Most Inspirational Moment
Valley of the Kings
Thoughts on Group Leader
Nemo was great
Advice for Potential Travellers
Credit cards not very welcome. US dollars in great demand. Be prepared to be hounded by vendors at every stop
Reviews
Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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Reviews
Too much travel time
The Cairo part of the trip was just fine. Our guide made some good choices to ensure we got the most of visiting the pyramids.
but the overnight train to Aswan was pretty much a disaster. If this was first class travel, it would be hard to imagine the alternative.
The hotel in Aswan was quite nice and the excursions were fine. The sunset Faluca ride was a highlight.
The bus trip on the east side of the Nile to Luxor was 5 hours of speed bumps and not much else – need to eliminate this.
Luxor was a highlight location. Great hotel and the Tombs area tours were awesome. The carriage ride missed the scenic parts and took us through the business district. The Karnak Temple evening event was not a highlight. Would like to have done a day tour there as I think it was more important than came across.
Another 5 hour bus ride to Herghada was also mostly just a drag. The hotel there was quite remote and although the facility was fine, the service attitude at the hotel left much to be desired.
Overall great job by our tour guide.
A true Italian experience!
This trip was an outstanding experience as well as a great value. For me it was the perfect combination of engaging conversation and camaraderie, fascinating destinations, and relaxation. We did and saw a lot, but had time to explore on our own as well as just relax. The variety of the itinerary was also a plus – visiting charming towns and historic sites, enjoying nature, and experiencing “la dolce vita”. The family-run hotel Due Torri was perfect for this kind of trip. Clean, comfortable, and most of all friendly. They made us welcome as though we were in their home, and shared laughs and kindness. We met their little dog and also “nonna” (grandma) who had an apartment there. The food was absolutely excellent, completely five-star. The leisurely four-course dinners were too large for most of us, but varied and always most delicious. We felt bad not cleaning every plate – bring an appetite! We particularly enjoyed being in the kitchen for two nights, helping make pizza and watching the chef prepare our dinner. The hospitality was outstanding. Breakfast was ample, and there’s a nice bar for casual drinks as well before or after dinner. Excellent house wine for only 3 Euro/glass!
Most Inspirational Moment
My late husband was into geology and was crazy about volcanos. I made a pilgrimage to Mt. Vesuvius in his memory, and was able to leave a tiny bit of him there. And as he would have done, brought a few small rocks back home to tie us together. It was a completely clear day with visibility for miles and an incredible view over Naples. The other inspiring moment was hiking the Path of the Gods. Indescribably beautiful scenery and solitude. I had a cold and so conquering some of the stairs coming back up were tough, but I was grateful to be there and have done it.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Eduardo Palermo absolutely made the trip, and we adored him. He had lived in the area for many years, and was passionate and proud to share his community with us. He was highly knowledgeable of history and local matters, and brought every location to life for us. He was accommodating to special requests, and infinitely patient and gracious with a “challenging” guest among our group – far more so than I would have been! Eduardo was always around or accessible when we needed something, and seemed totally committed to our having a good time every day. Everywhere we went people seemed to know Eduardo, and his local connections were very helpful. He arranged for us to hire an outstanding guide he knew for the day in Herculaneum and Pompeii, at a reasonable price. We had many laughs together and learned so much from him. Do not lose Eduardo!
Advice for Potential Travellers
(1) Bring a water bottle for the day trips – I put hot tea in mine since it was January. (2) Bring a big appetite! But you’ll walk it all off during the day – didn’t gain any weight! (3) Bring good walking shoes and extra sturdy ones for the Path of the Gods. (4) Being in the small town of Bomerano is lovely and gives you a sense of “real life” in the Amalfi Coast, not just the glittery famous tourist towns nearby. Yet you’ll visit and have time to explore those places before retreating to your “family” experience at Due Torri. (5) For a contrast, consider a day or two before or after the tour on your own in bustling Naples. The archaeological museum there is a must-visit if you’re into history.
Gary's review
This was recommended to me by somebody who did it in early 2022. I had a great time and enjoyed the landscape, culture and friendliness of the island. The holiday offered 5 walks, the majority of these were stunning and as the group bonded together it brought another pleasurable aspect to the trip.
So in summary the the principal components of the trip were all good. There was 3 days of rain, which was a shame, but to be potentially expected. There was a glitch in my hotel transfer at the start, but luckily I was able to sort this out, although I paid for it myself and have not had any refund.
