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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14002 Reviews
4.7 out of
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Reviews
Denise Schlachter
Reviewed October 2024
Beautiful Scenery Along South Africa's Garden Route
This was a wonderful tour showcasing the beautiful scenery along the coast from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town. Accommodation was great throughout our tour other than a very musty cabin at Storms River, however, the scenery there was stunning. Petro was a wonderful guide …was well organized and had excellent people and communication skills. The knowledge she shared of her country along the way including the names of numerous animals and birds was really appreciated. Highlights for me included: Schotia Game Drive, our stay at De Rust that included home cooked meals, and finishing with Table Mountain, Boulders Beach, and Cape of Good Hope in Cape Town. I had done a Langa Township tour prior to our tour starting and didn’t do the one organized by Exodus, however, I’d recommend doing this type of half day tour as well as it shows you a different perspective.
Celia Murray
Reviewed October 2024
Perfection in the olive groves of Andalucia
A perfect blend of gentle walks, amazing views and accommodation that felt like a private house party.
Most Inspirational Moment
Every day was inspiring but the views on our last day of walking around the Penon Crag where impressive as Michael was able to point out all the areas we had walked in earlier in the week. A lovely touch which rounded off the whole trip.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Michael is an outstanding, experienced leader, so knowledgeable on so many levels and, most importantly, able to pass on that knowledge in an enthusiastic and fun way.
Advice for Potential Travellers
It's a classic trip that should be on everyone's bucket list. The terrain is rough at times so walking boots are recommended and bring your walking poles if you are used to using them. Some walks are exposed and we had hot days even in early October so bring your sunscreen, sunhats , a long sleeved shirt and at least 2 water bottles. Also don't forget the insect repellent as you'll want to sit out for dinner on the amazing terrace every evening you can and watch the sun go down.
Philip Murray
Reviewed October 2024
Great week in Southern Portugal
Really fantastic food on this trip. Excellent lunches organised by the tour company – almost too much food but it was all delicious especially the Octopus. Loved the cafe stops for coffee and cake with the many Portuguese pastry options. Scenery along the coast was stunning but this is a relatively small proportion of the cycling. Most of the cycling is on inland off-road gravel tracks with some on quiet roads. I did enjoy the cycling and for me riding more off road was great fun. Hotels were generally of a good standard – the setubal school was exceptional. Hotel vila park bathroom a bit run down. The Aldeia da Pedralva was very rustic (some folk will like this and some may not). Bikes of really good quality and well suited to the terrain. If the option was available I’d have given this trip 4.5 stars.
Most Inspirational Moment
Cycling beside the cliffs
Thoughts on Group Leader
Riccardo was excellent.
Sonja Mobbs
Reviewed October 2024
Incredible History and Sights
The vast timeline of history on this trip was truly amazing. Many of the archeological sites we visited were in breathtaking locations. I was in awe the entire tour. Even the times we were driving from one location to the next was amazing as the landscape is so beautiful.
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing the old theatres, sitting in the stands and imagining what life felt like during these times. Oh and running on the original Olympic track of course!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Maria has a large and incredible knowledge of the sites we visited - we were able to ask intricate questions and receive an in depth response.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Brush up on your ancient Greek history before the tour - this will allow you to truly appreciate the sites and artifacts you see.
Mandy Liebig
Reviewed October 2024
A Baltic Adventure That Stole My Heart
I honestly had no idea what to expect when I booked this cycling trip, but wow – what an absolute gem! The route took us to charming medieval towns, along stunning coastlines, and through peaceful national parks, showing us a side of these countries you’d likely otherwise miss. The absolute highlight for me was cycling Lithuania’s Lake District, where we pedaled past gorgeous lakes and through pine forests, discovering adorable wooden villages that looked straight out of a storybook. The unexpected moments made it unforgettable – like when our guide insisted we try this tiny restaurant that only served dried fish (I was skeptical), but it turned out to be the best meal of the entire trip. Every evening, our small group would gather over wine and local beer, laughing about the day’s adventures. From the incredible old town of Tallinn to tucked-away fishing villages, every day brought something new to discover, while the thoughtfully planned routes made the journey challenging yet incredibly rewarding. If you’re on the fence about this trip, just book it.
Marina Gilbourd
Reviewed October 2024
Interesting and captivating.
Well organized tour covering various aspects of Sicilian treasures, including history, archeology, architecture, urbane and village sites and nature parks. Our leader tried his best to “navigate “us in our free time. But I think additional envolvement of the local guides would benefit our exploration of the area more complete.
Most Inspirational Moment
Taormina sunset and landscape.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Tiziano is entertaining, enthusiastic and sharing his knowledge and love for Sicily. He used every chance to introduce us Sicilian traditions and especially food. Also he is accommodating to all needs of the group travellers.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Do your homework in advance before the trip to ask the right questions and remember the places you visit.
Miriam Zehavi
Reviewed October 2024
Tuscany Walks & Chianti Wines
A wonderful trip with a great group leader who went above and beyond to make sure we were all comfortable and well taken care of.
Most Inspirational Moment
Not really one moment for me. I loved the walks in beautiful Tuscany. The suppers we had together were really nice.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Jordan was amazing. He really went above and beyond to make sure we all had an amazing trip, which we did.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The number of kilometres each day was not a lot, but be ready to do up and down of hills - Tuscany is a beautiful mountainous region.
