Reviews

A fantastic journey around Southern Peru

An amazing trip full of insight and excitement. 3 weeks seeing the Coast, the Desert, the mountains and the jungle. Lots of early starts but worth it to cram in as much as possible. So many highlights including the Ballestas Islands, the Nazca lines, Arequipa, Colca Canyon and its condors, Cusco, Ollantaytambo, local festivals, the Moonstone Trek, Machu Picchu, the jungle…

If I could do it again I wouldn't hesitate

If you could gurantee the same team, group and even half the wildlife encounters I’d book it up tomorrow.

We were very lucky with both the wildlife and to have such an enthusiastic and fun group of guides and guests – which made the trip all the better.

The locations are stunning – in two days in the Masai Mara we saw the big 5 and had an epic balloon ride at sunrise.
Then we were off to Lake Nakuru and the rhinos and flamingos took centre stage, with the smiles getting wider as the wildlife encounters got better.

Sleeping within 300m of a waterfall in Nakuru was a highlight and despite being the most basic, was my favourite campsite – hearing lions and hyeenas calling in the night while sat around a campfire checking out all the stars.

At Jinja even novice rafters got to experience the thrill of white water and again the provided photos and videos had us all laughing and reliving the day.
The Adrift campsite was also brand new and had great facilities.

So the experiences built, Murchison has impressive waterfalls and the boat trip was a good way to get out of the heat of the day.
Gorilla tracking in Budongo again had us being lucky, being in the middle of chimps hunting, a once in a lifetime opportunity and not something to be expected, but if you get to experience time with the enigmatic chimps you cannot be disappointed.
Queen Elizabeth has less diversity of wildlife but still provided lots of Elephants and on the river you see birds and elephants everywhere.

Lastly the gorillas – I did two treks and they were both different but magical experiences. The first involved a long trek but we were surrounded by a group and followed them, experiencing interactions with several different family members. This would be a tough trek if you are not physically fit and used to walking up hills.

The second trek involved spending an unforgettable hour with Xmas, the largest silverback in Bwindi and his 1 and 2 year old babies. We could not see other members of the family and the trek was shorter and easier, but a very close and magical encounter – when a baby gorilla looks at you from less than 7m you get a sense of how special and priveledged your time with them is.
You are also given certificates to help remember your time with these beautiful animals

The trip to the genocide museum was a very poignant reminder of what Rwanda has been through as well.

Some facts – the trip involves a lot of early starts and quite a bit of travelling. Your reward is the trip of a lifetime.
The truck is large and spacious but keep things in the lockers or that room fills up quickly.
You will need to be able to walk up steep hills for the gorillas, but the team takes things slowly and chooses the best path for the group.
Campsites often had showers, toilets and a bar so have some dollars for these.
A lot of Ugandan service stations and almost all of Rwanda wanted local currency.

Some things to note – the Rwandan border was the most difficult to cross, with a problem getting our taxi across taking 2hrs but providing a great side adventure – a sense of humour about delays and acknowledging that you may be asked seeminglystupid questions is par for the course. Get some snacks and drinks before crossing as there is nothing on the Rwandan security zone.

The Exodus team were fantastic throughout, working hard to fix any problems ( airline lost bags), keep our trip moving smoothly and provide fun and share jokes over Albert’s fantastic cooking ( his cooking may expand your waistline).
Gilbert was the charismatic tour leader with lots of local stories and knowledge, Stoney the unflappable driver who always made time to help, Albert the fantastic chef with all the catchphrases and a personality larger than life, and Charles the youngest and ever smiling and helpful team member eager to greet and hear of our days adventures.
A good team feels like family not a crew, these guys felt like family and helped knit the group together.

I feel exceptionally lucky to have been on this trip, I’ve travelled a lot and this will remain a trip to remember.
If I could do the same or similar trip with the group and crew I would book it tomorrow, if you promised me half the wildlife too I’d still jump at the chance.

Thanks Exodus for another epic adventure.

Spectacular Experience in the Italian Alps!

If you’re looking for an expertly organized trip guaranteeing you laughter, new friendships and adventure, you simply MUST choose this trip to the Dolomites. Unbelievably, each day is better than the last. Your week will be filled with super fun hikes, spectacular scenery and lots of cultural experiences.

Pleasant cycling trip

This is a pleasant cycling trip but as some reviewers have previously highlighted despite the grade 2 we were often arriving at the hotel about 5.00pm or later and so we didn’t have much time for relaxation off the bikes. This was not too much of a problem until the arrival in Obidos which is worthy of some time to look around. There are some diversions from the original route following the devastating fires in 2017. Generally good hotels are used, The Literary Man in Obidos is very interesting and quirky.

Fantastic trip

Lovely holiday in the Rockies, varied walks, great guides who cooked 3 course meals every night on a 3 ring gas burner. Bus time kept to a minimum but we covered a lot of ground. Just remember, you are in the mountains and the weather can be variable, the averages given in the trip notes can be deceiving!

Excellent walking holiday.

The holiday was based in a village high up in the alps, at about 2000 metres.
There were two guides, one leading a moderate-grade walk and one leading a challenging-grade walk and each day clients were able to choose which one to join. Some stayed with the same group all week, others switched between groups.
The weather was very good except for one day, and we were able to see snowy mountain peaks many miles away. There were patches of snow at higher altitudes on one of the challenging walks.
We saw marmots on some of the days.
Most walks started from the hotel, but on two days local buses were used to get to the walk start point.
There was plenty to do in the village, with restaurants, shops, cafes and a couple of small museums.
St Veran is a small ski-ing village in the winter and there were a few closed-down ski-lifts, but nothing to spoil the views.

Perfect Adventure

I can not recommend this adventure enough: Mongolia is a special country and Exodus provided the ideal adventure to highlight all aspects of Mongolia and Mongolian life. We aren’t really mountain bikers but the biking was superb – not particularly easy – but truly enjoyable in terms of terrain, scenery and fun riding. We aren’t really campers – but have to admit it was kinda enjoyable in the end 😎. Food on the trip was exceptional – we were v well fed: breakfast, elevenses, lunch, afternoon snack, substantial dinner. Ghana and her assistant certainly kept us well fed. We even had a shower and a proper sit down toilet on camp 😎. The whole Mongolian support team were superb and NK – our guide – was a special guy. Knowledgable, funny, kind and considerate – he really made our adventure special.

A marvellous week in the mountains!

My dad and I have just returned from the Dolomites. We had an absolutely amazing week and I cannot rate it highly enough for keen mountain walkers. With varied walks, beautiful views, excellent guides and cheerful company from fellow hikers, it has been a very memorable week; I am so pleased that i chose this spectacular trip. Thank you to everyone for making it such a happy holiday.

Great mix of outdoor activities

Although the bear hide was the lure for us on this trip, the other activities of walking with huskies, rideing the river and walking the forests all made this a brilliant short break. Long days meant we had good evenings watching the bears and time to do things during the day as well. Oulanka base camp was a great venue.

Amazing Amazon!

I was a little undecided about booking this extension, I’m so glad I did. The trip was very well organised, and the excitement starts with the very first boat journey to your Lodge. Lots of new experiences and a sensory sensation!!