Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

The People, Ride, Route, Food, Rum, Scenery, Music, History, Mountains, Beaches, Countryside, Cars, Wildlife & Weather were all fantastic. Too many moments to decide!But probably the sense of achievement riding into the Sierra Maestra mountains, descending into Santiago or the final ride into the lakeside hotel at Mayajigua.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our guide Laz was simply brilliant! Went the extra mile all of the time, very knowledgeable and passionate about his country, but informed and educated us in an interesting way. Support drivers Tuna and Alberto were great and were always friendly and helpful. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

A couple of days extra to see a bit more of Havana at the end would be ideal, but you cant do everything in 2 weeks!

Suggestions

You don't have to be an olympic athlete to do this trip, but if you are a keen cyclist and interested in seeing a very interesting country, experiencing the culture, history, people and scenery in detail, this is the trip for you!

Most Inspirational Moment

The arrival at and walking in Todra gorge is spectacular.  I won't spoil the surprise of the arrival but you should have your camera ready when you get off the bus. The drive through the pass on the way to Marrakesh is also amazing particularly when you consider the desert landscape you were in only two days previously.  However the best part for me was watching the scenery change as we moved around the country. 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mustapha was an excellent guide with masses of local knowledge and great pride in his country.  Our driver Hasan was also one of the best tour bus drivers I have ever seen always keeping safety ahead of everything on some very difficult roads and manic traffic in the cities. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

- I would suggest not taking the Royal Air Maroc flights which were the designated group flights.  They were quite disorganised in getting people on and off the plan although once we got going the flight was ok.  However the timing of the flights is also not very good as you arrive very late into Casablanca on the first day so you only get the following morning in the city which is spent at a couple of the sites so no exploring time.  You would be better off taking an earlier flight or arriving a day before if you want to explore this city.  The flight on the way back is not direct and takes six hours when direct flights are available with other airlines and take about 3-4 hours.- Be aware and ready for the fact that some of the hotels are very basic and not up to Euro standards but this is not a real problem as long as you approach it with the view of this being an adventrue and not a luxury trip.- Pay a lot of attention to the recommended packing list in the trip notes as there is very little on that list that you won't be using (or borrowing!) during the trip.  - take some entertainment for the bus trips if you get bored watching the scenery.  The bus we had was quite small for the size of our group (15 plus driver and guide) so you may need to make allowances around personal space.    

Suggestions

One thing people should be prepared for so there are no false expectations is around the desert camp.  It is a Bedouin camp in the sense that the tents are put up by Bedouin people and there are cooks that prepare the meal, and of course you do ride camels to get to it which was a lot of fun.  However it is not a actual Bedouin community of any kind and the only people who will be there (at least in our case) will be your group, your guide and the camel herders that bring you out there.  This does make sense as the camp is only a fairly short actual distance from the small town that you stay in the previous night (although once you are over the dunes and out of sight of the town you still feel like you are a million miles from anywhere). For me this was fine and being able to light out under the stars without any sounds of civilization was highlights of the trip.  However if you are expecting to see an actual working camp and community then you may be disappointed.  For that you will need to wait until you get to the mountains where you do experience an actual local community feeling.

Most Inspirational Moment

2 exceptionally special moments: 150k penguins at Salisbury Plain, St Georgia - spectacular! And a zodiac cruise around a sea of floating blue ice bergs (though i'm sure the expedition team would say they were bergy bits not bergs!). Spectacular doesn't even come close.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Lynn is Miss Antarctica, we benefitted from her experience in the region and she had the full respect of her team which says a lot.

Advice for Potential Travellers

book it now!

Most Inspirational Moment

Difficult to say as there were many wonderful moments. Two would be seeing two jaguars swimming the river on our way to Tortuguero on our first day and finding the elusive Quetzal at Savegre and spending nearly an hour watching a male and female in a tree. Dont expect to see jaguars but Quetzals seemed to be seen by most at Savegre at this time of the year. 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rafael was simply superb. If Exodus use a better guide I would be surprised. He had great sense of humour, an outstanding knowledge of almost any subject and gave us a grest deal of information about the country and the wildlife we saw. He was determined to ensure that we enjoyed every minute of our stay. I must add that he was assisted by an excellent driver Francisco who also worked very hard to ensure everything went well. They were a great team and a pleasure to be with. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you love wildlife then go. You will see wonderful birds and also a variety of animals although almost certainly not jaguars. Be prepared for rain although we had none except at night in the two weeks. You will need to change your sleeping patterns as you will have very early starts on most days. You need to pack for extremes of temperature. We went to Nicuesa lodge rather than Esquinas and it was very hot and very humid. From there we went to Savegre where it was cold enough at night to need a fire in the rooms so dont expect tropical temperatures all the time.It is a trip with a lot of driving but our guide always ensured that we had stops along the way to break it up but you have to accept that you are covering a lot of ground in a small country and the roads are not always too good. The trip is well organised to see the various areas and differing habitats.

Suggestions

Just go. You will enjoy it. You will stay in some amazing places and see very different areas.

Most Inspirational Moment

Hard to pick just one - the highlights included - the elephant festival we attended near Guruvayor; the descent through the Western Ghats and the food which just gets better and better.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Pete was an excellent group leader - knowledgeable and experienced with a laid back approach. He went the extra mile to ensure that we all enjoyed the holiday.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't bother taking money to exchange - there are ATMs at numerous points along the trip and you get a much better exchange rate than when exchanging cash. There is an ATM at the airport. 

Suggestions

There were 18 in our group, even though it was advertsied as being a maximum of 14. This did cause a couple of logistical issues and would have been better with 14.

