Reviews

Maximum Damage in Sri Lanka

Gosh where to start… we have been on 3 trips now with Exodus and each time l think the guide is good, but Suresh was a true Ambassador not only for Exodus but most importantly Sri Lanka. He was so proud of it, the people, its geography, wildlife, flora and fauna and of course its culture. That deep knowledge helps convey a strong level of confidence and insight whenever he was “guiding” or asked questions about Sri Lanka. So that’s him in a nutshell but there is so more to talk about what he and the supporting team delivered during our 2 weeks.
The team were excellent, they were well briefed understood exactly what was needed, nothing was ever too much trouble. Every morning the bikes were cleaned if dirty, chains were cleaned and oiled & of course checked to ensure our safety. Whenever we stopped the team would quickly remove our drinks bottles and refill to ensure we kept hydrated, it was after all hot! In addition to our guide we also had two other cyclists riding, both were excellent at either supporting riders at the back of the group or riding ahead at key junctions to point the way or many cases stop the traffic so we could just continue cycling. We also had 3 others in the support team who were equally as helpful and again just could not do enough for you. Nobody could fault the team.
I would say the group had a mixed level of experience, but at no point did any of them ever indicate that they always felt riding with them. They were always very encouraging. Many of the roads were as the trip notes state were just back roads quiet and full of life – local people, children shouting hello or goodbye, animals and birds. Traffic and driving in Sri Lanka can at times be described as a little chaotic, but even when we had to ride on main roads (A roads) they were never that busy. Whilst cycling Suresh’s knowledge of his environment was second to none, he ensured that we never missed anything – he even ensured that we had the right “lucky” Jeep driver to ensure we saw a Leopard in Yala National Park.

His “management” of us was very professional, courteous and exceptionally polite when asking for people’s attention, it is often difficult to get but he did through his knowledge, respect and of course good humour. His ability to laugh at himself is a great virtue!

When it came to the day to day logistics of riding, no stone was ever left unturned. Suresh ensured we received 100% service from not only him and his team but also those who provided us with Sri Lankan hospitality. Whether it was a simple & basic tea house, 4* hotel, or a dinner on the beach the relationship he had created with them meant service was second to none. It was evident that if any of these were not delivered to his exacting standards then he would tirelessly secure somewhere better. All these establishments knew that.
I could say more but where to stop my final example would be on our departure day from the group. We decided to stay an additional week near Galle, so we asked Suresh if he could book us train tickets, contact the HomeStay to see if we could hire bikes, etc. which he duly did. Come the day of our departure at 6am from the Hotel, Suresh organised a tuk tuk for all 3 of us to get to Colombo train station. He accompanied us on to the right platform and ensured we get on the train safely. Once we were on he then of course left us. We then saw him 10 minutes later back on the platform. He had sent some photos of us on the platform to the WhatsApp group but when asked did we have seats he then had to stop his journey back to the hotel and return to the station to take some photos of us in said seats as evidence. Why would you do that? Simple because he truly cared.
We absolutely loved every minute of our holiday to Sri Lanka, the people, its culture, the birds, wildlife, history and geography. All of this was fully exposed because of the insight and passion that Suresh and his team had. They truly bought it to life, guides can make or break a holiday, they made it for all of us. We will have no hesitation in returning and recommending this trip to other cyclists. It was ACE!!!!

Fab trip with great guide and driver but be prepared for long journey times and chaotic airport

Very enjoyable holiday with similar minded folk with a superb guide and driver. Thoroughly recommend but be prepared for chaos at the airport on arrival and exit – took us over 2 hours both times and long travel distances and early starts. But overall worth it. Thanks

Excellent Trip

Costa Rica was truly amazing, I hadn’t realised the diversity for such a small country. So much wildlife and beautiful scenery, I felt I didn’t want to miss a thing. Although I had travelled through Costa Rica before, this tour offered so much more, I still can’t believe how much we saw in just two weeks. Glenda our tour and driver Carlos were constantly on the lookout, making sure we didn’t miss anything.

A real doze of Fresh Air !

What a great week, despite the unusual cold for late January (reaching below -30), the still fresh air was envigorating. Great mix of activities, in a stunning landscape, especially under the sun with its relative low point in the sky. And to top it off, we saw the aurora, never guaranteed, but on a clear night, a genuinely spectacular show of colour.

Magical week in a snowy wonderland

Thoroughly enjoyed a fantastic week at base camp. Scenery is absolutely stunning and activities are varied and fun. At the end of January/ early Feb there was plenty of daylight to make the most of everything on offer. There are superb snowshoe walks right from the front door, the little bear trail in particular. Accommodation is comfortable with plentiful tasty food and good variety. All staff work hard to make your holiday as enjoyable as possible. Although the clothes provided are perfectly acceptable, if you already own your own cold weather gear ( ski jacket / fleeces) you can wear these too. Lucky to share our holiday with a friendly bunch of fellow travellers who helped make it extra memorable.
We would highly recommend this holiday to anyone thinking of going.

