Reviews

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

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14294 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Reviewed March 2013

COLOURS OF RAJASTHAN

Fabulous trip where you get to experience so many of the highlights of Rajasthan. We got to cover so much in a short space of time, a great introduction to India.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the Taj Mahal - so amazing to see it for real, a beautiful place.Udaipur - the hotel on the lake was an amazing setting, trying an authentic thali, getting stuck in a tuk-tuk traffic jam due to a wedding procession, the cultural show, the city palace - and of course the shopping!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Pancham was a good leader with lots of information and always there to help and advise. He did a great job of keeping a group of 16 organised and making sure we all got to see all the things we wanted to see.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The cultural show in Udaipur was an excellent show of Rajasthan music and dance - great value for money. The Bollywood movie was great fun.

Reviewed March 2013

KENYA & TANZANIA ADVENTURE

Good trip though not ‘Amazing’ as it could have been.

Most Inspirational Moment

The black rhino in Ngorongoro was really great to see, especially since there aren't that many of them left. The leopard cub in a tree was an unexpected (but very welcome ) viewing. The end of the migration in the Serengeti was one of the sights that I wanted to see and I was not disappointed.

Thoughts on Group Leader

She was alright but not in any way exceptional. When I asked why all the wildebeest we saw in the Serengeti were males she came up with some weird and (not so) wonderful explanation that all the females died giving birth!!!!! If that was the case then who raised the calves?? Surely the species would die out within a few years. My theory - while not neccessarily correct - that the females followed on when the younsters were a little stronger made much more sense.... She was good at spotting the animals as we were driving along but not always so knowledgeable when questions were asked.Also we were not made aware of where and when we could do laundry until we specifically asked to be told at every opportunity.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't stick too closely to what is said in the trip notes as they are not always correct. Do take mossie repellant, toilet rolls, a blowup pillow, binoculars (though you don't always get chance to use them due to the constant movement), a camera with a good zoom - I took a compact with a good zoom and it was perfectly adequate - you don't need to tote along massive lenses, a good head torch is essential and spare camera batteries as you can't always charge them, though most of the time recharging is available on the truck. Also make sure you have a good memory card or two as you will take hundreds of pictures and you don't want to be running out of memory or battery at that vital moment. You don't need a 3 season sleeping bag as the trip notes say but a good 2 season with liner is perfectly adequate. Also it does not get too cold in the mornings or evenings requiring coats etc but you will need a good fleece to ward off the chill on occasion though one is all you will need. It doesn't matter whether you wear bright colours or not as you are in the truck for pretty much all the game viewing, and besides, all animals except for birds, fish and apes are colour blind.You do not need to search out biodegradeable hand washing deregent with you as you don't really get the chance to do any washing and I just did mine in the shower with me. Likewise with shampoos - there are shower blocks everywhere so you do not have to get your water from rivers or lakes (even if these were available which they are not). A sun hat to me is an absolute must as the sun is very hot when walking round local markets. A large sarong or equivalent is a good idea as there is often nowhere to get dried after your shower so I just wrapped myself in my large sarong and went back to my tent to get dry instead of trying to hop about on one foot getting dressed in the cubicle while not getting your clothes wet.

Reviewed March 2013

ICELAND NORTHERN LIGHTS

An excellent short trip to Iceland, made unforgettable by being fortunate enough to see the Northern Lights only a few hours after arrival. But sorry not to have had a few hours available to explore the heart of Reykjavik which looked both interesting and charming.

Most Inspirational Moment

Undoubtably seeing the Northern Lights. We were so fortunate, as they appeared only a few hours after we arrived, before we'd even had chance to check-in to our hotel.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very good. With a pretty good command of English, and a decent sense of humour. Knowledgable and good company when relaxing over dinner in the evening.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take warm clothing - lots of it as you may well end up spending a long time standing about in the middle of the night waiting and wanting to see the Lights. Knowing that as soon as you decide to give up because you are too cold they will probably appear. Thermal socks, thermal gloves, a thermal hat and thermal underwear (despite being about as sexy as a cold shower) are essential. And a good pair of boots. Also, learn how to use your camera in the pitch darkness whilst wearing gloves to enable you to take night-time photos. Tip - wear an inner pair of light woolen gloves inside your thermal gloves, so that when you take your outergloves off to fiddle with your camera your fingers don't freeze. Alternatively, ask one of your travelling companions - the one with the expensive camera, tripod and all the kit - to emal his/her photos to you when you get back home. A couple of beers / glasses of wine will probably be sufficient to complete the deal. Then just enjoy.

Reviewed March 2013

CYCLING VIETNAM

Everything I’ve come to expect from Exodus. Excellent organisation, great hotels, fabulous food and the best guide yet. If you do this trip…..you want Chi as your leader!

