Reviews

Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers

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28 Reviews

4.6 out of 5

Alan Taylor

Reviewed May 2015

Really nice week's walking in a rarely visited area.

A really nice week’s walking in the rarely visited Rodopi mountains in Bulgaria – I’d never heard of them before!
All the walks were pretty gentle with around four hours walking each day. The walks are in deep, step-sided gorges or up on open mountain pastures. There’s plenty to see with butterfly, bird and orchid spotting being particularly popular.

Most Inspirational Moment

The morning spent hiking up gorge of the Chairska River which is a spectacular route. The final half-day walk on the "Eco-trail" (before the transfer back to Sofia) is also excellent. Take a detour up to the waterfall, it's worth it!

Thoughts on Group Leader

A leader was Nelly, a local of the area. She had an excellent knowledge of the area including the flora and fauna. She's really easy going and everyone enjoyed walking with her. I particularly like being allowed to walk at my own pace and 're-grouping' at specific points.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The transfer from Sofia is five hours (including a half-hour beer stop). It's quite a slog but well worth it. Take flip-flops as the hotel has 'wet rooms' rather than separate shower + toilet. Also take a sink plug if you want to do any washing.

Suggestions

The Yagodina hotel is really nice. It was spotless, the food is excellent and was all local dishes often using ingredients from the local village. Vegetarians are well catered for. Vegans will starve. There's fast Wifi throughout.

Reviewed January 2014

BULGARIA: RODOPI MOUNTAINS

Beautiful, unspoilt countryside and a very clean hotel providing excellent food. The Rodopi Mountains provide the perfect destination for moderate grade walking. A centre based walking holiday works well in the Rodopis as there are a variety of walks either directly from the hotel or just a short bus ride away.

Most Inspirational Moment

All the walks were equally enjoyable and in September the locals are out in the fields picking plants to make herbal tea, harvesting their potatoes, felling trees and collecting logs for the winter. A rural way of life that is no longer seen in more developed areas. Simply being out and about in the fresh air every day was the highlight for me.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very knowledgeable and enthustiastic about maintaining the traditional culture of Bulgaria.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It starts to get colder at night in September, so it is worth taking a warm layer for use first thing in the morning, although it soon warms up as the sun gets higher in the sky. As others have said, a pair of flip flops for use in the shower room is a sensible addition.

Suggestions

Relax, go with the flow and enjoy a draft beer in the hotel garden at the end of your days walking; what could be better.

Reviewed September 2013

BULGARIA: RODOPI MOUNTAINS

This part of Bulgaria was very remote and it felt as if I had stepped back in time. Knowing that the food we were eating was grown or produced locally, including the delicious cheese and potato based dishes, jams and honey.

Most Inspirational Moment

Taking in the stunning views on the walks every day.Standing on the viewing platform at St. Elijah.The last night when women from the village came to dance and sing traditional songs for us. Also when local people joined in with the singing and dancing and a young man started to play the traditional Bulgarian bagpipes. Fabulous!

Thoughts on Group Leader

She was very knowledgeable about the area and the country in general. Always happy to answer any questions and if she didn't know the answer she would find out. She was always cheerful and had a good sense of humour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It was very hot in August which made some of the steepest ascents harder for me than they would have been otherwise. Take high factor sun cream.If you go to the bear-hide one evening be very patient. We left just before a group of wild boar came down to eat. The evidence was captured on a night vision camera. No bears though!

Suggestions

The transfer from and to the airport is very long but take the opportunity to look at the changing landscape, particularly when it starts to become mountainous as it is quite spectacular.

Reviewed January 2013

BULGARIA: RODOPI MOUNTAINS

Lovely scenery at a relaxed pace.

Most Inspirational Moment

The view from Saint Elijah and walking to the end of the overhanging platform. Also, the Yagodina Caves were great. Some very impressive stalagmites/stalactites. Shame you're not allowed to take photos.