cycling vietnam

Cycling In Vietnam-12-26th January-Michael Barrett
It was my first view of Asia,Ian and Sandra taught me how to walk across a street with a few hundred motorcycles hurtling towards us,a leap of faith I guess and I’m still standing as the song goes.An assortment of fellow travellers from Australia,America Puert Rico,Canada and the Uk assembled on the first night to express their hopes for the trip to our genial Vietnamese host LD who explained the ground rules and structure of the trip.My attention had been drawn by 2 friends who had completed the trip and my mind on Vietnam as a place was largely a blank canvas , I had been keen to avoid any programmes such as Top gear to prevent any Clarkson like judgements.
Comfortable accommodation and a support crew of vehicles and guides explained how to operate our sturdy mountain bikes.New to this type of tour I was keen not to be left behind and set off with the same vigour as a young Wayne Rooney ,but the first day was reasonably easy , a chance to stretch and ease off the jet lag which didn’t thankfully afflict me.A trip to the Chui Chui tunnels was an early reminder of the war that had blighted this country in the 1950’s and 60’s with French and American bombardment of this strikingly beautiful country.Gliding through small villages we couldn’t help but notice the open hearted nature of the schoolchildren who hurtled hello’s with great excitement as our pelaton crossed their homes,
The tunnels were a timely reminder of the resourcefulness of a guerrilla army faced with a mighty enemy ,but the difficulty with which I crawled down the tunnel after our Vietnamese guide made me thankful this was a holiday and not warfare as my chance of survival would have been below zero.
The first few days were reasonably warm and the carefully arranged stops with the welcome site of our support buses and healthy sustenance from fruit and drinks enabled us to continue our progress from Saigon(Ho Che Minh) towards the eventual target of Hanoi.Evening meals were a chance to relax after a days cycling and mingle with a vast array of personalities all willing to engage .Any special events such as birthdays were accommodated, Whale island being a decent spot and even the loss of an iphone only served to show what a decent gang of people I was travelling with.
As we travelled further north rain became part of our days and my bandana decided it was time to change my hair from blonde(maybe grey?) to purple much to the joy of my fellow cyclists .Even damp days were transformed by sun and lunch among local people that our guides arranged, eating great local food with local people was a personal highlight along with cycling off road among the rice fields and observing the marvellous flexibility and postures of women shaped by years of hard work(sorry, can’t stop thinking like a physiotherapist)
I had trepidations as a single guy travelling but the nature of the group meant all characters were accommodated even people with my off the wall sense of humour.I guess the masochistic nature of cycling the beautiful Hoi van pass (we believe it is? ) in heavy rain and mist created a team ethos and a determination to finish which strips us all of cool and pretension.I even remember keeping pace with our Vietnamese guide a racing cyclist as my legs became more powerful and my clothes soaked in rain.I remember when he put the back burners on and had to stop when water buffaloes blocked our path, thank god for water buffaloes I said or maybe expletive deleted.
On a long trip the guide needs to be able to raise flagging energy levels and the long night train journey from Hue to Hanoi was my first introduction to Kareoke and believe it or not gin and tonic.Thank you LD for your rendition of Delilah which will always remind me of Vietnam, and Katie Bush came from somewhere , and I even gave a fair rendition of the Mountains of Mourne or maybe not, and even some pogues, albeit with teeth Andrew .
Well onto Hailoon bay a lovely tranquil place but the journey to it demonstrated a country in transition from a largely agrarian society to a more industrial society with its attendant effects on the environment.Hanoi appeared to be swathed in smog and I was thankful our trip had taken us through more idyllic unspoilt places.My last memory before the flight back was a taxi ride with a young man who seemed willing to take every available risk ,I decided it was best to shut my eyes and we arrived at departures thank god.
Flashing memories of being hugged by a saleswoman in Hoi ann to try to effect a sale and the sight of disabled victims of agent orange ,could not counteract the positive energy gleaned by this journey of enlightenment through modern day Vietnam on a bicycle.My last day in Hanoi and a walk around the lake was welcomley(is there such a word?) interrupted by parents keen to get their young offspring talking English to me, their politeness and desire to learn truly humbling. I need to read up on this country .
Thanks everyone for making this a memorable trip and I’ve booked my trip to Italy in May, so Ciao for Niao

Mike

Brilliant holiday.

The trip was very well organised & the tour leader was efficient & knowledgeable. Sri Lanka is a beautiful country, I would definitely return.

Although this was advertised as a ‘premium’ trip a few of the hotels we went to were nowhere near what I’d describe as premium. (Although the majority of the hotels were very good).

An adventure or two

This was a challenging trip with a mixture of hard and easy cycling covering a number of different areas of this beautiful country. We had a good mixed group who gelled together very quickly and which made the time together very enjoyable. The trip covered many beautiful areas of Costa Rica with many opportunities to see the wild life and dramatic land and sea scapes.

Wonderful trip to Costa Rica

This was our 8th Exodus trip and one of the best. The tour leader was excellent..Giovanni Madrigal. He was very knowledgeable, professional in his approach and good fun especially as he had a great relationship with the driver, Juanjose who was also part of the team. Gio made it clear from the outset that this was a group holiday and group harmony was important. We were encouraged to rotate the seats on the bus so everyone got a chance to sit at the front. The group really got on well. There were many excellent group meals and we had a good mix between travel, group walks and downtime by the pool. The accommodation was very good….wooden lodges set in wonderful surroundings. We stayed for 2 nights in each place which was great. Much of the food was included so it wasn’t so expensive when we were there….most hotels had happy hours! We saw so many birds, mammals and reptiles. Gio knew where to look and had a scope so we could all see. There are additional trails we could walk on our own which we enjoyed. He knows his country and was keen to pass on his knowledge.

A Sri Lankan Odyssey

A good mix of cultural and historical experiences with a beach holiday thrown in for good measure.