Know what you want to do but flexible on where you want to go? Or maybe you have a burning desire to visit a certain country but need recommendations on how to spend your time there? Whether you’ve decided your travel preferences or not, we can help.
1) Walking or cycling the Austrian Lakes – From the base of a cosy lakeside property or a 4-star hotel in the town of Strobl, you’ll spend each day exploring the idyllic waters of Austria. Your activities will be flexible, with a choice of cycling and walking. Along the way, you’ll be able to visit the Mozart museum, take a cable car up the Zwölferhorn mountain and explore Salzburg’s fairy-tale Baroque palaces and Renaissance gardens.
2) Cycle Indochina & Angkor – After the ultimate biking holiday? The Indochina & Angkor cycling activity holiday takes you through three fascinating countries: Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. By bike, we’ll see the eucalyptus and tapioca fields of rural Thailand and, of course, the jungle-surrounded wonder of Angkor Wat and its network of ancient temples and moats. You’ll also cycle across the Vietnamese border and through the “rice bowl” of Vietnam, the Mekong Delta.
3) Canoeing on the Dordogne – Canoeing is a simultaneously active and relaxing way to see one of the most interesting waterways in France. After we’ve given you all the essential know-how for canoe-handling, you’ll be on your way, admiring golden-pink limestone cliffs, medieval chateaux and medieval villages. All your hotels are in lovely spots with their own swimming pools for you to unwind in.
4) Arctic Circle Aurora Adventure – This amazing winter adventure takes you to Sápmi (also known as Lapland). Picturesque, icy and remote, you’ll enjoy this region while hosted by two Sámi residents, learning about their way of life and looking out for the Northern Lights each night. Your holiday will be packed with winter activities such as dogsledding, snowshoeing and skiing in the forest.
5) Namibian Family Adventure – This family activity holiday (for age 9+) will take you to a landscape of rolling desert scenery and star-studded night skies untouched by city lights. We’ll watch the sun rise from one of the tallest sand dunes in the world and see desert elephants roam around Namibia’s highest mountain. We’ll get to many of our destinations by car, but there will be plenty of chances to walk amongst the scenery and try other activities, like sandboarding and quad biking across the sand dunes. You’ll never forget sights of classic African wildlife such as zebra, wildebeest, giraffes and lions!
There are all sorts of activity holidays you can go on abroad with Exodus. Whether your thing is trekking, canoeing, skiing or cycling, you can find trips with the activity focus you want. A lot of our holidays roll several activities into one so that you get a great, all-round experience. Will you zip-line through a jungle, trek a mountain range, or try out some snorkelling?
We also have a great selection of mixed-activity family-friendly holidays with opportunities to explore at an appropriate ability level (see each individual package to get an idea of the minimum age appropriate for the trip).
How are the activities graded?
You’ll notice we’ve given each of our activity trips a “leisurely”, “moderate” or “challenging” rating. This is to give you a good idea of what to expect from your holidays so that you don’t turn up and find it’s too much or too little for your taste. As a guideline, all trips require a certain level of good health and enjoyment of the outdoors. You can read more to find out how our grading system works in full detail.
We’ve also put together some handy guides to help you prepare for your activity holidays and make sure your fitness is up to scratch before you go. These complement our activity grading system and we recommend you take a look.
What age groups are suitable for your activity holidays?
This depends on which holiday you’re looking at. If you’re bringing the whole family, including children, you may want to look at our family activity holidays specifically.
At the other end of the spectrum, we have challenging hikes for experienced walkers aged 16 and above, such as our Everest Base Camp treks. Most of our cycling holidays are also 16+.
If in doubt, simply consult the age recommended at the top of the page of the holiday you’ve got your eye on!
What do I need to wear for an activity holiday?
This has a lot to do with the activities you expect to participate in and the climate. As a rule, sturdy walking shoes that you’ve broken in are an essential. If you’re going on a winter holiday or something that involves boating, you should consult the overview tab to see if any additional equipment is provided by us, or if you need to bring it yourself.
Please be aware that even if you’re going on an activity holiday abroad to a region that generally has a warm climate, your adventure may take you to higher altitudes where the temperature can drop or where colder nights might be common. Wherever you go, it’s always wise to bring layers!
Are flights and accommodation included?
Please see the individual trip pages and Trip Notes for details of what is included in specific trips. We have 1000s of flight options at our fingertips so if you would like to book your flights with us as well please discuss your plans with our Sales team, or if booking online, let us know what you’d like and we’ll come back to you with some options. For more details on the flights we offer and the benefits of booking your flights through us, please see our flight information page https://www.exodus.co.uk/your-flights-your-choice.
Are the trips guided?
We offer a mix of guided and self-guided trips. Some people love to travel in groups and others prefer to go at their own pace, so we’ve taken this into account and designed amazing activity holidays for every type of traveller.
If you’re eying up a specific holiday, it should indicate whether the trip is guided or self-guided in the “Ways to Travel” field at the top of the page. Some holidays also offer the option to travel in a private group with people you know only.
What are the groups like?
