Reviews

Career in ruins

As with all Exodus trips that I have been on, prepare yourself for early starts and long days. It is not a holiday but more of an adventure so be prepared to immerse yourself in a feast of archaeology and  anthropology in order to gain some understanding of the cultures and history of one of the cradles of civilisation. You will explore the diverse geographical regions from coastal deserts, islands, high altitude lakes, the Altiplanos, the famous sacred valley from Cusco, the spectacular Machu Picchu and the depths of the Amazon rainforest. There are an endless numbers of churches, museums, archaeological sites to admire and inform your thirst for knowledge. The Incas, although significant, were not the only civilisation to occupy Peru.

If you are as lucky as we were, Exodus managed to make the earth move for us (4.3 on the Richter scale at Arequipa} and a nearby volcano even elected a new Pope! Later on, they conversed with the gods to allow us to experience a 24-hour rainstorm in the forest- it easily beat the 5inch days I used to see in Wales.

Our driver, Alex, successfully managed the frenetic driving conditions in the cities, Pan American Highway and our ascent into the Andes- I could not work out whether a Highway Code actually exists. At the end of each day, he was also skilled in Acupressure and massage- enough to release any tensions.

Our guide had the unique knack of managing and leading our group to maximise their understanding of not only his proud identity as one of the ‘locals’ but also to find other passionate guides at different intervals to further our understanding of the history of his country. Despite the farmers’ protests towards the end, he still managed to get us to the pinnacle of the trip- Machu Picchu.

Truly an adventure in which you have to immerse yourself.

Egypt Tour

The trip is really interesting and we definitely learnt a great deal about Egypt’s history. Starting in Cairo my disappoint came from the choice of hotel. We stayed right on the outskirts opposite the new museum (not open yet) with a great view of a Pyramid opposite. The hotel was of an acceptable standard, but overall, the lowest of our trip, but so far from the city it was difficult to venture out for sightseeing or dinner.
The group all agreed that our trip to the museum was too short and as we arrived back at our hotel quite early, we could have stayed longer as there is so much to see. We travelled to Alexandria from Cairo via El Alamein and visited the war museum which is not particularly good.
The old colonial hotel in Alexandria is a great spot with a superb rooftop terrace & restaurant. The local fish restaurant was poor quality although it had a great view, so a different venue would have been better.
The following morning, we visited the castle which was good, but then on the road again to Cairo for our sleeper train. The round trip took over 9 hours by bus for a one-night stay and although I wanted to visit Alexandria 2 nights would have made the round trip more worthwhile.
The sleeper train to Aswan went without hitch and better than I expected for a developing country. Aswan was great and the activities were good with one small issue in that we had a really great meal on our Felucca trip and in the evening a Barbeque on a Nile Island which was much too soon after.
The cruise to Luxor was very good quality and my only comment would be lack of language training of the waiters which I think may be due to Covid disruption, although our guide ate with us and was always there to help.
The temples were incredible and certainly lived up to or were better than their reputation. The engineering fete of moving 22 ancient monuments is almost as incredible as the original build and Abu Simbel really shows this.
A word to would be travellers, this trip is full on and with many early starts to beat the crowds or comply with the Tourist polices schedules. The tourist police are very apparent throughout the trip and in fact on our trip to Alexandria with had an armed guard on the bus who was I have to say was pleasant guy.
All in All, the trip was well organised and ran smoothly.

Cradle of civilisation

An extensive tour, taking in the most historic ancient and modern cities in Turkey. Countless UNESCO world heritage sites, wonderful cuisine, friendly people, fabulous weather, and every day was a school day. Educational and entertaining, I’d recommend this tour to any traveler.

Life in the freezer

This was a great week of learning skills – cross country skiing, snowshoeing, igloo building – and enjoying the quietness of the Finnish wilderness. The food and social side were great too!

Wonderful and varied trip

This is really varied trip, which allows you to see different regions and terrains of Peru , from coastal islands to deserts, to the Andes mountains and Machu Picchu, to the islands and communities of Lake Titicaca. A fantastic choice if you want to see more of the country than just Cusco and Machu Picchu.

