Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

trip to sugar plantation

Thoughts on Group Leader

brillant so enthusiastic

Advice for Potential Travellers

enjoy

Suggestions

nice mix cycling and tourism

Most Inspirational Moment

Osorno Volcano in teh lake district it is everywhere.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very knowledgeable, lovely personality, and had a real interest in making sure thge group got the most out of their time in each area. Went out of her way to assist or get answers to questions posed. On arranging the internal flights she took the time, to prebook online, chosing the seats carefully, enabling the team to get great views of the Andes from the plane, given the number of intenal flight and time in air this was greatly appreciated by me, if not the rest of the group. The local guides were also very good, they provided specific local information varying from wildlife spotting, to local speciality restuarants/shops, this complemented the information available from the group leader and the guides books.

Advice for Potential Travellers

There are a lot of early starts, so be prepared for cake and tea for breakfast on a number of occassions.

Suggestions

The Don Juan hotel in Atacama was not great. The beds probably need to be replaced, as you woke yourself up turning over.Atacama - after visiting the geysers  the last afternoon seemed wasted, as already had plenty of free time in San Pedro.  It maybe there to enable other optional day trips, so depending on the popularity of the optionals, you may was to consider, travelling to Lake District instead, giving the trip more time here potentially enabling an optional trip to Chiloe island, which was the one thing missing of the exodus itinerary that I would have liked to have done.

Most Inspirational Moment

I enjoy seeing wild life and going to the diminishing pool of wild places. There were two of us on this tour who felt the same way about wild life. We both understood that the best chance of spotting a snow leopard or ounce was to be as unobtrusive as possible. On one day, we climbed to one of the recommended viewing peaks and sat in almost complete silence for nearly two hours. It was a joy to listen to the snow cocks, the yellow-billed choughs and the Chukkar partridges calling to one another. We saw golden eagles and lammergiers wheeling and circling in the bright blue sky. We heard the blue sheep whistling to each other as they came down to drink at a nearby stream. We were surrounded by snow peaked mountains and it was very beautiful. No ounces but a magical experience for both of us.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader Sohan was very good. He was friendly, knowledgeable and efficient. I favour using local guides because it helps the local economy and I feel that they get the best out of the local people. It also puts more attention in the conservation of local wild life. However, if there is 'the one' on the tour who demands more attention than the rest of the group, the poor old local guide has to put more effort into satisfying them rather than with the rest of the group. Sohan and all the other guides we had, were excellent but we did have 'that one'.  

Advice for Potential Travellers

This tour is a very interesting one. However, it was very cold. Certainly our night temperatures were possibly nudging -20. You must have the right equipment. Good warm, waterproof boots, a good 5 season sleeping bag with mattress, warm clothing, thermal underwear, gloves, hats and a stick. I normally think walking sticks are a bind because I like to have my hands free for binoculars etc. However, on this tour a stick was essential. Gaiters are useful but I never used my yak-trax. Crossing icy rivers was hazardous and we did fall but putting on and then taking off the yak-trax took up too much effort. Remember the altitudes are high - up to 4200 meters. All exercise was exacting. Remember to take slipper socks for the monastery visits. Those floors and the floors of the hotel in Leh are freezing cold.

Suggestions

There is a lot to see on this trip. It is exacting with the altitude and extreme cold. I would like to mention that one of the factors I think that we did not see an ounce, was human chatter, laughter and unbelievably, at one point, shouting. One of the cats we were following left the track, possibly because of a local man traveling down the track on his mule from his village. Now these cats are used to that but they are not used to excited, noisy human chatter. There should be more emphasis on silence. I was rather dreading our stay in Delhi having been before. However, we decided to use the metro to get about. The Delhi metro is clean, cheap and very efficient. However, it is very crowded particularly at rush hour. If you use it, make sure that you are not boxed in at your exit station. Move up to the doors well in advance. Do not be afraid to push your way through. Everyone does. Ladies use the 'Ladies Only' carriage at the front of the train to avoid being 'groped'! Take a good map and travel to your site by 'tuk tuk' from the metro station. Good luck.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were so many the spectacular beauty of the scenery was breathtaking- sensory overload.I could have watched the penguins for hours, the seals were entertaining and the whales majestic. 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Woody was informative, witty and charming!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Seize the day!Save your pennies and go. 

Suggestions

The trip was well organised and you are at the mercy of the weather and the wildlife.Take anti sea sickness medication with you and take it before you get sick in the Drake.Go to everything, do everything and sleep later! 

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking though the Siq at Petra and Petra itself. 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mo was superb.  Knowledgable, friendly, excellent English

Advice for Potential Travellers

May be difficult to use ATMs.  Take dollars or Jordanian Dinars (get them ordered on line before you go and collect at Heathrow)

Most Inspirational Moment

In Marrakesh -supper on the Jemaa El fna, and the sound of the call to prayer from the mosques. In the mountains - the almond blossom, playing football with a few local village children,the group supper in the gite tasting great after the walks, arriving at the lake for delicious lunch, and the achievement of comleting the 32km mountain walk.   