Most Inspirational Moment

The 30k downhill was superb and surprisingly riding through the tail end of a monsoon gave a real energy boost. The freshness after 3 days of humidity was wonderful.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Chi organised the trip impeccably. He was fabulous and both him and his aides Nang, Can and Lee worked tirelessly to make the trip memorable and fun. This was my 8th trip and Chi was easily the best guide I’ve had.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Buy souvenirs when you see them. I was surprised at how localised items were. I saw a beautiful wooden bowl at one lunchstop (after the 30k downhill) and didn’t buy it because I assumed there would be more…there weren’t! also, at the top of the 10k hill you have to run the gauntlet of pearl bracelet sellers but these don’t appear elsewhere. Definitely buy something if you like it.The boat in Halong Bay was wonderful. In fact every night’s accommodation was of a far higher standard than I expected / have experienced on other trips.As mentioned by others, there was a delay in some of the groups luggage arriving. Make sure you carry at least one cycling outfit and one casual outfit in your hand luggage.Don’t go mad downhill! There are long transfers on the bus so take music/book/pillow.

Reviewed March 2013

CLASSIC VIETNAM & ANGKOR

It is far more jam packed than the itinerary would lead you to think. The places we stayed in were, in this order: Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hanoi, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Ho Chi Minh City, Siem Reap. Eight different beds in two weeks and a heck of a lot of walking, bus rides and three internal flights. Everything went extremely smoothly thanks to amazing organisation and a tour leader/guide who was extremely professional and capable.

Most Inspirational Moment

We'd done a fair amount of walking around Hanoi on a drizzly day when Nam (our group leader) realised that we probably wanted a break. Rather than go into a "normal" restaurant, we hunched down onto little plastic chairs within an alcove on the pavement of a back street where we were given rice spirits, herbal tea and puffs of tabacco out of a big, bubbling bong. The man providing the tea break looked like an elderly son of Ho Chi Minh, himself and despite his meagre business assets could not have been more cheerful and kindly towards us. This was an inspired idea from our group leader as I don't know if we, left to our own devices, would ever have stopped for a break at somewhere which appeared to be as rough as this place appeared. With Nam in attendance, we knew it would be good and in fact, it was one of many wonderful moments in the holiday.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Huge smile. Cheery upbeat nature. Thoughtful to our wellbeing and needs. Nam did everything he could to make our trip as smooth as it could possibly be. However, he didn't just take us to dozens of temples and tourist sites, he brought his personal history and experiences into the equation so that we received an insight into the people's history that was as deep as could be possible in the twelve days that we were with him. Getting to know Vietnam through Nam was a key part of the holiday. Our tour leader in Cambodia was a lovely chap and did a fine job of looking after us and making sure we were well catered for but his rough grip of English was such that it was difficult to gain much insightful information from him.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't have any worries about the internal flights. They were all less than an hour and took place from smallish airports where everything went amazingly smoothly and on time. Thanks to early starts and terrific organisation, the flights took very little out of our days. It was amazing to be able to jump from the different cultures and weather in the three different parts of the country. I'd been concerned about the food and the security. I'd imagined that we'd be eating all sorts of strange meats and little else. In fact, there were always chicken, beef and vegetarian options. You didn't have to eat snails, frog legs and squid. I had a dicky tummy on one of the days but I was the only one in our group of eleven who did. With regards security, every hotel room had a working safe. Personal safety was never an issue ... the Vietnamese seemed like a very honest, hard working, moral bunch. We were warned to be very careful in Ho Chi Minh City but didn't experience or hear of anything to worry us. Everything you hear about crossing the roads is true. It is unbelievable. You simply have to walk out into the sea of motorbikes and have faith that they won't run you over. It works but takes a heck of a lot of getting used to. Oh yes ... if you are ever asked if you want to go on an out-of-town cycle ride ... accept. Both the cycle rides we went on were wonderful. They were chances to get out into the beautiful countryside and receive a taste of village life.

Reviewed March 2013

AMALFI COAST: POMPEII & PIZZA - FAMILY HOLIDAY

What a great trip with lots to do and see! We managed to pack a lot into a week despite the less than clement weather we experienced. The hotel was great even if it doesn’t have 5 stars the family who run it are all fantastic and the food is AMAZING!