Thoughts on Group Leader

In a word, excellent. She obviously had a passion for this area and nothing was too much bother. Her English was excellent. I did two trips in Bulgaria and I think both guides set the standards for a good group leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I thought the trip notes were pretty accurate although we didn't see many birds. That might be the due to the time of year, I don't know.

Suggestions

The food was basic but I enjoyed it, plus there was plenty of it. I thought the most disappointing meal was the burger and chips they did. I suspect this is an attempt to give us what they think we like, but when they stick to traditional meals, they were fine (ingredients are somewhat limited, but you're in a remote area). The accomodation was clean and new. I enjoyed being based in one place and being able to unpack, but I suspect that's not for everyone.

Reviewed June 2012

RODOPI MOUNTAINS

Phew what a hot week of walking. The temperature certainly made the walking a lot more difficult than anticipated but we still thoroughly enjoyed our trip to the Rodopis. Our group was fantastic and we really seemed to get on well and have lots of fun.

Most Inspirational Moment

Wlaking through clouds of butterflies. Coming out of the trees to see huge meadows full of hundreds of different flowers including many orchids. Finding a ladybird spider (very rare). Walking out on the platform on Mt. Elijah.....and many, many more.As well as experiencing Bulgaria food and drink and joining in the traditional dancing on the last night.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Neli is a beautiful, knowledgeable leader and is so kind and helpful when the going gets tough.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We walked on average 15km a day which is not that far at UK temperatures. When the temperatures get into the mid 30c the time given need to be longer - we needed to add an extra hour on the times stated.

Suggestions

This is our second experience with Exodus and we are looking ofrward to more!

Reviewed June 2012

RODOPI MOUNTAINS

This trip was exactly what I expected and it definitely didn’t disappoint. The walks were varied in terrain and landscape and the company excellent.

Most Inspirational Moment

The moment at the top of Sveti Iliya when you could look out across the mountains and pick out the previous days' walking. It was amazing to be able to look out and see what we'd accomplished and fit it all together.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Neli was a brilliant leader from start to finish. She never let anybody fall too far behind and she always had an interesting flower or bird to point out to us. Her passion for the mountains was infectious - I think we all left those mountains a little bit in love with them.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The walking was generally fairly easy going but it was made much more difficult due to the heat we were walking in. I would definitely advise people to take some larger (more than 500ml) water bottles so that they can carry enough water for hot weather - not all the walks had plentiful water sources.

Suggestions

The trip was a great success - not only because the itinierary was so thoughtfully put together but also because the leader, the locals and the group all came together to create a wonderful, warm atmosphere.

Reviewed October 2011

RODOPI MOUNTAINS

This was our 13th trip with Exodus and one of the most enjoyable. The walks were varied and leisurely and were easily altered to accommodate weather conditions. I was amazed at how well our friendly group of 16 gelled in just a few days.

Most Inspirational Moment

Digging potatoes with friendly villagers and sharing their lunch.Chickening out of the walk on a rainy day in favour of the Spa in Devin - a very good choice!Sofia was more interesting than I remembered from 20 years ago (unsurprisingly) - worth a longer visit.The cave dwelling was fascinating.Watching the cows come home to the village without any apparent supervision!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Svetla obviously loved the region and shared her enthusiasm with us. She was very helpful in sourcing local produce and crafts and taught us the rudiments of Bulgarian dancing.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The walks were a little shorter and a lot gentler than I was expecting. I'm not sure this trip is a B grade but I suggest you just go with the flow and enjoy a leisurely beer or two back at the hotel.

Suggestions

The hotel rooms were immaculately clean and quite spacious with plenty of hot water for the wet room shower. The food was plentiful if a little bit repetitive - potatoes, eggs, cheese, cheese, cheese, tomatoes and cucumber - the wine and beer pretty good and really good value. The only slight downside was the lack of anywhere comfortable to sit indoors for a pre supper drink or chat. As we were there at the end of the season, it was a bit too cold to sit outside in the evening.

Reviewed July 2011