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.

Simply use the selector below to search our trip reviews and start reading real feedback from real Exodus travellers who have ‘been there and done that’!

Lots of our clients also like to post handy tips and advice about their travels. It’s great to know what to expect on an Exodus adventure before you go, so make the most of their experience and you’ll make the most of yours!

Haven’t posted your review yet? Here’s how to do it…

Once you return from your Exodus adventure holiday, you will be emailed a link to add your review. Any feedback collected is posted onto our website, totally unedited.

Alternatively you can navigate to the relevant trip page and add your review via the Reviews tab.

Select a trip specific review:

Select

330 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

David Jordan

Reviewed January 2019

Review of A week in Jordan trip

This is my third trip with Exodus and overall I have to say that it was a great experience – with lots of variety and some fantastic highlights.

Most Inspirational Moment

Definitely Petra - the best thing about this trip is that there is two whole days in Petra and your really need it as the place is VAST!!! With this trip you get to see huge areas of the lost city - especially away from the crowds around the Siq and the Treasury - we basically had the place to ourselves - and it really added to the experience. I do acknowledge it was the low season and we were lucky with the weather! Indeed, the blue skies and cool temperatures (15c) helped make it very pleasant to do the all walking and climbing steps - there is a fair bit of walking involved around Petra! The highlights for me was walking down the Siq to the Treasury - its very length created real anticipation which was rewarded by the final view of the treasury!! Also the trek up to the Place of High Sacrifice was incredible - again a little of the beaten track so devoid of any crowds apart from our group. Another highlight was the roman city of Jarash - I thought it would just be a few interesting ruins but it really exceeded my expectations - it is vast and very well preserved - and again due to the time of year we had the place pretty much to ourselves - which was great for taking photos!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Issa - was a great tour guide - very professional and if you asked him for something...be it an ATM, a toilet break, Pharmacy he would make it his priority. He had a great knowledge and love of the country and went out of his way to show it. I should also mention the bus driver Admed - who also great at his job and very careful on the roads (unlike some past travel experiences I have had). Despite his limited English he was also very friendly and courteous, easy going and had a great sense of humour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Overall I would say definitely go.... but when you do keep in mind the follow issues: - Be prepared for long days (leaving the hotel at 8pm -so really up before 7am) - this is needed particularly in the winter as it gets dark in Jordan at 4.30 pm and lots of sites close at sunset. -I'd advice people to bring some snacks, cereal bars etc as the days are long and you stop at a lot of places to buy snacks which are ridiculously over priced for the country - for example I was charged between 1 and 1.50 dinar for a Mars Bar in a touristy type service station but paid 0.3 dinar for one in Amman in a regular shop. - Bring sandals to wear into the Dead Sea - I cut the bottom of my foot pretty badly on the extremely sharp salt crystals on the seabed - this caused me a lot of grief in the subsequent days when I was hiking for long periods.

Joanne Hart

Reviewed December 2018

Perfect Petra

A very interesting week, lots to do and some amazing places to see….

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking through the souk and walking out to see the Treasury

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was good and friendly and knowledgeable. I did feel that we could have had longer at certain places and I felt rushed on a couple of occasions to get to the hotel. When we were at Aqaba we only had 3 hours at the resort and this wasn’t long enough to relax properly... we had to eat lunch all together on a set menu and I think we could have got our own lunch when we wanted it and then we had to leave at 2pm and go to our hotel with nothing to do in the afternoon. We should have stayed at the resort for the day or been given the option to get a taxi back to the hotel.... I also felt our time at the Citidel in Amman was rushed - there wasn’t enough time to walk around the site which is disappointing as we could have stayed much longer. The Citidel is incredible

Advice for Potential Travellers

Book the trip - you won’t be disappointed... But I’d say get a taxi back to the hotel and stay at the seaside resort in Aqaba all day....

