Reviews

Amazing Wildlife, Amazing People

What an incredible trip. The scenery, the wildlife viewing and the people all combine to make a fabulous itinerary. We were incredibly lucky with the wildlife from the very start, with the Big 5 achieved between the Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru, along with five cheetah, lions, baby giraffe, elephants, zebra and so much more.

We were incredibly lucky with the boat trip in Queen Elizabeth NP, getting to spend time watching two herds of elephants, both with babies, come down to the water’s edge to drink.

The whitewater rafting in Jinja was intense but absolutely brilliant and the safety was top notch. There are options on the rafting for how intense you want the experience – our group did the highest class available and spent a fair bit of time in the water, but it was such a fun activity.

The chimp trekking in Budongo was on relatively easy paths, with only the last 5-10mins being properly ‘off-track’. The chimps stayed up in the trees, however we still had a great viewing, with a young chimp playing around and giving some fabulous poses and facial experiences. Beware of the chimps throwing things down at you – they are surprisingly accurate with their aim!

The gorilla trekking is everything you imagine and more. It is impossible to predict how far or how hard your walk will be, so go prepared for a tough hike. Our group had around an hour of reasonable hiking on established tracks, followed by around 30-40 mins of full scrambling up and down a steep ravine as the gorillas moved away in search of a different food source. Once the gorillas had re-settled, we were able to spend the hour with the whole family, from the massive silverback to the playful adolescents and the relaxing females. The trackers are awesome and the gorillas showed no signs of being even remotely bothered by our presence, coming up towards us and playing / posing for photos near by.

As other reviewers have previously mentioned, there are lots of early mornings, but you soon adjust and, as this is when the wildlife is most active, it is definitely worth it. The campsites were generally of a very good standard. We had a slight issue with very late and loud music at the Jinja camp (take earplugs), and one campsite did not have working showers when we were there, but as this was one night only it really did not have a big impact. Most of the facilities were good and some were excellent (lovely hot showers), but really this trip is not about the accommodation – with good food (thanks Ken!) and great company, you really do not need luxury and the experience of waking up to the sounds of baboons and hyena made everything worthwhile. The Exodus tents and mattresses are good quality and well cared for, and there were plenty of opportunities for upgrades if you wanted a break from camping.

Wonderful part of the world

A great hiking trip in the dolomites, a choice of great walks each day, a good quality hotel to stay excellent knowledgeable leaders, fantastic scenery .

Everything hoped for

What you see on a trip such as this is always dependent on being in the right place at the right time. However the hard work and depth of knowledge of the expedition guides made for a memorable experience. They were always up, (if they ever went to bed), scanning the land and sea and sea ice, out early in the morning in zodiacs looking for the best opportunities to see wildlife, and using their experience to take us to amazing places. As a result we had good encounters with five polar bears over three days, saw hundreds of Walrus, thousands of sea birds, whales, seals and dolphin. Although not seemingly planned, the captain and expedition leader decided a complete circumnavigation of Svalbard was possible, so that’s what we did. It felt like a true expedition and that we were in the hands of experts. If anyone tells me that we were lucky to see and do so much, I would reply that one definition of luck is preparation meeting opportunity and the efforts of the guides and leader ensured we were prepared to take advantage of every opportunity that arose.

Gret trip, harder than I expected having trekked up Kili, but amazing views of the Atlas mountains.

Overall a great trip, the Atlas mountains were amazing. Views from top of Toubkal were stunning, and we had the summit to ourselves. The terrain was harder than I thought it might be, having already trekked up Kilimanjaro, but it was do-able. The team including the mule drivers worked really hard and deserve to be paid more. June was a good time to go. Hot but not unbearable, until we returned to Marrakesh to 47 degrees! Was only 32 when we left. Shame there wasn’t more time alone in Marrakesh to bargain hunt in the souks. Would have happily forgone the guided tour of Marrakesh if I had known.

