Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Took a short but steep detour to a quiet peak with a 360 degree view of Mont Blanc and surrounding mountains with clear blue skies and no one but a pipe smoking Italian who was striking a pose to share it with.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was perfect for the task. He dealt with a range of abilities and experience and ensured everyone had the holiday they wanted and more.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be fit and comfortable with ascents and descents. Take an umbrella as it's infinitely better than putting waterproofs on in a short shower. Take an inflatable pillow as clothes in a bag can get a bit much after 2 weeks.

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting Pompei and Vesuvius.One day was not enough.You could spend a week there.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Leader was excellent.She was aware of the differing walking abilities of the group and adjusted the pace accordingly.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be aware that July and August are very hot for walking.You must be used to walking in hot weather to cope.

Most Inspirational Moment

A group of 20 elephants socialising around the waterhole at Halali. We saw maternal and sisterly love, burgeoning male adult naughtiness to a young female and the selfish fun of young elephants chasing impala away from a drink. All life was there! Cheetah conservation talks were fascinating in terms of the scientific advances being made in the care and protection of these magnificent animals. African sunsets, dawns and starry skies take some beating of course. Return to Africa is imperative for me.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ronney was good fun, an excellent driver and brilliant at animal and bird spotting out of the corner of his eye whilst keeping both hands on the wheel. His zoological knowledge was impressive.Jonas joined in the fun and was a great camp-fire cook.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We had flight problems with checking in people and luggage for a through flight via two airlines: Heathrow to Frankfurt [BA] and Frankfurt to Windhoek [Air Namibia] . People and luggage got left behind. Check with your Exodus contact before you go to find current advice.It really was cold at certain stages: fleece and head-covering much appreciated.  

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking the Walk of the Gods on the last day. Also the two times we visited the hotel's kitchens were fun.

Thoughts on Group Leader

She was excellent.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for very hot days in July, especially walking between the walls on villages, they seemed like an oven sometimes.

Most Inspirational Moment

When we were on a 360 degree view of the Mont Blanc surroundings. It was awe-inspiring and brought back memories of the view from Anapurna Base Camp (Nepal).

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rupert was an excellent group leader. His tact and sense of humour were outstanding.  We were a group with different trekking abilities and background. He was, however, able to accomodate all of us without any difficulty. His knowledge of the Mont Blanc area was also outstanding.I am already considering doing another trek with the Exodus group in 2014.

Advice for Potential Travellers

My only advise for any  potential traveller would be a realistic appraisal of their trekking ability (fitness and stamina). The better one's fitness and stamina, the more likely one would enjoy the experience.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking through the stunning limestome scenery close to the Vajolet towers. Just awesome!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very experienced and a nice bloke. I did find the pace a bit faster than I would have liked on some days (B grade walks too) but that was probably more due to my recovering from a knee injury unfortunately sustained not long before my holiday. If you are thinking of C grade you will need to be pretty fit.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go and enjoy yourself!

Most Inspirational Moment

The Dolomites offer a superb area for walking, with stunning mountain scenery, beautiful alpine pastures, pine forests, and wildflowers. This is some of the best-organized walking I have ever done. Exodus provides very well-written and detailed walking route guides and maps, with all the information you need to plan your day; the routes themselves are very clearly signposted and waymarked with numeric codes that correspond to the maps and instructions. So there is zero anxiety about getting lost or ending up somewhere you would feel out of your depth. That said, if you like to devise your own routes, you can - there is a huge variety of walks here beyond the 12 or so that Exodus provides, all waymarked on clear paths. The other wonderful thing about this holiday is the hotel Bellevue. This is an old-fashioned family run hotel of the very best kind: not posh or pretentious, just clean, comfortable and impeccably managed. You are very well looked after here. The food is outstanding: a 5 course meal is offered most nights, while the breakfast buffet is the nicest I've ever encountered anywhere. The swimming pool and spa are beautiful and very welcome after a day's walking. This is easily one of the nicest hotels I've ever stayed in - would gladly come back!

Thoughts on Group Leader

No group leader, as this is self-guided. However, the hotel staff were extremely helpful with any questions we had.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Exodus rates this as a Leisurely/Moderate holiday. We found nearly all the walks to be at the upper end of Moderate: as it's an alpine area, there is lots of up and down, with very little flat. With the addition of the hot July sun, we found the walking a little harder-going than anticipated. It won't be a problem for regular hillwalkers, but be aware that the Dolomites is not an area for Leisurely walking.We flew to and from Venice, which is nearly 3 hours' taxi ride from Dobbiaco. We later learned that Innsbruck is closer to Dobbiaco, and can be reached fairly easily by train (the Dobbiaco train station is 5 mins walk from the hotel). So, depending on where you are flying from, Innsbruck airport might be more convenient.

Most Inspirational Moment

Whilst the walks were fantastic taking the cable car up to the Aguille du Midi was absolutely awesome.  The views of Mont Blanc were amazing.  What can I say, simply brilliant.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader was really good considering this was her first time on this tour and she had to cater for a range of walking ability.

Advice for Potential Travellers

As you can guess the first is at the end of the tour go up the Aguille du Midi and buy a multipass ticket (4 euros extra).  However, go early to avoid the queues.  Take a packed lunch, water and walking trainers and walk the balcony route to the Mer de Glace from the mid station.  You can then get the cable car down the ice caves and get the train back to Chaminox on your multipass ticket.Take compeed and a knee brace (we had several people develop knee trouble and braces were expensive).  Take some gaffer tape in your bag (comes in useful for all sorts).  Fill up on snack bars and chocolate on the first day as it may be sometime before you can again.  It's expensive so take plenty of money if you want drink and cake etc at the refuges.

Most Inspirational Moment

Trogir, Korcula and Dubrovnik are beautiful old cities. Korcula , Mijet and Lokrum are gorgeous islands with lovely walks and scenery. The wine tasting was excellent, such a wonderful building inside and plenty to taste. Walking round the walls of Dubrovnik was a highlight . The day I spent on Lokrum on the free day was lovely. It may be small , but it has a lovel restaurant in the grounds of the old monastery , lots of paths to walk on and barely see another person with good views,good swimming off the rocks and an interesting botanical gardensand peacocks! It was recommended to us by a couple of locals who said it was where they go to chill out, and it certainly delivered.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The hotels were good and varied. The hotel in Dubrovnik is out of the old city but it is really easy to get a bus into town and they seemed to run every 10 minutes or so. Get a 3 day bus ticket , it will work out cheaper and includes free entry to various museums and the cable car.

Most Inspirational Moment

The hike to Harding ice field was fantastic with amazing views and ever changing terrain to hike through.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leaders were fun-loving and quirky. Their enthusiasm and passion for Alaska was contagious.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Its nothing like I imagined or expected. Go with an open mind and you will love it.