Reviews

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

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It’s the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you’re interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers.

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125 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

james brent

Reviewed July 2022

Kili Rongai & Zanzibar

The trip was much tougher than any of our Group had expected. It was colder than the seasonal norm but the trip to base camp was really attritional; by the time we got there we (and it was a fit Group) were exhausted. The journey did not only impact on the guests: of the 4 guides, 2 retired sick and neither of the summit porters reached the summit (one through sickness; one through helping a guest back down the mountain). My reflection was that the accumulative challenge was not reflected in the meeting notes.
The hotel in Zanzibar (Zumba Beach) was in an idyllic location and the GM was a strong leader and led her staff well. Again the trip notes should perhaps have been clearer that expectations needed to be calibrated a little lower than in the developed world. Our room was burgled while we were sleeping and items stolen from within 1 foot of our heads. The thieves cut their way in and so were carrying knives; a sobering experience. I don’t think crime there is uncommon and maybe prospective guests should be alerted to it?

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching the peak on the Summit but feeling of relief more than inspiration!

Thoughts on Group Leader

It was her first trip leading and her Summit staff were virtually eradicated before reaching the top. The weather was poor and I fear she was traumatised.....but very full marks for getting most of us to the top and all down safely.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The climb was really difficult. It was less the final climb from base camp but the deconditioning that occurred before....and the weather is unpredictable. There is crime in Zanzibar and important to be forewarned.

Suggestions

Exodus is a good company and provides fun trips. I think it is important however that customers are properly advised of the full scope of challenge upfront.

Reply from Exodus

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, James, although we were sorry to read that you were disappointed with some aspects of your tour. As I am sure you appreciate, activity levels are inherently subjective, but we do endeavour to describe each trip as accurately as possible, and we are always open to suggestions to amend our guidance should we be made aware of clients feeling a particular trip’s activity level should be changed. This is one of our longest running trips and we therefore receive a large volume of feedback regarding our clients’ views on the tour. Whilst this trip generally scores highly for trip note accuracy, we are aware that your group experienced unusually cold temperatures, which may have increased the difficulty of some of the treks and caused more cases of sickness than expected. Whilst our product manager, John Penge, and tour leaders remain of the view that the current grading for our Kilimanjaro Climb Rongai Route trip is accurate, I would like to assure you that they will take your comments into account when discussing potential changes to the activity level of this tour. Addressing your second point, we take the health and safety of our clients extremely seriously and we were, therefore, very concerned to receive your comments about a theft at Fumba Beach Lodge. This property has been operating for twenty years and, whilst we are aware of petty crimes in the past, incidents of this nature are not common in this area, mainly due to the heavy police presence on the beach. Nevertheless, we would not wish to downplay your experience, which sounds particularly worrying, and we would like to assure you that the security presence at the lodge has been increased and the mosquito netting has been reinforced to hopefully prevent any repeat of this situation. We recognise that this cannot change your experience, for which we are incredibly regretful, but we do hope it demonstrates that we have acted on it.

Paul Garrod

Reviewed October 2019

Kilimanjaro

I was part of a group of 6 teamed up with a further 10 individuals. We bonded well from the beginning and throughout this amazing adventure and from this experience I would have no hesitation in travelling alone. The Exodus team were superb from start to finish and The African Walking Company who were locally based were the guys on the ground and their knowledge of Kilimanjaro was superb and with 50+ porters/guides our group of 16 were well catered for and out ‘leader ‘JT’ was excellent. This was a challenging trek, particularly the final two days and should not be taken lightly. One gripe is it needs to be made clearer on summit night how best to keep water from freezing, as many of us were very de-hydrated on the way down having summited in atrocious conditions. But I would highly recommend the experience and Exodus and we have made friends for life.

Most Inspirational Moment

Helping, being helped, supporting and summiting as a team.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent

Advice for Potential Travellers

Train well and research anti-altitude sickness tablets as these I'm sure helped me, though others did still suffer

Suggestions

Having a positive mind-set and just keep putting one foot in front of the other and you can do it.

