Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

The sight of Halong Bay. Although it was more commercialised than I had anticipated, I can understand that this is how it must be if tourism is a vital part of the Vietnamese economy. It was stunning, and the fact that we had a golden sunset on arrival made it all the more special.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader, Chi , along with his support staff, were superb from beginning to end. He was working very hard behind the scenes, especially when a typhoon washed away part of the railway line and we could not take our overnight train to Hanoi. An alternative approach with an extra night in a hotel and an internal flight was implemented seemlessly -credit to Exodus as well for this. Always smiling and even showing himself to be a good dancer on the boat, he seemed to share the English sense of humour with our VERY lively group. As a non fish eater he always managed to get an alternative meal sorted out for me before we had arrived at any restaurant. Very impressive.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Check the flight itinerary. You might want to consider whether direct flights would suit you better, and a few days to acclimatise before the cycling begins might also be a good idea. Ignore the advice that you don't need to take many clothes- you are wet every day either through sweat or a downpour. It was around a week before we were in one place long enough to get laundry done. If you are happy washing clothes in your room you might just get away with it, otherwise its nice to have clean clothes for the evenings. We found items marked for sale in US dollar amounts on numerous occasions. Everytime a conversion occurs someone is taking a cut so have a supply of both. The traffic "rules" may unnerve you at first....watch your leader and calmly go with the flow and you will be fine. Train on a mountain bike

Most Inspirational Moment

The trekking, some harder than anticipated, particularly in the heat and the altitude, so feel a sense of achievement. Happy faces. Humbled by the stay at the school, and seeing what the pupils have compared to pupils in schools here. Hindu temples Colour Wildlife at first hand

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent tour leader, certainly did a tremendous job, when the coach broke down between Munnar and Mundhan, finding alternative dining, and another coach/minibus to continue our journey. Came away with much more insight into Indian/Keralan life, ways, etc Supportive when we struggled with some of the trekking, and had a humorous side. Went out of his way to source a birthday cake for one of our travelling companions, and fireworks for us to celebrate Diwahli.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Leech socks, may not look good, but a necessity. A number of our group were affected by leeches, including myself. They're smaller than I expected. However it wasn't a painful experience, just expect some bleeding. Be prepared for early starts, particularly if you want to get the most out of this trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

Conquering very challenging wind, rain and hail on day 2 . Also the worst sticky mud I have encountered in 20 years of mountain biking in many different countries ! The resilience of our group was impressive .

Thoughts on Group Leader

Brilliant . Coped with at times difficult situations with calm, competent leadership.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Work on your fitness and off road skills . Morocco is not all benign mild weather so be prepared with enough gear to cope with cold, wet weather if necessary including good quality wind and rain proof biking jacket, full finger gloves etc

Most Inspirational Moment

Watching turtles hatching on the beach and heading to sea. Riding zip lines over the forests

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very helpful and extremely knowledgable of everything Costa Rica

Advice for Potential Travellers

Get plenty of sleep beforehand it’s very full on but great

Most Inspirational Moment

Son, our leader was the most inspirational person of the trip. A small thing easily missed. On a long rainy day we sheltered on the porch of a local lady. Son went to tip her for the intrusion but she didn’t want anything. I think she enjoyed the novelty. As we left he quietly left some money under a stone on the porch.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Son was simply brilliant. Friendly from the start and always smiling, he kept us safe, informed, on track, organised and motivated. This is a man proud of his country and wanting to share it with us all. He had great knowledge on Vietnam’s history and it’s people. He was passionate about being a responsible traveller by encouraging us to not use plastic bags, straws etc, to use local people where ever possible. Son effortlessly handled the few problems as they arose, us the ‘guests’, his wonderful support crew, and the local people we encountered. He has a special place in our hearts and certainly contributed to the positive trip we experienced.

Advice for Potential Travellers

For a ‘moderate’ rated cycle trip use the provided bikes. You are there to enjoy the views and we were kept together as a pack so having a better bike than everyone else seemed pretty pointless. The bikes are fit for the purpose and cope perfectly well for the type of terrain. The only problems that occurred on our trip were from the bikes that some people chose to bring with them. Skinny tyres on rough roads. Four punctures in a day kept the support crew busy. It just seemed like an unnecessary ball ache. Trust in Exodus to provide suitable bikes. Take a thin snood. When hot wet with ice cold water from the support vehicle, wear on head under helmet, protecting your neck from the sun. Long sleeved shirts to protect against the sun...you don’t need cycling tops just sports gear is fine. Padded shorts essential!

Most Inspirational Moment

The history and culture is fascinating and diverse, dig earlier than French occupation and you see a lot more influences in their history. Recent history , last 100 years shows the resilience of the Vietnamese people.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Long Le, is a brilliant guide and cyclist, very kind and considerate and a real Mr Motivator. When he is not Mr Motivator he is very knowledgeable about the history, culture and politics. He was the perfect guide and friend to us all, I still miss him now! I think everyone of us invited him home with us.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Get used to cycling before you go, i.e a bit of training.

Most Inspirational Moment

Meeting Mefle the last remaining inhabitant of Petra

Thoughts on Group Leader

Eddie was very knowledgeable and great fun too

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing Petra Treasury for the first time. Floating in the Dead Sea Walking on Mount Nebo

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Very passionate about sharing his love of Jordan.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a mix of clothing layers.

Most Inspirational Moment

First view of Amalfi as well as visits to Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent. She was a Scilian young girl called Martina Cippola. She was very organised and ensured we had evening meeting to discuss next days walk etc. She also provided a lot of information about the areas we were passing through. Some group members did not want to complete some of the harder section on various days and she ensured that those persons were able to use local buses etc to get them back to our hotel.

Advice for Potential Travellers

There are a lot of steps to negotiate, predominantly in a downward direction, so make sure your lower limbs can take the strain. Ensure that you carry a light wind proof top and a waterproof top/trousers if the forecast is for wet weather . If you don’t have one I’d recommend investing in a hydration system so that you can take on fluids without the need to take off your backpack to get to your water.

Most Inspirational Moment

First view of Amalfi as well as visits to Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent. She was a Scilian young girl called Martina Cippola. She was very organised and ensured we had evening meeting to discuss next days walk etc. She also provided a lot of information about the areas we were passing through. Some group members did not want to complete some of the harder section on various days and she ensured that those persons were able to use local buses etc to get them back to our hotel.

Advice for Potential Travellers

There are a lot of steps to negotiate, predominantly in a downward direction, so make sure your lower limbs can take the strain. Ensure that you carry a light wind proof top and a waterproof top/trousers if the forecast is for wet weather . If you don’t have one I’d recommend investing in a hydration system so that you can take on fluids without the need to take off your backpack to get to your water.