Reviews

Flexibility makes for a great holiday!

This was our first ever cycling holiday and so we were unsure before going whether we’d be fit and prepared enough. Building up our cycling beforehand as per the Exodus training plan definitely helped our fitness. The distances and routes each day were very manageable.
We did buy padded shorts for the trip and these were definitely helpful. We also took our own bike seats and after a couple of days using the one that came with the bikes (which I found a bit narrow and hard) I switched to my own which was definitely more comfortable and supportive for me, while my husband was happy with the Exodus one. The bikes were good with more gears than expected and an easy lever to flick the suspension on for bumpy ground. The pannier bag provided was an unexpected bonus and easily came on and off so can be taken to your room at night and packed for the following day. There are no separate compartments in them so after a few days of groping around in the dark space at the bottom every time I needed something, I organised smaller items into separate plastic bags which could be pulled out easily.
Hotel rooms were clean and spacious with good facilities, though we may have hit lucky with our room allocation as some people felt cramped and not so happy with theirs. The hotel in Palmse was more basic but this was definitely compensated for by the lovely location.
Breakfasts at all the hotels were good with plenty of choice. A gluten-free Exodus guest managed ok, helped by bringing a print out of ‘I can’t eat gluten’ translated into the 3 languages to show staff and by buying a loaf of gluten free bread for when rice cakes got too boring. As non-meat eaters our meals out tended to be dominated by fish with very limited choices at some places for total vegetarians. Generally though the food was tastier and more varied than I had expected with some great places suggested by Andrius – we definitely needed those bike rides to keep the calories from piling on!

Inca Trail incomfort and Amazon extension

Amazing and challenging adventure! We did the Inca Trail in comfort with the Amazon extension.

Mongolias great.

Mongolia has been recommended to me by various travelers over the years, also to include the Nadaam Festival….they were right.
If you are looking for something different….this is it.
The vastness and the ever changing terrain in the Gobi is fascinating.

Beautiful and peaceful Picos

Spent a glorious week walking the unspoilt, peaceful and beautiful Picos. The weather was perfect for walking with only 1 day of light drizzle, breaking the otherwise dry and sunny week. We did a mixture of walks ranging from summiting twice at just over 2000 metres above the tree line through to a coastal walk to Llanes. Alfonso our guide was a true man of the mountains, born in the Region and with a real love and passion for the Picos as well as having a really calm and peaceful persona. The hospitality and home cooking at the hotel was excellent throughout the week and each day you can admire the glorious views of the Picos over breakfast and dinner, cloud cover permitting. I felt throughout the week that I was off the beaten track as the area is so large and un-touristy that on most days you don’t come across many other walkers, with the exception of the Cares gorge which was busier, but not in an unpleasant way. I loved the whole week.

Wilderness Escape

If you want to be immersed in the beautiful Finnish wilderness and escape the frenetic pace of modern life, this is the trip for you. 5 days filled with easy hiking, rafting, husky walks and bear watching. There is also plenty of down time just to soak up the tranquility, take a sauna or take a dip in the lake.
Basecamp Oulanka is the prefect place to recharge your batteries.

Namibia 4WD Desert Safari

We have travelled from Mongolia to Patagonia, seen Bukhara, the Taj Mahal, Tigers in India and The Andes but this was by far our most exciting trip.
Wild Camping in the Palmwag Concession, away from virtually all other tourists, was a real adventure. To see five of the six Desert Lions in this area was beyond our highest expectations. These in addition to seeing five different Rhinos and a two month old Elephant.
The “Icing on the Cake” when we arrived in Etosha was to witness a Cheetah hunt and kill by three Cheetahs, a mother and two almost full grown young. Our Guide, who had 25 years experience, had only seen one other in all that time.

namibia lodge safari

this was about my 10th. adventure holiday with Exodus and just as rewarding as the past ones. You will cover a lot of miles, travelling on most of the time bumpy un-maid up and dusty roads. During that time you will see and visit many interesting things. Varying terrain, cultures and a wide variety of the countries wild life. You will hear about the history of the country, from its early inhabitants through its colonial period to its more modern period when independence was granted from South Africa. You will travel aboard a custom vehicle for 16 people and get to know you fellow travellers/adventures. Enjoy some fantastic road side meals. Every day brings something different.

Spectacular scenery and costumes

A very well planned and varied itinerary that takes you up to the high altitude gradually. A lot of travelling but the spectacular scenery takes your mind off the long journeys. Good attention to health and safety throughout. The Inti Raymi festival events are a modern interpretation of the traditional Inca rituals but nonetheless wonderful to witness. The costumes and the infectious energy of the local people enjoying the festival in Cusco the day before was a great experience.

