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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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.

Reviews

Chris Denham

Reviewed August 2016

Peruvian Magic

This was our fourth Exodus trip and possibly the best yet. Peru is an absolutely wonderful country to visit with some of the friendliest people we have come across. I ran out of superlatives to describe the views on the third day!

Most Inspirational Moment

Very difficult to say as there were so many. Certainly Machu Picchu lived up to everything I had heard about it and more. My favourite part was the home stay on Amantani Island. The family there were so lovely and we were made to feel at home straight away. Colca Canyon was perhaps the biggest surprise. I had not expected to see Condors at such close range. These are truly beautiful birds with a wing span of around 3.2 m. The only problem was catching them on camera. We have a large number of pictures of empty sky!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sebastian was an absolute marvel. He seemed to know exactly when to provide commentary and information and when to leave us to our own thoughts. His planning and attention to detail meant that we were always where we needed to be and always knew exactly what we needed.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Prepare for long drives. We took an IPAD and a few films although we did not get to see any of these until right near the end as the views we so amazing. Also, take plenty of layers if you are going in their winter as it gets very cold at night. Take a few gifts for the family on Amantani Island. These can be simple things like toys or crayons for the children or a memento of your own country. One of our group took a small solar panel for charging a mobile which I thought was a brilliant idea. Anything you give must be to the mother so that she can decide what to do with it.

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Wendy Pountain

Reviewed July 2016

Wonderful trip, beautiful country, great company!

Great trip, small group (just 3 of us) so was almost a private tour and Diana our guide was brilliant. It is a busy trip but well-paced and you need to keep moving to see this country in a such short time. I feel like we saw the usual highlights but also managed to experience some of the local culture too. First time I had been at this altitude but Diana looked after us well.

Most Inspirational Moment

Machu Picchu and Colca canyon (complete with condors), the Nazca lines and the Amantani homestay are the obvious ones but the dune buggies and sand surfing were such fun, as was the train ride up to Aguas Calientes a nice change from the bus. It was also good having a "base" in Cusco before and after Machu Picchu to get some serious shopping done in the markets!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Diana was fabulous, the 4 of us had a great time together and she was very attentive and practical, looking after me when I was feeling the effects of the altitude and the windy roads up into the mountains. She shared her Peru with us and helped us source some cheaper tours in Cusco using her contacts. Great guide!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Everyone has their own tips and I always follow others' advice so apologies if some of these are already mentioned by others: - It's usually possible to make a sandwich lunch at breakfast time - we saved a fortune! - Dune buggy/sand surfing, fab activity but don't take a good camera as everything will get sandy, and ladies remove earrings (I lost one of mine en route down a dune!) - Nazca flight was worthwhile but v small planes and less stable than helicopter (which they can't use due to the sand disturbance) - Use BCP atms (in the lobby of the BCP banks) as they don't charge you for use unlike other machines housed in shops - Get $ out of atms and change as you need the soles, lots and lots of places evereywhere for money exchange. - Exchange money at Cusco as rates at Machu Picchu worse - Ask your guide about cheaper options for joining group tours at Cusco to save money if you can't afford private ones. - Cusco market is fab - in Chivay "setmenu-and-show" sounded naff but was quite fun and good value.

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Heather Fyson

Reviewed June 2016

Essential Peru with Guide Sebastian Echegaray

This holiday was absolutely brilliant: the Ballestas Islands, sand buggying in the desert, beautiful & spectacular Machu Pichu and the Sacred Valley, the blue waters of Lake Titicaca and homestay on Amantani Island were all simply amazing. Our group leader, Sebastian Echegaray was great, and the other local guides and the drivers of the coaches – who joined us at different stages of the holiday- were also very informative, very friendly people. Add to that a sprinkling of alpacas, llamas, vicunias, dolphins…..we had an amazing time!

Most Inspirational Moment

I was particularly impressed by Machu Pichu. The guide here, Wagner, was excellent. He told us a lot about the history of the Incas and how Machu Pichu came to exist. His witty manner of explaining and talking about things made it a really pleasurable visit to this truly amazing site. Another highlight of the trip for me was the homestay on Amantani Island on Lake Titicaca. The lake itself is absolutely beautiful. We arrived by boat and were met by the families who were putting us up. We saw the sun set - and rise - over the lake and enjoyed the warm hospitality of the families we stayed with. They were so friendly and welcoming! Thank you Marisol !