Most Inspirational Moment
Amazingly, the second walk took us along the levada and then the coast. The day finished with torrential rain and the group took refuge under gazebos at a bar, we were welcomed and served drinks. For me whilst this was not glam or what we had hoped for, it brought the group together in my view.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Andre was great, I really liked him. He has good knowledge of all the subject matter relevant to the walks, and is confident leading them, and good at engaging with the group. As a walk leader myself, I would only fault him on sometimes not briefing the group on the next stage which in my mind would give some idea of timings and expectations.
Easy, relaxing - amazing food every day!
This trip should be marketed as culinary delights of Evia! A lovely location and a very easy and relaxed week being expertly guided and looked after by Thanos and his connections on the island.
Most Inspirational Moment
Visiting the columns on Christmas Day - stunning views and history and (as usual) an experience made extra special by Thano's attention to detail (champers and Christmas biscuits as a treat).
Thoughts on Group Leader
Thanos was absolutely amazing - in every way he succeeded in looking after everyone both as a group and individuals. We were exceptionally well fed and watered, and he made excellent use of his connections and knowledge of the island to make the week special. This included the history of the area and Greece in general.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Check the grading and who is coming - for me personally the trip was physically too easy, and could easily be marked as a 1. If you're after delicious food, views, easy walks and a lot of free time to relax this trip is perfect. Do bring boots! The terrain does warrant having the additional ankle support and lets you appreciate the views more.
Christmas on the Amalfi Coast
Excellent in every respect except the gradient and terrain for the walks is not clear enough in advance. For example a 500m climb or descent over a period of 5 hours sounds reasonable except, in reality, the climbs and descents are very steep and in the case of Monte Tre Calli (on our first day) the surface is very rocky with loose stones – quite challenging although we managed it. The other walks were much more in line with our expectations. However we had a wonderful week, the hotel and food were excellent and the cooking demonstrations were great fun. We’re sure to travel with Exodus again in the future.
Most Inspirational Moment
There were highlights every day, hard to pick just one
Thoughts on Group Leader
Nico our guide was excellent and very informative throughout, a great ambassador for his country.
Amazing!
This was a fantastic introduction to Egypt – in just 8 days we saw a huge amount and learnt a lot about the country, particularly the history. It was amazing to visit places I’d read about for year. There were a lot of early starts but the payoff was some amazing sites, and then more relaxed afternoons. I loved the four nights we spent on the Nile cruise – the boat was fantastic with great food and loads of space on the sundeck to relax after busy mornings. The other two hotels were fine: we didn’t spend much time in the Cairo hotel due to late arrival and early departures, and the Aswan hotel had a great pool area and lots of places to sit and relax, although the rooms felt quite basic.
Most Inspirational Moment
Visiting the pyramids on Christmas Day was a pretty amazing way to start the trip! Karnak temple was wonderful, huge and impressive, and although busy I found a quiet spot to sit and take it all in. The Valley of the Kings was great - being able to go inside tombs which almost look freshly painted was just awe-inspiring. And after all that, sitting on the sundeck of the boat cruising along the Nile and watching the world go by was a pretty good way to spend a couple of restful afternoons.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Ahmed was amazing and made us feel so welcome in Egypt! He gave us lots of information in a really engaging way, using the group as characters to tell us the complicated history of the pharaohs. He managed a good balance of guiding and free time for us in the places we visited, and always made sure we had coffee time at the end of a visit. He gave us good advice on how to deal with vendors and was clear about where was (and wasn't) good to shop. Ahmed was always smiling and cheerful, even at 3am! And he was great at dealing with any problems (when I had an issue with a hotel room, he fixed it straight away). A brilliant guide!
Advice for Potential Travellers
The one thing I would change is when I arrived - the group flight arrives late in Cairo (and later for us as we had a two hour delay at Heathrow) so we didn't reach the hotel til gone midnight and left at 7.30 the next morning for the pyramids (and then the following day is a very early start for the flight to Luxor). I'd highly recommend coming in a day early to avoid that first morning exhaustion, but also to see more of Cairo, as there is a lot to see that I didn't get to (the Coptic cathedral, the Citadel). I'd also say do as many of the optional excursions as you can - Philae Temple in Aswan was wonderful and Abu Simbel, while an early start (and a pricey trip) was well worth it.
Wonderful Costa Rica!
