Reviews

Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers

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14245 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Reviewed October 2012

MONT BLANC HOTEL TREK

This was truly the experience of a life time. To be able to hike through breath taking scenery all day and then to be able to enjoy all the comforts of a fully supported tour in the evening was really exhilarating. I really enjoyed the varietyof accomodations, particularly the family run hotels, each of which had their own flavour. The local cuisine was to be savoured especially the hearty soups in the evenings and the berry pies at the refuges. All of the arrangements went without a hitch. Not having to worry about logistics such as accomodations and bag transfers meant that I could focus totally on enjoying the hiking experience. At the end of the tour I really wanted to do it again…well done Exodus!

Most Inspirational Moment

On the first day as we were hiking above Chamonix the upper part of Mount Blanc was hidden in the clouds, teasing us with glimpses. Gradually over an hour or so the clouds cleared so that by the time we stopped at the Refuge de la Flegere for hot chocolat we had a magnificent view of the snow covered and glaciated mountain top. Days later, we were hiking through mixed rain and snow showers towards the Refuggio Bonatti (and more hot chocolat), when suddenly the clouds lifted to give us views of the fresh snow covered face of the Grand Jorasses. This was a truly unforgettable moment that demanded that we stop for pictures. We were blessed with a wonderful group of people to hike with. Although we varied greatly in country of origin, age, experience and stamina, we soon formed a caring bond between us. At a number of places we encountered long climbs or challenges that pushed some beyond their comfort level. We and our leader encouraged each other so that everyone got through the tougher sections and were then able to bask in a sense of accomplishment afterwards.

Thoughts on Group Leader

This was my first guided tour and I must say thatFrank met or exceeded my every expectation for a guide. He obviously loved being a guide on the Mount Blanc route and it showed. Each evening we were given a preview of the next day’s terrain, distance and weather expectations, making each new day an adventure to be anticipated. On the trail he was very safety conscious and skilled at anticipating when he should assist or coach less experienced hikers. He rotated between the front, middle or back of the group as conditions dictated Consequently, we successfully trekked through everything a late season Mount Blanc threw at us(sunshine , rain, wind and even fresh falling snow) without incident.

Advice for Potential Travellers

There are many long ascents and descents to content with. The better shape you are in the more you will enjoy it. For those travelling from the west coast of North America, I recommend that you come a few days ahead of time so that your body clock can be adjusted before you start hiking. Likewise, if you normally live close to sea level, spending a few days in the Chamonix area in advance will help you get acclimatized and used to exerting yourself at higher elevations as well.

Reviewed October 2012

THE TROPICAL SOUTH

I thought this trip was fantastic. I fell in love with South India. When I sleep at night I’m still dreaming about the trip – it was that good. I want to go back! My personal highlight was the trip to Munnar, the mountainous areas are just breathtakingly beautiful and green. The people in Munnar are incredibly friendly, its well worth taking a walk around the town when you have some down time. In fact – everywhere we went the people were very friendly. Periyar is also very beautiful and the town is interesting. What am I talking about? Everything and everywhere was interesting.

Most Inspirational Moment

For me - pretty much everything!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Suresh was very kind, patient, knowledgable, funny and very pleasant to talk to. He was an extremely good tour guide.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Embrace everything! Indian people have a very good sense of humour and love to engage in a conversation with foreigners, so make an effort! :) I went a bit mental, I can't sit still for 5 seconds, so I was getting up earlier than I needed to every morning to go into each the towns we stayed at just to experience more and more!!

Anonymous

Reviewed October 2012

MADAGASCAN DISCOVERER

What a wonderfully all encompassing tour of Madagascar taking in a great selection of the fantastic countryside including lovely beaches on the shores of the Indian ocean, the all important lemurs and other fauna and flora, the people and the culture that makes Madagascar such a diverse interesting place to visit.

