Reviews

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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Reviews

Reviewed November 2013

HIGHLIGHTS OF MOROCCO

As a highlights tour this was a good 2 week whirlwind tour of the country. From the hustle and bustle of the northern cities, down to the African south and the beautiful Atlantic coast, this is a good introduction

Most Inspirational Moment

Having the final morning to learn more about how the locals live. We where presented with the chance to do some proper Moroccan cooking, from going with the Riad hosts to the local market, picking very fresh food, including 2 live chickens that where slaughtered and prepared while we watched. This was a real chance to see the culture of the Berber community

Thoughts on Group Leader

He tried his best but i did feel that he was only interested in taking us shopping and spending money rather than spending a lot of time giving us more cultural and historical context. His best bit was finding us some wonderful restaurants for food.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared to spend a lot of time travelling in a minibus, some of the days are long, with some breaks enrouteUse antiseptic handwash before or after mealsBe prepared to find yourself on some days spending time shopping, even if you do not want toIf you travel in the winter months, it will be cold in the mountains so be preparedThere are no swimming pools on this trip just plunge pools

Reply from Exodus

Thanks for your valued feedback. We take all comments on board and have communicated your concerns to our local operator. We are particularly concerned regarding the mention of shopping stops as this is against our policy and something that we stipulate is avoided at all costs. This is being investigated and the leader will be questioned related to this claim.

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Reviewed November 2013

HIGHLIGHTS OF MOROCCO

Thought this trip would meet my needs and it certainly did! Active but with rest periods and paced to meet everyones needs. 

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching Essouira and seeing the rolling waves after fantastic walking and mountain views in abundance!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very discreetly yet alert to all our needs

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go, go go!!

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Reviewed October 2013

HIGHLIGHTS OF MOROCCO

A fantastic holiday experiencing Morocco. Many varied things to see and do.

Most Inspirational Moment

Riding a camel in the Sahara Desert, walking in the Atlas Mountains.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fantastic Mustaffa's knowledge was superb. Great company and nothing was too much trouble.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Tummy problems hit nearly all of us so take the advice given and go prepared. Travel light you do not need much.

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Reviewed October 2013

HIGHLIGHTS OF MOROCCO

If you wish to have an insight in to this wonderful country, this is an excellent starting point.  You get to see all that Morocco has to offer – cities, coast, mountains and desert – with a view to being able to decide if there are parts of Morocco you would wish to return to and see in more detail.  I would definitely go back.  Morocco truly surprised me.

Most Inspirational Moment

Spending time in the Atlas Moutains was wonderful.  Kasbah Oliver is a lovely place to stay - you are are cut off from the madness of the outside world and at night time you get to experience true peace and quiet.  There is no light pollution and so the stars are a sight to see.  I have never seen stars so bright whilst in the northern hemisphere.I am not sure if inspirational is the right word but I did feel like I had landed on another planet when we visisted the medina in Fes.  Sometimes you got the full force of being in the Twenty First Century and then you would turn a corner and see something truly medieval - artisans and workers showing off their skills, donkeys in the streets, bizarre products and recycled goods.  Sometimes you got a bit of modern and medieval mixed in to one - standing and experiencing the sights (and smells) of the tanneries whilst looking over hundreds of rooftops all laden with satellite dishes. Just wonderful.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mustapha is a true legend - intelligent, patient, funny, caring and totally in love with his country.  My bag broke between London and Casablanca (the zip died) and within 24 hours (at no stress to myself) he had been to the souk in Meknes and got it fixed for me.  We were all poorly (well 13 out of the 16 of us) and he was very helpful in terms of sorting medicines, asking after us and tweaking the itinerary for loo breaks when necessary.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Definitely take anti-septic handwash with you.  As stated above, we nearly all had a poorly tummy by the end of the 2 weeks and so be very careful about only drinking bottled water and not eating salads and not eating fruit unless you are peeling it (oranges and bananas).  It goes without saying to give the street food in Marrakech a wide berth and also the fresh orange stalls in the main square a wide berth (they water it down with tap water).A lot of children we saw asked if we had pens/biros and so may be take a few extra to hand out.If possible try and experience a hammam - you might get the opportunity in the mountains in Kasbah Oliver where Exodus have helped set up a community hammam.  It was unlike anything I have ever experienced before and you will certainly get to know your fellow travellers well/intimately! My skin felt amazing afterwards.If you want to take a carriage ride in Marrakech, ask the driver what is the colour of the current tag for the horses.  If a horse has been to the vet for a health check in the past 4 months (and passed the check up) it will have on one of its front legs a coloured tag confirming that.  Don't get on a carriage where the horse has not got an up to date tag becuase that means the owner is not taking care of its horse.

