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!

Haven’t posted your review yet? Here’s how to do it…

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

Heather Wall

Reviewed September 2014

Everything about this tour as advertised - apart from a terrible guide

I travelled on this trip to celebrate a milestone birthday, the group comprised husband and wife with daughter in 20’s, young couple, 25 yr old Canadian backpacker and a solo male and female in their 50-60’s. Vietnam is a friendly and welcoming destination and the trip, transfer and accommodation were exactly as described. The whole experience was spoilt by our guide ‘Ha’. Who after the first couple of days became moody and disengaged, at times even bored with the group. He actively split the group at mealtimes insisting on sitting with the younger members of the group, using the excuse that four of us were vegetarian. The highlight of the trip for me was the visit to the Meekong delta and home stay, cooking over a wood fire with the family and watching the children catch fish. Our local guide was full of enthusiasm and information – excellent!! Unfortunately our own guide seemed rather jealous of the reception and warm thanks our group showed her. On day 8 as we walked through the case at the Marble mountains Ha took it Upon himself to physically mimic one of the ladies in the group who was walking a little slower that the rest of us and as we descended some steep stone steps appeared to find it amusing that we were having to take care negotiating the descent. I have a knee injury and was walking with the aid of a trekking stick. Neither of us delayed things unduly. On the journey to Danang he decided that we would stop at a local bakery for lunch. There was something of a language barrier and limited choice of choice for the non meat eaters in the group. Nobody made a fuss when he helped himself to a dumpling and left to eat it and left ignoring mine and two others request for help, meaning our half of the group was trying to explain their needs to bewildered staff. I am a seasoned traveller and traveled solo internationally on many occasions, less frequently in organised tour groups. On occasions that I have travelled with Exodus before including most recently I have had nothing but praise for staff support and trips themselves. Finally after the experience in the caves I contacted customer support from my hotel via email and was told to provide feedback after I had returned. We were only half way through the tour. In the light of this unpleasant experience it is highly unlikely that I will be travelling with Exodus again.

Most Inspirational Moment

Meekong homestay

Thoughts on Group Leader

Terrible, moody and petulant. Certainly demonstrating no empathy for members of the groups with slight mobility issues.

Advice for Potential Travellers

See my comment in the 1st section of my feedback

Reply from Exodus

We would like to thank Heather for her review, although we are very sorry that she was so disappointed with her tour leader. As we normally receive very positive feedback about our leaders in Vietnam, further to receiving Heather’s feedback our local operations manager met with the tour leader to discuss the comments raised; we are confident that further to this meeting future clients will not be equally disappointed, but we regret that Heather’s experience was not so positive.

Megan Devenish – Trip Manager for Vietnam

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Janeen Lillas

Reviewed September 2014

Essential Peru

This was a component of my 6 weeks in Peru. It was long drives in the bus but you got to see the countryside of a Peru in detail. I felt like this was explained and I was prepared however some other people found the bus travel too long.

Most Inspirational Moment

Machu Picchu was definitely a highlight. It's picturesque setting is out of thus world. It was a very awe- struck day.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Friendly and eager to please. Communication could gave been better - not everybody got the same message. We might have appreciated a little but more commentary when we were passing areas if interest because if we asked we got it and it was interesting.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring some entertainment for the long bus rides- I had IPad with movies on it and podcasts and knitting. That helped pass the time when the scenery was fairly constant.

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David Shelton

Reviewed September 2014

Great Trip

This trek has everything from fantastic views through to some hard climbs and strenuous days. However, if you can do Everest base camp and Kilimanjaro you can certainly cope with this trek although you have to respect the altitude just as with the other trips. There is a good blend of other activities (particularly Cusco) with the trek, the high point (literally) of which is getting to the top of Dead Woman’s Pass and arriving at the Sun Gate

Most Inspirational Moment

Along with some great views and the Inca ruins, including Machu Picchu, we had breakfast on top of a mountain at sunrise. The guides, porters and horsemen are inspiring in a different way because of their hard work and fantastic support for the trekkers - they were second to none.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Willfredo was an excellent guide. He had great knowledge, could tell Inca "stories" and looked after us very well. He had some difficult decisions to take (snow blocking the pass, fire on the track, road closures etc.) but always came to the right conclusion in the interests of the group. He was very personable and everyone in the group liked him very much. Bruce was an excellent assistant on the trekking part of the trip, also demonstrating good knowledge and guiding skills.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Read the trip notes so you are clear about what is going to happen and don't ignore the altitude warnings. I take Diamox and it has worked for me on 3 separate trips but the effects of altitude are random so don't treat it lightly. As the notes suggest take dollars and change to Sol as you go - you can get dollars and sol from the local cashpoints at banks. If you are not a natural camper be prepared for some cold nights (proper sleeping bags etc. are essential), but it is worth a degree of discomfort to experience this part of the world.

