an unexpected bonus and great for relaxing after the walking.
When we moved to Santa Cruz, things went badly. On arrival at our hotel there was one poor girl trying to book in sixteen guests and cover the shop next door. Sixteen passports to be photocopied. Next, most of us discovered that we were staying in the annex. No hotel ever has an annex for the benefit of the guests. They are simply a business opportunity to add more rooms with just one reception desk. The annex was up some steps in an alley, across (and uphill) a public square and around the next street. All on tiny cobbles that did their best to rip the wheels off everyone’s suitcase.
The second night all the air conditioning went off for the entire night.
At the farewell meal the restaurant (despite having our order three days ago) had made no provision for serving sixteen people. Half of us had our food served reasonably quicky and had to eat it whilst feeling uncomfortable and sympathetic for those who had not. Then, when the first half had finished their plates, the food arrived for the second half. Atrocious organisation, considering the notice they had.
I think you really need to reconsider the hotel and the restaurant.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking around the bottom of the caldera.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very pleasant.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Exodus do offer much better holidays than this one.

Suggestions

Mainland Spain is a closer flight to home and still has big mountains, even if they aren't active volcanoes.

Andrew Banks

Reviewed March 2024

Walking the Island of La Palma

An excellent week’s walking in dramatic landscapes with a sociable group.

Most Inspirational Moment

Hard to choose between the initial views from the Rochas de los Muchachos at the start of the Caldera walk and the views down into the Caldera at the start of the descent into the Taburiente National Park.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Miguel was a very effective, chatty and organised leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Walking poles extremely useful for the long ups and downs, mostly on gravelly or rocky paths. Take high-factor sun block and plenty of water; we found few springs to top up at. The east coast can be covered in thick cloud and mist while the west is sunny and warm; take layers and a waterproof on walks. The days aren't very long, but are quite tough going. Get fit before you go.

Suggestions

A wealth of mostly unfamiliar flowers and shrubs. The views from the Caldera rim are amazing! Pity we had to retreat from the Ruta de las Volcanas because of high winds; it's apparently even more spectacular. Keep an eye on the thieving ravens at popular picnic spots and car parks: they can unzip rucksack pockets and steal the contents! Two comfortable hotels. The El Galeon in Santa Cruz was a bit of a walk from the centre, but we were a large group. The vulcanology museum at the San Antonio crater near Fuentecaliente is well worth a visit.

Richard C

Reviewed March 2023

Very good recomended

Enjoyed the trip – good mix of walking / nature / social / food. Was in February so there was snowy conditions on the summit.

Most Inspirational Moment

The variation of landscape and climate on one small island

Thoughts on Group Leader

Th intended leader was great

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for changeable weather - in Jan / Feb the summit will have snow

Simon Williams

Reviewed March 2022

Great walking on a beautiful island

I had travelled to La Palma with Exodus in March 2020 and sadly the trip was cut short by the Spanish Covid lockdown without any the walks being completed. I’ve very glad I persevered and returned in March 2022. The walking was excellent with the walk on the rim of the caldera above the clouds, and the walk within the caldera below the clouds being the highlights of the trip. Our tour guide took us to small local restaurants for lunch on a few days, and it felt good to put a little money back into the community after covid and the eruption. The first hotel in Barlovento was excellent with really friendly and helpful staff, while the second on the edge of Santa Cruz was very spacious, but a bit soulless and could do with improved housekeeping. Weather in March was excellent and made for comfortable walking, not too hot and not cold.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking the caldera, very unusual.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Wim was an excellent leader. The whole trip went completely smoothly without a hint of all the work behind the scenes. He told us so much about all aspects of the island and kept us entertained.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is definitely a grade 4 trip. La Palma has few flat places so the going is normally up or down, with some rough tracks.

Helen Bingley

Reviewed March 2022

La Palma

The leader was excellent and general the trip was excellent, two things that were not excellent were:
1) The trip notes were not accurate
2) The accommodation at one of the hotels Le Galleon was not fairly allocated, I shred as a twin with a friend, we were allocated a double and when I asked to change this we were given a small twin where the beds were very close together. We later discovered that the single people in the group had been allocated apartments with two king size bedrooms!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent

Advice for Potential Travellers

Suggestions

Cathryn Spence

Reviewed December 2019

Great walking on a beautiful volcanic island

We did a variety of walks on the island through temperate rainforest, across coastal gorges, up in the high caldera ridge and through the caldera itself. The scenery was beautiful with amazing geology from volcanic activity. Our tour guide was very good and let everybody in the group find their own pace. The sunshine and light during December was a real bonus.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking the ridge of the caldera and looking down on clouds and across to Teide on Tenerife.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Enthusiastic, organised and providing practical information.

Annette Cipa

Reviewed April 2019

Great trip

This was a great walking holiday on La Palma. The itinerary was comprehensive and well thought through and encompassed the main highlights of the island. We learnt a lot during our week there and enjoyed some unforgettable walks.

Most Inspirational Moment

Arriving at the highest point of the island at the Roque de los Muchachos with it's spectacular views, followed by an amazing walk along the crater rim.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Henry was great tour leader. He was very capable, taught us a lot about the island and kept us entertained throughout. I can't praise him highly enough!

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is a thoroughly enjoyable holiday and if you are curious about La Palma and enjoy walking on volcanoes, then you should definitely go for it.

Mike Theelke

Reviewed October 2018

Beautiful island, great walks

There’s a huge variety of scenery on La Palma and this week gave us a taste of everything. The walks aren’t especially long but there’s quite a lot of ascent and descent so I’d agree with the grade 4 rating. Although part of the Canary Islands there’s often a bit of cooling cloud about and it didn’t feel too hot for walking. The accommodation was all good; six nights in aparthotels with lots of space, one in a regular hotel. The tour leader Henry was excellent, knew a lot about the island’s culture, geology and wildlife and was really friendly and approachable.

Most Inspirational Moment

Lots of stunning views of the volcanic scenery

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