Most Inspirational Moment

Being able to see the lemurs in their natural habitat and close up and personal at a private reserve at vakona lodge and in lemur park in tana was wonderful. The chameleons are amazing. Climbing in Tsingy limestone forest is well worth the effort. The friendly Malagasy people will leave a lasting impression.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The tour leader was excellent. He was friendly and spproachable and took account of everyone's needs. He was very helpful when anyone felt unwell or when anyone found the going a little tough in the heat. His commentaries were very informative and it was no trouble if anyone wanted information on any aspect of the trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for an intense programme with some very long drives on some poor roads or dirt tracks but take a good camera because there is so much to captivate and interest you.

Reviewed October 2012

IMPERIAL CHINA & YANGTZE RIVER CRUISE

What a brilliant holiday with a bit of everything: from the noise, hustle and bustle of city life to a tranquil cruise on a bamboo raft down the Yulong River; the breathtaking beauty of the Great Wall and the amazing pits with the Terracotta Warriors; fascinating history, lovely, friendly people, great food and a fun group and tour leader – we laughed our way around China together and it was fantastic. I would highly recommend this trip but, as the other reviewers have said, this is not a trip for putting your feet up and relaxing. Your feet barely stop moving but you get to see some wonderful sights and experiences along the way.

Most Inspirational Moment

There was loads of brilliant stuff of the holiday and I loved every day but the three stand out experiences for me were: 1. Walking the Great Wall was my favourite experience. We spent most of the day there in the glorious sunshine and walked about 10 km. The views from the Wall were breathtaking and we had it nearly all to ourselves. 2. Visiting the Panda Centre in Chengdu was also another highlight for me. We got there early in the day so saw the pandas having breakfast and being at their most active. But the best bit was seeing the tiny baby pandas in their incubators. I had to tear myself away.3. The Terracotta Warriors are just amazing in their detail and in their number. I could have spent much longer just walking around. Another great day on our trip.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was Susan and she helped to make this such a memorable holiday. She was very organised, always happy and ready to help and to join in the fun.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The beds in China are hard and the 'soft berths' on the train are even harder - so be prepared to take a travel pillow or something soft, particularly on the train to save you backache.I was advised by the tour leader some sections of the Great Wall we were walking might be difficult for those with vertigo. It was steep in some sections but if you can overcome your fear it actually isn't that bad and definitely worth it for the experience.

Reviewed October 2012

WALKING IN SARDINIA

Group had a wide range of walking ability so may make sense to have 2 tour options graded accordingly. That way clients get an idea how hard the tour potientally could be. Also might be an idea to quote approximate mileage/kilometres the walks are likely to take for the average walker as well as the estimated time which is presently given.

Most Inspirational Moment

Gorrupo Gorge lived up to the hype.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Eric Woolley was very good and helpful. If he didn't know an answer he made sure he found out and advised us asap. Not a grumble but we thought his timing was sometimes awry for the walks. An hour became an "Eric hour" - usually about 65 or 70 mins. Not a problem as the group found this amusing.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Walking poles could be more of a hindrance on the rocky slopes up to Tiscali. Many group members without poles found the going easier using both hands for leverage than those with poles.

Anonymous .

Reviewed October 2012

GORILLAS & MASAI MARA

Having read the reviews on this holiday we had very high expectations and it did not disappoint. It was without doubt the most amazing experience of my life to date. We saw all the animals we had hoped to see (lions, leopard, cheetah, elephant, rhino, hippo, hyena, zebra, giraffe, wildebeast and on and on), but also learnt so much about the history of the countries we visited.

Most Inspirational Moment

The balloon ride was as amazing as everyone said it would be and although I am really affraid of heights, I felt completely safe throughout itThe beauty of all 3 countries, but particularly UgandaThe welcome we got everywhere we went, especially from the children who seemed so happy dispite having so littleSeeing 7 lionesses feeding on a carcass right next to the roadAnd of course the gorillas who seemed so comfortable in our company

Thoughts on Group Leader

Moses was amazing, very knowledgable and nothing was to much trouble. He gave you a reel sense of security at all times. Jackson was our driver and did a great job inspite of some quite hairy conditions. Cosmos was our chef, what he could cook in the basic conditions he had was nothing short of incredible and Joseph helped out cooking, putting up tents and keeping everything clean and tidy. They were all polite, helpful and cheerful, no matter what the time of day

Advice for Potential Travellers

Ask as many questions as you can. Take warm clothes for evenings and early mornings. Charging facilities are good, but you'll take 1000's of photo's so be prepared. Take a medium size padlock for each person in your party. Driving between places is long so take something to do. Be open minded, some conditions are very basic. Toilet rolls, hand sanitiser and a good torch are a must. Hire a porter for the hike to the gorillas, I thought I was fairly fit, but he was a life saver and remeber it is how they make their living.

