Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Amazing to see development go hand in hand with preserved local traditions.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Chai was great. Organised, good humoured and always available for everyone. He knew how to ensure that everyone had the holiday they were looking for and how to meet a range of different needs.

Advice for Potential Travellers

You'll be on the move a lot, so make sure you take a couple of extra days at the end of the trip somewhere more peaceful (not Saigon!) if you want to wind down and relax. Don't be afraid to do your own research into restaurants and experiences and head off on your own in the evenings whenever you want without the group. Don't worry if you're not a top cyclist. Get in the van and cool off whenever you feel you need to relax. These countries are way too interesting to just keep your head down and grind out kilometres on the road. Take things at your own pace (the team is 100% on board with you doing that) and make sure you take the time to really look around you and take lots of photos. Bring dollars for Cambodia or withdraw them from the ATM in-country. Most everything else you can buy along the way. Bring an extra bag for souvenirs, clothing, spices etc. to take home! There's lots of shopping opportunities.

Most Inspirational Moment

Being in some of the temples around Siem Reap - especially Bayon, Ta Proehm and the pink temple.. Bangkok was also a fascinating cultural mix - ancient and modern, high rise and old hippy backpacker areas. The sunbathing monitor lizards on the city canal boat tour were a great surprise. Also Kampot in Cambodia was an excellent place with a great vibe.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We had 3 leaders - one for each country - Ha, Peah and Tony. They were all excellent and all gave us great insight in to the countries we were visiting. They also added extra insight and experiences into the trips. The Cambodian team had some quick work to do to rearrange trips after the hiccup at the border and that was done well. We as a group were looked after very well during that day.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The trip notes were relied on by many on the tour when working out currency options - however they seemed not fully up to date - for example US dollars were not widely accepted in Vietnam. A lot of time was also spent looking for cash machines that actually took british cards. I advise you to check with the retailers in the UK where you get your currency what the latest position is.

Most Inspirational Moment

Chitwan National Park was a personal highlight for me, seeing rhino's in the wild and the canoe dug-out paddle down the river to a sunset drinks and canapes on the river bank (trying to spot crocs) was really special.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Worth taking a walking pole if you have weak knees for parts of the trek. You get fed a lot of food but might want snacks for some of the long road journeys.

Most Inspirational Moment

Visit to AlUla

Advice for Potential Travellers

She was great (Sarah Bull). Experienced and thoughtful. There were many issues to resolve almost none of which the group were aware of. She was calm, helpful and managed all of the group and guides very well. Highly recommended

Most Inspirational Moment

No individual stand out moments but so many incredible views along the way and the perfect weather in the middle of the British winter was just so wonderful.

Thoughts on Group Leader

This was our second cycling trip with Adonia as leader, he is very good at balancing all the group's needs, not always easy with a mixed ability group. He always put safety as a priority, but allowed enough freedom for stronger cyclists to go at their own pace when possible. He has the right balance for imparting his excellent local knowledge but not too much that people lose interest. He worked very hard to make sure everyone was happy, was organised and kept things running on time. Bradley was his co-worker who is also an experienced guide and cyclist and the two got on well and worked as a great team.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The hills on the cycling are mostly fine but the headwinds can be exhausting and energy sapping. On the first half of the trip the winds were against us and even on the shorter flatter days it was hard work for everyone. It's the luck of the draw though and the later longer hillier days were fine.

Most Inspirational Moment

The beach at Potami.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Thanos is an excellent leader. Keen, enthusiastic and a sense of humour.

Most Inspirational Moment

Camanito del Rey

Thoughts on Group Leader

Michael was first class but needs to be reminded the group proceeds at the speed of the slowest. Otherwise there will be a fatality sooner or later.

Most Inspirational Moment

For a one-off inspiration: seeing yak herders on the open mountainside collecting yak dung for fuel and realising that a way of life which has existed for hundreds of years is still practised. For the more gradual inspiration more appropriate to a long-distance walk, it was the slow change in colour and vegetation from late summer in the lowlands to autumn in the uplands. For the small things in life it was realising in Samdo at 3,860 m that the sun on the tin roof of the shower cabin outside the teahouse meant that a hot bucket shower was not only possible but actually desirable.

