Reviews

Great Experience

The was a wonderful experience. My focus was to see Petra, but the trip was so much more than that.
There was such a variety of places to see and varied scenery to enjoy. The trip was very busy, but not rushed and our guide ensured we made the best use of our time in Jordan.

A brilliant mix of foodie and cultural delights

This trip is a wonderful mixture of food and culture, with Etna thrown in for good measure! From sampling spleen sandwiches (yes, really) on the Palermo street food tour to a Marsala wine tasting and eating ricotta, still warm, that we had watched being made just minutes before, all the gastronomic experiences were enjoyable and delicious (even the spleen wasn’t that horrendous). The cultural highlights for me were the amazing mosaics at the Villa del Casale and the Duomo and cloisters at Monreale, whilst experiencing Etna in the snow was simply stunning. Our guide, Rosario, was brilliant, and our group, made up of mostly couples and with around 30 years from oldest to youngest, bonded really well – as one of the three singles, and one of the youngest, I never felt isolated.

The amazing Justin Barr - Cool Beans

We chose the trip, our first with Exodus, as we required a sedate pace with not too much walking.
The trip was perfect on both counts.
The balance of the day excursions was a perfect combination to enable the group to see the country

Spectacular varied & educational experience travelling thro the Cape

This trip lived up to all expectations and beyond.

The amazing places visited, the friendliness of the people interacted with in each location (plus my fellow travellers on the bus), quality of the accommodation / food / transport / scheduled & additional trips, awe inspiring landscapes, wow moments up close with the varied wildlife. These were all fantastic and every experience was raised even higher by Justin’s organisation, knowledge, humour, friendliness plus his openness and passion for showing off everything his country has to offer.

Hidden treasure of Jordan

I saw the things that I hoped to see and they more than lived up to my expectations. However there were numerous aspects of the trip that left me frustrated, annoyed and at times angry. I was assured by others who had travelled before with Exodus that my disappointments were not usual. Even so from my one experience it did not compare favourably with my trips with Intrepid or G adventures and so couldn’t be recommended.

Most Inspirational Moment

The approach to Petra through the winding narrow passageway with the rock walls towering above creates a feeling of anticipation that is totally fulfilled as you step out into the Wider space with the Treasury facing you. Both the climbs up to the monastery and the Place of Sacrifice are the other highlights of apetra not to be missed Finally our stay in the desert amidst the amazing rock formations.

Thoughts on Group Leader

If you were making a training video highlighting how not to behave and what not to do then Mohammad Baninazet would be perfect. His English is not good, pronunciation poor and he slurs one word into the next. He was confused about the number of nights in the various hotels, the times for meeting constantly changed partly because he kept confusing 8.30 with 10.30. On the journeys he was totally engrossed with his mobile phone and if not for being prompted by the driver told us nothing about the places on our journey. He appeared to have little knowledge of the sites we visited so that as the trip progressed people wandered off. If you questioned anything he said or asked for clarification he would say we hadn’t been listening . Some were told off for ‘undermining ‘ by listening to other guides who had far superior knowledge and English. I arrived the day before in Amman and a notice was displayed giving the time of the group meeting as 8am the next day. At 8.15am I asked for the second time about this and he said there wasn’t one. I pointed out the notice and he dismissed this as being from the Exodus Office. He wouldn’t accept that it had anything to do with him. No meeting happened and even on day 4/5 we were still trying to get to know each other. The staff doing the transfers were helpful and efficient. I can’t praise the driver enough for even with his limited English he was always courteous and helpful. Though writing for myself alone I know we all tried to make the best of it and not let him spoil our trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Definitely arrive a day early otherwise you will not see Amman especially the souks and the Jordan Museum which house the Dead Sea Scrolls. AsThere isn’t enough time on the last day

Reply from Exodus

We would like to thank Peter for his feedback, although we are very sorry that some aspects of this trip fell below his expectations, especially with regards to the tour’s leadership. A more experienced tour leader was originally assigned to lead Peter’s group but was regrettably called away at very short notice due to a family emergency. Whilst the replacement tour leader, Mohammed, was briefed by more experienced leaders and we were confident he had the necessary enthusiasm, energy and skills to lead this departure  we are very sorry that his leadership impacted on Peter’s enjoyment of the trip.  We would like to confirm that as a result Mohammed will not be leading any Exodus trips in the foreseeable future.  We would only consider him again as a leader for Exodus if we were sure that his English skills had improved sufficiently along with his leadership abilities. Should Mohammed lead any future tours for us, we will closely monitor the feedback regarding his performance, to ensure he is meeting the high standards we expect from our tour leaders. Kashka Lantis – Product Manager

Absolutely wonderful - totally recommend!

This trip really did offer a lot – rainforest, cloud forest, canopy, beaches, waterfalls, hot springs, lots and lots of birdlife, wildlife, hot weather, cool weather, sun, rain. Costa Rica is a land of contrasts and diversity! It was one of the best holidays I have ever had.

Incredible Trip!

This trip was an excellent intro to Japan! It covered a huge variety from highlights of sprawling Tokyo to rural seaside and mountain villages as well as offering insight into Japanese culture through the eyes of our wonderful local guides, “Tea” and “TaiChi”. Despite the weather being colder and wetter than expected ( trust me, bring full waterproofs especially hands and feet as temps were also near zero in places), the sheer adventure of cycling along a beach, up some challenging climbs to our local ryokan and wonderfully exquisite prepared dinners, the photos relect is all smiling through the weather! The rides were punctuated with well thought out cultural stops and a wonderful selection of lunch spots. I would highly recommend this trip!

Excellent

Without going into the interesting detail of the trip notes, this tour was well lead by Sujan who was very funny and knowledgeable. Compared to other Exodus holidays it is quite laid back with more time off on most days and reflects the laid back feel of Sri Lanka. The elephant safaris were wonderful and we saw 60 elephants in all…..a bit of excitement!!! had when one rammed the jeep in front, whale watching was fabulous too with 17 sightings of Blue Whale and some mating turtles. The cycling was very relaxed seeing plenty of interesting village life along the river. The hotels were mostly luxurious, always a welcome drink, barely had to move a suitcase as porters dealt with them all, most with pools and a feast for breakfast. Although it was very often only an omelette and fries or club sandwich option for lunch. Most evenings the dinners were in the hotels so this meant you could eat and go to bed when you felt like it. In Late March with 38 degrees and great humidity it was boiling but the air conditioned coach helped tremendously and there were no mosquitos. Do take an umbrella for sightseeing to keep out the sun as a hat didn’t feel enough. Drives that were set to be three hours turned out to be interesting stop and start drives as things were pointed out along the way, A trip I can recommend.

hiking in mallorca

excellent trip I can’t wait to take another

So wanted to love it but just didn’t!

I had been waiting to do this trip for 4 years and had to put off several times. I thought this was going to be one of those chance of a lifetime moments and for me sadly it wasn’t. Sadly I got sick with flu just as we were hitting higher altitudes this combined with the effects of altitude, lack of sleep, Khumba cough, pounding headaches, constantly being cold. (Weather was worse than expected) I just couldn’t recover and it became a real struggle. I knew the accommodation and living conditions were basic but I was shocked to see actually how bad they were in reality. A lot of toilet conditions are just disgusting. Food is boring and monotonous, if you have any sort of dietary needs then think again. I was gluten free and really struggled. Being told to bring ‘snacks’ is not enough..

Don’t get me wrong scenery is beyond stunning, it does get very bleak the further up you go though. Don’t plan on seeing Everest much either, barely saw the peak from a distance in a couple of occasions.

Hoping in time I can look back with fonder memories but just can’t right now.