Andrew Thomas

Reviewed November 2018

A delightful Week in Jordan

With short winter days in November there is a lot packed into this week – the early starts are worth it though. Travel arrangements in Jordan went well – even with a large group of 20 it never seemed as if we were rushed anywhere. The remains of the city of Jerash visited on our first day were impressive (those Romans got around).
The Dead Sea was a novelty but either side of our ‘private’ beach was a lot of rubbish. On the whole Jordan is not a ‘picturesque’ country – they have a huge challenge ahead with the amount of plastic waste strewn across the countryside everywhere – roadsides, fields, olive groves etc etc are all littered with the remains of plastic bottles and bags – they seem to be blind to it.
That said, the fantastic highlights of the trip – Petra and Wadi Rum – both superlative world class sites (and with a huge number of visitors) were not littered – so it is possible!
The two days in Petra are worth the whole trip alone – a spectacular and huge site (wear comfortable shoes or boots) but you quickly loose the large crowds after the Siq and the Treasury.
The drives through the desert and night spent in the tented camp in Wadi Rum also provided really amazing memories. Dramatic sand blasted scenery and sweeping sand dunes had us all humming the Lawrence of Arabia theme tune.

Most Inspirational Moment

Climbing up to 'The Monastery' at Petra - 850+ steps but worth them all - lots of chances to get coffee or tea (and buy a souvenir) from local Bedouin stalls on the way. The quieter climb up to the the 'High Place of Sacrifice' also makes an excellent circular loop away from the main valley but still passes some spectacular tombs and caves (they are everywhere). Great views across the whole valley from the tops.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Issa our group leader was great - he really did make the trip a success. Very enthusiastic, with great organisation and local knowledge he is a great ambassador for his country. He made sure everyone had what they needed by way of ATM stops, toilet breaks and chose good restaurants for lunch or supper (not always easy for a group of 20) explaining the menus and ensuring there were always vegetarian options where wanted.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you usually use a walking pole over uneven ground consider taking it for Petra (I was pleased I did). Take warm clothes, a torch and a small towel for the desert trip. The bus travelled with large water bottles on board - so you just need your own bottle to fill every day. Just go - its a great trip

J S

Reviewed November 2018

What a fascinating country

A full itinery with a wide range of things to see, do and contemplate.

Most Inspirational Moment

Petra

Thoughts on Group Leader

Provided a safe environment for us.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It seemed like we got the less well positioned rooms; facing busy roads and in the basement with the noise of the restaurant starting at 6.30 am overhead. Ask to be moved. I does work sometimes.

May Chapman

Reviewed November 2018

Been back for two weeks and am still floating back to the desert!

We had planned to visit Jordan on our own but in the end decided to go with a group. This undoubtedly was the right decision as there is lots to see and learn about. Our wonderful, enthusiastic guide made this so easy and accessible. I have always wanted to see Petra but did not have any clue about all the other treats that were in store………the huge Roman city at Jerash, mount Nebo and the unforgettable Kings Highway. And more, and more…..everyday full of delight and rich photo opportunities. The landscape is truly stunning. The desert is spectacular……seen one desert and you have seen them all? No way, this scenery was quite different from the other three desert experiences I have had and it offered the very best starscape as the night was so clear. Beautiful. Have snorkelled quite a bit as well, and the afternoon at the Red Sea was up there with the best. Warm water, easily accessible from a jetty.

Most Inspirational Moment

Impossible to pick on one moment so I won't. Approaching the Treasury at Petra is very exciting. The path is so narrow and after a fairly long walk, there it is, the glorious carving of the Treasury, still with details after 2,000 years. On we walked, enjoying the huge scale of the city. Another exciting moment after a long walk is seeing the Monastery with a carved facade just as impressive as the Treasury. It was great having two whole days to get to know this place a bit. In Amman there is also a Citadel, big scale Roman remains on a hill. Lovely to see the sunset from up there, whilst hearing the call to prayer resonating around the busy car packed city below.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Eddy was great, an excellent raconteur with a lovely sense of humour. He shared his knowledge and love of his country throughout our trip. I think he took us slightly off piste a few times. In Petra we took tea with an elderly man who was born in his cave there, and still lives there, the last and only resident of the city when it was emptied out of its residents to make way for tourists in the 1980's. He refused to leave. A wonderful character. We also had a fun time at the spice shop in Aquaba. Eddy and the owners seemed to be the best of friends but what was great for us was that we were able to taste a lot of the products and taste the tea. It was all so fresh compared with the stuff we get here. We bought rather a lot and the Jordanian tea with sage has already been enjoyed by some friends.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Prepare to be overcome by the awesome scenery. Take sandals that can get wet in the Dead and Red Seas and embrace the absence of alcohol. Learn how to tie a scarf round your head......functional and fun!

