Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing Manasalu at sunrise
Thoughts on Group Leader
Excellent and very helpful
Advice for Potential Travellers
Make sure you are fit, there are some long trekking days
Reviews
Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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Reviews
Manasalu Nov
A challenging and adventurous trip which I thoroughly enjoyed
Fabulously varied trip with amazing scenery, flora& fauna, experiences and selections of accommodation
First group tour for me and I was relieved to find I loved it! My husband had done charity group trips before but not a ‘holiday’.
Very varied in terms of accommodation styles, experiences, landscape, seascape and people on the trip – both on the minibus and locals.
Excellent guide too!
Most Inspirational Moment
Lion roaring, elephants (soooo many) playing, whales breaching. Dining like houseguests in beautiful homes, waterfall swimming, braai eating, sea pool swimming. Table Mountain views. So much more…. And laughing every day!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Andrew from Mask Expeditions is a top bloke! Professional, kind, funny, energetic, capable, knowledgeable and enthusiastic! We enjoyed his company very much. Picked all the good places to eat and organised table bookings (front with views etc!), and transported us all even though evening meals were not included and in towns like Hermanus and Cape Town we did have choices. He can also change a tyre ;-) and is a very responsible driver.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Make sure you stock up on drinks and snacks before going to Avoca Farm and Tsitsikamma. Evening meals are all extra but in those places and also De Rust there is not really a choice. But the meals supplied were fantastic and inexpensive. Go with the flow and enjoy! Accommodation in Tsitsikamma is basic - but the setting is fabulous. Some were not keen on the log huts. I loved it as an alternative and the location is everything.
Awsome scenery
The tour take you through some amazing parts of Morocco. The support team were brilliant, sorting bikes and providing great snacks and lunches. Some of the trails were particularly challenging, perhaps more than the itinerary suggests. Be prepared to walk some sections!
Most Inspirational Moment
The scenery is amazing.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Abde was a great leader, resolving issues for clients and inspiring his support team.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Bike handling skills rather than pure fitness were the key to being first rather than last!
Springtime in Patagonia November 2022
This was one of the best trips that I have ever done and I loved every minute of it. There are long bus journeys in between the main events but they are well managed and the views out of the windows on those journeys were very much part of the whole experience. The accommodation was comfortable – not luxurious but perfectly adequate. Two weeks went by in a flash. There were some early morning starts but each day was a delightful new experience. Highly recommended but not for those who just want to sightsee without actively participating. But perhaps those people won’t travel with Exodus anyway. Thank you Exodus for another great holiday.
Most Inspirational Moment
Difficult to pick out one as the whole trip was inspirational. The first sight of Mount Fitzroy, the Moreno Glacier with the thrill of seeing it calving, crossing the Magellan Straits, a 'navigation' on Beagle Sound almost within touching distance of basking seals and penguin colonies with a the solitary King Pengiun in their midst. Birdwatching opportunities everywhere, beautiful spring flowers, the immensity of the steppes. And then just being there, down at the 'Fin del Mundo.'
Thoughts on Group Leader
Xavier was excellent. He was cheerful, knowledgeable and very efficient. One of the main reasons I travel with Exodus is the quality of the local group leaders and Xavier was certainly one of the best. I could not recommend him more highly.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The trip notes say 'while the trip is graded moderate we recommend you have a reasonably good level of fitness to really enjoy the hiking opportunities available.' The two long walks - the one at El Chalten was 23km are serious hikes with significant climbing. I am over 70 but more than reasonably fit, used to hiking long distances and skiing, but the final stage of that climb was obviously going to be very challenging so I gave it a miss (perfectly possible to do that) meaning I only had an exhilarating 20km with most of the staggeringly beautiful views and only moderate climbs to deal with. The second long walk was going to be to base camp at Torres del Paine in Chile. My guide book written by locals said this was very steep and only recommendable for 'those who are physically very fit'. A strike by local National Park staff meant walk was unavailable much to the disappointment of the serious hikers amongst us but the alternative second walk was clearly going to be equally challenging so I gave it a miss, but easily found other things to do around Puerto Natales. I think these walks should be flagged up as the challenging hikes that they are.
An excellent holiday and guide
An excellent holiday exploring a country with a great depth of historical and cultural sites. The day visiting the 1915 Gallipoli battlefields was fascinating and our day there was the only one where we did not visit an UNESCO World Heritage site.
Most Inspirational Moment
Ephesus and the library of Celsus (third biggest after Alexandria {Egypt} and Pergamum) and its massive theatre, familiar to Saint Paul, who lived in Ephesus for a time. It was the largest theatre in the ancient world. After seeing the old harbour (now four miles from the sea; the silting up process explaining why Ephesus was abandoned in the sixth century), we had lunch of pancakes made fresh in a wood burning oven. Watching the three ladies making them was also fascinating.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our guide Tolga was great, knowledgeable and amusing, a strong character and one with the confidence to read poetry that has moved him, written by the Sufi mystic, Mevlana, by his mausoleum and home of his Dervishes. We could not have been in better hands.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Because of the distances travelled in a very large country, take two novels too read in transit.
