Thoughts on Group Leader
Andrew was very good.
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!
Haven’t posted your review yet? Here’s how to do it…
Once you return from your Exodus adventure holiday, you will be emailed a link to add your review. Any feedback collected is posted onto our website, totally unedited.
Alternatively you can navigate to the relevant trip page and add your review via the Reviews tab.
Select a trip specific review:
Reviews
Illness forced me to cut the trip short.
Unfortunately, I became quite ill on the fifth day of the trip requiring thAT I return to the United States. That portion of the trip in which I was able to participate was very good. The Exodus trip leader, Andrew, was excellent.
Eva the best guide to Greek History
I enjoyed the entire trip. Eva, the group leader was knowledgeable, friendly, and a wonderful story teller. The group was a good size. The people in the group where fantastic. I met so many nice people. Many of group had been on other Exodus trips and they shared their experiences and suggested new adventures for me. I would like the tour to have been one day longer to see Mt Olympus and a more leisurely drive back to Athens. Overall the trip was great.
Most Inspirational Moment
Standing in Delphi. The view was breathtaking and there was a sense of awe at being in a place that was sacred for the people that lived here so long ago.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Eva was the best. I enjoyed everyday. She told great stories of Greek history. She involved everyone in the group. She set up some optional group dinners every evening. Every experience was wonderful.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Try everything, especially the food. Stand by yourself in the Greek ruins and imagine what life was like thousands of years ago. Go slow through the museums, there are so many wonderful art works.
Walking in Northern Cyprus
Hotel was good with an obliging staff. The walk was graded 1/2 I thought some of the walks were more of a higher standard but none of the walks were long so perhaps that’s why it’s rated 1/2.All walks had excellent views.I didn’t approve of the driver taking a call on his mobile phone.whilst driving. The bus could have been cleaner. The picnics were disappointing. Unfortunately the weather was not very good but didn’t mar the enjoyment of the trip. The worst feature was a bitterly cold northerly wind.
Most Inspirational Moment
There wasn’t one for me but I enjoyed seeing the sites.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Good knowledge of the history of the country and the flora and fauna. Spent too much time on his phone.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Make sure that you are well prepared for all types of weather.
So nearly perfect.
A remarkable experience full of fascinating insights and magical moments.
Most Inspirational Moment
I'd have to highlight the morning walk in Madurai with guide Rishi - an optional extra excursion which involved getting up painfully early but so well worth it. The tea plantation trek ( not that strenuous at all - more of a longish stroll really with a bit of an optional climb at the end) was also delightful. And I loved the afternoon boat trip on the backwaters - again and optional excursion but very well worth doing. The 'putting Shiva to bed' ceremony and the Madurai Temple and the Kathikali show (again both extras) were a touch puzzling - not through lack of explanation but just because they were so different - but made a tremendous impact. Loved all the temple visits - we actually got prayed for twice, which is not something you can put a price on! And I loved our guide Biju's many talks on the coach - he is such a natural storyteller and has such a sweet way of explaining things. A couple of minor low-lights. The rooms in the homestay were definitely not 'cosy' - more spartan and grim - though our hostess Grace was cosy, and gave us the best breakfast of the whole trip. It was a pity that our final night meal together in Kovalam was the deeply uninspiring and over-priced hotel buffet when there were so many lovely restaurants around offering lots of choice for everyone. And the houseboat trip - see below.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Superb. See above - he was massively informative and entertaining. But he also looked after us like a mother hen. If anybody showed the least sign of concern about anything - the slightest change of expression - he would be at their side sorting things out in an instant. How he managed to eat while makiing sure everyone else had everything they wanted I can't imagine. And he just seemed a naturally sweet-natured guy. A tremendous advert for Kerala, Hinduism and of course Exodus. I'm not sure how to vote him 'Guide of the Yea; or whatever it is, but he totally has my vote!
