Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

For me the most inspiring activity was the day trip to Venice in which we had a backstreet tour by the excellent Chloe and a fascinating visit and talk in the studio of a gondola oar maker.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Veriano was assiduous in guiding and looking after us at all times. I really appreciated the extra meals he organised in the evening for us in the early part of the trip. Eating together really helped the 13 of us to gel, and we did. He went above and beyond on our day off helping us plan our trips with train/bus timetables and even menus of local restaurants. He had a great sense of humour which kept us going when the walking was more challenging, 'just five more minutes....'

Advice for Potential Travellers

Quite a few people have written about the ascents and descents. It is true there are plenty of them on this walk and the descents can be slippery if it has been raining. But I don't think you need to be particularly fit to do this holiday. Do consider bringing sticks though. There are also comments in other reviews about low temperatures at the higher altitudes on the final day's walk. Our holiday was the first week of June and I didn't need a fleece or jacket at any point. The weather can be changeable though so bring waterproofs. It is easy to get to Venice on your own on the free day.

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching the Richjusa Gorge after bouldering up the river - not suitable for everyone!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Absolutely excellent - great fun, wonderful english (he was Italian), very knowledgeable, coped well with the gruop who had very different walking speeds

Advice for Potential Travellers

Always carry a lightweight waterproof coat and rucksack cover a syou never know when it may rain

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader,Arthur, spike very poor English, often translating things word for word (FROM Italian or Albanian) .this made it very difficult to understand especially as his pronunciation was so poor. He constantly repeated the same facts which became very waring and talked almost all the time on the bus even when asked for some quiet ti.e. When people stopped listening he shouted louder and several times he snapped at some of the group. He became angry when people wanted to visit sights and museums and I found myself avoiding him at all times.

Advice for Potential Travellers

this was an interesting trip if you had a different guide.

Most Inspirational Moment

Looking out of our bedroom window in Cairo to see the three pyramids looming out of the mist.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rania. Brilliant with an encyclopaedic of Egyptian History and the ability to put it across. Perhaps a little too much fine detail and not enough of the big picture. Great organiser.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do not go at the end of May or indeed during the Egyptian summer. It is staggeringly hot.

Most Inspirational Moment

The views along the Vjosa river - and watching fireflies during dinner at the Coli guesthouse ("Hani i Coles"). A testament to life before agri-business, although damned hard work for those still farming in semi-traditional ways

Thoughts on Group Leader

Professional and proud Albanian. This translated into clear route briefings / handling of the coffee kitty / food advice etc - but having previously completed the Balkans' trip I was expecting more insights into Albania itself

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be interested! And don't be intimidated by the distances or gradients. The traffic in and around Sarandë is awful, but fortunately only represents a few hours out of the whole trip

Most Inspirational Moment

Views of the Mont Blanc Massif

Thoughts on Group Leader

Friendly and helpful, environmentally aware and interesting insights

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared not to do the hikes per trip notes as weather dependent obviously and to climb up a hill to see nothing at all, but also carry sunscreen just in case!

Most Inspirational Moment

Traveling through the spectacular Gramos Mountains next to the Vjosa River between Erseke and Permet. Skenduli House in Gjirokaster was a particularly interesting visit. The host, whose family had lived in this house for many generations, spoke excellent English and explained the historical uses of the different rooms including for weddings.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our Group Leader was a lovely man who worked very hard and had good knowledge of Albanian history and culture, unfortunately his level of English was not good so it became difficult to follow what he was saying. He also felt he should be constantly giving us information when travelling on the mini bus which led to a lot of repetition which also became trying. At some sights we would preferred to read the English information boards ourselves but the Group Leader insisted on doing this for us.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The Albanians are friendly and helpful but I would visit before the tourist boom starts to dominate the culture. Most of the museums we wanted to visit were closed for repairs or renovations. It didn’t actually look like much work was happening so I would check this out before going.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing wild flower meadows in the mountains with the shepherds & their flocks plus a predominance of agricultural land. The profusion of home grown fruit & vegetables. A veritable time warp. Also, the large amount of Roman & Byzantine ruins showing the importance of the country years ago.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Artur was enthusiastic about his country & extremely knowledgeable. However, he went into too much detail; he tended to over talk so we had no reflection time until he was asked to have periods of silence. His command of the English language was sufficient for us to understand him, but at times I felt he did not really understand our questions as he would not answer them with a relevant answer as he seemed to miss the point. He did repeat the same information more than once even when on the bus with the microphone. Maybe this was to ensure everyone had heard it but that did become rather wearing. Maybe this is the way he has been trained…

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is a full on trip with no spare time; we were mostly moving on each day.

Most Inspirational Moment

It’s impossible to choose.. I was in the tomb of Seti I on my own for about 20 mins.. and the view of the Nile from the Basma hotel in Aswan is something timeless and awe inspiring for sure..

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rania was absolutely amazing. She has boundless energy and enthusiasm.. there was never a question she could not answer or a request unmet. She is the best spokesperson for ancient and modern Egypt that I could imagine.. she herded us cats around the sites as though we were on some kind of magic carpet swooshing past the crowds.. I miss her already.

Advice for Potential Travellers

There are early starts but it’s just a rhythm you can relax into.. it does avoid the crowds and the heat.. I definitely agree it’s nice to add a day at either end though.. Aswan is super relaxing and it’s easy and cheap to get your own airport taxi.

Most Inspirational Moment

Most inspiring moment was when we first saw the sloths up close at the Sloth Sanctuary!!! Also the zip wiring was exceptional in Fortuna highly recommend!!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Gwenda our tour guide was amazing a real credit to Exodus, very professional and friendly, kept us all well informed with a whatsap message the night before detailing what was happening the next day.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring lots of light clothes as it was very humid.highly recommend this tour.