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Deborah Whittaker

Reviewed September 2014

Walking the Amalfi Coast. ..in steps

Really enjoyable holiday in a very friendly family run hotel with just the right amount of walking to discover the highlights of this beautiful coast, alongside a coach trip to fabulous Pompeii and a walk around the rim of Vesuvius.

Most Inspirational Moment

Realising how much life in Roman Pompeii resembles ours today.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Christine was lovely and friendly and full of interesting stories and added thoughtful touches to enhance our holiday experience.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't underestimate the number of steps. Train beforehand and take walking poles to protect your knees.

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Alison Vaughan

Reviewed September 2014

Carpathian Culture and Wildlife

A great 8 day trip, I just wish it could have been longer. We got to see 5 bears which far exceeded my expectations. A beautiful areas to walk in where time seems to have stood still. Fantastic food and accommodation.

Most Inspirational Moment

Sitting in a bear hide watching 5 bears rip a wild boar to shreds whilst a fox watched waiting for the scraps.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ugo our leader was one of the best. That's saying something after 17 trips. Very witty, full of local knowledge and he showed that he really cared about the local people.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Not much flat so put in some miles before the trip to get the most out of it.

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Christopher Cooke

Reviewed September 2014

Family Tropical Island Wonderer Sri Lanka

Such an amazing holiday from start to finish. Was an excellent opportunity for our us and our son to experience the culture of this wonderful country with like minded families.

Most Inspirational Moment

Without a doubt, it was the opportunity to bathe one of the elephants in the river. Such majestic creatures.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Wasanta was magnificent. A very knowledgeable and likeable man with a willing to please. He made things happen for the group and maintained a 'happy camp'!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

There is a lot of time spent on the coach as there is so much to see and this may be an issue for younger travellers especially. Also a few roads are very 'winding' and if you do not travel well it would be most advisable to obtain a travel sickness solution that works for you. Also invest in decent mosquito repellent - we did and did not receive 1 bite!! Be prepared for visiting the temples with appropriate clothing to cover shoulders and knees, this applies to everyone, even children, and remember not to pose in front of Buddha.

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Kim Wheeler

Reviewed September 2014

Tour of Mont Blanc

A brilliant trip! Very well led, our food was excellent, amazing what can be produced under canvas in the wet with 4 gas burners! Certainly something to look forward to each day.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the Mont Blanc vista from different angles, often appearing out of the cloud.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very good, knowledgeable about the route and especially which huts had the best cake! Gave advice too about weather conditions, clothing, food & all of that.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Wear waterproof trousers when taking down the tent in the morning! Saves you getting soaking wet before you start your day.

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Inger Furseth

Reviewed September 2014

Cycle Indo China and Ankor

This was a great cycling trip, well arranged, beautiful scenery.

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling the back roads through villages in Vietnam. The roads were small without traffic and we cycled through beautiful scenery along small canals and through small villages, where people were extremely friendly

Thoughts on Group Leader

I have been on different trekking and cycling tours but our tour leader Chai was the best I have ever encountered. He was friendly and fun and took care of those who got sick or struggled. He arranged everything smoothly, from border transfers, different support groups in three countries, hotels, whatever - always with a smile.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go on this trip!

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Susan Walters

Reviewed September 2014

Great trip!

A superb trek with fantastic scenery, excellent weather and good company. If you enjoy mountain walking with amazing views then this is the trip for you. If however you are not entirely comfortable with climbing on 3 or more consecutive days, then would recommend you do a bit of mountain walking first.

Most Inspirational Moment

Loved walking from 1 country to the next but could not single out any one particular section as being inspirational......they were all equally as scenic.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Frank was a very competent walk leader who had excellent knowledge of the area and was able to answer all questions.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take flip flops! Some of auberges require you to remove your walking boots and leave them in an outside building. Flip flops proved to extremely useful on these occasions and were a welcome treat for warm feet.

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Barbara Barbara

Reviewed September 2014

Highlights of Dolomites

I was worried about sharing a room with a stranger but am so glad I did. The company of 17 like minded people from all walks of life was remarkably good. I would like to go back to the Dolomites earlier in the summer when these stunning mountains could be seen in sunshine. The hotel room was comfortable and the food was excellent. I liked being able to choose between the 2 levels of walks and appreciated the care from the 2 excellent leaders.

Most Inspirational Moment

The last day when I joined the more advanced group and saw the amazing views as I made it across ridge.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Both Eric and Emily went out of their way to make the holiday as good as it could be. We had a bad start with the delayed flight then the accident when one of the group slipped and broke his leg. On top of these events, the weather was disappointing. Thanks to their care and attention the group overcame these difficulties and managed to have a really great holiday.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It can be cold on the high mountains so bring a warm hat, ski type gloves and clothes to layer up as required.

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