If you choose to travel as part of one of our guided groups, you’ll probably find it’s a mix of solo travellers, couples and friends. This can be a really enriching experience; in fact, it sometimes results in travellers making new life-long friends who they plan future trips with!
I went two days in advance to settle in to the time difference and enjoy a holiday before the tour started. While the hotel and Machico is nice, I would suggest staying in Funchal and transfering the day of the tour. I took the public bus into Funchal and did a tour of the City with the University (2 hrs) which was amazing! It was a highlight of the tour for me. Funchal is a great City–old European architecture in the centre with beautiful churches and great squares. In terms of the island itself, I really enjoyed the diversity of the landscape that we saw on our hikes. The flowers were amazing and the food was really good (steak skewers and garlic bread made on local sweet potato bread in particular). Going the 2nd week in May was perfect temperature wise for me as it was in the high 60s low 70s!
The first hike was a rocky peninsula with great ocean views, wildflowers amongst the red rocks, and long grasses that blew with the wind. There were some flat sections but then a lot of ‘rock stairs’ that were tough in parts. We were lucky in that the beginning of the hike was overcast and then the sun came out. There is no shade so definately wear sun protection and a hat!
The second hike was along a levada which was nice in that it was flat. The path was flat with some stone sections and other parts were mud (which is very slippery when wet). The one side had rock garden plants growing in the rock edge and blue hydrangeas and daylilies on the edge and the other side was agricultural fields in the valley. Mid-way you start to climb up a gentle incline to reach the ocean trail. This trail had beautiful views of the ocean and was a more tropical setting. There were a few scattered waterfalls amongst the hike–one of which you go under–that were really peaceful and in the terms of the one you go under a great cool off feature! I found this hike easier than the first hike as there weren’t as many rock ‘stairs’ to climb up and down. The worst part was at the end we had to walk to the Town (another hr). At first it wasn’t bad, but then the slope of the street was too much for my knees (I’m 48 so this normally isn’t a problem).
The third hike myself and others didn’t do as our hike leader said it would be very hard and a harder slope (which others who did it said wasn’t the case–they said it was easier than the 2nd day hike but was very crowded with people and there were sheer drops which they didn’t like). Instead, the group of us that stayed spent the day in the Natural Lava Ponds (the hotel gives you a free pass) which was so enjoyable as the water was warm and the salt made my muscles feel great. We had a relaxing lunch overlooking the ocean, a few had massages, and I spent the rest of my time at the infinity pool, inside pool (heated), and sauna/spa. This hotel (Aqua Natural) was amazing!!!! And they gave us chocolate every night and a parting gift of apple jam that they made.
The fourth hike was again in sun for most of it. The beginning of the hike was in the shade, with the trees having a lot of moss and growing in all sorts of configurations. Then we walked for a long time in wide paths in a rather stunted ‘forest’. This part was really long for me as it was pretty much a straight path and the same sights. There were a few good viewing spots of the valley which was very pretty. There were a lot of steps on this hike so I did get tired and my legs got sore…at one point its a couple hundred to get to a road. We walked along a very open field near the end of the day, ascended a hill, to come to the Fanal Forest. The Fanal Forest was amazing as I loved the misty, forested views and got great photos. The trees are twisted with lots of moss. There are a lot of people here so it’s not a solo experience…and there are quite a few cows too.
We drove into Funchal for a day off. A group of us went to the two botanical gardens which I highly recommend. The municipal gardens have more botanical species, and a linear floral display that is great to see, it also has great views of the ocean and the City. Monte Palace Gardens is really amazing to see. It’s very big but there are winding paths through it. You can buy the ticket to the funicular on-line which saves 1 line-up–it goes fast though.
The final day we got up very early to watch the sunrise on Pico do Arieiro. I’m Canadian and it was freezing at the top–I had brought light gloves to wear (unfortunately my hat fell out of my bag in the bus…and the hoody wasn’t warm enough). The view is amazing–being above the clouds and seeing the sun rise with the mountain tops. The minute it rises it does get warm. There are great views up at the observation point.
We didn’t do the hike that is mentionned in the tour–there were independent hikers doing it. Instead, we hiked downward through a valley. It was a nice hike and there was a waterfall and river near the end to walk beside. The valley did get foggy at one point so that was cool.
Overall, the first 2 day hikes were my favourite in terms of view and I liked the fanal forest at the end of the fourth day hike, and the sunrise on the last day hike.
I would go back to Madeira again–the people are very friendly, the island is beautiful, and the food was great!
Our diverse group of seven (Saudi Arabia, UK, US) stayed at La Bédière, perfectly located to enjoy Chamonix. Everyone was friendly, interesting, and considerate, creating a great group dynamic.
Our leader, Mark, brought experience to the hikes, making sound decisions and inspiring confidence. Violetta and Sandro, our caretakers, were thoughtful, responsive, and attentive. Their meals were delicious, and the post-hike cakes were appreciated.
This experience was truly special, with excellent leadership, warm hospitality, and stunning surroundings. I highly recommend this trip.
