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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75 Reviews

4.5 out of 5

StJohn Mound

Reviewed January 2022

Outstanding guide

This was my first ever ‘group’ walking holiday. The whole trip was well planned and organized, and the group leader and guide (Gizer) was simply excellent. I found the group travel refreshingly sociable after the lockdowns and social distancing we have all been through.

Most Inspirational Moment

The view out to the peninsula from the top of Kantara Castle.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Apart from knowing the ancient and modern history of the places we visited very well, Gizer catered for all tastes; whatever your diet or allergies; whenever you fancied a meal without the group. Not only was he most courteous, but he also has an excellent sense of humour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The service in The Pia Bella was good. The rooms were spacious and clean. Breakfast, the bar, and the local food in particular were good. The pre-arranged Christmas dinner was the least interesting. But most evenings we ate out as a group anyway. It’s worth knowing that the only coffee worth drinking should be ordered at the bar, and you should ask the breakfast cook to make you your choice of eggs because the prepared scrambled eggs are not worth it. A decent cappuccino is very cheap at 20 Lire. This is the least expensive county where I have eaten out for longer than I care to look back. Angora Kavaklidere red wine is very cheap and reasonably drinkable. Cankaya (pronounced ‘Chankaya’) Kavaklidere at 13.5% is a strong white wine and tastes even better quality for the same low price. Make sure you leave the food you can’t eat, or you will make yourself sick. Its good, but there is far too much of it.

Maureen Pinder

Reviewed January 2022

A lovely Christmas in North Cyprus

After nearly 2 years stuck in the UK, I was so desperate to get away that I was prepared to take all the stressful Covid tests/paperwork on the chin in order to travel. So I went Walking in North Cyprus over Christmas, and it was lovely. The Hotel Pia Bella in Kyrenia was lovely, and the staff were great – friendly and funny. Gizer was a great guide – very experienced and competent, with lots of historical knowledge. This was a leisurely/moderate grade holiday, and the walking was fairly easy most days, apart from a scrambly section on the St. Hilarion day – good boots necessary! The trip was a good mix of walking and culture – the 4 castles and the Armenian monastery were all very interesting. I did the 2 extra trips to Famagusta, and Nicosia. I liked them both, but the ancient city of Salamis (near Famagusta) was probably my highlight. The weather was bright and sunny, with only one wet afternoon. But it was a bit cooler than most of us had expected, with a chill wind at times. Hat and gloves recommended. No one was tempted by the hotel pool or the sea!

Most Inspirational Moment

Salamis, which I'd never heard of before.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Gizer was a very good leader - experienced and calm, approachable and knowledgeable.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The paths are a little bit rough in places, so boots are essential, and you might want to use sticks. I did use my waterproof trousers once in the week. Late December can be cool - my swimming costume and sandals stayed in the suitcase. Eating out is pretty cheap, so you don't need loads of Turkish lira. Try to bring printouts of the various Covid documents you need - we had no wifi as we crossed the border into North Cyprus, so the TRNC app I'd uploaded things to didn't work. Printed is safer. But Gizer is around to help.

Mary Muir

Reviewed September 2021

Loved it!

I am just back from an amazing week in North Cyprus as part of a lovely group, and led by fantastic guide, Gizer.
This trip is an interesting combination of walking and history which I very much enjoyed. It was very hot at times; one of my highlights was swimming in the Mediterranean at the end of a long walk from Kantara on day 4. We all went on the optional trip to Famagusta – this was well worth while.
We also very much enjoyed the local food and drink in the evenings!

Katy MacDonald

Reviewed June 2019

Fabulous

North Cyprus is an overlooked destination. The history, castles and scenery are amazing.
The walks are of reasonable difficulty due to the terrain, and for May the heat made it worse, but a fabulous holiday nonetheless.

Most Inspirational Moment

The castles built into the mountains with all round views.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Water can be collected at breakfast so take enough bottles for a day plus one to leave in the room fridge. Gluten free diet was catered for but you have to double check everything as it is not well understood. I was served cous cous after they did a special GF starter for me... The walks can be done in trainers. My boots were delayed for 2 days by BA and I managed the most technical one in my trainers. Walking poles definitely help.

Deborah Longland

Reviewed May 2019

A wonderful week walking in Northern Cyprus

This was my first trip with Exodus having traveled many times with some of the competitor companies, and I was not disappointed. From start to finish the trip was wonderfully organised, problems which cropped up handled very well and everyone on the trip was well considered by our tour leader.
A great base in Kyrenia from which to explore the island with some simply lovely walks high up in the mountains.
The optional excursions were well planned and interesting and I took full advantage of these too.
I would highly recommend the trip and hope to return to undertake another excursion with Exodus in the not too distant future.

Most Inspirational Moment

The longest day walking was on the Thursday where we did a 600 step up walk to see the island from 3000 feet up, 600 steps down followed by a fairly challenging 4.5 hour walk. Beautiful scenery, interesting plants, wonderful views and a slightly faster paced walk than on other days. The optional trip to Famagusta was super as we stopped along the way to see old roman ruins, a monastry and then our tour of the old city. Well paced, interesting and lots of fun.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Gizer is a lovely man, very knowledgable in respect of history, plants, nature, the environment and the island which is his home. A considerate person as we were of mixed ages and abilities. He certainly made the trip fun and enjoyable for all. A great ambassador for Exodus.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If people have knee, hip or joint problems then they will most likely struggle as some on our trip did. Not sure why some came along as it clearly was difficult for them and then this is tiring for others who have to wait, often in the heat. The days we went out in smaller groups, as some opted not to go, for me were better as we were all of the same ability.