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sebastian Echegaray was great. He was friendly, calm and competent throughout the entire holiday. You felt that everything was in hand; you were able to concentrate on simply enjoying going to the different places, knowing that all the logistics of luggage, travel etc. were taken care of. I liked his unassuming, quietly competent manner. Before the holiday I had felt a bit wary of maybe encountering a bossy guide with us all following behind the upheld umbrella! But it wasn't like that at all. It felt more like going on holiday with a friend who was organizing everything for you! He was great at telling us all about Peru - its history, society and varying countryside - and was humorous at the same time. He took us to some great restaurants in the evenings and the daily briefings about what was going to be happening the next day were nice, informative get-togethers at the end of the day.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be aware that there are quite a few early starts! But it's worth it as you get to see so much of Peru in a relatively short time.

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M B

Reviewed May 2016

Essentail Peru

A packed itinerary with lots of early departures , but a great way to cover a lot of ground and see as much as posisble.

Most Inspirational Moment

Hard to stay as there was so much to see. Obvioulsy Macchu Picchu was impressive but equally so was seeing Condors in the Colca Canyon , the wildlife on the Ballestas Islands , the ever changing landscapes

Thoughts on Group Leader

Diana was very efficient and worked tirelessly to ensure things ran smoothly. Very helpful and attentive especially when travelling to high altitude points. Always ready to offer advice or helpful hints especially for language translation in different environments i.e. restaurants, hotels , pharmacy , shops etc .

Advice for Potential Travellers

Dont dwell on the early starts and coach days - just enjoy the scenery and the amount of things you will see

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Janet Hayman

Reviewed April 2016

Essential Peru

The description of the trip on the website was informative and sounded exciting. The reality of the trip from our point of view was beyond our expectations. We were forewarned of the early starts and long journeys but the journeys themselves were spectacular, had plenty of breaks and were necessary for covering such a wide range of experiences. The accommodation was throughout was always clean and comfortable although varied between luxurious and homely.

Most Inspirational Moment

The most inspirational moments of our trip were Macchu Picchu, Amantani Island home stay, the floating reed islands, viewing the condors in Colca Canyon........and many more.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Aleks, our group leader, was passionate about his country and the people. He was an excellent guide. He was knowledgable, kind and someone who went out of his way to ensure that everyone was getting the best out of the trip. He was very caring when necessary and had a good sense of fun. We could not have asked for a better guide.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The coach journeys are long, so early nights to ensure you do not miss the spectacular scenery! The head torch could be essential for the home stay! We onlyX had a candle in the bedroom!

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Irmingard Baker

Reviewed April 2016

Essencianl Peru

Hello there, I want to let you know how much WE ENJOYED our holiday to Peru, it was most exhilarating to see the ancient Inka, Wari and other cultural sites together with the unbelievably beautiful and varied landscape.
The people are very friendly. The trip was very well organised, the hotels and busses were very comfortable. The restaurants our leader took us to were well researched

Most Inspirational Moment

Some of the highlights were all the sites in the sacred valley, the archaeological site of Raqchi and the condors in flight.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leader Aleks was excellent, his knowledge of the country and explanation of the sites visited and his attention to the well being of the group members was absolutely exceptional. His time keeping and daily preparation were very good. Thanks Aleks for such a wonderful trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

High Altitude Sickness which I was worried about prior to the journey turned out to be easily manageable due to the very sensible instructions we got from our group leader: breath more often, drink lots of water, cola tea and sweets (chocolate) and perhaps INKA Cola help enormously. You can also get tablets (Zerodol-P) in the Chemists once you are over there.

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Jacqueline Kane

Reviewed April 2016

Essential Peru

There is no doubt that this holiday is tiring and you have to be prepared for early starts and long coach journeys. However, we covered so many amazing sights in 15 days that it was more than worth it.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many! The Ballestas Islands was stunning filled with wonderful birds and sea lions. Also loved the Colca Canyon and Valley and to see the condors flying over the amazing backdrop was just stunning.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alex was a fantastic group leader. He had a depth of knowledge, a lovely personality, organisation skills was spot on and looked after us perfectly. We could not have asked for better!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you take a fleece when visiting the Ballestas Islands as it can be chilly and windy. A hand towel when staying with a home stay family would be useful.

