Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

A true expedition  cruise aboard the excellent Vavilov (better than sister ship Ioffe because of its panoramic lounge)Highlights wereThe weather... and the changing lightStanding amongst 150.000 King penguins on South Georgia plus the Macaronis, Adeles Chinstraps and MagellenicsThe squadrons of Albatross and other birds surrounding the shipThe awesome vastness and remoteness of AntarticaSeeing  Orca  Humpbacks Dolphins and standing amongst fur seals and Elephant seals  and their pupsThe glaciers  icebergs growlers and pack ice The desolate remains of old whaling stations ... a poignant reminder of our past and a photographers delight    

Thoughts on Group Leader

No exodus leader as such, Aaron the ships leader(A ONE Ocean director) was enthusiastic charming and authorative and  his team of photographers, lecturers and wildlife experts were very informative, food was plentiful if a little too American eg sweetcorn with salmon and sweet cherry soup! The pastry chef was AWESOME!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a travel mug to wander about the decks with your coffee/hot chocolate, towels and shampoo and conditioner are provided, as is a bathrobe. Rooms have decent fridge and tea making facilities . There are duty free shops in Ushaia to buy booze and one person bought 2 cases of wine on board!Take loads of camera memory! A laptop too to edit photos on the sea days.Take layers ..weather very changeable. "2  pairs of gloves a good idea and high factor sunscreen due to Ozone hole and good quality sunglasses.I took a monopod and would take  a tripod again and even invest in  a GOPro for some awsome time lapse photos of penguin colonies . The binoculars for hire were good quality Bushells as was the dripak for rib tranfers to shore which can be very wet.. so some sort of camera protection is essential. The wetskins clothing and thermal boots were good quality.Keep your fingers crossed as the internal flights have low baggage allowances ... my camera gear alone weighed 15kg but fortunately my carry on was not weighed although another traveller was caught.My Hotties hand warmers were excellent and would take again.Capture pictures of you fellow travellers in their bright red outfits... they provide interest and scale to photos and look great 

Most Inspirational Moment

There were too many to list, but I will try- the people were very friendly, all the kids wanted to high-five as you cycled past.- making it up the 10km climb and surprisingly quite enjoying it!- Hoi An is a lovely place to vist- kayaking in Halong Bay was pretty special as was the standard of the cruise boat we stayed on.- oh yes and the food, the food, the food!  

Thoughts on Group Leader

The team and especially our group leader Danh Nguyen were no less than brilliant. I cannot speak highly enough about the perfect organisation and attention to detail, i would say this really made a difference and is a key factor in me booking with Exodus again.- Danh's knowledge of the history and culture which he imparted with enthusiasm amd general banter was great. We also managed to eat in many interesting places due to his local knowledge and contactsThe overnight train from Hue was an "interesting" experience. From nowhere Danh managed to conjure up iced Mojjitos cocktails.

Advice for Potential Travellers

- it's a busy schedule with mostly early starts- leave some room in your suitcase for retail therapy purchases- seek out the penguins in Qui Nohn bridge (ask Danh) - definitely do it! 

Most Inspirational Moment

So many... Cycling through the villages where all the local children just wanted to smile and wave and get a high five! The amazing scenery in the mountains of Dalat. The glorious sunset swim in the ocean at Mui Ne Sunrise breakfast on the terrace the next day. Eating with the locals in the pavement cafe at Hoi An.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader Danh was excellent in every way. He entertained us with his comprehensive knowledge of the country, the culture, history, politics and present day life. Nothing was too much trouble for him. His sole aim was for us to really enjoy our experience in his country. He was incredible at leading us through the hundreds of scooters in rush hour whistle in mouth stopping traffic in all directions! The trip would certainly not have been the same without him.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We were worried as the awful weather at home over winter had meant we had not done much cycling in preparation for this trip but we were pleasantly surprised. The cycling is spaced out with times in the bus to cover the ground and you soon cover the mileage with the others to chat to and so much to see. The support bus is always there if ever anyone feels they have done enough for one day or is not feeling up to it for a while.

Most Inspirational Moment

Sri Meenakshi temple.Beer, rum & laughter round each evenings campfire.

