I was a solo traveller and had never gone on a group trip before. The trip covered so much ground, I saw loads.

AMANDA PATHE Essential China

Madagascar is a truly special place and this trip is a real adventure. I have heard Madagascar described as one for the “seasoned traveller” and this is pretty accurate – certainly it is somewhere that you should go with your eyes and mind open and prepare for the rugged terrain and slightly uncomfortable journeys. That said, I would not trade a thing as the experiences are all part of its charm and more than made up for by the beautiful scenery and amazing wildlife.

I loved the entire trip and thoroughly enjoyed the variety of experiences, from the slightly chaotic capital Tana, to the jagged UNESCO site of the Grand Tsingy, to the peace and tranquillity of Ifaty, all interspersed with amazing national parks and wildlife including lemurs, chameleons, fossa and owls.

We were incredibly lucky with our wildlife viewings, with red-fronted brown lemurs, greater bamboo lemur, Goodman’s mouse lemur, dwarf lemur, grey mouse lemur, sportive lemur, ring-tailed lemur, indri, diademed sifaka, Verreaux’s sifaka, Milne-Edwards sifaka and many many more. We went in October and the babies were out in force – so many incredibly playful young lemur could be seen and photographed, all apparently quite indifferent to our presence. The day and night walks were all very well organised and provided plenty of opportunity to just stand back and observe these creatures in their natural habitat. We were rarely rushed on the walks (only when the guides had heard tell of something else exciting up ahead) and the local guides were expert at finding the best angles and lighting for some great photographs, even in challenging conditions.

I found the hotels to be of a general good standard and, as a solo traveller, did not feel as though I was in any way penalised by room size or quality. In fact, by luck of the draw, in one location I ended up with the suite! We had at least warm water most of the time and the food was generally good if a little repetitive after a while. Breakfast was generally fruit, breads, jams, and eggs cooked to order. Where there was nowhere appropriate to stop for lunch, we were able to order sandwiches to go so we never went hungry on the long drive days.

Angela Beckwith Madagascan Discoverer

This was our first group adventure tour that we have been on. We chose Exodus based on the trip itinerary and discussions with friends who had also been on the same trip. The actual experience of the tour was better than we expected. The tour was extremely well organised and our guide Khaled was very knowledgable on all aspects of Moroccan culture, very customer focused and helpful. Throughout the trip we felt very safe and our driver Mohammed was extremely capable providing a comfortable transfer throughout the whole of the trip.

Steven Adams Highlights of Morocco – In Comfort

This was an amazing trip with such a varied itinerary – trying to remember everything we did at the end of it was quite a challenge. At the same time we didn’t feel over rushed although we were on the go much of the time. The hotels were great with really lovely swimming pools which we made the most of. We were lucky enough to travel with a great group of people who quickly became friends and to have a fantastic team taking us around this beautiful country.

Anne Day Discover Sri Lanka

I have never been so close to the wildlife, from Addo National park to Harmenus – I been with the nature and the its amazing creatures. This trip is a must go if you want to experience good food, comfortable journey, natural beauties and off course the wild life.

Joyeeta Deb Cape Town & the Garden Route

This was an absolutely brilliant trip with varied itinerary seeing a mixture of busy cities and daily life within, walking barefoot in beautiful temples, watching traditional Kathakali dance show, trekking in stunning mountainous tea plantations and also in jungle in the Periyar National Park, cruising on a houseboat on the beautiful backwaters, staying in an amazing home stay being looked after by the lovely owner Grace and finishing with relaxing time on beautiful beaches.
The scenery as you drive around is simply stunning with some incredible views. We had such a really lovely fun group of people and the locals were so warm, gentle and smiley and hotel staff went out of their way to look after us, in particular Ripon at the Peppervine, best kindest service ever!
We had the most incredible knowledgeable guide Biju, who gave us so many interesting insights into his wonderful country and was the warmest, kindest most thoughtful person, looking after us all so incredibly well, he helped make this holiday a best ever . Vinod our driver was excellent, so friendly and smiley and he kept the bus immaculate and drove us so safely .
A wonderful trip and no wonder it’s known as Gods own country, it’s simply stunning, with an exceptional guide Biju and such lovely locals who really touched me, I left a piece of my heart there!

Susannah Pink The Tropical South