Charlotte Ainge

Reviewed November 2018

Amazing trip can’t recommend it enough

Well organised, stress free and great itinerary with an amazing tour guide. If ever you was thinking about seeing Petra, this trip is the way to do it.

Most Inspirational Moment

The overnight stay in the Bedouin camp, we had a meal prepared for us out of a sand pit, and sat by a log fire underneath the stars in wadi rum. Absolutely incredible.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Aladdin was amazing, super friendly and nothing was ever too much trouble. He was very informative and really passionate about the history and heritage of his country. He honestly made our trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just to make the most of the optional extras on the trip. We done Petra by night and that was well worth seeing. The camel ride was fun and another tick off the bucket list. Aladdin also recommended Petra kitchen, where you get to cook your own Jordanian meal. After a long day walking it’ll be the last thing you want to do but if you push yourself it was a great evening with some of the best food we’d had the whole holiday- and bonus you get the recipes too.

Nick Bebb

Reviewed November 2018

First Exodus trip

Being solo this was my first time taking a group holiday and it was great.
Nice people who all made me welcome and a fantastic trip.
Jordan was a real eye opener with lots of WOW factors.
The tour guide was a great guy and couldnt do enough for the group.
If i could change anything about the trip it would be to have an additional day at Aqaba which looked like a great city.
No words i can write can describe seeing Petra for the first time.

Most Inspirational Moment

Petra. Aqaba.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Top man - Eddie

Advice for Potential Travellers

Enjoy

Bhavika Halai

Reviewed November 2018

Excellent trip to Jordan

Overall a great trip to Jordan. Lots of adventure, culture and a great experience. Jordan is a beautiful country with friendly people. Our tour guide, Eddie is very passionate and knowledgeable about his country and we were very happy with his service.

Most Inspirational Moment

Petra.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very passionate and enthusiastic

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be sure to take yourself a torch for the night in the Bedouin camp and clothes to wrap up warm Inthe winter weather.

Sarah Robinson

Reviewed October 2018

Great holiday, but communication could have been improved

The week was very enjoyable and there was a lot to see and it was a very varied itinerary.

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting Petra and seeing the Treasury for the first time.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alaa was clearly very knowledgeable about the history of Jordan and the sites that we visited. He was very friendly and helpful if you asked him a question. He gave us the opportunity to see the sites by ourselves once he had given us an overview, which was good and made the holiday feel less rushed. The main issue I had with him was that there were a number of occasions with poor communication. For example: - He said that Dead Sea mud products were expensive at the Dead Sea resort but cheaper at a shop we stopped at later, but this was not the case and the price difference was substantial. - He didn't explain that it was possible to buy Dead Sea mud at the Dead Sea from vendors on the seafront and therefore that we should take money with us down to the sea shore, rather than put it all in the lockers 5 minutes walk away. - There was confusion about whether we needed to pack a separate bag when staying at the Bedouin tent, but our main bags were brought to the camp anyway, despite being told this was not the case. - At the Red Sea resort it was not explained that there were other options for food, rather than just paying the 11JD for the group buffet. It would have been nice to have had the opportunity to try different foods rather than just the standard bread, hummus, meat skewers etc. - We stopped at a shop during one of the drives, and Alaa didn't explain why he got out but we couldn't. However, these were minor issues and the vast majority of the week was very well organised and planned.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Have fun - it's a fantastic and fascinating country. Bring some comfy shoes for Petra.

Sally Bruce

Reviewed October 2018

A Week in Jordan

Highlight was night in the desert. Trek round Petra also very good. Trip to Aqaba seemed a bit superfluous. Maybe cancel that and have two nights in desert camp instead?
Plumbing in hotels variable in efficiency. Likewise air-conditioning on buses.
Attempt to reduce use of plastic bottles laudable but unfortunately we found that we needed more than our own flask-full of water when leaving the coach for expeditions which meant we ended up buying plastic bottles as well. Could suggest having water ‘on tap’ in the hotel foyers as well as on the coach?

Most Inspirational Moment

Night in the desert

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was very conscientious, considerate and polite.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take lots of loose, comfortable long-sleeved garments, not your best clothes!

Prev 1 … 9 10 11 12 13 … 33 Next