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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14233 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Doreen Drews

Reviewed November 2023

A busy but very worthwhile week exploring the Pearl of Arabia

I very much recommend this one week exploration of the cultural and ancient heritage of wonderful Oman. It’s a busy tour but all forms of travel and accommodation are very comfortable. The people we met throughout the tour were all proud of their heritage and extremely friendly. Oman is a very safe country. The itinerary is varied as are the fabulous landscapes encountered. Most meals were included and of good quality…plenty of affordable, tasty food to be had in local cafes/restaurants …avoid branded “western” restaurants which are very expensive. Our guide, Zubair, was very knowledgeable, very funny, worked hard and was clearly a great ambassador for his country.

Parwinder Sekhon

Reviewed November 2023

A lot worse that we had expected

The guide was not experienced. An example was he did not give details of where the group should meet up and at what time when visiting a temple on day 2. One member of the group got lost. We wasted time looking for her and then time when she managed to contact the guide for him to go and get her. The guide had little knowledge and essentially managed to get us from one place to another. He read short extracts from a book (2-3 minutes) at each site, in very broken english, which was not detailed and provided no further information than reading the placards at the shrine / museum we were at. Save for the ryokan in Yudanaka, the accommodation was of a much worse standard than the cost of the holiday warrants. Ryokan at Takayama (which is 2 star) was unacceptable level given the price paid. It is simply unacceptable for seventeen people to share 2 toilets for 2 days (there were 4 toilets, 2 male and 2 female unless you went to a different floor where there was another 2). It was rundown and the food was below par. The sushi was frozen, which you would not expect in Japan. The description in the itinerary was misleading. The visit on day 2 to historic Gion did not take place in the early evening as suggested but instead at around 3 pm and the guide simply pointed down a street and said there were no Geishas. Because this was done earlier, we then went to Nijo castle, which we should have gone to first, and it was closed as the guide took us there after 4 p.m. That was a wasted afternoon of travelling rather than an interesting day of culture. Day 8, there was no stroll at night to the castle. Day 10 there was no evening orientation tour of Tokyo as suggested.

Most Inspirational Moment

The snow monkeys in Yudanaka where good.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do not book this trip, it is a waste of money.

Reply from Exodus

We would like to thank Parwinder for his review, although we’re very sorry to hear of his disappointment with his departure of Ancient & Modern Japan. Parwinder’s leader underwent a thorough training program before first leading for Exodus at the start of this year, including shadowing one of our most experienced and well-performing Japanese leaders, and the feedback he received previously from the two departures he led personally was very positive. We are, however, aware that this leader received more disappointing feedback from Parwinder’s group, and upon being made aware of this we immediately contacted our local manager in Japan. Our local manager has conducted detailed follow-up with Parwinder’s leader and, since Parwinder’s trip, he has received further instruction and has led another departure with success. Overall, the scores our leaders receive for our trips in Japan are high, averaging 4.20 out of 5 from our customers who have travelled this year. We, nevertheless, regret that Parwinder did not have a similar positive experience, and recognise that his leader’s poor organisation on this occasion led to some frustrations with the itinerary, which we find from experience is structured well and accurate to the trip notes.

Regarding the accommodation on this trip, we feel that the description in our trip notes sets our clients’ expectations appropriately. Accommodation in Japan is extremely expensive and we feel that this trip provides good value for money; each property is clean and comfortable and the stays at ryokans serve as a way that our customers can experience traditional Japanese life. We would point out that the other clients on Parwinder’s trip rated the accommodation very highly on their feedback forms, though we are sorry that Parwinder did not have such a positive experience.

We are in touch with Parwinder and hope to be able to promptly resolve his disappointment to his satisfaction.

– Kelly Reid, Exodus Product Manager

Nicola G

Reviewed November 2023

The Moonstone Trek

From landing in Peru the customer care was excellent and our Moonstone trek team were outstanding.

Most Inspirational Moment

The trekking experience - 3 nights on the mountain seeing nobody. The food was excellent and camp set up too.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We couldn't have asked for a better leader he was outstanding

Nancy McClean

Reviewed November 2023

Walking the Amalfi Coast

A great trip although sadly the weather was not good for half the week. Amalfi and Positano still very busy with day tripper tourists. Hotel was great and the food was very good.

Most Inspirational Moment

The views from the Walk of the Gods and Villa Cimbrone were fabulous. The walk around Vesuvius was fantastic. Felt it would have been nice to have a bit more time in Pompeii to see more of the site after the guided tour. The guides were excellent.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very good.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This trip is definitely not suitable for those who can’t manage lots of steep steps and descents. I felt that the walking pace was very slow due to members of the group not matching their perceived abilities with the demands of the walks.