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Reviewed August 2013

HIGHLIGHTS OF MOROCCO

I had wanted to visit Morocco for a long, long time and so decided on this trip. I can honestly say that both this trip and the country exceeded all my expectations, it was a fantastic experience, all the more so since I am new to group travel. I feel that the tour allowed us to gain a comprehensive overview of the country, a contry of contrasts in many ways, which is what made it so interesting. 

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many but I particularly enjoyed our Saharan experience and night under the stars, our stay in the High Atlas where everything felt blissfully miles away from our civilisation, the Fez Medina for its mysterious beauty and mild craziness and Essaouira for its tranquil charm and chilled locals...Oh and eating delicious figs off the trees in the mountains! 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Lahcen was very knowledgeable, friendly, personable and enthusiastic. He was also very open about the local culture and religious practices, which I genuinely appreciated. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

(Some of those may be obvious, only I was new to this kind of holiday)In no particular order: - sanitising hand gel is a must, we all used it and although there were some stomach upsets, it was nothing very serious. Imodiums and rehydration salts should also travel with you- earplugs, the call to prayer resonates 5 times a day, starting at 5am! Having said that, I personally found it very mesmerising- flipflops (for summer departure if pools are involved/ and the rest for hammams) - nappy bags or similar for the stay at Kasbah Oliver (no toilet paper allowed down the toilets) - insect spray (although this could be a summer annoyance)- a bottle of your favourite spirit possibly- alcohol can be tricky to get hold of - don't be afraid to haggle when it comes to more expensive items, somebody told us to aim for a quarter of the asking price- if you have some dirhams left, DO change them in Marrakech, possibly at the airport before you leave, as there is nowhere to change them in the transit area of Casablanca airport- beware of cheeky locals (Marrakech is the only place where it happened in all fairness) who might give you false information/directions about places of interest. If in doubt, ask a shopkeeper rather than passers by. - shaking hands over price deals, for example with taxi drivers who won't use a meter, is a good idea.  - a couple of the journeys on the minibus are long so ensure you have travel sickness tablets if you tend to suffer from it 

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Reviewed June 2013

HIGHLIGHTS OF MOROCCO

This is an excellent trip covering the highlights of Morocco.  A lot of ground is covered in a relatively short time allowing you to see a mix of cities, mountains, desert and coast.

Most Inspirational Moment

I loved the stay in the desert, watching the sunset and sunrise from the dunes, and the camel ride to the Bedouin camp.  The views in the Altas mountains and the relaxed atmosphere in Essaouira were also highlights in a trip full of interesting experiences.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mustapha was great.  Friendly, relaxed and knowledgeable.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is a great trip around Morocco covering a huge amount of ground and I would thoroughly recommend it.  In order to cover this amount of the country you do have to spend a fair amount of time travelling in the mini bus however we had quite frequent stops to break it up.

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Reviewed June 2013

HIGHLIGHTS OF MOROCCO

This is an incredible experience. It isn’t the most relaxing holiday but get what do expect when you cover 2000km passing mountains, kasbahs, arid wastelands, deserts, and imperial cities!