Leslie Smith

Reviewed April 2019

Wonderful experience!

We enjoyed an interesting week of hiking and learning with a fantastic guide, Gizer, and a very friendly group. The distances and terrain were different each day and all very interesting and well thought out. Late March is a terrific time to go as not too hot and an abundance of wildflowers in bloom. Our guide was a true professional and we feel went above and beyond to make our trip interesting and enjoyable. The extent of his knowledge in all things, flora, fauna, history, and food was so helpful. The staff at the center based hotel was excellent, as was the food! The history and beauty of North Cyprus is not to be missed. We’re so glad we went!

Most Inspirational Moment

Can’t pick just one moment. It seemed every day we saw something more beautiful and learned something more interesting than the day before. I guess THE most inspiration came from learning the history of this country, particularly in recent years, and to see both North and South living in apparent harmony.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent! Could not have asked for a better guide! Also would like to give props to our driver. We always felt safe with him at the wheel.

Advice for Potential Travellers

GO!! You will not regret it!

Helaine Selin

Reviewed February 2019

Interesting

I was happy to go to a place that is pretty much free of tourists, certainly in February. The hotel was lovely, the food was good and the walks were scenic if not too varied. At least one was really a bit more than moderate. The guide, Gizer, was fantastic, filling us with more than enough information about everything. North Cyprus has an interesting and pretty sad history.

Most Inspirational Moment

I think I liked Salamis, on our day off!

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was knowledgeable and careful with all of us.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I would say it's not leisurely but quite moderate as a rating. Nothing difficult though.

Mark Sargeant

Reviewed January 2019

Super week's walking in North Cyprus

An excellent week’s walking in North Cyprus with a great group and a superb guide.

The guide’s commentary on the history of the sights we saw including the ancient castles, churches, mosques, monastries really added to the trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

The views of the island from the ancient castles, gorgeous scenes of the coast and island environment

Thoughts on Group Leader

Gizer was a superb guide and represents the very best of Exodus guides. He managed the pace of the walks superbly (no mean feat given that there were 16 in the group), gave very insightful commentary on the sights we saw including history, fauna and flora and was an extremely engaging and helpful chap - his recommendations for dinner in town were very good.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go! This is an excellent walking trip and the addition of the guide's commentary on the sights we saw really was a bonus. Christmas is good time to walk given that it is warmer in Cyprus than almost any other part of Europe. Consider staying on for a few extra days in the South of the island to get a full flavour of the country. The optional trips to Famagusta and Salamis were very good.

Mark Sargeant

Reviewed January 2019

Excellent walking in North Cyprus

An excellent week walking exploring North Cyprus at Christmas with a very pleasant and friendly group. This is not just a walking trip for you get an excellent overview of the history of the ancient castles, monastries etc that you see that really adds to the quality of the holiday.

A very good variety of walks across different landscapes but mostly having views of the sea – expertly led by a superb guide.

Most Inspirational Moment

Any view of the isalnd (north and south) from the three ancient castles we walked to.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Gizer was a superb guide and represents the best kind of leader Exodus regularly has on its books. He expertly led the pace of the walks (no mean feat with 16 in the group), provided very interesting commentary on the history of the places we were walking, the fauna and flora, and gave some fine recommendations for dinner. Top class.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go on the optional Salamis & Famagusta tour, very good. Christmas is a great time of year to go with the sun shining (most of the time!) and temperatures much better than home and pretty much anywhere else in Europe. Consider spending a few extra days in the South to enjoy all of the island.

Mavis WIlliams

Reviewed December 2018

Fantastic walks, amazing scenery, great food and a fantastic guide

Walking in North Cyprus was a lovely surprise. The trip was very well organised by Exodus and we had a fantastic guide called Gizer who was very knowledgeable, kind and professional. The trip was a hotel based walking trip at Christmas time. The weather on the whole was perfect for walking and showing off the amazing scenery. (just one afternoon of rain) The walks were varied, quite tough at times but very rewarding. We mostly visited castles and monasteries during the walks. The hotel was a good standard with nice big rooms and very friendly staff. The group were amazing and inspirational. The Guide was fantastic and organised great restaurants with really good food at very reasonable prices for us all. He was the perfect host to show off this beautiful part of the world and he ensured all of us enjoyed our holiday.

Most Inspirational Moment

The walks and amazing scenery. The Manastir abbey was one of my favourite places so pretty and peaceful. The lunch spot on the walk on day 5 was amazing and will live long in the memory. Oh yes and the christmas eve dinner - lots of dancing yay

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was excellent, going out of his way to make sure everyone was happy and enjoyed themselves. He was extremely knowledgeable about the history and area and had a calm easy manner which made the trip so enjoyable. I would describe him as the perfect exodus guide.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Ensure good walking boots as terrain can be a bit tricky. Layers are needed in the winter particularly in December when it can be all sunny, warm, cold or some rain.

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