David F

Reviewed October 2023

Cycle Indochina & Angkor- Premium Adventure

Excellent knowledgeable guides

Thoughts on Group Leader

Can't praise trip leader enough

Chris W

Reviewed October 2023

Cycle Indochina & Angkor- Premium Adventure

Our guide, Rit, took this from a great experience to a brilliant one, he was a rock star and he alone would be enough for us to book another trip with you.

Most Inspirational Moment

So many, but the main ones were cycling along quiet roads beside the rice paddy fields and the fruit trees; a night in the Mekong Delta: and the food, OMG the food was wonderful !!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rit is a rock star, do whatever you need to do to keep him !

Marin Popa

Reviewed October 2023

A trip to remember

The itinerary was very well-balanced, including a combination of various sightseeing and walks. For us, first-time visitors to these parts of the USA, every day brought something new and amazing, and we enjoyed it thoroughly. Mike, our guide, is a consummate professional – he ensured everything went like clockwork and without doubts or worries, he gave us all the information we needed, told us in an attractive storytelling manner short historical, geographical, and social narratives, enabling us to understand better the places we saw. His permanent optimism and sense of humor made everything look easy and every minute pleasant and worth remembering. The whole atmosphere was relaxing and as magical as the sites we visited. Thanks! Suggestions for improving the experience: 1. It should be noted that the seats in the van are quite narrow, especially in the last row. There were 11 of us and we fit in the van relatively comfortably. A party of 13 would feel very tight, especially on the longer drives. 2. The best accommodations were in Tonopah and Zion. I understand that there are few other options in most of the locations, but at the price we paid, better motels would have been welcomed. Sorry if I seem a bit picky – all in all, it was a trip to remember, an experience of a lifetime.

Derek Bardsley

Reviewed October 2023

Cycling in the desert

A fantastic trip, cycling with a great group of people, through some amazing scenery in Chile and Argentina. I enjoyed all of the rides although a few were tough in the dry heat at 4000 metres. Plenty of support from our tour guides Ale Moreiras and Claudio Sanuy who were happy and cheerful and helped us to navigate through any problems.

Most Inspirational Moment

Our early morning visit to the geysers at El Tatio. Crossing the Jama Pass from Chile into Argentina. Riding on the salt flats at Salinas grandes Descending the 42 km of the Bishop's slope.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader was Ale Moreiras who was an entertaining and competent leader whose professionalism and enthusiasm were an integral part of his guiding. It was evident that Ale and his co-leader, Claudio Sanuy, enjoyed their work and both worked hard, but without fuss, to ensure the tour went according to plan. In my case my wife became affected by toothache but Ale was able to find, and take her to a dentist, who saw her on a Sunday afternoon, prescribing antibiotics which allowed her to continue the tour. We were both thankful for this and I was amazed at Ale's resourcefulness. He seemed to have contacts everywhere we went and whilst some might say this was a coincidence, I think such things don't happen without effort being made to develop a network of contacts for times of need. I think Ale was the main organiser but Claudio was equally enthusiastic and the two complemented each other very well, each with skills and contacts to support the other.

Advice for Potential Travellers

There is a reasonable distance travelled on 'gravel' but this surface is much like forest trails that can be found in England. We did not encounter large rocks to be negotiated. However, unlike trails in England a lot of these are above 3500 metres and for our trip the weather was quite hot. The heat and altitude mean that all riders must be aware of how they feel at all times. Dehydration, altitude sickness and fatigue are real issues to watch out for. Enjoy the riding, the scenery is fantastic.

Robert C

Reviewed October 2023

The Moonstone Trek

Our guide Edwind was fantastic, knowledgeable and incredibly thoughtful and hardworking

Most Inspirational Moment

Being so far from tourists and much civilisation in the Andes is incredible. The walk to macchu picchu and walking down to it is one of the best experiences Iâ€™ve ever had.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Edwind went above and beyond to make sure everything was as good as possible.

Dee

Reviewed October 2023

A Cultural Adventure starting from North to South

2 weeks filled with various activities from hiking through the rural forest and rice paddies to kayaking in the reservoir and Halong Bay to Cycling in the Mekong Delta. I couldn’t have imagined a better way to see Vietnam than this trip as it covered the countryside to the cities! I particularly loved Hoi An despite the monsoon season starting earlier in October, it was so pretty to see it come alive during the night when all the lanterns were lit up and the boats went down the river.

Most Inspirational Moment

So many moments, it's hard to pinpoint one! Kayaking through emerald water of Ha long bay and seeing the caves. We were lucky as it was just our group in the area so it was very peaceful. We also visited Ti Top island afterwards when all the day trippers were leaving so we were the last people on the island which was amazing without the crowds!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Trung was very helpful and was very knowledgeable of Vietnam's history. We all learnt so much from him and came back home wanting to learn more. He had the best suggestions on where to go to eat and the best dishes to try out!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Maybe bring something warm to wear for the overnight train especially if you're sleeping on the top bunkbed as it can get chilly with the aircon

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