Most Inspirational Moment

Climbing the erg chebbi sand dunes at sunrise. A millions miles away from anywhere overlooking the Bedouin camp - truly amazing and inspirational

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very informative, maybe a little pro-Berber but a magnificent guide - pay him more!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Beware some imperial city hotel rooms can be quite susceptible to outside noise. I.e. prayer calls, late night arguments outside local boozers, and dogs barking all night - ear plugs highly advised! Alcohol gel essential Desert is not as hot as you would expect, like a very hot Spanish summer day.

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Reviewed May 2013

HIGHLIGHTS OF MOROCCO

Excellent well planned trip which gave a good overview of Morocco, while at the same time providing an close-up experience of the people and the country .

Most Inspirational Moment

 The mosque in Casablanca was fantastic. Seeing the snow covered mountains and the stars from the gite in the High Atlas. The quietness of the camel trek into the desert.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mustapha was an excellent leader. Very knowledgeable, well organised and sociable.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take underwater protection for cameras in the desert.  Several cameras suffered from sand.

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Reviewed April 2013

HIGHLIGHTS OF MOROCCO

Overall a very good overview of Morocco which was a complete supplement to the previous week that I did Cycling the Morocco Great South also done with Exodus.  Other than the cities of Marrakech and Essaioura which we had additional time to spend on, there was very little overlapping between the two tours

Most Inspirational Moment

The unique and inspirational moment for me was going on a camel into the sahara desert.   The african camel is different from the Asian camel (a Bactrian with two humps).  I can understand why the ride was only 1 hour as it can be challenging for weekend warriors to ride it beyond that time.  Camping overnight in the desert was also an experience.  Perhaps it was the season or timing, but I was a bit disappointed that the night sky was not as clear as I expected.  I was pleasantly surprised at the mattress and blankets in the tent that made the overnight experience comfortable and pleasantly warm.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mustapha is a true professional.  As like most Exodus guides his number one priority was the safety of the participants.  I have never seen a group of travellers so particular about hygiene especially cleanliness of the hands before we put anything into our mouths.  As if washing was not enough, many of our travellers brought antibacterial handrubs.  No wonder none of us got stomach problems.   It is such a wonderful experience because in other tours in other countries I have seen travellers having bad stomach problems. I must also highlight that our driver was also a wonderful member of the dual team number.  The mountain roads were not easy to drive through, but he did it safely and effortlessly.  Such a professional.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I was informed to bring a 4 season sleeping bag.  I decided to take a chance on a 2 season one, and am glad because I had no space in my luggage for a 4 season one.  The blankets provided in the desert as well as Kasbah Olivier were very comfortable and warm.  However, I am uncertain whether for a colder period, what I did would have been right.  Just bear in mind the season you are going on.

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Reviewed April 2013

HIGHLIGHTS OF MOROCCO

Having been an independant traveller I had a number of preconceived notions and ideas about group travel and wasn’t sure about how I would feel about being on an organzied group trip.  Howeer, this trip not only met but exceeded my expectations and I enjoyed nearly every moment.  I would not hesitate to take another organzied trip through Exodus.

Most Inspirational Moment

I had a number of inspirational moments but I would like to mention the overall warmth and sense of humour of the people and how I always felt welcomed.  I particulary enjoyed the walk to and stay in Kasbah Oliver.  Being able to participate in their community program was very rewarding and the information provided by Mustapha about village life was greatly appreciated.  Of course, the camel trek throught the dessert in a sandstorm was highly memorable as well.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mustapha is a highly knowledgable and professional leader.  Without hesitation he was able to accommodate the group and their needs.  His choice in local guides was also superior and they too added significantly to the overall experience.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The temperature was a bit cooler than what I expected, so bring layers.  I did manage with only a sleeping bag liner as blankets were provided.  To avoid disappointment or discomfort if you have special dietary needs, you may want to consider taking your own supply of food.  Although Mustapha worked hard to ensure everyone's dietary needs were taken care of, I am sure that in remote areas this, by no means, was easy.   Thank you Mustapha for going that extra mile!The choice of restaurants were at a higher cost that what I expected, so when budgeting, take into consideration that although you are staying in basic accommodation, you may not be eating in basic restaurants.

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