Barbara Thomas
Reviewed October 2024
Better than expected
This was quite a hectic trip with 1 night spent in each location (bar one)& quite a lot of driving in between. 2 days in particular involved hours of driving around winding mountain roads (I would advise taking sickness pills if you suffer from travel sickness. What a stunningly beautiful country! More mountainous than I expected. Food & drink was of very good quality & much cheaper than UK. The only hotel that let us & Exodus down, was Hotel Pogradec on Lake Ohrid…the breakfast was appalling & everyone complained. The hotel even had the nerve to charge for coffee (the tea on offer was awful). That particular hotel apart, the service & friendliness of the Albanians was wonderful. Quite A wide variety of places/sites visited, from Churches, Castles to Museums, Archaeological parks & more. The whole country was more advanced (if I can use that term) than expected, especially places like Gjirokaster, Tirana & Berat. Overall, a very worthwhile country to visit.
Most Inspirational Moment
Hard to choose: The Lunch we had with a local family in their home in the beautiful high village. Apolonia & Butrint Ancient Sites,Gjirokaster, the view from the bridge in Permet & when at the top of the mountains generally. Just the views!!!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Edjon was quite a character..a walking history book on Albania! However, sometimes all that travellers need is a simple bullet point answer from a question & Edjon didnt seem to 'get' that. Some of his talks were v long speeches with too much info so in the end you dont absorb anything. I cant identify with recent Reviews here with regard to Ed socialising with the group as the only meal Ed had with us was the final evening & that was q brief. However that could be down to Group dynamics or it being the end of a long season.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Pack lightly as you are moving every morning. Be prepared for a couple of days long drives. Take GBP & change them into LEK when there (you cant buy LEK in the UK). Most places take cards & Euros but you need local currency as well. If you're not very mobile then it's essential to take a walking pole for 1 of the walks (which is really a hike uphill).
Rachael Davey
Reviewed October 2024
A challenge but certainly worthwhile
The majority of the walking days followed the same pattern:
Walk for approx 1.5-2 hours then stop for a coffee
Walk for approx 2 hours then stop for lunch
On the longer days we stopped for a coffee/break in the afternoon too.
The trip notes are reasonably accurate with their description of the route and the activity times – this is the time walking, the days are linger when you factor in stops. On warmer days we took longer, on the rainy/cooler days we tended to be a little quicker. Day 6 of walking (day 7 of the trip) the walk is a bit longer than expected. It is about 30 minutes to the harbour but once you get off the boat it was about another 4km to the hotel via Padron.
Pay attention to the packing list – on the early days of the walk when we were in Portugal the route was flatter and you could probably get away with trainers but from day 3 of walking (day 4 of the trip) walking boots are an advantage due to the terrain. A good waterproof coat is definitely needed as we got rained on alot. I used a single walking pole for support on the downhill sections from day 3 of walking onwards.
You will stay in a mix of hotels – some were very good, others were definitely more on the cheaper side. We also really struggled to get food at a decent time in two of the Spanish hotels as the restaurants weren’t open for hot food until 9pm and there was nothing else open nearby any earlier – after a long day of walking we all wanted an earlier meal and an early night.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Alfonso was great, he organised the transfers well and on days when we walked quicker than expected always tried to bring forward transfers if he could. On most days he managed to get lunch time and evening meals booked when he could so we didnt have to wait for a table big enough for the group.
Advice for Potential Travellers
If you have allergies/dietary requirements take some food with you. Some of the lunch stops weren't very good for me (gluten free), on the first day of walking we stopped for lunch at a pizzeria that served me a salad with croutons despite asking for them to be left out. The supermarkets in the bigger towns had a good variety of food and drink available so I carried wraps I had made after that to make sure I got enough food.
Most places will take card payments but we did come across a few smaller coffee shops while walking that only took cash. Having cash also makes settling up group meals alot easier (we stopped for lunch in one place that didn't let us split the bill).
All of the hotels except one (the Casa Rural) had lifts, there were sometimes waits to use them as they were small but you can definitely take a suitcase as you aren't walking far with your bags.
Having a sim card that will work for Portugal and Spain was definitely an advantage. After day 1 the group tended to split up while walking as we all walked at different speeds. We set up a whatsapp group so we could share photos but it was also useful for the guide to post links to where were stopping for food/coffee and regroup and on the odd occassion the route split into two he could let us know which path to take. The camino route is very well marked so even when we split up it was easy to know which way to walk.
Take something to keep your camino passport in to keep it safe from the rain (available to buy from Porto Cathedral - our guide took us there after we got to the hotel). There is little time to explore Porto unless you have an early flight on the day you arrive, if you want to see the city arrive a day or two earlier or go back there at the end of the trip. We stayed in Porto for a couple of days - that was all you really needed to see the city.
You will arrive in Santiago on Saturday afternoon - we had enough time to check in, shower and change and be back at the cathedral for pilgrim mass. Get there early if you want a seat, we got into the cathedral 45 minutes before mass started and only just got seats. There will be a large queue to get in. Also worth noting that you cannot enter the cathedral with a backpack. The 7.30pm mass was a full service which lasted approx an hour. The fumiares is brought out right at the end of the service so make sure you stay til the end if you want to see it (it is not used for every service so you are lucky if you see it). They also close the doors once the service starts to stop people coming in and you cannot walk around the cathedral whilst the mass is happening.
Kasia Morgan
Reviewed October 2024
Stunning Catalan coastlines
Stunning coastal paths, delicious Catalan food and wine and a fantastic tour leader who was brilliant at tailoring the experiences to our various preferences. Our trip included a variety of different experiences – from hiking beautiful coastal paths, to spotting exotic birds in a nature reserve, to wine tasting at an architecturally-renowned winery, to exploring Dali’s weird and wonderful summer house.
Most Inspirational Moment
Swimming in a beautiful secluded little bay at the end of a memorable day of walking to Spain's most North-Easterly point.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Fantastic - he was from the area so knew the hiking paths and local wildlife like the back of his hand and was able to recommend a number of brilliant local restaurants. He was also great at adjusting the plan each day to suit our various needs and preferences.
