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!
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14341 Reviews
4.7 out of
5
Reviews
Jane O'Brien
Reviewed January 2022
A must!
A very enjoyable trip during the 2nd winter of the pandemic; would love to go back again at another time of year but fear it would be too busy, this was just perfect. Daily walks with some amazing scenery. Hotel was just as described and run by a family of several generations with care and warmth, helpful in every way.
Most Inspirational Moment
Walking the Path of the Gods on a gloriously warm sunny day in December. Walking to the highest point of the crater of Vesuvius in mist and cold! 2 different days of such contrast!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Severio is a very experienced leader and is fully aware of the needs of individuals. Just seems to have everything simply organised all the time. Everyone knows him and he's always able to contact someone about something! Great sense of humour and willing to go the extra mile.
Advice for Potential Travellers
There's lots of steps but you walk at your pace and just enjoy the scenery. At least one walking pole is a must.
Andrew Walsh
Reviewed January 2022
The light
What a fantastic place , so beautiful especially all dressed in white with snow and ice. The scenery is truly stunning. Waterfalls like you’ve never seen them before, fantastic coastline with the iconic black sand.
Food … best fish we have ever tasted.
Acc’n .. excellent.. a couple of the hotels were very modern and quite luxurious.
Most Inspirational Moment
not easy to pick one ... the ice from the glacial lagoon on the black beach was pretty amazing... so was Dettifoss with ice clinging to it.. The mountains / volcanoes covered in snow and blushing with the alpine glow
Thoughts on Group Leader
Oskar - fantastic bloke .. unparalleled driving skills.... the roads are ice this time of year.. the snow is bonus.
Great local knowledge. Friendly and considerate. Would go on a trip with him again no hesitation.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The kit list is pretty good dont ignore it.
If you are a large person I would take a good pair of boot spikes - ones that are metal underneath and up the sides and have actual spikes. They're not expensive and you can use them ad infinitum. The yaktrac ones aren't tough enough.. Some people broke theirs. As usual exodus had thought of this and had a some spares, thanks Exodus.
Julie Reynolds
Reviewed December 2021
Maximum Respect and thanks!👍
I am just back from the first of these trips post lockdown- it was wonderful and I would highly recommend it. For me the trip was a good balance between cycling and sight seeing and I can’t quite believe how much we packed in (food and activity!) thanks to the brilliant organisation and planning of Suresh and his lovely team. I have been on several Exodus trips over the years and have always been impressed with the standard of guiding but Suresh exceeded all my expectations. Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, was too much trouble, and it really was like Suresh had ears everywhere and if something was wanted or needed it would magically appear, from ice-creams to Dosas, new bikes to Arak and blankets in the bar! Suranga was on alert for all our cycling needs with problems fixed in a jiffy and water and snacks flowing with ever memorable smiles from Sangeeth and Sangey. Suresh organised all our meals and showcased Sri Lankan cuisine to us by special orders at the hotel or taking us to lovely local places where we got to taste a great variety of local dishes and met local people. I am not sure we quite met his expectations of “maximum damage” at the buffets but we tried hard! My waistline certainly feels like we did! This is a really nice trip, a good combination of cycle time and other time but made all the better by an outstanding guide who knows the tour like the back of his hand and uses that knowledge to greatly enhance the experience for his guests and the lovely Sri Lankan people.
Most Inspirational Moment
The whole trip was inspiring. The beautiful countryside, the lovely people and the hard work of those working in the travel industry there with their determination to make everything work again after such a long break and the hardship they have endured without the tourists.
Everyone getting up the big hill and having lunch part way up on the beautiful terrace overlooking the tea plantations.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Suresh was brilliant. I feel I might be disappointed on my next trip as I have probably experienced the best! There is really nothing more we could have asked him for.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Yes go. Support the Sri Lankan people. They are very COVID aware - better than the UK, and are ready to welcome you with their warm smiles and hospitality.
Elizabeth Sharman
Reviewed December 2021
Gower peninsula
Great walking with a very knowledgeable leader Ceri
Hotel poor. Room was dusty with lots of cobwebs
Cables hanging with no appliances!
Heated Towel rail not working and I felt that plumbing and electrical needed attention
Breakfast was very poor, cheap bread and random consistency
Two dinners included but the same menu
I would not recommend hotel
Most Inspirational Moment
Enjoying a swim on the last walking day
Excellent walking
Fabulous views
Seeing a pair of choughs
Gin tasting was fun
Thoughts on Group Leader
Ceri was knowledgable and kept a good pace
Occasionally we had rather long to wait for return transport
She organised dinners in the pubs in the village which as a solo traveller I appreciated
J McFaull
Reviewed December 2021
Great Trip
Overall a great experience and we packed a lot into the holiday. Our leader, Andrew, was excellent and we were fortunate to have a great group of people on our trip.
Points to note for future travellers are that day one (Saturday) is all travel. The 2.00pm flight from the UK means that you arrive at the hotel about midnight (local time) then pack a full day in Cairo on the Sunday, leaving at 4.00am (2.00am UK time) on the Monday to fly to Luxor. So at that point everyone was pretty tired. The boat trip (on the Esmerelda) was excellent all round. Really relaxing. The Basma hotel in Aswan for the last two days was a bit disappointing. I would rate it a three star. Not what was billed, but it didn’t spoil the holiday.
Again for future travellers, it’s easy to get your visa at the airport and there are frequent stops at ATM’s to get Egyptian pounds if required.
In summary, a great trip with particular thanks to Andrew our leader, and to the great group of people we were with.
