Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Meeting with and seeing how the people of Tamil Nadu get on with life in a manner that seemed to be so bereft of aggression and so gentle while welcoming visitors despite living in the most primitive of conditions. Seeing at close quarters the level of service provided at all of our overnight stays. The cycle through the tea and rubber plantations.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Shekar R. and his crew of Keryun, Bevan and were as attentive to our needs as any people could possibly be.Our water bottles were filled before we asked, our bikes were ready and we were minded and cosseted from start to finish. Shekar is very proud of his country and was keen to allow us to experience as much of its culture and people as time would allow. He took every opportunity to allow us to gain extra enjoyment from out trip by seizing opportunities which presented themselves en route such as arranging for us to join a wedding party for lunch...meeting a young schoolgirl to recite poetry and visiting houses benefits . He coped with requests and difficulties in a most efficient and caring manner and ensured that all were included in his plans.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The temperatures during March this year were exceptionally high (up to 45C) but I would advise people to travel for trips in Dec/Jan /Feb if possible. Drink as much water as possible...then some more.

Most Inspirational Moment

30k downhill from Dalat and then 10k up the Hai Van pass a couple, of days later. Oh yes, and whale Island of course - fabulous

Thoughts on Group Leader

Exceptional - a truly superb ambassador for his country

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just do it - live the moment, live every single experience, savour the food, meet the friendly, warm and welcoming people and remember - the safest way to cross the road in Saigon is to just walk slowly across and keeping your fingers crossed and your eyes closed :-)

Most Inspirational Moment

Hiking up in the cliffs of the northern coast.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the stars in the Atacama Desert and the landscapes of Patagonia

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ignacio was wonderful. He was organized, attentive and had a good sense of humor.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring layers! It was unexpectedly cold when we visited the geysers.

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting Polonnaruwa, the Martin Wickramasinghe Museum and the Game Drives. But it’s hard to close as I enjoyed the whole trip.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Neelaker, our group leader, was excellent. He is warm, caring, considerate and very knowledgeable.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be aware that the walk on Day 10 on Horton Plain is approximately 9km.

Most Inspirational Moment

Biking, its a toss up between the joy of the 5000 foot descent from Dalat and the 2000 foot climb of the Hai Van Pass (wasn't smiling nearing as much but great sense of accomplishment). Culturally, riding through the countryside with its lush rice paddies, water buffalo, hard working locals and many friendly children saying "hello" as you passed.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader, Son, was awesome. Well organized, very informative on Vietnamese history, culture and the environment (kudos here), communication skills were excellent (more understandable than most Brits...yikes, going to be in trouble for that comment!), very safety conscious, enthusiastic and encouraging, and able to keep the group focused and on schedule. Son and his family hosted dinner on the final evening of the trip, everyone from our group attended, and it was a magical evening, amazing food, lots of shared memories, laughs and hugs! The entire team supporting Son was also excellent.

Advice for Potential Travellers

1. Do some training beforehand, you'll enjoy the rides more and you'll want to experience the satisfaction of climbing the Hai Van pass. 2. Try all the food, its mostly great, just beware of the little red chilies! 3. Be prepared to barter in the markets and recognize you are getting fake products (make good gifts!) 4. Don't drink the water, stick to beer! Tiger is "go to" beer but the rest are good too, and inexpensive! 5. Buy some tailor made clothing in Hoi An at Yaly's or another reputable place. Its great quality, good value. I bought a number of Egyptian cotton dress shirts (and promptly threw out my older off the shelf ones when I got home) and my wife bought a few jumpsuits that she is eagerly waiting to display once the snow melts!

Most Inspirational Moment

Without a doubt the people of Vietnam, fantastic people

Thoughts on Group Leader

An excellent group leader who kept everything together and on time. Great knowledge of Vietnam and its history a really interesting man with a good sense of humour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Get some practice in and take Cycling padded pants. Get your drinks before you get on the overnight train as they ran out of beer very quickly.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were quite a few inspirational moments, snorkelling with rays, sharks, turtles and sea lions, dolphins swimming at the side of the boat, but for me seeing a huge manta ray jump completely out of the water right in front of our boat was the moment I shall never forget.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Pablo was a great guide, he was very keen to share his huge knowledge with us all, had a passion for all the wildlife and was extremely proud of his country. He even managed to smile through our incessant barrage of stupid questions, ie ‘will there be a toilet?’ ‘Do we get changed now?’ ‘Do we need fins?’ ‘Do we need to take everything with us?’

