Reviews

Brilliant way to get to know a small country

We’re beginning to think we would never get here – after the pandemic and then the political and economical troubles in Sri Lanka. But we made it – on Exodus’s first excursion for several months!! And it was well worth the wait. I don’t think we could have fitted anything more into our 14 days with easy going and knowledgable guide Roshan and our drivers. A full itinerary, but a relaxing pace and beautiful hotels (don’t really think you need to upgrade unless you are terribly choosy!) A satisfying mix of history, culture, landscape and wildlife and we appreciated the hikes, cycle rides (none of which are taxing if you are moderately fit) boat trips and the exhilarating train journey from the mountains. Although there were western alternatives, the Sri Lankan food on offer at the hotels was delicious, and Roshan often took us to good places for lunch and snacks – missed Rice & Curry when we got home!! Our group of 9 was a pleasant mix of folk who made for entertaining companions. The beach resort was a great place to finish, with the waves rolling in just infront of our hotel. Thank you Exodus for our first long haul trip in many years – we will definitely be signing up for another!

The Best Trip

Where to begin with all the superlatives of this trip……..from all the details that Exodus takes care of from the moment you step off the plane until the moment you step back on. They’ve thought of it all!! From authentic experiences, the places you visit, and people you meet, it cannot be beat. Each spot we visited was the perfect amount of time to spend at it with plenty of time to explore. If you go on this trip and are lucky to have Amer as your guide, it only enhances an already fantastic experience. His knowledge, passion, personality and fun-loving nature made this a trip I will never forget!

Early but good

This was the earliest in the season I’ve been to Dobbiaco. Although some of the trails had not been prepared and some of the eating places had not opened yet the trip was still really good. The snow had arrived early so the conditions were really good.

Vietnam cycling trip MOV221117 - Brilliant experience

The Vietnam cycling trip was first class. Not only was the cycling well organised and a fun way of seeing the country in a more authentic way. Importantly our safety whilst cycling was always taken into consideration by our experienced and very knowledgeable leader Tong Hoang.

AXW A week in Jordan

From Nasser meeting me at airport as I arrived earlier than scheduled trip start to the fab guide Amer and the lovely people on trip, lovely hotels I was thrilled with my Jordan .The weather in December really suited me as it wasnt too hot.

Better than I imagined

The tour is full of variety and the expert guiding from trip leader Suresh made the experience fun, informative, seamless and well paced for the entire group. Highly recommend! We (Dad, brother and myself) feel like we experienced a great variety of the highlights and friendly hospitality Sri Lanka has to offer – great food, kind and welcoming culture, ancient and rich history, abundant and exciting wildlife, and dramatic and unique landscapes. Suresh and his team of 4 were absolutely brilliant.

Sri Lanka December 2022

Fabulous cycling trip, filled with amazing activities.

Career in ruins

As with all Exodus trips that I have been on, prepare yourself for early starts and long days. It is not a holiday but more of an adventure so be prepared to immerse yourself in a feast of archaeology and  anthropology in order to gain some understanding of the cultures and history of one of the cradles of civilisation. You will explore the diverse geographical regions from coastal deserts, islands, high altitude lakes, the Altiplanos, the famous sacred valley from Cusco, the spectacular Machu Picchu and the depths of the Amazon rainforest. There are an endless numbers of churches, museums, archaeological sites to admire and inform your thirst for knowledge. The Incas, although significant, were not the only civilisation to occupy Peru.

If you are as lucky as we were, Exodus managed to make the earth move for us (4.3 on the Richter scale at Arequipa} and a nearby volcano even elected a new Pope! Later on, they conversed with the gods to allow us to experience a 24-hour rainstorm in the forest- it easily beat the 5inch days I used to see in Wales.

Our driver, Alex, successfully managed the frenetic driving conditions in the cities, Pan American Highway and our ascent into the Andes- I could not work out whether a Highway Code actually exists. At the end of each day, he was also skilled in Acupressure and massage- enough to release any tensions.

Our guide had the unique knack of managing and leading our group to maximise their understanding of not only his proud identity as one of the ‘locals’ but also to find other passionate guides at different intervals to further our understanding of the history of his country. Despite the farmers’ protests towards the end, he still managed to get us to the pinnacle of the trip- Machu Picchu.

Truly an adventure in which you have to immerse yourself.

Egypt Tour

The trip is really interesting and we definitely learnt a great deal about Egypt’s history. Starting in Cairo my disappoint came from the choice of hotel. We stayed right on the outskirts opposite the new museum (not open yet) with a great view of a Pyramid opposite. The hotel was of an acceptable standard, but overall, the lowest of our trip, but so far from the city it was difficult to venture out for sightseeing or dinner.
The group all agreed that our trip to the museum was too short and as we arrived back at our hotel quite early, we could have stayed longer as there is so much to see. We travelled to Alexandria from Cairo via El Alamein and visited the war museum which is not particularly good.
The old colonial hotel in Alexandria is a great spot with a superb rooftop terrace & restaurant. The local fish restaurant was poor quality although it had a great view, so a different venue would have been better.
The following morning, we visited the castle which was good, but then on the road again to Cairo for our sleeper train. The round trip took over 9 hours by bus for a one-night stay and although I wanted to visit Alexandria 2 nights would have made the round trip more worthwhile.
The sleeper train to Aswan went without hitch and better than I expected for a developing country. Aswan was great and the activities were good with one small issue in that we had a really great meal on our Felucca trip and in the evening a Barbeque on a Nile Island which was much too soon after.
The cruise to Luxor was very good quality and my only comment would be lack of language training of the waiters which I think may be due to Covid disruption, although our guide ate with us and was always there to help.
The temples were incredible and certainly lived up to or were better than their reputation. The engineering fete of moving 22 ancient monuments is almost as incredible as the original build and Abu Simbel really shows this.
A word to would be travellers, this trip is full on and with many early starts to beat the crowds or comply with the Tourist polices schedules. The tourist police are very apparent throughout the trip and in fact on our trip to Alexandria with had an armed guard on the bus who was I have to say was pleasant guy.
All in All, the trip was well organised and ran smoothly.

Cradle of civilisation

An extensive tour, taking in the most historic ancient and modern cities in Turkey. Countless UNESCO world heritage sites, wonderful cuisine, friendly people, fabulous weather, and every day was a school day. Educational and entertaining, I’d recommend this tour to any traveler.