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.

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14339 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Nancy West

Reviewed May 2019

Wonderful wildlife

This was a fantastic trip! From the whales and dolphins to the elephants and leopards (yes, we saw one!) every day had an unforgettable highlight. Sri Lanka is a beautiful country of lovely welcoming people and was very well represented by our two wonderful guides. The hotels were very varied in character but of a high standard as was the food. I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone looking for a relaxing trip in the beautiful nature of Sri Lanka.

Most Inspirational Moment

All of the wildlife encounters we had: I couldn’t pick just one. We saw whales and dolphins on our boat trip; leopards in Yala and I would never tire of just sitting and watching the elephants!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent! Our group leader Dilshan was unfailingly friendly, cheerful and helpful. He was a great source of information about his country and managed to strike the perfect balance between talking to us about a range of subjects related to Sri Lanka and giving the group quiet time to relax on the journey. He also managed to identify and address potential issues before they became an issue. Our wildlife guide Dineth was a fountain of knowledge when it came to the wildlife and I am still in awe of his ability to spot even the tiniest bird in the undergrowth from a moving vehicle! He also had a very impressive repertoire of bird calls! They made a great team!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go! A small umbrella can be useful for when it’s hot but also raining!

Paul Grundy

Reviewed May 2019

Uzbekistan Uncovered

A good overview of the country taking in the historic and architectural highlights of Uzbekistan. Transport was Good although it was evident that the train journey was more often than not unavailable. On a personal note, I felt that the group size (16) was too large.

Most Inspirational Moment

The city of Khiva was the highlight for me. Still relatively unaffected by mass tourism and the locals were pleasant (as they were throughout) and interested to learn about their visitors.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent, well informed and concerned for the welfare of the group.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go now before mass tourism makes its mark.

Denise Murphy

Reviewed May 2019

Porto to Lisbon ride

Excellent hotels apart from first and last because they were not in the Center of Porto and Lisbon. We had to travel by Exodus transport. We did not have the walking tour of Porto as advertised despite arriving early afternoon just the port tasting. We would rather have had a walking tour. We understand it was not the usual tour guide on that particular week, could that have been the reason?

Most Inspirational Moment

The cycling along the Atlantic coast, the scenery and all the hotels apart from first and last as mentioned above.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Understand that Rafael usually works in the office so was not very informative although very pleasant. He also kept us cycling at a very slow pace a lot of the time, keeping us all together, not letting us ride on ahead and wait which a lot of us found extremely frustrating. Our hands were constantly on the brakes and therefore most days didn’t arrive at our hotel until late afternoon and it could have been much earlier, especially the first two very flat days. Daniel was the driver and he looked after us very well and organised excellent picnics.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Yes arrive in Porto a day early to see this beautiful city, and perhaps have an extra day in Lisbon because our group flight involved us getting up at 4.15 am.

Reply from Exodus

We would like to thank Denise for her review, although we are very sorry that she was disappointed with certain aspects of her trip, and that the orientation tour was not offered on this departure. The orientation tour is dependent on the time available after the arrival of the group flight, and we will review timings of each activity to maximise the opportunity to enjoy a short walk in the city centre before or after the wine tasting, whilst still ensuring enough time is given for check-in and the main trip briefing. For those wishing to spend more time in Porto, we recommend considering an earlier flight or pre-tour accommodation to allow more time to visit the city and its many highlights independently, as mentioned in our Trip Notes.

We regret that Denise was disappointed with the leadership on this tour. Rafael works in our local operator’s main office but he is fully trained, leads trips every year and knows the route well. A group’s pace will often depend on the difference in each client’s ability and, whilst there are some sections during which clients can cycle on their own, generally the tour leader must keep the group together for safety reasons. The pace is therefore tailored according to the trip grade, which is 2 (leisurely/moderate).

We were sorry to learn that Denise was disappointed with the final day of the tour, and we will ensure that every group is offered an optional guided tour in Lisbon from now on. Those wishing to explore independently will be provided with detailed information regarding highlights, maps and directions. Tour leaders have also been briefed to offer an optional farewell dinner from now on. Marta Marinelli – Product Manager

Rod Ellis

Reviewed May 2019

Aeolian Adventures

A wonderful journey through north east Sicily and four Aeolian islands, mired only by some poor weather conditions at key stages of the trip. Our group of 15 got on well throughout and were unfazed by the challenges set by the weather.

Most Inspirational Moment

So many good points. Walking around the crater on Vulacano followed by an afternoon swim and a sppedboat ride to Lipari. Setting off early one morning to take a ferry ride from Stromboli to Panarea and walking to an ancient neolithic settlement above a deserted beach. Trekking through deep snow to within touching distance of the top of Etna, only to be thwarted by strong winds which prevented an assault to the summit.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Genny spoke good English and communicated well with our relatively small group. A vey engaging guide.

Advice for Potential Travellers

There are two days scheduled on Stromboli. There is no organised activity on the second day before the late aftenoon 'summit challenge'. I took the opportunity to get an early morning return ferry ride to Panarea to see an ancient neolithic settlement along the coast, 30-40 minutes from the landing point(turn left when you arrive at the harbour and keep walking). Return ferry trip cost EUR20.80 but the site is free to enter and explore and has a couple of detailed explanation notes in Italian and English. Well worth seeing, but it's not on the Exodus itinerary.