It was a wonderful ‘trip of a lifetime’ experience and I am pleased to recommend it to other travellers.

This trip had everything

We loved Mongolia! This was our first holiday as part of a guided group trip, and it really worked for us. We found the itinerary to be just right, long days with lots to see and do, interspersed with just enough downtime to recharge our batteries. The accommodation in hotels and gers was of a high standard. We were very well fed with meals ranging from traditional Mongolian to modern European and Asian cuisine at the accommodations and local restaurants in UB. Box lunches were provided for the long days crossing the Gobi and for the Naadam Festival. All the Mongolian people we met made us feel very welcome to their country.

Oh My Freaking God I Want to Move to Africa.

I have been fortunate to travel a lot. These countries were my 51st, 52nd and 53rd but this was the best time of my life. This was my 7th small group trip. I have never felt more grateful in my life—and it is all owed to this wonderful staff, Gilbert (our guide), Stoney (our driver), Albert (our cook) and Charles (his helper).

I moderately injured my low back while rafting in Jinja and was very worried that if it worsened (from camping or the bumpy dirt roads) I would not be able to do the Chimp or Gorilla treks. The staff did everything in their power to help me through this and I’m very thankful for that; the injury never worsened and I was able to do everything that the agenda entailed.

The safari portion of our trip was extraordinary, particularly in the Mara and Lake Nakuru. The boat safari in Murchison was also amazing as we saw everything in such a different ecosystem. The highlights: five lionesses in a tree, two leopards, a monster of a crocodile, a wildebeest stampede, a hippo and a family of warthogs at our campsite in Murchison, hordes of playful baby baboons, a pack of zebras hilariously chasing an territory-invading jackal and virtually every other large African mammal except the cheetah.

A few other animal experiences to mention:
—There are 1,388 species of birds in East Africa. I’m not a birder or anything but I was constantly in awe of the gorgeous, highly varied plumage patterns of these majestic creatures.
—The chimps in the Budongo Forest were outrageous. We hoped to just see a few eating in the treetops. We saw that and about twenty minutes into our viewing session a highly-orchestrated colobus monkey hunt began with screeching, screaming and yelling. Chimps rapidly descended all around us, ran across the forest floor and ascended other trees nearby. The rangers claimed they killed three colobus. While we collectively only had one picture of a chimp eating his prey, it was an exhilarating, albeit terrifying and somewhat sad, experience.
—I figured the chimps had stolen the show. But the gorillas responded. Extraordinary experience…we had no clue how close they were going to get. They say it’s a seven meter distance that we need to maintain, but not if the gorillas decide they want to play with you… One of the gorillas (an impish three year old boy) sprinted to me, stuck his head between my knees and patted the sides of my thighs in rapid succession. He then just lied there. No one got any of it on film because the silverback, Bweza, was waking right towards me as his son was pulling this stunt and everyone had to shuffle away quickly… Bweza was no more than two meters away from me before we could all pull back. It was terrifying but that early lesson taught us that these gorillas are extremely habituated and thus, totally harmless; I suspect Bweza was simply wanting to keep his playful toddler in check. Later on during the viewing hour, the same three yr old pirouetted three or four times right at our feet. It was adorable. That was followed by several minutes of wrestling with his same-aged cousin. One of the great memories of my life.

Most importantly, our crew made the trip.

Gilbert, our leader, was outstanding. Solid knowledge of the animals. He has degrees in tourism and social anthropology and it really shows. He not only has a good understanding of the countries we visited but the continent and the world as a whole. His education led to a bunch of really interesting conversations that I enjoyed. Very well organized, kind and funny as well. A great trip leader.

Albert was our chef and did a damn good job prepping tasty meals for us. Most importantly though, he was ALWAYS in a good mood and lifted the spirits of our group constantly. I’ll never forget the guy.

Stoney, our driver, was a great great guy. Sincere, kind and very hard working. He navigated some tough roads and kept us on time. I had several great conversations with him about all kinds of topics … mostly his family, his childhood and Kenya’s hopes for the future. Another guy with a big heart I’ll never forget.

Lastly, Charles, the helper, was just a damn hard worker. For a first timer, he really seemed to contribute a lot. Always dived in when he was needed.

Again, what a great trip. I’m elated that I was able to do this with such a wonderful group of people.

Thanks Exodus!