Very Disappointing

This is a ‘coach tour’, little free time, a quick glimpse as you drive past particularly in Armenia. Far too much emphasis on monasteries and churches. There is more to be explored in this country. Overnight in Lake Sevan or Dilijan (a 10 minute stop to visit 3 workshops when the area is known as the Switzerland of Armenia was disappointing) should be part of the itinerary to explore this stunning area instead of every night in Yerevan. In Georgia, the itinerary needs an overhaul, overnight in Kutaisi was pointless, a long drive to poor accomodation and drive off the next day! Bonjormi looked brilliant in the dark after a late arrival, next day left after only a walk in the forest. More time needs to be allocated for the wine region of Kakheti instead of a day trip.

Hikes to Remember

This trip has been memorable with amazing hikes and breathtaking views. Starting off with the good: our guide Evgenia/Jenny has been nothing but wonderful. She is enthusiastic, easy-going, and knowledgeable. She planned our hikes extremely well, taking into account the athletic abilities of all group members. We got lucky with the weather and did not need rain gear in July. The hikes were paced well and reasonable, most people were able to keep up, but I would rate it more of a 4/7 rather than a 3/7 difficulty due to the steepness in some segments. Trekking poles were a must on several of the hikes. The rest day was essential as most of us had knee aches by the 3rd day. Things that could have been better: my partner and I were among the first to sign up and called Exodus to notify them that we would prefer to stay in Chalet Chocolat over Chalupa (due to location; Chocolat is much closer to the city center). We ended up getting placed in Chalupa anyway, which is still nice but the bus ride takes over 20 minutes. Second, we called to inquire room upgrades and were told that whoever signed up first would have priority on better rooms. We ended up getting the smallest room in the chalet, with low slanted ceilings and no other furniture than the bed while people who signed up later had kitchen/refrigerator, couches, or balconies in their rooms. There should be price adjustments depending on quality/size of the rooms. Third, 2 out of the 5 hikes required taking public transportation which involved being crammed like sardines into buses. I feel like with the amount we paid, private transportation should have been arranged. Regardless of these shortcomings, the hikes themselves make the whole trip worth it. Hopefully Exodus can make further improvements in future iterations of this journey.

Reply from Exodus

We are delighted to hear that B Y had a memorable time in Mont Blanc, and that Jenny, who led their departure, was able to really elevate their experience hiking in this beautiful region. We’re also pleased to read that the weather was favourable during their time there!

We are sorry, though, that B Y felt there were a few things which could have been better. Having spoken to our operations team, we understand that customers who booked this trip were allocated their preferred chalet, where this was possible, based on the order in which they booked on. We regret that the Chalet Chocolat turned out to be full when B Y confirmed their booking, though the Chalet Chalupa is an equally comfortable and well-equipped property. Rooming allocations are similarly done on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, and though being a chalet bedrooms do naturally vary in size and layout, we feel that all rooms at the Chalupa are of a good standard for our guests.

We are thankful to B Y for taking the time to leave their review, and are glad that despite the points they raise above they found the trip to be a worthwhile and memorable experience.

– Danny Bell, Exodus Product Manager

A great way to explore Romania

This turned out to be yet another great Exodus cycling trip. Cycling is the perfect way to explore the lovely countryside, and see people living a simple country life. There was a nice balance of cycling, culture, and visits during the day. The cycling was not too hard-core and the accommodation generally was simple but clean and comfortable. Some of the nicest places we stayed were local rural guesthouses with a warm welcome. The food was not particularly exciting but perfectly palatable– (bread was generally disappointing and a bit dry). We were lucky enough to have a great group of people who were fun to be with. As usual everything was incredibly well organised with a well-balanced programme of activities, and we felt looked after. Bikes were good and well maintained by the wonderful Radu.

VG

A great trip. 3 different countries; well paced.

In the Realm of the Brown Bear

This trip was even more that the brochure suggests. Every day was an experience and adventure, every mountain trail an education and sometimes a challenge. A really great opportunity to experience nature at its best!

Stunning scenery!

A wonderful week exploring some of Croatia’s islands by bike, starting from Split to Dubrovnik! Well organised with good support throughout. As this was my first cycling holiday I appreciated knowing the support vehicle is there, just in case!