Advice for Potential Travellers
Pack something warm - a fleece and maybe a scarf or shawl. The air conditioning can be surprisingly fierce, particularly on the coach! We also hit a couple of serious days of rain. I'd packed a plastic mac but an umbrella might have been a better choice - the locals often carry them anyway to use as sunshades so you won't look out of place. Bring lots of cash - at least £200 to cover excursions and tips as well as enough for food each day and for shopping. My group all did nearly all the excursions and they're not expensive but do need to be paid for in cash. ATMs will only let you take out £100 at a time, and you get a much better rate by exchanging sterling . The 'shoulders covered' for women advice wasn't followed as much as I'd expected, though it's probably worth carrying a scarf if you're going to be bare shouldered a lot of the time. Do leave space in your packing for stuff - like tea, spices etc - you'll end up buying. Bring a beach towel if you intend to go on the beach - hotel with swimming pools provide towels for this Hotels provide a coffee-making in the room, usually with powdered milk and often just tea only. Coffee is served weak, and often milk is included flasks of both tea and coffee . Nobody'd heard of decaff so it's worth taking your own if this is an issue.
Reply from Exodus
We are grateful to Alison for taking the time to leave a review and are thrilled that she enjoyed her time in India overall and particularly the performance of her tour leader, Biju. On the other hand, we were regretful to learn that she was disappointed with elements of the houseboat cruise. Unfortunately, due to the composition of Alison’s group, which featured a disproportionately large number of solo travellers, we had to hire more boats than usual, some of which were supplied by a different company. Whilst we are satisfied with the general quality of these boats, we accept that the service they provided varied somewhat from that of our standard boats, which we recognise is not ideal. We discussed this at length with our local operator and put measures in place to prevent a similar situation affecting future groups. We hugely appreciate Alison’s feedback, as it has allowed us to look to make changes to this tour and ensure that it is as organised, informative, and enjoyable as our customers expect from Exodus, though we remain apologetic that this was not her experience on day 11 of the trip.
Sarah Puttnam, Product Manager
You must do this once in your lifetime
Just returned from our Egyptian trip. It was truly amazing. Our guide Ahmed was outstanding – he looked after everyone so well and kept us right with everything from dealing with occasional aggressive hawkers at the temples to protocols around mosque visits. He has a masters in Egyptology and brought all the sites to life for us. The trouble with the antiquities in Egypt is that they are so stunning that everywhere else you visit will pale into insignificance. Someone made Tutenkamun’s mask and built pyramids 3000-4500 years ago when our ancestors were scraping a living in caves and mud huts. The trip takes in all the must see treasures – Cairo, the pyramids & sphinx, Valley of the Kings, the temples & Nile. The accommodation and food was of a really high standard. Egypt actually has a very low crime rate against tourists and we found the Egyptian people to be so warm, welcoming, helpful & friendly. None of the 10 females in our group of 16 had any problems at all. Everyone felt safe & secure at all times. In terms of fitness, my wife had an acute knee problem but still managed all activities without difficulty- it is level1. Most people will only ever do Egypt once. This trip ticked all our boxes and gave us memories for a lifetime.
Most Inspirational Moment
Tutenkamun’s mask, the Sphinx,the Valley of the Kings & Karnak. I am a sailor & also really enjoyed the felucca sailing.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Ahmed was so inspirational and outstanding. He devoted himself to ensuring everyone had a really positive experience of Egypt and really went the extra mile for us.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be aware that the trip involves a lot of early starts to visit sites before they get crowded. Bedtimes were therefore early.
Review of Discover Chile trip
An excellent introduction to Chile, it was very interesting to see the different climate regions, desert, Santiagio, Lakes and Patagonia. The group blended particularly well together. There were plenty of great photography moments. Felipe (our guide) was excellent.
Most Inspirational Moment
The boat trip to the glaciers was excellent. The blue ice was spectacular!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Felipe was excellent. he guided us to some excellent restaurants and was. He was very personable and receptive to the wishes of the group and provided his wide knowledge of Chile without talking too much. The short visit to his home where he showed us his artwork was fantastic. I felt that sometimes he could have given us a slightly clearer plan for the day.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Inevitably there is a lot of travel and in particular several days were spent relocating. These involved early starts which was fine for me since it meant more time in the destination.
