Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

 I loved it all but personal thrills were ski-ing for the first time on fresh snow and spending a day on snowmobiles going up to a spectacular viewpoint and homely cafe enroute.After a day of wilderness skills and the creation of a cosy igloo we ate and cooked pancakes over a fire in the forest - perfect!  Not forgetting that roll in the snow after the sauna and hot tub....

Thoughts on Group Leader

No Exodus leader for this trip. The local guides were exceptional.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take your own thermal underwear and socks and something to cover your face and neck. Also you might find a large towel useful. Games for the evenings are good too. The only seating is around tables on hard dining chairs.

Suggestions

Just go for it. Try everything. The more you do the more you enjoy.

Most Inspirational Moment

walking through the lush green tea estates and beautiful scenery of the Western Ghats, seeing the sunset and sunrise on the hills.meeting a family of elephants in Periyar park relaxing on the houseboat on the backwaters 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Looked after our every need and made sure everything ran to plan.  Ashok went out of his way to make sure we had everything that we needed.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It was warm in the daytime, but take layers of clothing so that you can keep warm at camp at night.  

Suggestions

a great introduction to India, I found Kerala a very relaxed place to visit and will definitely be returning to explore more of India.

Most Inspirational Moment

Many inspirational moments, but to name a handful they are: Hot air balloon safari – it was my first time in a hot air balloon and floating over the Masai Mara at sunrise was awe-inspiring;Observing the abundance of wildlife in the Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru National Park;Meeting the people of Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda – they were so friendly and down to earth;  Making the children smile at the orphanage in Uganda;Spending an hour with the Amahora group of gorillas in Rwanda; Camping at Lake Nakuru National Park, which was the best camping experience ever; andMeeting a great bunch of people to share the experience.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Often Konzoro, our group leader, was fantastic and I am sure that travelers who have been fortunate enough to meet Often would agree.   I had read other travellers’ positive reviews of Often, so I had high expectations.  I honestly believe that a group leader can either make or break a trip and I have to say he certainly made the trip.  We achieved everything on the itinerary and more.  Often has great leadership skills and has a lot of respect for members of the group.  I would say that he went above and beyond his duty to ensure the group was safe, happy and enjoying the adventure.  He is a great asset to Exodus.  It would be unfair to leave out our driver, Francis who diligently drove us across East Africa and of course our fantastic cook, Bernard who has a great sense of humour and was always willing to help and cooked up some of the tastiest dishes ever.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I would advise the following:Pack light!  The lockers in the overland vehicle are not overly huge and this storage space will become your access point for your personal belongings, as the rest of the luggage is stored in a different part of the vehicle and not always easily accessible;Take a travel towel as they are light and ideal for camping;  You don’t need to buy a mosquito net as the tents are equipped with them in the lining and are provided when you stay in hotels and lodges;Have a bright head torch as this will become invaluable throughout the trip;Take the biggest zoom lens you can; No need to take a tripod;Take plenty of memory cards or film; andEmbrace the culture, get involved in everything and you will have a great time.

Suggestions

With more than 54 positive reviews already, this has to be one of the most popular trips Exodus has to offer and having experienced it myself, I can now see why.Just go for it like I did!  I am sure you won’t regret it  Still not convinced?  Check out my photos from my October 2010 adventure:  http://www.exodus.co.uk/photos/album/1805    

Most Inspirational Moment

the optional trip to Padmanabhapuram Palace and the tip of India.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Superb. Very attentive, full of knowledge and being local to the area gave an added dimension to the trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Check your trip notes - ours were inaccurate.  Make sure they give you at least 2 hours to change planes in Dubai. All our flights left at least an hour late except for the crucial one back to Gatwick which left on time and we had been given only 70 minutes between planes.Don't expect western food. You are in India with its fantastic selection of local food. 

Suggestions

Backwaters are lovely, but you'll only get 4 hours cruising. Too little for a wonderful area packed with interest.

Most Inspirational Moment

The People, Ride, Route, Food, Rum, Scenery, Music, History, Mountains, Beaches, Countryside, Cars, Wildlife & Weather were all fantastic. Too many moments to decide!But probably the sense of achievement riding into the Sierra Maestra mountains, descending into Santiago or the final ride into the lakeside hotel at Mayajigua.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our guide Laz was simply brilliant! Went the extra mile all of the time, very knowledgeable and passionate about his country, but informed and educated us in an interesting way. Support drivers Tuna and Alberto were great and were always friendly and helpful. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

A couple of days extra to see a bit more of Havana at the end would be ideal, but you cant do everything in 2 weeks!

Suggestions

You don't have to be an olympic athlete to do this trip, but if you are a keen cyclist and interested in seeing a very interesting country, experiencing the culture, history, people and scenery in detail, this is the trip for you!