Thoughts on Group Leader

It was good to hear Ajay shout my name at the airport before I'd even collected my bag of the carousel. I'd met Ajay on a prevous treck in North India that was throught with danger and laughter at every turn. So it was good to reminise and share another adventure. Ajay is very knowledgeable about Indian whisky and the culture/history of his country. And good at mizing with the group making everyone feel part of the group. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

A very strong mosquito repelent.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing all of the locals coming out, waving and wishing us well.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very patient, kind, sociable and easy going at the same time. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

Drink plenty of water, take some salt / hydration nourishment and make sure you are fit enough for the ride. 

Most Inspirational Moment

No one particular inspirational moment. Loved the cycling generally it is a great way to get under the skin of the country. Not forgetting the cycling snacks and the special lemon drink!  Highlights were the old quarter in Hoi Ann and the boat trip in Halong Bay.

Thoughts on Group Leader

For me best ever Exodus leader - have done 7 or 8 trips. He was very knowledgeable very enthusiastic and very entertaining. Also keen on safety without going over the top.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Visit the country before it gets over developed and forget the woolly hat and gloves as advised in the trip notes.

Most Inspirational Moment

Rounding a corner to see Ama Dablam and Everest for the first time.

Thoughts on Group Leader

A very experienced guide, which was extremely important because of the events of our trip (cyclone Phailin in India caused snowfall and avalanches which placed us with tough decisions to make). Other groups with less experienced guides felt it necessary to tag along at one point. His English was not great but nowhere near as poor as he felt it to be.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Ensure you have several hundred dollars worth of local currency, which is easy to get in Kathmandu. Take more than required if you can, especially if you have gadgets you want to charge regularly, cameras being the most common. It often costs 3 USD per hour per item to get charged. Water is expensive so a UV system and filter might save you money, although it costs time and up-front cost. Boiled water was barely cheaper than bottled, up to 5 USD per litre. I carried little water because we stopped for tea and lunch so liquid was available almost all the time. tea costs the same as water and tastes better (to me) - not carrying it made it taste even better! I used a (good) cell phone camera which required little charging and, most usefully, took along charging blocks (essentially large batteries with USB charging) so I didn't use any charging services. This paid for the charging blocks. I kept my kit bag below 10kg, difficult with my cheaper sleeping bag. Thus I didn't take some kit I would have liked to. However, many people on my trip seemed to think that the system was volume-based, using compression bags to cram amazing amounts of stuff into their bags. Many were at 13-15 kgs, only one kept below 10. The general vies was that it was ok "Because it is just a couple of USDs per kilo charged on the plane".Needless-to-say, this conveniently ignored the fact that the porters had to carry the bags. On previous trips, Peru for instance, each bag was weighed and rejected locally if the weight was too high, causing people to leave stuff behind or put it in their day bags. None of this happened to us, my bag was crushed and squashed to compensate for the unsquashable bag that it was carried with. This was mostly ok but it did break my shaver and cause things to get wetter when it snowed. On this last point, USE a waterproof kit bag or carefully put things in good plastic bags, the porters took the plastic covering for the kit bags and used it on themselves when the bad weather hit.If you get hungry more than most, take a lot of power bars or beef jerky to supplement meals, this will fill gaps and save a fortune, it often 20 USD per day to eat.  

Most Inspirational Moment

The warm greetings from the Vietnamese people - the kids cheering at the side of the Road as we cycled by. Truly amazing experience. Great feeling when you reached the top of the Hoi Van pass. The decent from Dalat was stunning - plenty of photos.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Danh was great. Very competent with knowledge of the history and landscapes we passed through. Great laugh :-)

Most Inspirational Moment

Probably seeing the Quetzal making a nest en route to the Savegre Forest but there were many other good moments.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent!

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you have any difficulty walking on slippery ground or climbing steep slopes, take a walking pole or two.  I had an arthroscopy for a torn cartilage last April and still have knee pain but managed the forest walks without problem using a walking pole.  Some of the steps were steep but there was always someone from the group to help pull me up and we could go at our own pace.  I didn't do the walk to the Fortuna waterfall down and up 500 steps in case it ruined the rest of the holiday for me but I did enjoy walking around Fortuna town with my camera instead.

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling Chapmans Peak, and seeing the views to Nordhoek and Houts Bay.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Peter (Albert) handled most situations very well and always in a calm manner.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Definitely do this trip, but ask for the premier accommodation version.