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San Lim

Reviewed April 2016

Essential Peru

This is a 15 days trip to Peru covering a fair amount of distance. Views were spectacular and agree therr are quite a few days of early start but that suits me fine as I rather we arrive early at destination

Most Inspirational Moment

Taking the flight over the Nazca lines and Machupicchu

Thoughts on Group Leader

Out tour leader Diana was excellent. She is knowledgeable and ensure that the group is well looked after the whole way through. She went well and beyond her capacity as a tour leader. Couldn't ask for a Better tour leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be sure to check that you get what you paid for. The tour advertised 13 nights in HOTELS but we ended up in HOSTELS at Cusco and Machu Picchu. The hostels are pretty much a back packers hotel especially at Macchu Picchu the condition was basic (does not even have any cupboards or option to hang clothes), dirty (bedspread looked like it had not been washed for a very very long time), uncomfortable (lumpy pillow and no heating) and noisy (next to railway track and last train past midnight and first train at 5:30 am). Hostel at Machu Picchu smelt musky with condensation problem Only one hairdryer to share among the whole hostel and the hairdryer cuts out when it gets too hot. Also ridiculous breakfast time ends at 8am and checking out at 9am! There is no way Exodus can claim these accomodations are hotels as it was clearly sign posted outside the building it is a hostel. A total rip off and against trading standards regulations in UK. There are plenty of actual hotels around the vincinity but the group got hostels insteads.

Reply from Exodus

We would like to thank San for her feedback, however, we regret that she was disappointed with the accommodation at the beginning of her trip. Different countries use different criteria for hotel classification. In Peru the term ‘hostel’ is used in a very different way to how we consider it in Europe, Australia or US for example. In Peru hotel classification is largely related to the number of rooms and the size of common areas. In order to use the title ‘hotel’ in Peru, properties must have at least 30 rooms of 14m squared. Other criteria includes the requirement for the kitchen to be at least 40% of the size of the dining room. Many good standard properties in Peru don’t meet all of these criteria and as such use the title ‘hostel’ instead of ‘hotel’. Whilst it is rare for us to receive negative comments about the properties used during this tour, we will continue to closely monitor all client feedback to ensure that they are meeting our expectations.

Jenny Cox- Product Manager for Peru

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Michael Eddison

Reviewed April 2016

Essential Peru

As others have commented, this is a pretty tiring trip as there are a lot of long drives and some very early mornings.
In my view, this is completely essential to see the massive variety of landscapes, wildlife and views that the country has to offer and there’s no way it could be acheived in 2 weeks any other way.

Most Inspirational Moment

The trip to Machu Picchu was the definite highlight of the trip as this was the main reason for visiting the country. The walk up the Sun Gate was unmissable. I also loved the homestay on Amantani Island. The welcome received from the islanders, the hospitality offered and the views from the optional walk to the top of the island were extremely memorable.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Daniel was a fantastic leader. He was extremely patient with the group and communicated his knowledge of all things Peruvian in a very entertaining manner.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I would recommend taking an old hat and some expendable clothing for the boat trip to the Ballestas Islands. It is only apparent that there's a high likelihood of the birds creating a 'mess' when you get there and this is on Day One of the trip! The optional trip in Nazca to the Cahuachi pyramids is well worth a visit for those not taking the flight over the Nazca Lines. It was a real hidden gem but beware the dune buggy ride there could be a bit bumpy! The optional culinary experience in Cusco was one of the trip highlights. This consisted of an explanation of Peruvian foods, tasting of various dishes and the making of two dishes and a local cocktail.

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Ioana Vais

Reviewed January 2016

Essential Peru

Fantastic trip. We covered a lot of sites and locations.

Most Inspirational Moment

Machu Picchu , Ollaytantambo, Arequipa, Cuzco

Thoughts on Group Leader

very helpful and considerate

Advice for Potential Travellers

Yes, pack light, it is not so cold after all and chew coca leaves for altitude. Try to sleep in semi vertical position the first nights at high altitude . Drink plenty of LIQUIDS (juices, tea, soups) . You shouldn't kill yourself trying to swallow 4 l of water daily! LIQUIDS is the word!

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