Most Inspirational Moment

The view from the top of Vesuvius was amazing especially as despite the snow & ice we managed to get up to the crater and enjoy the views in the very welcome sunshine whilst eating our delicious packed lunch!The Amalfi coast was beautiful in the snow and the coastline view from Ravello was stunning even as the rain came down like spaghetti!The kids 'cooking slots' in the kitchens were excellent and now my daughter is converted to gnocchi, a bonus!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Eduardo is a fantastic group leader and worked within the limitations that inclement weather and an 'off-peak' Italy threw us! His great knowledge of the area and people there helped enormously especially when we had our day in Naples! He took us around the narrow streets of Naples and we saw aspects of the Neapolitan way of life, even managing to get into the best pizza place in town without having to queue (pure fluke!).He took interest in all of us and even got the kids a football which certainly kept them entertained before supper each night. All in all a lovely guy who took great pride in this area and in ensuring we took away great memories of our trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring layers to cover all types of weather (though even the Italians were taken short by the snow!). Bring plenty of cash too as we seemed to spend quite a bit even though there weren't that many opportunities to spend it! Do try & visit Herculaneum as it's a gem even if you don't think you like archeology! We didn't use the audio guides but in hindsight maybe we should have. However, if that doesn't appeal then head into Naples which has the most amazing subterranean tunnels built by the Greeks plus the most amazing pizza place in town!

Reviewed March 2013

UNDISCOVERED ATLAS

A great week – was challenging without being tough and felt away from typical tourist sites. Despite a freak snow shower it was managed brilliantly, with a re-route organised and accommodation arranged in a village for one night. Great group and a fantastic guide – Abdulleh. I really felt like everything was done to just allow us to enjoy the walking, scenery… and amazing food! Exodus have recently changed the route slightly to use better campsites and I think this is a good idea – the campsites where all fantastic and in beautiful locations.

Most Inspirational Moment

It's hard to pick one... the re-route walk on the day of the snow was pretty special because we saw all range of weahter and it was a long day so getting to the village at the end was a real relief. Once the sun came out the colours and views became clearer and richer and it really felt like we had earned it! We went to Fatima's for tea (in one of the local villages) which was really interesting. I also did the traditional hammam in Tarroudant at the end which is one of the most authentic experiences I have had.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Abdulleh was amazing. He had the perfect balance of being funny, informative and in control. I felt like we were in really safe hands with someone who knew the moutains like the back of his hand. This was particulaly noticeable on the day we had to re-route!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring warm clothes for the evenings and water purification tablets as you can't buy water for most of the week. Also bring swim stuff for the (cold!) springs in the last campsite.

Reviewed March 2013

KENYA & TANZANIA ADVENTURE

Would have been much more enjoyable if we could have cut out long, dusty journey to Tanga and flown from Moshie to Zanzibar. This would have allowed us one more day to explore Serengeti. Would have been less tiring if we could have camped in same place for a few nights and explored in different directions from base.

Most Inspirational Moment

See the hippos play in the poolSaw black rhino and leopard.Awesome sunsets

Thoughts on Group Leader

O.K. but could have been more helpful with information about where laundry services were being offered.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for long, dusty days spent in a truck having an "African Massage" i.e. roads are very bumpy and full of craters.Be prepared for early morning starts and not having much time to write a journel until the very end.Be aware that you are on the move nearly every day and become very adept at pitching and packing up tent!!

Reviewed March 2013

FINNISH WILDERNESS WEEK

Such a beautiful winter paradise. Just point your camera in any direction and click.A great range of fun activities.

Most Inspirational Moment

The magic of the wonderland of the Oulanka national park. Husky sledding - the amazing snow scene - stunning sculpture-like landscape - the beautiful dogs.Cross country skiing - an achievement that I learned a few basics and managed to keep upright!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Martti gave clear instructions for all the activities and shared his knowledge and enthusiasm of the country with us throughout the week. He was well supported by all the centre staff team.All the staff provided over and above service to fit in everyone's needs and preferences eg for extra activities and timings.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It does work out quite expensive with the additional activities.However, if you want a special winter holiday, this is the one!

Reviewed March 2013

WALKING THE AMALFI COAST

This trip offers the perfect combination of walking, beautifuly scenery, heritage and sightseeing! The beautiful views of the Amalfi coastline, the charming and elegant atmosphere of Amalfi and Positano, the superbly cooked food of Hotel Le Due Torri are all highlights of this tour. Overall, the complete and various itinerary Exodus offers truly reveals the essence of Italy and of its natural, historic and culinary treasures! Not to be missed!

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking through the ruins of Pompeii felt like talking a trip back to the ancient and elegant Roman era: A truly inspirational moment followed by an exciting walk along the crater of Mount Vesuvius. The beauty of the sleeping (yet active) volcano is something that I haven't forgotten!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Christine's knolwedge of the local area was impressive... her passion and expertise contributed to make trip a very enjoyable experience for evryone. Her attention to detail, humour and positive and calm attitude make her a perfect group leader!

Advice for Potential Travellers

The terrain can be quite difficult in some of the walks. Walking poles can be helpful is some cases! Although other members of the group found some of the walks quite challenging, I believe they were all perfectly achievable with a minimun level of fitness. The pace is leisurely and lots of breaks are taken so the less fit walkers shouldn't worry!

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