Thoughts on Group Leader

Quiet at times, but he seemed much more at home in the mountains where his sense of humour came out and he seemed more relaxed. Knowledgeable when you asked questions about Morocco. Felt safe with his leadership in the mountains.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We decided that there's no need to buy water sterilising tabs, as they're expensive to buy and it would've been cheaper to just buy the water from the gite!Be ready to "rough" it ! Basic accommodation, but all you need. Just take plenty of warm layers to wear in the evenings. A few snacks for the walks come in handy, and the local children appreciate gifts of pens/ balloons.Be prepared for rocky paths and steep gradients at times. Decent walking boots are a must. Lightweight clothes that cover arms/legs for women seems more appropriate in Marrakesh. Arranging our own flights independently worked out cheaper and Exodus kindly provided free transfer from the airport to the hotel. 

Suggestions

A great week!  Book it and enjoy !!

Most Inspirational Moment

While all the Angkor temples were impressive, it has to be the day we went to Angkor Wat and finished off with the late afternoon / evening trip to the Tonle Sap lake and its floating villages and shops. Awe-inspiring ancient monuments plus river people, wildlife and a marine diversion as a pleasant change from pedalling.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader 'Joe' was not only very friendly but impressively well-organised, telling us in advance about the day's itinerary, when the stops involved and the details of restaurants and laundry facilities, for example. He was always mindful of the differing fitness and abilities of our diverse group.

Advice for Potential Travellers

1 - consider investing in a gel saddle and/or padded shorts, particularly if you're not a regular cyclist.2 - make sure you take on board enough fluids and snacks at the rest stops. And reapply sunscreen.3 - get the support team to help you adjust your saddle height and other details bike before starting out.4 - take it at your own pace - the group will naturally spread out and there are plenty of stops.5 - make sure you have a capacious memory card (or plenty of film), there are numerous photo opps.

Suggestions

For most people this is a once-in-a lifetime trip, so enjoy it! Having said that, it can be a little demanding on occasion (depending on the time of year), so try to do some training in preparation to better do so. And take care on Vietnam's slightly more interesting road surfaces....

Most Inspirational Moment

To see the economical development is a bonus on top of seeing all the fantastical historc sites.   

Thoughts on Group Leader

The best we could have wished for. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go to incredible India and spend your money there directly, benefitting to locals rather than giving it to aid organisations who loose so much money before it reaches the locals.   

Suggestions

Do not miss India and Rajastan during your life time.

Most Inspirational Moment

Making it all the way to the top of the hills on the day in the mountains without getting off to walk, finally arriving at that amazing hotel in the middle of nowhere, and then swimming under the waterfalls at sunset.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Laz was, quite simply, the best Exodus leader I've met. You could tell instantly that he's passionate about his country, his job and cycling (and, like any Cuban, baseball!). He was very well organised, his local and historical knowledge were first class, he never tired of answering questions about Cuba, the trip itself, and his personal life, and he was sociable and friendly without being overbearing. He also understood very well the different personalities in the group and was always ready to listen and help when issues arose.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take plenty of Imodium (most of our group needed it at some stage) and keep some loo roll with you at all times. Try to keep hold of small change for toilets and tips - you may also find it difficult to get rid of large bank notes in some places. Take an MP3 player if you want a bit of inspiration to get you up the big hills or for some of the long stretches when you find yourself on your own, and also for some of the longer bus transfers. Take enough money in UK sterling to see you through the trip (and a bit extra in case) - it's much easier and cheaper to change bank notes than to use a debit or credit card to get money, though it's possible in the larger places. If you're not a fan of plain food, take a bottle of hot sauce with you to liven up some of the dishes, especially if you're vegetarian. Take plenty of high factor suncream and SPF lipbalm - several of us managed to lose our lipbalms along the way and ended up with very sunburnt lips! We never found a shop that sold lipbalm although you can get suncream in the bigger hotels. I found it useful to have a thin long-sleeved top to cycle in one day when I had sunburnt arms. Above all, go on this trip with a very open mind - be prepared for the unexpected (random power cuts, lack of hot water or indeed any water, last minute changes to plan). There'll be a few pleasant surprises along the way as well. Brush up on your salsa skills as there'll be plenty of opportunity to try them out - knowing just a few steps will really help!

Suggestions

The local guides (and their families) will be very grateful for any donations of cycling kit (water bottles, helmets, cycle shorts, gloves), other clothing, toiletries etc at the end of the trip, whatever condition it's in (even if filthy after your cycling) - so when packing, you might want to consider if there's anything you want to use on the trip and then give away at the end. Also I'd recommend older clothing for cycling in rather than your shiny new stuff - if it rains you'll probably never get the mud and gunk out afterwards! Also I wish I had packed a couple of nice outfits for the evenings when we went dancing and so on, I just had shorts and a boring skirt, and my trekking sandals, and felt a bit frumpy compared to all the locals! Be prepared for a fair bit of time spent on the bus as there are quite a lot of transfers - miore cycling and fewer transfers would have been nice but they are more or less unavoidable. Also be prepared to cycle in a lot of headwind (although it's never cold) - you do get used to it pretty quickly and if you're lucky you may get a couple of days of tailwind too!

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking across a frozen lakeGluwein in the mountain hostellersThe snowy walk through the forest

Thoughts on Group Leader

The tour leader was great. He had some interesting facts and an interesting sense of time and distance! These kept us all entertained and going.I had total confidence in him.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Fill your flasks at the breakfast table from the breakfast tea/coffee otherwise it will cost from 2 euros up to 8 euros for your flask each day.

Suggestions

I would happliy recommend the group leader, hotel and walking holiday all separately together a truly memorable experience.