Stuart Whitehouse

Reviewed May 2019

Fantastic holiday

An excellent holiday, with beautiful scenery and good food.

Most Inspirational Moment

The walking tour of Dubrovnik, which included the Franciscan Monastery and the Rector's Palace, was excellent, I could have spent a lot longer learning about the history of the city.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Zeljko was an excellent leader. He was patient and knowledgable, and always had time to help members of the group. He was well-organised without being dictatorial, and his hard work was a major factor in making the holiday a success.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It's worth taking swimwear, Hotel Borik in Lumbarda on Korcula has a nice outdoor pool, and the Hotel Splendid in Dubrovnik has a beach on the Adriatic you can swim from.

Alison Fraser

Reviewed May 2019

Falling in love with Tuscany...

This was my 4th Exodus cycling holiday and they deliver consistently good holidays. Tuscany is absolutely stunning and, combined with fantastic food, wine and gelato, makes a great holiday destination for cyclists. The accommodation on this trip is very good and it is made more relaxing by staying 2 nights in the 3 first hotels with the final night then in Florence.

Most Inspirational Moment

I wouldn't necessarily talk about inspiration but I did enjoy a glass of chianti classico most lunchtimes and that was certainly a treat!

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group was very mixed ability and the group leader, Jon, kept everyone safe. However, on previous Exodus trips the leader has given more local knowledge. I didn't get the impression that Jon had a lot of local knowledge, other than cycling knowledge which he has in abundance. He did talk a lot but I felt that this was often at the expense of getting on the road or spending time on route.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It's stunning - go but do some hill training in advance!

Geraldine Kevill

Reviewed May 2019

imperial china and yangsie river cruise

Peter Wong was a very good guide. He explained in detail the history of China from the early ages until the present day. I found the trip very educational. The fastness of landscapes, with high rise flats, went on forever. The train stations were enormous and larger than most airports. The motorways didn’t seem to have any traffic jams because they were gigantic, and they were numerous in number. The culture was interesting, and I enjoyed the operas and dance, and there belief in Buddha. The great wall was very impressive, and I really enjoyed walking it, for me it was the highlight of the trip. The terracotta worriers were amazing, and I also was captivated by the Pandas. The overall experience was mind blowing, but I would not like to live there. I would like to mention the cooking class. Would this class be better held later in the day, as most of us were very full up so soon after breakfast. I would like to thank all of those involved with the planning and organisation of this trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

The great Wall

Thoughts on Group Leader

very informative, he certainly knows his history.

Advice for Potential Travellers

to have the cooking class later than so soon after breakfast.

Kate Ferguson

Reviewed May 2019

Amazing trip

A really great trip, Sardinia is a very beautiful place and we had a fantastic week of cycling, eating, socialising and learning about this beautiful Island from our lovely guides

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching the top of a very challenging climb, the sense of of achievement and Endorphine release, the camaraderie with others in the group reaching the top, followed by the spectacular descent with beautiful scenery in glorious sunshine - magic!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Simone was fantastic, such a nice man who gave the impression he was really enjoying being with us and telling us about his beautiful Island. He was organised, safety conscious, knowledgeable and great company. His sidekick / driver Marc was also lovely - smiley, friendly and nothing was too much trouble. Exodus seem to have a knack of finding fantastic guides who really know their stuff, are professional, organised and lovely people!

Advice for Potential Travellers

You need to be quite fit on this trip - 3 days of significant climbing so if you are not a regular cyclist you should consider an E-bike. I loved the challenges as cycle back home but some people found it quite hard work on the more challenging days

Caroline Tutty

Reviewed May 2019

Amazing Stromboli

A great trip with some interesting hikes and lots of volcano information topped by the fantastic hike to Stromboli summit. After the quite tough trek we were rewarded with an amazing display from the old crater looking down onto the current active craters.
Unfortunately we could not go to the summit of Etna due to bad weather and the lower level trek seemed a disappointment after Stromboli.
Quite a lot of time to rest and sample local life between walks.
Hotels were good apart from Catania which was poor and would have been better to be based in Lipari town as nothing was open on a Monday night in May in Cantena.

Most Inspirational Moment

Stromboli summit was a truly wonderful experience

Thoughts on Group Leader

Marco was brilliant, very caring and looking out for all members of the group, knowledgable about volcanos and the local area and a good sense of humour

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take warm clothes for the summit

Melanie Byrne

Reviewed May 2019

Worth the wait

I tried to book this holiday in March 2018, but as there was not a single room available and as I wanted to fly from my local airport and couldn’t meet the group transfer in time, I decided on another trip with a competitor of Exodus, but this year the flights meant I arrived in time to meet the group at the airport, and despite my reservations about going in May and it being a bit too warm for walking, the whole group coped with the 27c.

Most Inspirational Moment

The views from The Cortijo, the quiet and the walk in the Grazalema park.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Having read all the reviews- Michael was the reason why this year I decided I would share a room with someone unknown as no single room available, he absolutely made the trip . Amusing and informative, he looked after us well, and if we needed any information he went out of his way to get it for us. When out walking, Michael made sure we were all well hydrated, had plenty of sun screen on, took regular breaks in the shade of the olive trees and was very keen on us carrying at least 2 litres of water, as we were regularly advised to fill our hats with some and put our hats back on our heads! It really does help to keep you cool.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go!

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