Thoughts on Group Leader

I have been on many Exodus trips, but for sheer unconfined, unabashed, joyful exuberance and enthusiasm Chandra takes the prize. The image of him singing and dancing in the local bus on the way back from the end of the trip, as we swayed and lurched millimeters away from a drop of hundreds of metres into the gorge below will stay with me for the rest of my life. In terms of practical competence, the three trekking guides we had were outstanding: Prasan (the head guide), Sagar and Mingma.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If your fitness is not permanently high, make sure you do (as a minimum of preparation) the Exodus training plan. Then you won't notice the long distances and hard ascents and will have plenty of time to take in what you are walking through. Don't arrive expecting to be able to buy the snow spikes from the guide as you can't: you will need to walk into Thamel to get some. If you want to save space on your packing for the flight, the down jackets and sleeping bags you can hire from the guides are really good quality.

Most Inspirational Moment

Every day was inspirational and 'the best day ever' but these rated the highest: 1.Eating at Ali Baba's 2.Petra 3.Wadi Rum (desert night) 4. Dead Sea 5. The food, I had no idea what an eating extravaganza this was going to be!

Thoughts on Group Leader

We lucked out having Ibrahim, who is a truly talented group leader. In addition to his past careers / 20+ years as a guide, he is also very well traveled himself and this combination gives him fantastic skills in being able to patiently and effectively deal with and understand all the different personalities / cultures you may have in your group. He has a unique skill of anticipating questions or situations and handles them in a very diplomatic and professional way. He has a great sense of humour too! Ibrahim communicates very clearly and gives enough info as needed. He constantly encourages questions and loves conversation. He also does not push anything on you but informs you and lets you make your own decisions (ex: buying extra excursions or buying anything in the markets). What we noticed and appreciated was that he called us travellers, not tourists. * I am GF so brought myself some crackers and snacks to have (just in case). I told Ibrahim I was GF to make sure there would be rice available and he went to a specialty shop and bought me GF pita bread so I could enjoy all the mezze (dips) we'd be having all week. So thoughtful of him!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

I read lots of the reviews / tips before we went and here are a few things I would like to pass along: 1. We were very fortunate with wonderful weather in Dec/Jan but it could be a gamble (bring layers for this time of year) 2. If you are wondering if you are 'fit enough' to walk to the monastery it is good to know that your group leader leaves you at this point and you do this part of the trek/hike independently so you can easily go at your own pace. Our group of 10 were of all ages and fitness abilities so we broke off into smaller groups and everyone reached the monastery 3. No need to pre-order a 'lunch box' during the day in Petra, the restaurant that provides it is right there before you go up to the monastery and you can order off their menu 4. Bring cat / dog treats (I am so glad we did!) 5. Bring a small gift for the host dinner family (we gave a bag of British chocolates to the kids. Wish I brought stickers and a few little trinkets for the kids) 6. We did not need the towels we brought but if you have space bring them just incase 7. Bring water shoes other than flip flops / we had tevas and they were fine (ones that stay on your feet) 8. Bring sunscreen, hat, sunglasses even in winter 9. We used a mix of local currency and credit card. We brought dollars but did not need them. We could not get money at LHR so got it upon arrival at the airport. You can also get money at the hotel or at a local bank. 10. We brought some snacks but you have plenty of opportunities to get snacks along the way

Most Inspirational Moment

The colours and the smells if Kerala and Tamil Nadu for me were the highlight. The vibrant colours of the ladies' beautiful clothes and the open friendliness of the locals left a lasting impression, as did the fantastic food. From an activity point of view the best bit of the trip for me was the tea plantation walk with spectacular views and the rikshaw ride ( which was a replacement for a temple visit we couldn't do because of the crowds). Although I did feel a bit guilty as I think I was younger and fitter than the cyclist.... I did get off to push on a hill! :-) The calm of the backwaters was also great, just what was needed after some pretty active days and long drives.

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was an absolute star! Knowledgeable, fun, helpful, attentive and very well organised... he was was a huge asset to this trip , gave lots of information and insight on the local culture, religion and day to day life in Southern India. Nothing was a bother and when some members of the group were interested in going to an India cinema he organised it, he listened to the group and was flexible to ensure we all had a great experience.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Smile, and people will instantaneously smile back. ..I found the locals to be incredibly warm and friendly. The level of service is very high, the food is delicious ( and doesn't have to be too spicy) Be prepared for a few long drives... its a big country. Mostly these are through beautiful winding countryside ( you may need travel pills) with views to be appreciated , but a couple are just long and dull... just because of the distance to cover. Leave enough space in your case to buy spices, beautiful scarves and clothes at reasonable prices. If you use hotel laundry service... make sure you have plenty of time as they don't always deliver as promised.... its a pretty laid back place. The south is a 'sanitised' India with little visible poverty , a bit like Sri Lanka, and few beggars, beautiful country side and coasts definitely worth a visit