Allan Gordon

Reviewed September 2019

Kilimanjaro - Go For It with Exodus

Very well organised, everyone very helpful and friendly. Guides brilliant and supportive. 13 out of our Group of 14 made it to the very top ,Uhuru Summit.
What a team and great experience.

Most Inspirational Moment

Sunrise from Uhuru summit.

Thoughts on Group Leader

John Seka was excellent. Very competent, caring and humourous.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Down sleeping bag as the 2 nights above 4,500m were very cold Take Diamox 125mg twice daily Wear very comfy boots as you will be wearing them for 6 days.

Suggestions

I could not recommend Exodus Travel highly enough. Trust them to deliver and give you your best chance of summitting.

Glen B

Reviewed January 2019

Epic

What a fantastic adventure summiting Africa’s highest peak with the most amazing and supportive group of people, ever!!!!

Easily The most difficult thing I have ever done.

The trek was a well oiled machine. Porters were amazing. Tents were were dry and set up by the time we entered each camp. The food was fantastic.

The toilet was a godsend.

The guides were amazing, supportive, present and empathetic. I never would have summited without the excellent pacing and patience of Seraphine. I never would have made it die without the quick thinking, preparedness and assistance of Seraphine, King Janes, Abraham and others.

Of our group of 11 trekkers, 10 made it to Gilman’s point, and 8 of made it to Uhuru Peak!!!

I highly recommend Exodus and the African Walking Company (AWC)

Most Inspirational Moment

The comaraderie of the trekkers. We were so supportive and respectful of each other. The best examples of man’s humanity to their fellow man.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Abraham was amazing!!!! I cannot say enough positive things about that guy!!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Keep a positive mental attitude. Bring 5 pairs of pants, sox and tops - dry clothing is the ultimate luxury. Keep them ina plastic bag. Bring and use Diamox. Don’t be a hero, the trek is uncomfortable enough without doing it with a headache. It really works. Wear sunscreen. My face is peeling because I forgot to wear it on the summit run. I’m ten shades darker and my entire face is peeling. Looks like I have a skin disease. Wet wipes. Bring way more than you think you need. Bring candy. Get the warmest sleeping bag you can find!! And mother most important thing to remember: walk slooooooooowly. Speed kills.

Suggestions

Tip the porters. They work hard.

Nicola Buchanan

Reviewed January 2019

Amazing!

What a hard, rewarding experience… although Kili is not the prettiest of mountains it is certainly a mighty challenge… and withholds its beauty till summit day sunrise. The porters enabled summiting to be possible with their tireless support and encouragement.

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching the summit after 8 1/2 hrs of climbing...

Thoughts on Group Leader

Abraham was brilliant, quite guenounely we could not have done it without the support and care of the porters. I know Abraham has done this many times but he rejoiced in our success.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Respect the impact of altitude and weather... I have done many treks and knew this would be tough. When nothing else was left it was a mental strength that’s got us up.

Suggestions

Take hand and feet warmers! Make sure waterproofs are just that or pack a cape!

Vicky Waller

Reviewed November 2018

Kilimanjaro Rongai Route - October 2018

Exodus Travels were an excellent company to deal with whilst arranging my recent trip to Kilimanjaro. I felt like I had my own personal travel agent to help me every step of the way. They answered every question and query I had knowledgably and efficiently. Everything about the trip ran smoothly and to plan. I would definitely use Exodus again for a future trip!

Most Inspirational Moment

The people of Africa were the most inspirational for me on this trip. Everyone was so nice and friendly.

Thoughts on Group Leader

I had 100% faith in the guides we had on the trip. They were knowledgably and made you feel at ease.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I would definitely recommend that you extend your trip by 1 day at the beginning of the trip as the flights are long and its a good idea to have a rest day at the hotel the day before you walk.

Lauren McCabe

Reviewed November 2018

Do it, and do it with Exodus!