Experiencing Pura Vida adventure in Costa Rica
Just back from this brilliant holiday – we’ve had an exceptional time exploring Costa Rica’s flora and fauna with plenty of adventure and activities to keep us entertained over the two week holiday. Our group spotted at least 125 different species of birds, animals and other creatures, from colourful butterflies and birds of every shape and size to adorable sloths, from poisonous frogs to killer tarantulas and scorpions, from humpback whales to dolphins and flying fish. Our tour of Costa Rica took in wet, dry and damp rain forests, incredible scenery, amazing sights and sounds, very rainy rain, beautiful hot sunshine, captivating night tours including a magical, breath-taking experience watching baby turtles hatching and making their first journey out to sea, wildlife walks and hikes, plus fabulous food from pineapple plantations and organic farms. Other activities included flying through the rain forest by zip line, tubing down rapids and horse riding through a wildlife rich ranch, basking in volcanic thermal springs under the stars. We added in a couple of optional adventures: surf lessons at the beach and a coffee, chocolate and sugar cane tour at the base of the Arenal volcano. Our excellent tour leader, Mayer Jimenez brought expert wildlife and bird knowledge to the holiday, a huge bonus for our group. This holiday comes highly recommended.
Most Inspirational Moment
Standing on a beach at night in the pitch dark, watching tiny baby turtles no bigger than a satsuma emerge from their sandy nest and making their way down the beach towards the sea.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our group leader, Mayer was exceptional. His extensive knowledge of flora, fauna and birdlife really made our trip even better as we spotted more than 125 different species.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Rain forests are damp! Don't unpack anything you don't need: keep as much stuff as possible zipped up in your waterproof duffle bag or suitcase, including all clothes you aren't currently wearing. Quick-dry clothing is a great idea. And if you don't want to put on a soggy swimsuit, bring at least 3 sets with you, and watershoes if you plan on going tubing.
Glorious location, great walks and a fabulous hotel
We took this trip in early September, the weather turned out to be very hot (mostly 30-32 degrees) but the walks were still fine for most of the group and were really well selected with varied and interesting walking every day. I would say, though, that a fair rating would be ‘moderate to hard’ as each walk had some challenging sections, especially in the heat. The scenery of the Alpujarra is glorious, different to any other mountains we have walked in and very beautiful. Our guide Dan was also excellent, really well informed, dryly funny and considerate to all members of the group. Finally a word for the hotel in Berchules – it was absolutely fabulous! Csilla is a wonderful hostess, so friendly and welcoming and Alejandro is a terrific chef, evening meals were a delight and the breakfasts and packed lunches were very generous. The setting of the hotel, at the head of the Berchules valley, is glorious – one of my favourite memories of the trip was just sitting on the terrace before breakfasts and suppers, chatting over drinks with our walking buddies. I thoroughly recommend this trip.
Most Inspirational Moment
Sitting relaxed on the terrace with new friends and out lovely hosts, drinking in the fabulous scenery (and the local wine).
Thoughts on Group Leader
Dan was great, full of information and humour and really careful for the well-being of all the group members.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Walking poles (which we didn't bring but others did) were helpful for balance on some steeper walk sections. Do follow the advice on water bottles too. Proper walking boots essential.
Another Great Adventure with Exodus
In my opinion, the success of these trips depends mainly on 3 factors – the itinerary and logistics, the guide and the fellow group participants. For me, the three were excellent. As always, the attention to detail from Exodus’ side was impeccable from the choice of hotels to the choice of snacks in between rides. Yes this is a fast moving full on trip as clearly laid out in the trip notes so if you like lie ins and lazing on the beach type of holidays think again! But to see so much of Vietnam in 2 weeks this is expected.
Most Inspirational Moment
The exhilarating downhill 30 km ride through beautiful scenery, the snorkelling around Whale Island and the first glimpse of the islands whilst cruising into Halong Bay!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Tung was magnificent! He did his job exceptionally well without being too pushy. He was there to help all of us until the moment we got on the plane back. Great sense of humour and good knowledge of the country’s history. Very streetwise too.
Advice for Potential Travellers
If you love cycling and would like to visit Vietnam then this is the way to do it. Cycling is generally easy except for a few days where there are a couple of long hills. Some fitness is required here. Also, one needs to be calm when cycling in traffic as you have to negotiate and share the road with the million scooters and cars! All part of the fun.
First hand education in the history and religions of the area we know as the Holy Land
An action packed entirely fascinating FULL week in Jordan, Palestine. Great company, great local food, excellent Group Lead/Tour Guide. Much much better than I expected. Felt very safe in Jordan too.
Most Inspirational Moment
The realisation that the history of the three significant Abrahamic religions surrounded me in this region. I went to see Petra, The Red and Dead Seas, I came away with so much more. Roman Jerash, Mount Nebu and Moses, the Baptism site of Jesus Christ no less, (optional extra, everyone took).
Thoughts on Group Leader
This is our third Exodus trip and as with the two previous it is the Group Leader who made it an exceptional experience. Amer, a warm, eloquent Jordanian with four relevant degrees brought the history, religions and politics of the region to life with clear chronological explanations drawn from the sites we visited. You felt totally confident in his care, bus broken down near Wadi Rum, replacement arrives within 20 mins - impressive for the middle of nowhere.
Advice for Potential Travellers
If you're transiting through Heathrow be prepared for very lengthy delays, not quite as bad as Manchester, but pretty appalling still, with little care for passenger wellbeing. Try to drink plenty on the plane as there is nothing for the couple of hours it takes to transit from one terminal to the other via yet another security check.
Great
Amazing trip far better than I imagined, Johnny the tour guide and Percy the bus driver went out of their way to make this trip the best one I have been on
Most Inspirational Moment
Turtles hatching and the amount of wildlife observed at all times
Thoughts on Group Leader
Brilliant, knowledgeable, helpful, funny, flexible and constantly available for anything we needed
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take an umbrella