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!

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14292 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Andy Jinman

Reviewed February 2024

Kerala and The Western Ghats were fantastic - with a few changes, this trip could be a 5-Star trip

For us the highlights of the trip were very clear – the Western Ghats (Munnar, Thekkady, Periyar), the Backwaters of Alleppey, the beaches of Kovalam at the end of the trip and, of course, Biju and Vinod looking after us!
The “areas for improvement” were also clearcut –
a) the choice of hotel in Kochi – while the Abad Atrium is ok, it’s in completely the wrong place! We all wanted to be located actually in Fort Kochi, to avoid the several hours in the bus and the heavy traffic, getting to and from Fort Kochi
b) we felt that the Homestay in Erattupetta was a wasted night – the welcome felt begrudging and the rooms are tatty; we would have much preferred an extra night up in the hills (Munnar or Thekkady) or on the Houseboat in Alleppey (SO relaxing!)
c) the conclusion to a tiring fortnight turned out to be staying up until half-past midnight, for a transfer to the airport and then a flight at 04.30 – ghastly; this ensured we had an exhausting day of travel home. We would have liked to at least been offered the option of the Etihad flight out the next morning (at about 10.00 am)

Most Inspirational Moment

The early-morning nature walk in the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary

Thoughts on Group Leader

Biju was an outstanding leader and guide for the group; he worked really hard to maximise our enjoyment, understanding and pleasure; whatever you pay him is not enough! And don’t forget the driver, who so often is the “unsung hero” of such trips; Vinod navigated the long and often “challenging” drives with great skill and composure; he managed the luggage without a hitch and kept the bus spotlessly clean.

Advice for Potential Travellers

1. Consider other options for flying home; the Emirates flight at 04.30 almost guarantees that you get NO sleep that night 2. You don’t need a mosquito net (at least not in January) at the Homestay or on the Houseboat 3. There’s no need to take US dollars - we exchanged sterling at a good rate and used those rupees for all our costs, including the excursions 4. Don’t worry about some reviews of the final hotel (Soma Palmshore) -it’s not luxury, for sure, but the staff were great and the location is perfect; as well as a pool, it effectively has a private beach below it!

Sally Bunning

Reviewed February 2024

Good

Inspirational, beautiful, very well supported and organised, wonderful lodgings, good healthy food and moderate to challenging for active multi-sport persons. Highly recommend.

Most Inspirational Moment

Achieving the Andes crossing to puerto blest and cycling camino de Los siete Lagos and in Conguillio national park

Thoughts on Group Leader

Tai was super professional, very informative, fun to be with, supportive and conscientious and always in a good mood.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take good quality hot, wet and cool gear even if like us you are super lucky and don’t have to face torrential rain or strong wind. Prepare to swim in cool unspoilt lakes.

Els Vercammen

Reviewed February 2024

Did not meet my expectations at all!

Trip notes are totally out of order: too much driving in bus to do the proposed activities.

Most Inspirational Moment

Not really any; New Zealand is a very beautiful country, but it misses culture, fine dining and good accommodation. Trip is far to expensive of what it actually had to offer. Some accommodations were below standard and really dirty.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Bad; only interested in what he wanted to do, not following the trip notes at all

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do not go there!!!

Reply from Exodus

We would like to thank you for taking the time to review your Exodus trip to New Zealand, Els, although we were incredibly regretful to learn that it didn’t meet your expectations in several areas. You will be aware, having travelled with us many times, of the role our leaders play in elevating our groups’ experiences in destination, so we are sorry you found yours to be so poor. Exodus requires all tour leaders to complete our online induction module and read our leader manual to ensure they understand the expectations of both Exodus and our customers, and our local operators supplement this with their own extensive training programmes. We can assure you that your leader completed all the relevant training ahead of your tour and we had every confidence in him to deliver your tour to a high standard. We are pleased to observe in other reviews that he was enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and organised, although we remain apologetic that this is not reflective of your experience. We are further regretful that you felt your tour failed to capture New Zealand’s culture, food and quality accommodation, as this is not the type of feedback we expect to receive. As you may be aware, New Zealand is a particularly expensive country, with high operational costs, although we still feel our tour represents value for money due to the variety of activities it incorporates. In terms of fine dining, whilst this is available in the major cities, the hospitality industry in rural areas has been much slower to bounce back after the pandemic, which means that restaurant options are very limited. Though we recognise that not all the hotels will suit all our customers’ preferences, we are not aware of previous feedback regarding properties being unclean, so we were surprised to hear this. Nevertheless, we have shared your comments with the hotels directly to ensure any issues are rectified immediately. We realise this response cannot change the disappointing experience you had, but we do hope it shows that we have listened to your concerns.