Reviewed October 2012

DISCOVER COSTA RICA

Brilliant holiday – lots of wildlife seen and holiday was definitely a trip to remember with a great group of people.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the turtles egg laying at Tortuguero and then seeing hatchings make their way into the sea.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Gio is a great leader. We wouldn't have seen half as much without his expert knowledge and great eye sight - I still don't know how he spotted an anteater half way up a tree whilst travelling on the Pan American highway!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Highly recommend holiday - travel light and enjoy.

Reviewed October 2012

ESSENTIAL PERU/AMAZON EXTENSION

The tour was great and very well organised. It contains loads of travelling but Peru is enormous thus to see as much places as possible you have to travel long distances -coach was comfortable Well worth it!!

Most Inspirational Moment

Definately No 1 is the visit to Machu Picchu - spectacular! The tour enables you to visit the site in the afternoon with the tour guide and thus receive a full explanation of the site. It also offers free time to visit again the following morning which is great.No 2 has to be Cuszo - I love it, its a beautifull cityNo 3 travelling through the Andes. Had a lovely experience when the LLamas stole sugar from restaurant:)No 4 Arequipa is a lovely city, enjoyed sight seeing especially the visit to Santa Catalina convent.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Group leader was Fabrizzio. He was great !! he well informed us in advance of what to do, where to go and which places we should avoid. He really took great care of all the tour members.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Always take the guide's advice especially to avoid any dangerous areas. Drink plenty of water when travelling to high altitude areas - it helps as lot.very important to take DEET spray and torches if visiting the Amazon.

Reviewed October 2012

WALKING IN SARDINIA

Great walking, stunning views, amazing blue sea … and way too much food!!!

Most Inspirational Moment

The scrambles up and along quite rocky paths to get to some stunning views on the walk to Tiscali. The Gorrupu Gorge was amazing too. Really enjoyed the hike along the coast on the last day - more great walking and fully justified the HUGE gelato I treated myself to at the end

Thoughts on Group Leader

We were a wide range of walking abilities in the group - Eric had a difficult job balancing the hares vs the tortoises, but managed to keep us together ... at least for the scenery and food stops though not always when walking on a clear path!

Advice for Potential Travellers

We were really lucky with the weather, it was never less than 25C. I was fine with walking trainers (Reeboks). It was too warm for boots but they'd give better ankle support if needed. Likewise take poles if you find them helpful, but I personally find it easier to negotiate rocky scrambles on all fours (where poles would get in the way)Walking sandals (Tevas and co) would be OK for the first day walk (all on roads), but no more than that.Main thing is to be prepared for some extended stiff scrambles (up rocky / bouldery paths) - the first part of the Tiscali walk and then the climb up to Tiscali are the worst - but generally the walking is pretty much on the flat. I thought the first 2 days were more "A" grade because they were on paths / roads without much scrambling (unless you went up Gorrupu Gorge). The last 2 walks were more "B" grade because of the more difficult terrain, but much more interesting because they were point to point rather than out and back along the same track.I was worried I'd struggle with an A/B grade walk because I'd done almost no walking the previous 2 months due to the dire weather back home and was fine.

Reviewed October 2012

CYCLE THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO

A Good trip. My only complaint was that I was issued with the wrong size bike and had to suffer back ache for the firfirst day due to shortage of a suitable bike. There were no spare bikes in case of breakages and I felt this put unnecessary strain on the leader.

Most Inspirational Moment

Arriving at Santiago on Friday eveving.

Thoughts on Group Leader

.Great. He coped with difficulties by improvisation and always kept his sense of humour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring warm clothes. I only had cycle shorts and really needed long trousers to ride in especially when we were cycling at higher altitudes. Waterproofs were essential.

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