Made memories for life on this trip. Summit day was torture but our guides made getting to Gilmans Point (before getting to Uhuru Peak) an incredible moment. The team of guides and porters are exceptional. This is our second trip with Exodus and will use them again for future ones because we trust their ability to take care of us, from booking to the itinerary and guides

Most Inspirational Moment

Coming up to the last ten minutes before reaching Gilmans Point, we’d been hiking for seven hours in the cold and dark uphill so we’re exhausted. The sun was rising so we had a spectacular view and out of nowhere the guides all start singing. It made reaching that point honestly one of the best experiences of my life!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Makeke was fantastic, he took such good care of each and every one of us

Advice for Potential Travellers

Expect summit day to be tough, be prepared to dig deep to get to the top, it’s worth it! Take ear plugs for sleeping! Be prepared to donate some clothes to the porters at the end of the trek. The clothes they wear are all donated.

Phillip Dixon

Reviewed October 2018

Kilimanjaro Rongai Route 21/09

Second time of climbing Kilimanjaro and it didn’t disappoint. Glorious starscapes at night, changing scenery from jungle to lunar landscapes and then the snow encrusted peak.

This is a challenging hike on summit day but within most people’s abilities if you are reasonably fit.

Due to airline problems my luggage didn’t arrive, but luckily I had ultra essentials and warm kit in my daysack. Day before the summit a porter brought my luggage up to the camp so had an incredible surprise.

You may think you will lose weight on this trek, but the food is incredible and plentiful – but you will still eat lots of snacks on your trek too. You will use the energy

Most Inspirational Moment

Summit day reaching Uhuru Peak and seeing the joy in all the other members of the group. People found a new energy when reaching that small wooden sign

Thoughts on Group Leader

Makeke was great, naturally funny, always there with a joke or inspirational word when people were flagging and able to sort problems while reassuring everyone. He dealt with my missing luggage taking all the pressure off and also arranging extra waterbottles for some group members who only had camelbaks which might freeze.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Pack enough kit for summit day and extras in your daysack in case of airline problems and wear your boots to the airport. Take lots of snacks like cereal bars to eat on the trek, sharing a snack with your trekmates is a mainstay of the trip and handing one to someone looking tired can give them a boost. Wear layers over one or two bulky items, you can always remove a layer or add one. Most importantly put in a few mountain hikes before you go as you will enjoy it more with legs that aren't aching and shortness of breath. It is really about going slow and sustained pace.

Suggestions

Our guides and team were incredible, they made us feel safe, encouraged us on and everything we achieved they were a big part of. Of my two trips up Kilimanjaro this was by far the best organised and most professional

Morag Smith

Reviewed September 2018

Fantastic trip

If you have ever harboured thoughts of climbing Kilimanjaro, go for it!This is a brilliant trip with excellent friendly and knowledgeable guides. There is so much more to this trip than simply reaching Uhuru point or not. We saw baboons and blue monkeys, beautiful landscapes and met many amazing people.. Do not underestimate the physical and mental impact of summit day though. This involves a trek to Kibo camp, followed by some rest, then around 11 hours or so of solid walking to the summit and returning to Kibo camp, a short rest.and then a further 3-4 hours walking before reaching Horombo camp and falling completely exhausted into your sleeping bag. None of our group were elite athletes but we all exercised regularly. We ranged in age from 21 to 66 years and both the youngest and the oldest achieved the summit. Not to be missed!

Most Inspirational Moment

Funnily enough, on our way to the airport we saw Kilimanjaro rising high above the clouds like Jacks beanstalk in the fairy tale and there was a sense of wonder that we could and indeed had reached its summit. I will carry that memory with me forever as it was only then that the scale of our achieve,net really hit hom.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Brilliant. Make ke is funny, slight lions winded but warm, friendly helpful and knowledgeable.

Advice for Potential Travellers

You should take some plastic bags for keeping your litter in and also for taking any used toilet paper away. Kili is a special place and we must ensure we leave it as we find it. Unfortunately, not everyone does this and there is a lot of litter. Tour companies must push this more. Re trip notes, I don't think summit day notes are wholly accurate. It's a lot more than 6 Kim walking that day.