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be very aware of the sun whilst snorkelling, a few in our group did get sun burnt. When there are such fantastic things to see it is so easy to forget that you are sometimes in the water for an hour or more and even the best sun creams struggle in these salt water conditions. My advice would be at the very least to take a rash vest or rash suit. One or two in our group after being burnt even snorkelled in their pyjamas! They worked perfectly. Others in our group hired wetsuits, our guide, Pablo always wore one. I took my own very lightweight 1mm wetsuit and was so glad I did, not only did I not have to worry at all about the sun, it also protected me from the biting flies when we were above water listening to our guide. For the hiking, I managed mostly in shorts but long trousers were a good call when we descended into the volcano to view the fumaroles, the path was very overgrown with thorny bushes.

Most Inspirational Moment

Difficult to choose from so many highlights - on wildlife has to be seeing a leopard so close up in Yala national park as well as elephants passing so near to the jeep. On scenery, the far-reaching views from Lions Rock and watching the sunrise from Adams Peak (after 2.5 hours of effort climbing up steps with hundreds of others). Patiently queuing to view the casket in the Temple of the Tooth was a humbling experience. The trip was full of other enjoyable experiences - biking, rafting, canoeing - where we were so warmly welcomed by the locals. Their smiles were simply heart-warming!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Nala was a key factor in the success of this trip. He was an excellent guide, working very hard behind the scenes to offer us "local experiences" such as lunch in a traditional village, a spontaneous game of cricket or a stop at a roadside fruit stall. He was keen to impart knowledge about Sri Lankan life to us, was extremely well organised (giving us verbal then written details about the day's plans!), unfailingly calm and pleasant. An absolute delight to know! Nala worked well with our driver Dinesh and assistant Clement - they were a very competent team giving us excellent service (those cold flannels on returning to the minibus to escape the heat were bliss!).

Advice for Potential Travellers

Dinners were mostly eaten in the hotels for convenience but if you don't want the buffet, you can choose a la carte, just order well in advance! Lunchtime was when we tended to experience locally prepared food. When you visit the national parks they do bag checks so make sure you don't take any plastics in. Have a pair of socks handy for temple visits, saves burning feet on hot stones!

Most Inspirational Moment

It’s very difficult to pick out one moment - seeing my first sloth in Tortuguero, seeing the sunrise on a deserted Caribbean beach, zip lining through stunning cloud forest in Monteverde, being woken by howler monkeys doing what they do best, swimming in the Pacific Ocean, enjoying the amazing surroundings of Esquinas Lodge, becoming blasé about hummingbirds after seeing so many, listening to coyotes howling in Savegre or enjoying happy hour!! Make the most of every moment as it’s over far too quickly and you’re back to reality.

Thoughts on Group Leader

I chose this trip in March as it was being led by Jonny Villalobos, tour leader of the year 2017, as I’d read so much fantastic feedback about him and I can honestly say it’s all true. His knowledge of and passion for his country and it’s wildlife just shines out of him and it’s utterly infectious. He was so attentive to our groups needs, we had a number of vegetarians, vegans, gluten free and dairy intolerant in our group and he made sure there was always something for them to eat. He added extra walks and wildlife spotting opportunities if you wanted them or he gave you time to just unwind in your beautiful surroundings. March is probably the peak time to go but Jonny was brilliant at getting us away from the crowds which were really only evident in Manual Antonio national park, which you don’t want to miss as the beaches are stunning here. Jonny is a brilliant ambassador for Costa Rica and for Exodus

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for all weather conditions - ensure you have a good poncho or waterproof as the only thing I can guarantee is you will need it at least once!! Dry bags are also very useful to keep your camera and other essentials dry. Avoid this trip if you don’t like early mornings - I stayed on UK time so was up early most days to enjoy the sights and sounds of Costa Rica which were at the best in the early mornings.