Kelly Reid, Product Manager

Andrew Lawson

Reviewed February 2024

An Enjoyable Journey of Discovery

I knew very little about Vietnam before taking this trip, but I feel that it has given me a good understanding of the country, as well as an enjoyable experience. It helped that our fellow travellers were a group of likeable, diverse & interesting people, and our guide and his support team did a first-class job of looking after us.

Most Inspirational Moment

I find it hard to identify a single most inspiring moment , but the overall experience certainly was inspiring. Some beautiful scenery, friendly people, great food, some challenging cycling (and some fun descents), plus insights into the history, economy and the everyday lives of Vietnamese people.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Nam Nguyen was great! Each day would typically start with him saying "xin chào, xin chào, story time!" followed by an explanation of the day's itinerary and insights into Vietnamese life. He was friendly, organised and kept us safe and happy.

Advice for Potential Travellers

1) Pack light - there were opportunities to get clothes laundered at reasonable prices whenever we stayed more than 1 night in the same place and we also successfully hand-washed our own cycle kit in hotel washbasins and it dried OK after rolling in a towel and being left in front of the air conditioning. We took far too much stuff with us, which was a nuisance when travelling on the sleeper train and when lugging it through the airports. 2) Choose flights carefully - we preferred to fly from a regional airport rather than Heathrow. Exodus offered us a few alternatives and we opted for night flights which we hoped would minimise jet-lag (they did). The downside, which we hadn't thought through properly, was that we arrived after the rest of the group and departed before them, thus missing out on time to explore the cities of Saigon and Hanoi. 3) Cycling in high heat and humidity can be hard going - quite a few of our group thought that the cycling was harder than the official "moderate" rating of this tour might suggest. Heat and humidity affects people differently, but I think a decent level of fitness is needed for this tour. If in any doubt, you could opt for an e-bike.

Jo Revell

Reviewed February 2024

Spectacular scenery

We had a friendly group and a hard working, knowledgeable guide. It was a great holiday. The distances travelled caused some tiring days but the places we visited were worth it every time.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking long the coast in the Abel Tasman National Park then sailing back on the catamaran. Stopping off for a swim and then being accompanied by a school of dolphins too. Perfect.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jef was hard working and knowledgeable. He dealt with any problems promptly and efficiently to give us the best of times. He broke up the long journeys with plenty of short stops at places of interest or of great beauty. He amended schedules to take into account the weather to ensure we had optimum conditions for the activities planned. He sharedhis knowledge of Maori history and culture which was most interesting.

Advice for Potential Travellers

In areas where sandflies are endemic ensure you use an effect insect repellent or be prepared to cope with intense itching from the bites that can last for a week or so.

Sue Beesley

Reviewed February 2024

The Tropical South of India

A wonderfully varied and well paced two weeks in beautiful, vibrant Kerala and Madurai. Something for everyone: hustle and bustle in Kochi and Madurai; temples and palaces; local cuisine; boat trips; tea plantations; bird life; walk in national park; beaches; and insight into Indian culture, religion, history and day to day life. Plenty of optional excursions to enjoy, but no pressure to take part if in need of some r&r. The people of Kerala are amazingly friendly and engaging. Would wholeheartedly recommend this trip – you will not regret a minute.