Suggested areas for improvement for Exodus would be the Cairo logistics and flights, and the hotel in Aswan. Otherwise it was a great itinerary and a great experience
Julia Williams
Reviewed December 2021
Culture, history, hiking, swimming, lots of variety. Fantastic trip
From 2 days hiking Petra to floating in the dead sea, from snorkelling in the red sea to sleeping in the desert. Great variety, great food, some biblical heritage and bedouin culture all brought to life through fantastic guides.
Most Inspirational Moment
Rather surprisingly standing on Mount Nebo in the area where Moses had stood and looking towards “the promised land” of Israel, the holy land brought an unexpected awareness of the sense of biblical heritage of the country.
Of course Petra is a particular highlight. I chose this trip above others because of it allowing two full days there and actually I could easily have spent longer. The whole area was much bigger than I was expecting and the hiking opportunities were a great part of the trip for me.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Muayad is a fantastic group leader. Knowledgeable, enthusiastic, great people skills, warm, kind and welcoming. A hugely important key to the successful gelling of the group and everyone responded well to him.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Consider flying out at least one day earlier to have time to wander around Amman by yourself. Although make sure you agree the taxi fare into town first. I paid five Dinar which I thought was acceptable but somebody else paid 20!
claire cogar
Reviewed December 2021
Most amazing trip to the Isle of Serendipity
I am so glad I decided to book this tour to Sri Lanka, I had the most amazing holiday! What a beautiful, wonderful, welcoming country this is, I cannot recommend it enough. I usually travel along, but decided to join a group for the first time so I didn’t have to organise everything myself, and the trip exceeded expectations.
Most Inspirational Moment
I enjoyed everything, the variety of the different visits and activities was really appreciated. I loved learning more about the history of Sri Lanka and visiting archaeological sites and temples. Visiting caves that contained giant prehistoric Buddhas cut into the rock was mind blowing!
Cycling along the canals (Sri Lankan canals are much more beautiful than British ones) and drinking freshly picked coconuts was also very special.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Roshan was a fantastic and very experienced, patient leader . He organised everything so we could focus on enjoyed the trip and activities and was as incredibly knowledgeable and supportive and kind to everybody in the group. He also took us to some great restaurants that we would never have found without his local knowledge. Roshan ensured the trip went without a hitch and made it a really special holiday for us all.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The facilities were great, if you forget to take anything you won't have a problem. The hotels were all very accommodating. The bus we traveled on was very well kitted out (air conditioning, limitless water). I felt safe at all times as a female traveler.
The food is absolutely incredible, the best cuisine I've had on a holiday by a long shot.
Fiona Allan
Reviewed December 2021
Exceeded all expectations
I booked this trip very last minute as the travel restrictions lifted slightly. Booking team were excellent. Jordan is a beautiful, friendly and very safe country.
Most Inspirational Moment
The obvious choice would be walking along the siq and the first glimpse of The Treasury, for me though it was walking up to the Monastery and the incredibly facade that greeted you as you turn the final corner. Add to that the most incredible view over Petra and the surrounding mountains. A very special place.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Ibrahim was well organised and managed well to keep us all on track with timings. Hard going as we were quite a large group that like to dawdle. I found sometimes it was information overload but that’s just my opinion. His daily jokes had us all laughing! I do feel though he was so restricted by the Exodus itinerary and their exact timings would be good if there was a bit of flexibility built into the leaders timetable
Advice for Potential Travellers
Go with an open mind and an adventurous spirit. The desert night was chilly but ask for extra blankets they will happily provide them. Don’t worry too much about dress code they are not as strict in Jordan as some countries
Alan Jordan
Reviewed December 2021
Don't expect a lie in!
This trip has lots of early starts, in fact most days and long days on the road. Reasonable quality hotels are used throughout, excluding the overnight train which was basic first class. It was disappointing that the best hotels had the shortest stays. Trip content was good but often intense, sometimes it felt like too much was being crammed in, but I would argue that the time devoted to the Cairo food tour was excessive, in fact I used it to get a better look at Misra St. Maybe there is room for some rescheduling here, particularly given that the day leads up to the overnight train journey.
After the train journey, although the long days continued the intensity relaxed a bit enabling the highlights of the Valley of the Kings and Abu Simbel to be enjoyed. Although the Nile cruise was relaxing, I was not prepared for the convoy of cruise boats, although I understand that this is to enable better security for this stretch of the Nile, it does detract from ‘cruise’ element.
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing the temples that had been moved from the area to be flooded and appreciating the work that went into the deconstruction and the ensuing reconstructing on a site that looked as though it was the original setting.
Thoughts on Group Leader
The local tour leader was efficient and considering this was the first departure for this company (Exodus) for a long time, did an admirable job. My only criticism would centre on a curious dialect in pronunciation, eg 'city tour' = Seti Tomb!
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be prepared for long hot dusty days often sat in traffic jams, also be prepared to roll with the flow, do not expect good timekeepng or explanations as to why something is late or not happens at all.
David Austin
Reviewed November 2021
Excellent trip
Excellent trip. Well organised and great itinerary. The scenery was better than expected. I went in late November in off peak season and it was the right temperature and busyness. I can imagine in peak season the experience might be different – Wadi Rum has lots of cars using the same tracks as us and Petra was busy in places. The trip notes say tipping is voluntary, it’s not, it is mandatory and you will be told to pay more if you don’t give enough which can be awkward. Overall an excellent trip and one of the best I have been on.
Most Inspirational Moment
Camping was great. Views were amazing and was nice to sit around the fire. Stars were the best I’ve seen.