Fabulous holiday
This is a fantastic trip for more experienced walkers. The mountains are stunning and unspoilt. The walks are varied and well thought out. Jose is an experienced and enthusiastic local guide who is passionate about what he does and has extensive local knowledge. It was fun to visit the coast on the free day and we had plenty of support with arranging transport. The hotel was clean and welcoming.
Wildlife galore
Although we didn’t see whales or leopards this trip showed us much of the amazing wildlife of Sri Lanka. The landscapes were spectacular too. We saw more birds than I could count and lizards, monkeys, bats, mongoose, elephants, dolphins, crocodiles, wild boar, buffalo…and many more. The tour leader was excellent and knowledgeable the accomodation always excellent too. A great trip for wildlife watchers
Most Inspirational Moment
Too many to mention but I did enjoy seeing the dolphins and close encounters with turtles. Also the amazing fruit bats flying over me during my evening swim in the pool. I can't forget the many huge monitor lizards...
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our leader was excellent! Always helpful, considerate and very knowledgeable with a passion for his country and the wildlife. He has a good sense of humour and lots of patience always helpful and great company.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take warm clothes for the rainforest as it can be cool in the hills at night and also for the early morning game drives as it is cool before the sun rises. Be prepared for some early starts and very bumpy roads on the game drives - not for those with disabilities or serious back problems! Binoculars and insect repellant essential. Food was good and varied but not much choice for vegetarians.
Brilliant Trip
From beginning to end this was a fantastic trip, thank you. The hotel was perfect for a hiking trip and more than met our needs. It was clean and comfortable and had a lovely family vibe. Breakfast was superb with the best ever freshly squeezed orange juice! The hikes left nothing to be desired – they more than met my expectations and were challenging, as expected, but expertly managed by Jose, our guide. The sequence of hikes was perfect and I have only good things to say about the whole trip. Jose was brilliant and brought so much local knowledge, experience and fun to the trip. Thanks to everyone involved, this surpassed all my expectations and hopes.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Jose was great. I have only good things to say about him
Advice for Potential Travellers
Make sure you are fit enough for the level of hiking
'Vietnam Adventure' Says It All
A really fantastic insight into past and present life in Vietnam. The two week trip is packed full. Sights include temples, pagodas, paddy fields, caves, rivers, beautiful lanterns, war tunnels, war museums and spectacular sea views. Activities include walking, cycling, an overnight train journey, ferry rides, boat trips, including an overnight stay in a cabin, another night at a family Homestay; active participation in demonstrations of making reed mats, rice wine, rice noodles, coconut candy and incense sticks. The sheer volume of traffic and numbers of motorbikes all constantly sounding their horns whilst weaving around each other has to be seen to be believed, yet they are driven in a very non aggressive manner and somehow manage to avoid collisions. Bartering for holiday momentoes is great fun and the food variety is enormous and delicious with something for everyone. (You might well give sticky rice and noodles a miss for a few weeks once you return home!) So much more I could include, but go and find out for yourself, you won’t regret it.
Most Inspirational Moment
Very difficult to answer, but the sheer beauty of Halong Bay takes some beating, but I also loved all the activities involving the Vietnamese communities and witnessing their lifestyles. Cycling and boat trips on the Mekomg Delta River were fantastic experiences too.
Thoughts on Group Leader
BAC (BB) is a top man! His enthusiasm, vast knowledge, professionalism, humility, sense of humour and advice was first rate. Everything he organised ran smoothly, from minibuses turning up on time, to never having to queue for entrance tickets at venues. Every restaurant he took us too was a resounding success. As a group we all gelled really well and were privileged to have him as our leader. BB is a true credit to Exodus and his country.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be assertive and purposeful when crossing the road, or you will wait forever, as nobody will ever stop for you!