Reviews

What a magical place....

The trip was all arranged by Exodus and I can’t fault the organisation, it was faultless throughout the whole Journey.

The Cachalote Explorer was fine, it’s not a super luxury motor yacht (its correctly advertised as a first class motor yacht) being a converted fishing boat, but the accommodation was perfectly adequate and the crew were very friendly and super efficient. The rooms were cleaned daily with clean towels by Martin who was also the waiter and bar man, and very good at it to. The chef was very good and was delighted to help one of our vegan passengers with different dishes every meal (which she often shared with the rest of us! Lol)

The ship is a little noisy when travelling at night with the engines running, but I had some noise suppressing head phones that dealt with this. No one else really complained and I guess you soon get used to it after a tiring day

The food was very well presented in buffet style for breakfast lunch and evening meal and there was always plenty of food. In between meals there is a tray of bananas, fruits and various biscuits and snacks

Would I book it again, certainly yes without hesitation

This trip has everything

This has to be the trip of a lifetime. Of course you visit Machu Picchu, but so much more. To start with the seabird colony at Ballestros island including penguinsand peleicans. Then the impressive Nasca Lines before heading to the hills and across the plateau to Cusco visiting other Inca sites on the way. Machu Picchu is amazing – everything I expected and more. We visited at 1200 noon and it wasn’t too crowded, even better we had a free morning the second day so went again and saw more of it – went a further 950 feet up to the Sun gate ( the entrance to the site from the Inca trail) also the Inca bridge. Then back to Cusco and long drive to Lake Titticata and delightful home-stay with local people…an amazing insight into how the island communities live day to day. Then across the lake to see the floating islands, meet the people and have a trip on a reed boat. Next to Colka Canyon to see condors – I would not have missed this as one of the highlights of the trip – we saw 12 and got some great pics. Finally to Arequipa before return to Lima. It really feels like I have been on 3 holidays all rolled into one – I struggle to think how I can better this.

Wonderful wildlife

This was a fantastic trip! From the whales and dolphins to the elephants and leopards (yes, we saw one!) every day had an unforgettable highlight. Sri Lanka is a beautiful country of lovely welcoming people and was very well represented by our two wonderful guides. The hotels were very varied in character but of a high standard as was the food. I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone looking for a relaxing trip in the beautiful nature of Sri Lanka.

Uzbekistan Uncovered

A good overview of the country taking in the historic and architectural highlights of Uzbekistan. Transport was Good although it was evident that the train journey was more often than not unavailable. On a personal note, I felt that the group size (16) was too large.

Porto to Lisbon ride

Excellent hotels apart from first and last because they were not in the Center of Porto and Lisbon. We had to travel by Exodus transport. We did not have the walking tour of Porto as advertised despite arriving early afternoon just the port tasting. We would rather have had a walking tour. We understand it was not the usual tour guide on that particular week, could that have been the reason?

Most Inspirational Moment

The cycling along the Atlantic coast, the scenery and all the hotels apart from first and last as mentioned above.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Understand that Rafael usually works in the office so was not very informative although very pleasant. He also kept us cycling at a very slow pace a lot of the time, keeping us all together, not letting us ride on ahead and wait which a lot of us found extremely frustrating. Our hands were constantly on the brakes and therefore most days didn’t arrive at our hotel until late afternoon and it could have been much earlier, especially the first two very flat days. Daniel was the driver and he looked after us very well and organised excellent picnics.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Yes arrive in Porto a day early to see this beautiful city, and perhaps have an extra day in Lisbon because our group flight involved us getting up at 4.15 am.

Reply from Exodus

We would like to thank Denise for her review, although we are very sorry that she was disappointed with certain aspects of her trip, and that the orientation tour was not offered on this departure. The orientation tour is dependent on the time available after the arrival of the group flight, and we will review timings of each activity to maximise the opportunity to enjoy a short walk in the city centre before or after the wine tasting, whilst still ensuring enough time is given for check-in and the main trip briefing. For those wishing to spend more time in Porto, we recommend considering an earlier flight or pre-tour accommodation to allow more time to visit the city and its many highlights independently, as mentioned in our Trip Notes.

We regret that Denise was disappointed with the leadership on this tour. Rafael works in our local operator’s main office but he is fully trained, leads trips every year and knows the route well. A group’s pace will often depend on the difference in each client’s ability and, whilst there are some sections during which clients can cycle on their own, generally the tour leader must keep the group together for safety reasons. The pace is therefore tailored according to the trip grade, which is 2 (leisurely/moderate). 

We were sorry to learn that Denise was disappointed with the final day of the tour, and we will ensure that every group is offered an optional guided tour in Lisbon from now on. Those wishing to explore independently will be provided with detailed information regarding highlights, maps and directions. Tour leaders have also been briefed to offer an optional farewell dinner from now on. Marta Marinelli – Product Manager

Aeolian Adventures

A wonderful journey through north east Sicily and four Aeolian islands, mired only by some poor weather conditions at key stages of the trip. Our group of 15 got on well throughout and were unfazed by the challenges set by the weather.

Fantastic holiday

An excellent holiday, with beautiful scenery and good food.

Falling in love with Tuscany...

This was my 4th Exodus cycling holiday and they deliver consistently good holidays. Tuscany is absolutely stunning and, combined with fantastic food, wine and gelato, makes a great holiday destination for cyclists. The accommodation on this trip is very good and it is made more relaxing by staying 2 nights in the 3 first hotels with the final night then in Florence.

imperial china and yangsie river cruise

Peter Wong was a very good guide. He explained in detail the history of China from the early ages until the present day. I found the trip very educational. The fastness of landscapes, with high rise flats, went on forever. The train stations were enormous and larger than most airports. The motorways didn’t seem to have any traffic jams because they were gigantic, and they were numerous in number. The culture was interesting, and I enjoyed the operas and dance, and there belief in Buddha. The great wall was very impressive, and I really enjoyed walking it, for me it was the highlight of the trip. The terracotta worriers were amazing, and I also was captivated by the Pandas. The overall experience was mind blowing, but I would not like to live there. I would like to mention the cooking class. Would this class be better held later in the day, as most of us were very full up so soon after breakfast. I would like to thank all of those involved with the planning and organisation of this trip.

Amazing trip

A really great trip, Sardinia is a very beautiful place and we had a fantastic week of cycling, eating, socialising and learning about this beautiful Island from our lovely guides