Most Inspirational Moment

The arrival at and walking in Todra gorge is spectacular.  I won't spoil the surprise of the arrival but you should have your camera ready when you get off the bus. The drive through the pass on the way to Marrakesh is also amazing particularly when you consider the desert landscape you were in only two days previously.  However the best part for me was watching the scenery change as we moved around the country. 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mustapha was an excellent guide with masses of local knowledge and great pride in his country.  Our driver Hasan was also one of the best tour bus drivers I have ever seen always keeping safety ahead of everything on some very difficult roads and manic traffic in the cities. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

- I would suggest not taking the Royal Air Maroc flights which were the designated group flights.  They were quite disorganised in getting people on and off the plan although once we got going the flight was ok.  However the timing of the flights is also not very good as you arrive very late into Casablanca on the first day so you only get the following morning in the city which is spent at a couple of the sites so no exploring time.  You would be better off taking an earlier flight or arriving a day before if you want to explore this city.  The flight on the way back is not direct and takes six hours when direct flights are available with other airlines and take about 3-4 hours.- Be aware and ready for the fact that some of the hotels are very basic and not up to Euro standards but this is not a real problem as long as you approach it with the view of this being an adventrue and not a luxury trip.- Pay a lot of attention to the recommended packing list in the trip notes as there is very little on that list that you won't be using (or borrowing!) during the trip.  - take some entertainment for the bus trips if you get bored watching the scenery.  The bus we had was quite small for the size of our group (15 plus driver and guide) so you may need to make allowances around personal space.    

Suggestions

One thing people should be prepared for so there are no false expectations is around the desert camp.  It is a Bedouin camp in the sense that the tents are put up by Bedouin people and there are cooks that prepare the meal, and of course you do ride camels to get to it which was a lot of fun.  However it is not a actual Bedouin community of any kind and the only people who will be there (at least in our case) will be your group, your guide and the camel herders that bring you out there.  This does make sense as the camp is only a fairly short actual distance from the small town that you stay in the previous night (although once you are over the dunes and out of sight of the town you still feel like you are a million miles from anywhere). For me this was fine and being able to light out under the stars without any sounds of civilization was highlights of the trip.  However if you are expecting to see an actual working camp and community then you may be disappointed.  For that you will need to wait until you get to the mountains where you do experience an actual local community feeling.

Most Inspirational Moment

2 exceptionally special moments: 150k penguins at Salisbury Plain, St Georgia - spectacular! And a zodiac cruise around a sea of floating blue ice bergs (though i'm sure the expedition team would say they were bergy bits not bergs!). Spectacular doesn't even come close.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Lynn is Miss Antarctica, we benefitted from her experience in the region and she had the full respect of her team which says a lot.

Advice for Potential Travellers

book it now!

Most Inspirational Moment

Difficult to say as there were many wonderful moments. Two would be seeing two jaguars swimming the river on our way to Tortuguero on our first day and finding the elusive Quetzal at Savegre and spending nearly an hour watching a male and female in a tree. Dont expect to see jaguars but Quetzals seemed to be seen by most at Savegre at this time of the year. 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rafael was simply superb. If Exodus use a better guide I would be surprised. He had great sense of humour, an outstanding knowledge of almost any subject and gave us a grest deal of information about the country and the wildlife we saw. He was determined to ensure that we enjoyed every minute of our stay. I must add that he was assisted by an excellent driver Francisco who also worked very hard to ensure everything went well. They were a great team and a pleasure to be with. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you love wildlife then go. You will see wonderful birds and also a variety of animals although almost certainly not jaguars. Be prepared for rain although we had none except at night in the two weeks. You will need to change your sleeping patterns as you will have very early starts on most days. You need to pack for extremes of temperature. We went to Nicuesa lodge rather than Esquinas and it was very hot and very humid. From there we went to Savegre where it was cold enough at night to need a fire in the rooms so dont expect tropical temperatures all the time.It is a trip with a lot of driving but our guide always ensured that we had stops along the way to break it up but you have to accept that you are covering a lot of ground in a small country and the roads are not always too good. The trip is well organised to see the various areas and differing habitats.

Suggestions

Just go. You will enjoy it. You will stay in some amazing places and see very different areas.

Most Inspirational Moment

Hard to pick just one - the highlights included - the elephant festival we attended near Guruvayor; the descent through the Western Ghats and the food which just gets better and better.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Pete was an excellent group leader - knowledgeable and experienced with a laid back approach. He went the extra mile to ensure that we all enjoyed the holiday.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't bother taking money to exchange - there are ATMs at numerous points along the trip and you get a much better exchange rate than when exchanging cash. There is an ATM at the airport. 

Suggestions

There were 18 in our group, even though it was advertsied as being a maximum of 14. This did cause a couple of logistical issues and would have been better with 14.

Most Inspirational Moment

The views from the peaks we conquered were truly exceptional. Sledging down a mountain on our "day off" from snowshoeing was also a memorable experience.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Karl was a very good leader - always trying to ensure we had a good time and got the most out of the holiday.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Snowshoeing is a great activity for people who enjoy trekking. It's easy to pick up and allows walkers to keep going in the snow, while rediscovering their childhood. Proper winter clothes are essential - especially really good gloves, as temperatures can typically be around minus 8 or 9 celsius.