Most Inspirational Moment
0’Celebrio and final day , save your energy for both.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Caring and considerate, Alfonso was a good tour guide.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Train for two tough days.
Reviews
Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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Reviews
Great trip!
Six days of cycling on and off road, tough but super enjoyable and interesting. Lucky to have a great group and tour guide, Alfonso.
Brilliant Baltics on a bike
I was drawn to this trip because I wanted to visit and learn more about this fascinating part of the world which has such a dramatic history. As it was my first cycling holiday I was also keen to choose a trip that wasn’t too strenuous and offered a good balance of activity and cultural interest. The trip fully met, and in fact, exceeded my expectations. I would highly recommend the trip as a way of having a really enjoyable and active holiday while experiencing the history and culture of these proud and vibrant countries. (The fantastic weather was a lovely bonus!)
Most Inspirational Moment
The trip is a series of discoveries and revelations that expand what you know and give context to many of the key events of the last century making us all too aware of how fragile our peace and security are. Visiting the nuclear launch site that is now a museum of The Cold War was a chilling reminder of this. But it was a trip filled with fun too. I loved swimming in the Baltic and cycling through the sand dunes. The cities were visited were lively and full of great bars and restaurants with people young and old enjoying life. Particularly memorable was the brilliant band in the Jazz club. I’m not sure if the dancing of Andrius and me did the musicians justice but we certainly had a great time.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Andrius was an excellent guide - intelligent energetic, informed, funny, opinionated and thoughtful - and good company at all times. I always felt that he was working really hard to make the trip enjoyable and rewarding for everyone in the group - a very challenging task when different people sometimes had very different expectations he had to balance. I think he did this with tact and good humour. He always kept us informed about his plans each day but also gave us scope for doing our own thing when this was appropriate. When he did have to deal with a very unfortunate accident involving one of the group members he managed it very sensitively, professionally and compassionately. The success of the trip was in very large measure down to him. Thanks, Andrius! Our driver, Mindaugas, was super too. Totally professional but always with a smile.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Read the trip notes and you will be fully prepared. If you have wanted to try a cycling holiday but haven’t been sure about it, this would be a great trip to start with. I loved it and would now like to try something a little more demanding.
Beautiful country - highly recommend visiting
End July 2022 visit My first visit to Croatia and I wasn’t disappointed. The places visited and the coastline are beautiful, lovely blue clear waters and great weather. Split, Trogir and Dubrovnik are key highlights of the trip, however the small islands visited are also a much see. This trip doesn’t involve too much time travelling, so you get to experience what Croatia has to offer, the accommodation also gets better as the trip progresses, and the food is amazing. I was part of a group of 13, we all got on really well and had an amazing time. Ivan the guide was super efficient and very helpful, encouraging us to share his love of walking in the many beautiful places we visited. Highly recommend this trip as a Croatia taster, I will definitely be visiting the country again.
Most Inspirational Moment
I enjoyed visiting Dubrovnik and hearing about its history, walking the walls in Dubrovnik is a must.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Ivan the group leader was brilliant, really well organised and super helpful to all of us in the group. Arranging great places to eat and unique experiences along the way.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Pack some beach shoes as some of the beaches can be made up of sharp stones.
