Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Being the only group on the stunning Jinshangling section at 10am on a sunny morning before the tour groups arrived from Beijing. The views were spectacular, and the relative solitude was a great benefit of staying so close to the wall overnight. It felt like we had the whole wall to ourselves.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our guide Kevin was excellent and a credit to his trade. Thoroughly professional in every way, he was also great company and did a fantastic job of organising everything for the group. He was also extremely knowledgable about the country, wall & Beijing and had an answer for any question that was directed at him!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Pack clothes for all seasons. It was pleasantly warm during the day, but got very cold at night out in the country. Don't change your money at the airport, as the commission is exorbitant. There are plenty of banks in Beijing which give far better rates. Make sure you have plenty of chopstick practice before you go. It makes mealtimes a far less complicated experience! 

Most Inspirational Moment

Impossible to say: Aya Sophia and the Blue Mosque in Istanbul; Cappadocia; the Roman ruins at Aspendos, Thermissos, Aphrodisias and of course Ephesus (especially the terrace houses); some of the exhibits in the museums at Aphrodisias and Antalya; the ruins of Hieropolis and the travertine steps at Pamukkale - all were memorable highlights of the holiday.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent, as noted above.

Advice for Potential Travellers

No. Everything was as you would expect. At the time of year for our tour (April) it is as well to prepare for both cold times (we visited a frozen lake and were in deep snow) and warm (we swam in the sea). Also, if you have Euros they are widely accepted, prices often (irritatingly) being quoted in Euros.

Most Inspirational Moment

So many. First day of full riding, boat over to Ometepe Island and just diving in the lake right next to our hotel, completely fully clothed, just to cool off, before enjoying a beer watching the sunset over lake Nicaragua. Going Zip lining at the base of Arenal Volcano and then remembering that actually I was terrified of heights (at this point about 430metres from the rainforest floor!!) Pushing myself as hard as I could on the penultimate day of cycling and getting a well earned high five from Paul... too many to choose from

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fantastic. Very organised but without ever making the group feel rushed. Knowledgeable about the areas and very attentitive to the group's needs. Along with the cycle support team they made the whole trip extremely enjoyable, took away the need to plan and think, which I found so refreshing! On hand to provide moral support along with many fruit stops en route, and always up for a beer and a dance in the evenings!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Lots of sunscreen, it's very hot. The padded shorts were lifesavers!! I didn't take any specific cycling gear and found the bikes to be perfectly adequate. Don't worry too much about fitness levels - I am not a cycling fanatic and managed to ride all the way (including the optional cycle ride!) Be prepared to be on the move a lot. The trip doesn't give you very much time to explore the places we stop at - for me this was fine as I loved the cycling, but I felt cycling was definitely the main point of the trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

Lunches of local produce on the mountain side.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Quite superb. His knowledge, enthusiasm and pride in his environment were infectious. You will enjoy being with Eduard Casajuana Godoy.

Most Inspirational Moment

I guess Petra, but frankly it was all good . . . Jarash, Amman, Madaba, Al-Karak, The Dead Sea, Aqaba, Wadi Rum.  -  and our Group

Thoughts on Group Leader

As with all the Exodus leaders we've encountered: extremely knowledgeable, cultured, sincere, thoughtful and very obliging.  How do you find such wonderful people?

Advice for Potential Travellers

It'll be better than you imagine.  Enjoy it!

Most Inspirational Moment

1) Petra is extremely beautiful - especially if you make the effort to get there early (7am) to avoid the tour-bus crowds.  There are also some nice off-beat trails - try the "dark tunnel" hike...2) We enjoyed spending an afternoon wandering about in Amman.3) Sleeping rough in Wadi Rum was a highlight.4) Diving the Cedar Pride shipwreck at Aqaba was pretty good - nice diversity of life, good vis and some cool swim throughs.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leader was knowledgable & spoke good English.  He knew lots of tricks and the organisation was close to faultless.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Jordan is a good destination for a 1 week escape from the UK.  To get the most from it requires a willingness to get up early and get out and about - although the itinerary is not physically demanding (unless you want it to be).  The hotels are basic but fine and the food is generally of a high standard.It is also worth investigating buying the land only variant of the tour as we saved about £300 per person flying with BMI rather than Royal Jordanian (the package carrier).  Not sure BA will preserve such a generous discount package though..?

Most Inspirational Moment

1. Getting the nod that we'd found the elusive blue eyed tiger, seeing our leader coming towards us stood up in his jeep yelling for us to shift and our driver putting his foot down to get there. When we pulled up, a magnificent male tiger was sat in a watering hole calmin drinking and chilling in the sun - magic!2. Following a huge male along a track with 10 or so jeeps all jostling for position, torn between taking a picture and simply watching him swagger down the road without a care in the world. His tummy was full of his recent kill and he didn't care that he was being chased by papparazzi! 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader Harish Kumar was totally brilliant. He couldn't do enough to make our trip unforgettable. His passion for the worldlife and tigers inparticular coupled with his realtionship with the local staff guarantees you some great sightings. I've done a trip like this before and he made the difference.

Advice for Potential Travellers

My advice would be to do every single optional game drive you can - you never know what you'll see.

Most Inspirational Moment

This is really difficult to pin down as there were so many. A small group of us walked up Adam's Peak. Sunrise was very magical. The visit to The Temple of the Tooth was fantastic for me. It was a real privilege being able to witness something that clearly meant a lot to local people. Our optional trip through the Mangrove Trees was great too. The visits to Temple and Cinnamon Island were well worth it. I even got to make my own cinnamon and was taught how to weave the Banana leaf! Other stand out moments include eating lunch in the jungle, our group makeshift disco, the food, playing Sri Lankan games and our tour leader Roshan.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader Roshan was wonderful. His knowledge about his country added greatly to our experience. He was always helpful, polite and was very funny too. During the trip there was Tsunami alarm triggered when we were in Yala National Park but he handled the situation brilliantly. He was calm, told us everything that was going on and kept us informed. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

Try everything and make the most of it, you'll proboably only do this once! 

Most Inspirational Moment

It was fantastic to walk on the Great Wall, to visit the many temples in Beijing, to see the historic terracotta warriors, to hike at Emeishan to the most beautiful view I have ever seen, to see the amazing 3 gorges on the Yangtze Cruise and to bike around the beautful landscape near Yangshuo. But, the highlight for me on this tour was visiting the pandas in Chengdu. It was amazing to see so many pandas in different sizes and ages, how they played with each other, climbed trees and enjoyed their life in the nice sorroundings in the breeding center, and the most inspirational moment was for sure when I had one of the young pandas sitting with me and touching it when feeding. This was once of a lifetime experience.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was unik. We were her family from the beginning to the end of the tour. She did everything for us, and used her great personality to solve all problems.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I can only say, go for it. This tour will be one of the highlights in your life.

Most Inspirational Moment

Finding myself scrambling over rocks and admiring the most incredible 360 degree views!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sara is an outstanding group leader. She has a love for this area of Italy and a real feeling for the Garfagnana, it's people, way of life and culture. I found myself on a trip that took me out of my comfort zone and Sara's calm, yet inspiring leadership enabled me to achieve the ascents and descents that we undertook. She did so much for us whilst we were in her care and I've come home feeling that if you put your mind to it anything is possible. Thank you Sara.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The moderate walking week is in parts quite challenging and I would recommend that some preparation is done before the trip, to ensure that you have the stamina to cope with the rocky and steep paths of the Alpi Apenine. Walking poles are essential!