Most Inspirational Moment

The views from the peaks we conquered were truly exceptional. Sledging down a mountain on our "day off" from snowshoeing was also a memorable experience.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Karl was a very good leader - always trying to ensure we had a good time and got the most out of the holiday.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Snowshoeing is a great activity for people who enjoy trekking. It's easy to pick up and allows walkers to keep going in the snow, while rediscovering their childhood. Proper winter clothes are essential - especially really good gloves, as temperatures can typically be around minus 8 or 9 celsius.

Most Inspirational Moment

The moment in Paradise Bay when they cut the engine of the Zodiac, the camera shutters stopped and the silence was absolute.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Brilliant.  A very people-person, knowledgeable, very safety conscious, and unfailing enthusiasm.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take lots of layers.  We had sunshine and no wind and boiled in our thermals.  Take your swimming costume - it may well be needed.  And don't forget the sunscreen.

Suggestions

Take plenty of books for the journey, go find the crazy houses in Ushuaia, have a go at everything that is offered and make sure you're fit. There's a lot more scrambling, slipping and sliding than you would expect and it's as hard to go down the mountains as up them. It's not glamorous, the penguins pong and the elephant seals make noises that have to be heard to be believed.  Just go for it. Enjoy.

Most Inspirational Moment

My Highlights were a 2hr Zodiac cruise amongst the ice seeing some most amazing formations.The polar plunge .. where I jumped off the gangway into the Antarctic waters and was pulled back in again by Sergi the Russian sailor.Landing on my Seventh continent on Christmas Day and then celebrating later with a barbecue on the back deck.Watching the Humpback whales from the ship with the Captain making awesome maneuvers to make sure we got the best shots.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leader and her team were incredible. They were all very knowledgeable and passionate about their jobs. They created a very relaxed atmosphere on the ship and nothing seemed too much trouble.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do it!  Book early if you want to do any of the extra activities. I regret not picking a longer trip that went to South Georgia. I had an extra week in Patagonia walking and visiting the Purto Moreno Glacier which was awesome.

Suggestions

I did have a problem with kayaking. Staff on board were suppotive but ultimately there was nothing they could do. I contacted Exodus on my return and was happy with the way they responded and the high level of customer service they demonstrated. I consequently would have no qualms travelling with them again or recommending them to others.The jackets we were given were excellent and did their job well. At the end we were given a dvd with a slideshow of the trip, all the timetables, menu's etc plus folders of other peoples photos. A great idea as it means I have some amazing photos of my trip that my little camera couldn't have taken. I also liked the idea of a cashless boat and the fact that the tip was divided up equally amongst all staff.

Most Inspirational Moment

I loved most of the days, especially being so close to nature. If I had to chose a moment, obviously the summit day (actually night) is pretty mindblowing. After walking up for 5 hours in the dark, when our guide told me 'don't lose your confidence sister' and kindly carried my backpack, 2 hours before reaching Uhuru peak, I suddendly felt an adrenaline kick, and wings growing in my feet...

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was extremely responsible, he knew so much about the mountain, and was great in managing the team and bringing everybody together. The 2 other guides were amazing as well, both wise and professional and yet super friendly and cheerful. We had so much fun. I must also add that our guides' mountain gear was much better than those of many other trekking companies we found on the way, showing they take good care of their staff.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Lemosho route is definetely the best to reach the peak as you spend several extra days on the mountain just to acclimatise in preparation for the summit ascent. It is also really enjoyable since you leave from a beautiful pine forest, and arrive through a lovely tropical forest, so you get a lot of variety.Trust your guides! Drink loads, walk slowly, it is not a competition! Bring a camel bag, as it is the only way to drink enough as you walk to meet the 4-5L water requirement/day.Also, I was happy I had hired a matress through Exodus as they were much thicker than those you get in mountain shops,  they also isolate better from the cold. Honestly,  I slept like a baby every night.For the summit ascent: bring loads of snacks, better liquid (energy gels for instance) as the cereal bars and chocolate will freeze. An ipod is also great as the summit ascent can get a bit monotonous when you are walking for hours in the dark and personally music kept me going..Keep all electrical equipment next to you body every night (in your sleeping bag) and during the final ascent so the batteries don't freeze. There is signal on the top so you can send text to family and friends to tell them you have reached the top!

Suggestions

The food was fabulous. It was a luxury to have fresh popcorn for afternoon tea, and crepes for desserts. Overall the meals were very balanced and tasty.Be prepared to feel the mountain blues when you come down!

Most Inspirational Moment

Getting to the top of Kilimanjaro; beyond words.Though looking back on the trip, I would say the guides assistance in getting to the top was inspirational in that they provided excellent support (getting water, warming hands up, doing jackets up) but didn't verbally encourage you to go on, but did so through their patience and just being there.  Perfect for such a challenge.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group was good and organised the trip well.

Advice for Potential Travellers

My partner and I found taking diamox helped us prevent severe headaches.  Drink loads of water, it helps. Take immodium in case the combination of altitude, water and food make you ill.  Be mentally prepared for the last day by being focussed on what you want to achieve; it is possible.

Suggestions

Camping and food was excellent much better than I expected, especially the vegetarian food; the chef did us proud.It was good to include the one day safari, though quite expensive if only 2/3 of you go.The tip at the end was quite expensive and was more than quoted in the trip notes.  Definitely would be better to pay up front (perhaps to Exodus) and include a small tip at the end.If possible take old clothes (mainly male sizes) as the porters are grateful for any contributions.  Perhaps Exodus could arrange a collection at the start/end of trip?