Hiking the Fjords
A level 3 moderate rating but the owner of NES Gard, Anders, really isn’t tolerant of those clients who are slower than his expectations. To my mind, all clients pay the same so we are all entitled to enjoy the experience and not be made to feel we are not up to the trip. The trip is open to anyone so if Andrrs only wants qualified mountain hikers, this should be made clear at the point of booking or Exodus should appoint a guide who can deal with all abilities
Most Inspirational Moment
I enjoyed the optional glacier walk - we had a very charming and supportive Nepalese guide. Really outstanding. It was a great experience to get up close with glacier ice and experience the beautiful blue colour. The first day on the Jostedalsbreen National Park was stunning - we were walking on snow in August!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Anders is the owner of NES Gard as well as the guide for most days. He certainly runs the trip along his own principles rather than as you would expect an Exodus trip to pan out. He is quite intolerant of slower walkers to the point of making them sit out or turn back unsupervised on a walk as the pace is holding back the elite walkers. In my opinion if you want to run a group for mountaineers, you need to specify at the point of booking and only accept bookings from qualified people. I paid 3k as did others so we were entitled to full participation of the walks on offer. There was a walk in the Mykkersdal valley which is very dark and gets no sunlight and in addition on this day it had rained all night and all day so the rocks were very slippery and there were lots of boggy patches. So at lunch in a clearing, Anders picked people out to turn back as they could not keep pace. I wAnted to continue but was told to turn back. There were 4 ladies and one very concerned man who was also a doctor, accompanied our group. The terrain was very tricky. Unfortunately we seemed to take a wrong path as the markings were not obvious and we got some way before realising this route was not correct. We carried on a bit further as we thought it might come out at the carpark but then decided to turn back. Meanwhile the elite group had got back to the bus to find we had not returned so Anders set out to find us. There was no phone signal in the valley so our messages had not been received and if anyone had had an accident, we had no way of contacting anyone. Also Anders did not carry a satellite phone for emergencies. This really was not an acceptable regard to the health and safety of the clients and Anders should not have split up the group. Usually Exodus guides stop frequently for catching up and normally take the opportunity to tell clients something about the history or geography of the area but Anders didn’t seem to have any such information to share. I did not learn anything about the history or mythology of Norway from Anders or the geology
Advice for Potential Travellers
Don’t go on the trip unless you are A frequent hill or mountain Walker or walk on uneven terrain at a fast pace. You might come home feeling you failed to keep up. The terrain really is very uneven and you might have to scramble over rocks on your front occasionally . That said, the scenery is stunning!
Cycling The Baltics
A fascinating trip through the 3 Baltic countries. The terrain was quite flat and the cycling easy over an amazing mix of forest trails generous cycle paths and some road travel. We were blessed with good weather and even managed to swim in the Baltic 3 times. The tour gave us a great insight into the conditions within all 3 countries during the Soviet era and how things have changed since then. The trip encompassed a wide range of activities and experiences ranging from climbing a forest fire watch tower to descending into the depths of an old Soviet nuclear missile site. Our travels were very much “off the beaten track” and we were able to meet the locals and had the opportunity to sample the local cuisine, including pink beetroot soup, smoked herring and potato-covered “zeppelins”.
Most Inspirational Moment
The visit to the Soviet nuclear missile site. It brought it home what the Cold War was all about.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Andrius was a absolute star. His command of English was excellent and he also understood (I think) the British sense of humour. His knowledge of the history of the region was encyclopaedic and there were very few questions on almost any topic which he was unable to answer. He took great pains to arrange our itinerary so that we saw as much as possible within the limited time available and built in little "extras" where he could. His organisation was superb and the whole tour, which was action-packed, ran to schedule. Andrius made a big contribution to our enjoyment of the tour and we were very appreciative of his efforts. (By the way the driver was also a real star: hard working, always smiling and popping up in the right place at the the right time to load our bikes or replenish our water bottles.)
Advice for Potential Travellers
Wear padded cycling shorts. It might be worth while reading up on the history of the Baltic States although you will get a thorough briefing from Andrius on the day.
Excellent Bots and Zim Safari
We had a fantastic adventure on the Botswana and Zimbabwe Lodge Safari. From the moment we left the airport we were seeing Elephants on the drive to our first lodge. The lodges were comfortable and met our needs. Our guide (Adonia) and driver (Sifiso) were very knowledgeable and helpful. Adonia went out of his way to help those of us on the trip with our dietary requirements and speaking to the chefs to ensure our needs were met. Adonia also cooked a few tasty banquets for us in the Delta. Our favourite highlights were the animals, Chobe River cruise, the Okavango Delta and much more. We highly recommend this trip.