Most Inspirational Moment

As the trip covers distinctly different experiences, it is impossible to name one highlight. For me there were many - a walk in the tea plantations in Munnar (such beautiful scenery); kathakali dance performance; early morning stroll through Madurai seeing the city waking up; jungle trek in Periyar on the trail of an elusive elephant; peaceful overnight stay on a beautiful houseboat on the backwaters ; many convivial meals with other members of group; tasting exotic fruits, sampling spices - the list could go on forever.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Biju Kumar is an exceptional group leader. The superlatives could go on for ever. Excellent communicator. Perfect English. Nothing was too much trouble. He looked after us all in a very inclusive way, making sure there were suitable options for meal venues, helping with ordering food and making menu choices. His enthusiasm for his country was inspiring and infectious and we learnt so much from him regarding local customs, religion, history, geography and current affairs, etc. His explanations and instructions were always clear - very important when organising a large group. He was always cheerful, polite and patient. From my experience of 15 Exodus trips and their group leaders, Biju is definitely A***. Thanks and commendation should also be made to Vinod - our fabulous (safe) driver for the whole of the trip. He too went beyond expectation. For example, during our stay in Madurai a festival was taking place which wasn’t part of the itinerary. So we could witness the celebration, Vinod dropped us off and miraculously picked us up. No mean feat in the total madness of crowds and traffic.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I would recommend taking advantage of the optional excursion on the last day of trip to the tip of India. We stopped at a beautiful and peaceful palace (very different from anything else we’d seen previously) and a temple where we were able to feel part of the pomp and ceremony and saw an amazingly huge monkey god. Paddling at the meeting point of Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea will be an everlasting memory. Do take at least one fleece/jumper/pashmina - the air con on coach was welcome but sometimes a bit fierce. Generally away from air con, it is very hot and humid - especially on the coast. Sun screen essential. Mosquito repellent recommended. I didn’t get bitten but I did take precautions. The walk in tea plantation does end in a bit of a scramble up a steep slope. There are opportunities to turn round a couple of times before then if unsure of capability. Don’t be put off going. No need for walking boots - trainers ok. Good internet connection in most hotels. We took sterling with us which was easy to change with Biju’s guidance. Eating out is incredibly cheap so don’t overestimate the amount of rupees you’ll need. Nice shops in Thekaddy for souvenirs. Lovely men’s cotton shirts for sale at Srishti.

Joanne Marsh

Reviewed February 2024

Wonderful Country!

Costa Rica lived up to all of my hopes & expectations, a truly beautiful & varied country

Most Inspirational Moment

Each stop was totally different from the last, so lots of variety. Absolutely loved the hotel at Rio Perdido, truly a special place, and relaxing in the natural thermal river was wonderful

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader was Randall, a very special guide. Was always cheerful, and wanting us to get the very best from our trip. His knowledge was absolutely astounding, and couldn’t wait to share this with us.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Some of the road journeys could be long and bumpy, however the changing landscapes and destinations made it worthwhile

Alexandra Bland

Reviewed February 2024

Kerala

Southern Indian trip. Tea Plantations, Temples, Backwaters cruise.

Most Inspirational Moment

Hike in the Munnar Tea Plantations was breathtakingly beautiful. Temple in Madurai, interesting. Shikara boat trip was fun & interesting. Backwater cruise was the best experience and very relaxing. Exta excursion Hindu temple Suchindran worth a visit!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Biju as highlighted in previous reviews was excellent, went the extra mile to ensure our holiday was a perfect and memorable experience.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Very leisurely, lots of free time. Hike in the Tea plantations is not for the unfit or those with limited walking ability.

Roy Potter

Reviewed February 2024

Costa Rica

Very organised trip with a very knowledgeable guide who would adapt the itinerary to suit the group.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the abundance of wildlife in their natural habitat.

Thoughts on Group Leader

I could not fault Johnny.

Advice for Potential Travellers

As this was a grade 1 walking holiday in the dry season do not get carried away with clothing and footwear and the mosquitoes were not the problem I thought they might be.

Mark Richards

Reviewed February 2024

Great holiday

Loved every minute of this trip. The animals, birds, insects and scenery are amazing.

Most Inspirational Moment

Getting up early to see the quetzals.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Pablo was the best. His attention to detail was spot on. He was very caring and always happy to go the extra mile for us. Ronald, our driver deserves a mention too - very skilful.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don’t forget your binoculars. It’s useful to have an umbrella. Take lots of bug spray and anti-itch cream.

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