Indochina 19th Nov-3rd Dec

This was an excellent tour with so many happy memories. I still rate as excellent even though there was an issue with the e-bikes. Having said that, I have contacted Exodus about this problem and they have dealt with my complaint promptly and have a made a full refund for the extra cost of booking an e-bike for this trip which unfortunately didn’t work. If you are tempted by this tour please do book it. It is a long time time since I have toured abroad and now, at the youthful age of 55, I knew it was time to get out there again. I’m so glad I did. The group were fantastic company, all the trip guides were delightful and our overall tour guide, Rit, was someone you could put your trust in so you didn’t worry as you cycled along the roads an visited so may amazing places. You always felt safe as you explored these three different cultures.

Culturally rich and great variety of accommodation

I always find that Exodus trips deliver more than I expect and this was no different. I booked the trip focused on Petra and the UFO camp but have found the country to be so culturally rich and interesting. Our guide – Abdullah was ridiculously knowledgeable about Jordan and it’s history and it was a pleasure to learn so much about the country.

Great way to experience

This is a fantastic way to experience and compare the cuisine, landscape and culture of 3 different countries in South East Asia. Angkor Wat is the undoubted hightlight of the trip. Cycling round the complex is a great way to view these amazing temples. Additionally the Cambodian guides provide a really good insight into the history of Cambodia. Conversely, by covering 3 different countries this trip does involve more big cities (so less “off the beaten track” cycling), transfers and bike swapping compared to some of the other Exodus trips. The cycling is pretty easy as it was 100% flat, just the heat can make it a little more tiring.

A Fascinating and Exciting Trip

This was a fascinating and exciting trip. Our tour guide, Sam Benjamin, was wonderful. He made the difference between a truly excellent trip and a mediocre one.

No doubt India, especially Southern India, is an appealing place to travel. Our tour took us through a host of places in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. In Cochin, we gained a sense of the people and history of this early port town dating back to at least the 1500’s. The tea plantations of Munnar were interesting. But the temple town of Madurai was fascinating. The tour of the Sri Meenakshi Temple, because it offered and opportunity to both observe and interact with Hindus visiting the temple, allowed me to gain a vivid, experiential sense of the religious passion that drives Hinduism. The bicycle rickshaw between the Thirumalai Nayaka Place and the Temple was quite interesting – allowing me to perceive first-hand the cities’ everyday life and poverty. Johnson, our guide through the temple, was quite knowledgeable.

Thekkady and the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary were even better. I had my doubts about cooking our own meal under Sheril’s supervision. (Sheril and his wife own a restaurant in Thekkady.) But the meal turned out to be surprisingly good. The hike through the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary was fantastic. Even though we started early (6:30am) with the hope of seeing the tigers and elephants living there, we did not. But our indigenous guide, Rangu, made our exploration of the Sanctuary exciting, nonetheless. We got a good sense of these animals natural habitats. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Our homestay was low key – we stayed in a home built in the 1930’s that contrasted sharply with the hotels we stayed in – and saw Tambi (sp.?), one of the workers at the home, harvest rubber. What was intriguing in our walking tour of the surrounding area was how this rural area was becoming a suburb of newly built cement houses. I counted in the immediate neighborhood six houses built in the last three years. The contrast between the quiet, gentle style of where we stayed and the noisy housewarming celebrations of two neighbors, provided much food for thought about the change going on in this section of Kerala.

The other highlight, besides Periyar, was our overnight stay on a houseboat near Alleppey. The fresh, warm breeze as we slowly wound our way through the backwaters of coastal Kerala very much reminded me of the trade winds in Hawaii. There was gentle, refreshing quality to the whole experience. I loved it.

Not specified in the tour notes but a key part of the trip, was our tour guide taking us over several back roads and stopping so we could see, for example, bricks being made or a trained elephant (waiting to participate in a religious ceremony) and talk to his trainer (or mahout). The stops gave us a very vivid sense of Kerala rural life.

I would also add that our driver, Sandsill (sp?) ably navigated us through the chaos of Indian traffic. Despite the chances many Indians take that would, to a naïve American, likely end in a crash car, I never saw a car accident during our whole trip. Once I got use to the style of Indian driving, I felt quite comfortable and safe with Sandsill. He is a very skilled driver with a talent I quite admire. Watching him “in action” made the time go by quickly.

Our trip ended in Kovalam. A former “hippy colony”, I found Kovalam enjoyable – visiting the beach side shops, restaurants, mosques, churches, and fishing harbor. Even better, was talking to many of the town’s inhabitants. The food, especially the Tandoori dishes and “Sizzlers” provided a relaxed context to reflect on the whole trip.

Review

A fabulous trip with a great group. Top to tail of Egypt, seeing the sites with a great tour guide. History, culture and fun.