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing the animals, landscape and people, especially the helicopter trip over the Delta.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Adonia was excellent and very helpful
Advice for Potential Travellers
We recommend the helicopter flight over the Delta. Take a lot of small US dollar bills i.e. 1 and 5. Take a power bank to charge devices (just in case)
Kenya and Tanzania Adventure
This was my first proper holiday since the pandemic started and was well worth the wait. Overall the intinery was very well considered – we had just about the right amount of time at the two major highlights – the Serengeti and the Masai Mara. The time at Ngorongoro is short but also happens to be as much as the tour operators are allowed so don’t be worried about missing out. I had a few misgivings about Zanzibar as I’m not really a beach person but it was a nice way to wind down – and also a very welcome return to having a bed instead of relying on a sleeping bag. Obviously the animals are the highlights of the trip. We saw all of the animals that you’d expect – highlights being a couple of cheetah finishing off a meal, a lion trying and failing to take down an impala at speed, giraffe necking. The one I’d really not expected to see was a serval at Ngorongoro. The success of any trip is made by the rest of the group and, crucially, the ground team. Jacob was an excellent and resourceful tour leader, Ray was a great chef – good variety of food both hot and cold throughout the camping part of the trip, Sam kept us safe with his driving on some very rough roads and Cash did some of everything. In fact – all four of the crew cover all of the roles – lead, cook, driver, mechanic – and there was real teamwork here.
Most Inspirational Moment
Coming into the Serengeti - a sense of wilderness over and above the Masai Mara.
Thoughts on Group Leader
All four of the team were outstanding - and were a real team.
BRILLIANT.....Although that's due to the guide. Not exodus
Absolutely beautiful countryside, hotels, people and scenery. My holiday was marred by the fact I had contracted covid on day 2. Exodus policy is to just leave you where you are without any support and manage through your insurance policy. ANDRIUS the guide spoke with the group in their thoughts and made it possible for me to enjoy some cycling, albeit I had to travel on public transport for some bits the group were very accepting and gradually I was included in more activities. The guides were brilliant and the holiday for me was saved in most part. I would recommend the trip for the experience, friendliness and knowledge of the guides….but beware of exodus policy regarding covid.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Group leader kept everyone together, had enormous knowledge, was very friendly.....had a weird taste in music....but made sure the holiday was brilliant.
Advice for Potential Travellers
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Carpathian Walking & Bears (566)
An excellent week in the heart of Transylvania
Most Inspirational Moment
Watching a mother bear and 2 cubs Walking and scrambling up the Cheile Pisicii - Cats Gorge
Thoughts on Group Leader
Great fun and very knowledgeable
Advice for Potential Travellers
Read the Trip Notes - this is a walking holiday with the added benefit of seeing bears from a hide plus at the Sanctuary. It's tempting to want to see a bear/wolf in the wild on a walk - it's both very unlikely and probably very dangerouse if you were to. Bran Castle is just a tourist trap. It obviously isn't "Dracula's Castle" as that's a fictional character. It's highly "disneyfied" and very crowded
3 beautiful countries to discover
I have just come back from a wonderful tour exploring these beautiful 3 countries. It was nice and relaxed with reasonable start times each day but still felt you utilised each day to explore. There was a good range of sights to see and you didn’t feel rushed at any. I came back feeling as though i had a really good insight into these beautiful countries. I felt safe as a lone female in all areas and saw no adverse affects due to the current situation in Russia/Ukraine. Our tour guide Simona was excellent & really went above & beyond what was expected, her knowledge throughout was phenomenal. The hotels were small & standard but brilliant locations. Breakfasts standards varied slightly in each but all had a very basic version of continental, a few you couldn’t get black/english tea in at all. The rooms in most were very small and i would say 100% not suitable as a room share option. Some beds there was no space or had fixed furniture so could not be separated into 2 singles. Disappointing when booking regional flights through Exodus you no longer get included transfers. Not worth the price or wait to pay exodus for them. I got 1 bus directly outside airport to a 1 min walk from hotel (you could see hotel from main bus station ) for €1.50, easy to get as stay on until last stop which was main station. My return flight i had to be at airport early hours so i got a bolt (local taxi) for €5.60 Overall this was a really lovely tour and i’m happy i’ve visited the 3 main Baltic countrys.
Most Inspirational Moment
Tallin was my favourite. Such a beautiful old town and really easy to get around
Thoughts on Group Leader
Simona was amazing. Extremely knowledgeable. Very friendly so felt like one if the group. Always went above & beyond to ensure things ran smoothly & we were enjoying ourselves.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Don’t room share. Bring tea & milk powder if you like a traditional cup of tea in your room or at breakfast (milk always provided at breakfasts but not in rooms) Don’t bother paying the extras for transfers on this trip