Discover Costa Rica was an amazing trip in a beautiful country. It is verdant with different types of ecosystems, and teeming with wildlife of every kind. There is so much to see and do, and the days fly by. We saw sloths, iguanas, monkeys, caimans, crocodiles, birds of every kind (including the Great Green Macaw and the Resplendent Quetzel!), wonderful cloud forests, waterfalls, beaches, mountains and much more. The trip is well-organised, with comfortable transport and accommodation. The itinerary covers a number of locations in different parts of the country, so there is a fair bit of travel involved. Our driver Gabriel was good-natured, helpful and incredibly skilled at navigating some pretty tricky roads! Some of the locations are somewhat remote and surrounded by wilderness – peaceful and beautiful, and a good way to disconnect from it all. Special thanks to our tour leader, Jorge. He took an amazing itinerary and made it exceptional.
Most Inspirational Moment
Only one? That would be difficult. At the beginning of the trip, after the first day in Tortuguero where the wildlife is extremely abundant, I felt like I could return home satisfied. It got better from there..... I have to mention dinner in Manuel Antonio - we looked out of the restaurant and saw a sloth mother with baby on her tummy, travelling along the telephone wires in the pouring rain!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Jorge was truly outstanding. He is friendly, helpful, fun and extremely knowledgeable about Costa Rica - its geography, history, wildlife and ecosystems, and happy to share that knowledge. I learned a lot on this trip, thanks to him. His skill at spotting wildlife is impressive, as are his bird calls! I'm sure we wouldn't have seen half of what we did without his help. He ensured that everyone was comfortable, and went out of his way to help some of us with our post-trip arrangements. We couldn't have had a better, or nicer, guide!
Advice for Potential Travellers
Sunscreen and insect repellent are a must. Costa Rica is hot and humid - pack accordingly. It's helpful to have light-weight, quick drying trousers for walks in the forests. Laundry facilities are available at two locations. It was useful to have an extra pair of walking shoes, since one pair got drenched in a rain shower and took a couple of days to dry out enough to wear. It is quite cool in the Dota region (Savegre cloud forest), so a warm jacket is definitely needed there. Be prepared for rain - I had a raincoat, but a poncho or backpack cover would have been helpful. If you have a camera - consider how you are going to protect it from the rain.
Trip of a lifetime
It was an amazing trip of a lifetime. The location and activities were fantastic, the Basecamp was very homely, and the team that work there were great. I would recommend this trip.
Most Inspirational Moment
The last four days of the trip were my favorite- the quinzee building, snow showing walk/hike, huskies and ice climbing.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Martty was great, very knowledgeable and friendly and was around practically 24/7.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Basecamp will give you a thermos, but will ask that you don't put tea or coffee in it only water or squash. It would be useful to know that you should take your own thermos if you don't want hot water or squash. There is no kettle for tea/coffee in the rooms, although there is also tea/coffee available all day in the communal area. The outer wear that is given to the group was worn and old. If you have your own better quality clothing then take that, there is no standard or anything specific about their clothes for the cold temperatures. The bar closes at 10pm, and there is no drinking up time and you can't take drinks back to your room, or bring your own.
Excellent Varied and Full Trip
Every day was like having 2 days in one! We saw and did so much each day. The itinerary was packed but it all worked really well and we visited so many wonderful sights. Each day was so different and varied and for each site we had our own specialised guide who explained things well and gave us time to enjoy each one. Naveen Bazaz, our Exodus leader, looked after our every need. We all really enjoyed his sense of humour and his caring nature.
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing a tiger in Ranthambore National Park. This tiger came up so close to our vehicle and walked unperturbed past a long line of jeeps which were on the path with us. We spent a good 20 minutes watching her. The second most inspirational moment was seeing the Taj Mahal reveal itself slowly from the early morning mist.
Thoughts on Group Leader
I cannot praise Naveen Bazaz highly enough. He was so caring and looked after our every need so well. I enjoyed listening to his commentaries on the places we were visiting and he was very attentive. We all loved his sense of humour and the way he socialised with us. We valued his advice at meal times when choosing our food. Naveen gave us many local experiences such as visiting a Delhi family for a cookery demonstration and meal afterwards, taking us to sample street food and a famous "lassi" shop, to name just a few. We were very lucky to have Naveen as our leader.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Bring warm clothes for Delhi and Ranthambore National Park. The hotel in Ranthambore did provide blankets for the early morning game drives. Take a mask/buff because there's a lot of dust on these game drives. Also take binoculars. A pack of cards for the long train ride.
Tremendous Cycling
Fabulous holiday, great cycling, great group of people and brilliant Costa Rican crew who looked after us very well, Ricardo, Walter and Luis.
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing the most beautiful birds at Las Cruces.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Ricardo was excellent, looked after everyone well and went out of his way if we needed anything.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Prepare for the cycling which can feel harder in the heat.