Reviews

A must do

It was a good trip, I enjoyed most of them. and It was packed with all activities, sightseeing, hiking, I have met very nice people on the trip. Few comments below: 1. We know Jordan is a tipping country, but £50 per person for a 20 people group seems a lot, we still had to pay for the most evening meals at our own cost and some trips are not on the itinerary that the tour guide has made sufficient profit from. We can’t see the tips that been well spent. 2. Some hotels were the bad points to let you down. The hotel room in Petra was very tired, needs serious updating but the location is very good next to the entrance of Petra. The last stop hotel “Holiday Inn” in dead sea was the worst 5 star hotel I have ever been, flies everywhere, wherever you went you encountered enormous amount flies, you could see the flies landing on the food, drinks, people, basically we were surrounded by hundreds, thousands flies, the buffet restaurant was full of flies everywhere, we had to use tissues to cover our food, most our group got very ill after returning to UK, we reckon the food in Holiday inn been infested by the flies, I also found ants in my room and bad smell in the garden. I suggest Exodus to reconsider to choose this hotel for the last stop, it totally ruined the “Holiday Inn” reputation, unless they have made the big improvement to justify their hygiene levels otherwise it will spoil the whole trip. In general, it is a must do but needs a few improvements. Overall I am general satisfied with the planning and organisations.

Fascinating and thought-provoking trip

Two of us took a bit of a chance travelling in late November to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, but we were pleasantly surprised at the temperatures in the low 20s, and we were able to swim in the sea and one of the hotel pools (much colder!). We stayed in Girne (the Turkish name for Kyrenia), a very charming port and dramatic castle, at the Pia Bella Hotel which was three buildings around two pools and a lovely garden with a bar where we gathered in the evening. Our leader Gizer was splendid – he started each day sorting out our picnic lunches, told us all about the history as our very able driver took us to the start of walks, and led us along mountainsides and up to precipitous castles. Each evening he briefed us in detail about plans for the next day, and then on three evenings took us to outstanding restaurants, with a wide range of mezze and delicious main courses. He recommended restaurants we tried on other nights, all really good and reasonable price. Most of us joined the trips to Famagusta and the ghost town Varosha, and to Nicosia on the way to the airport on the last day – seeing these places was very moving and helped us to begin to understand the issues. A fantastic trip which we really enjoyed – a lovely group, comfortable hotel and well organised.

Wonderful journey through Vietnam...

Superb trip taking in a huge variety of scenery, places and experiences in 2 weeks! Cycling is a brilliant way to travel and interact with different environments and see the friendly locals….lots of waves and hellos! We didn’t see another Westerner between leaving Ho Chi Minh and arriving in Hoi An (5 days) which definitely added to the authenticity of the trip! Everything was amazingly well-organised and the hotels, food and the group fantastic!

A great summery of what New Zealand has to offer.

A packed trip including most of the scenery and activities you can get in New Zealand.Although we covered a lot of kilometers, there was time to walk, take a boat and just take it all in. We had a great tour leader who also drove the van, even the men in the group noticed she is a very good driver.Everything was well planned for, including stops for buying food in supermarkets, and of course the toilet stops. We were lucky with the weather, although the only rainy day was when we were in Tongariro so the crossing was cancelled.But later in the afternoon it was still possible to walk around a bit. Most of the group, if not all thought that another night in Rotorua and especially in Mount Cook would add to the trip.The hotels were very good, most of one hotel group,but the hotel in Mount Cook stood out and even had a complete kitchen, and the views… with clear skies just amazing.,

Excellent Trip

Well organised, with excellent guides who engaged with the group and ensured our needs were met. The scenery was stunning and it was great talking with local people on the trip. Can’t recommend this trip enough- thanks for a fantastic experience

Enjoyable holiday due to the spectacular/historic/biblical sites and great travelling companions and NOT Exodus

We enjoyed the holiday but that was because of the spectacular/historic/biblical sites and great travelling companions and NOT the efforts of Exodus.

Effectively all Exodus provided was transport between sites and generally poor hotels, (except the Dead Sea but particularly the grubby SeaNet in Tel Aviv where we endured 2 extra nights at the end of the tour), albeit the hotels were in good locations. The bus in Jordan was not fit for purpose, or Health & Safety compliant, as luggage didn’t fit in (some initially had to go by taxi) and was balanced above the heads of the back row and in the aisle when rearranged and ‘fitted’. Sitting over wheel arches in a full cramped bus is not comfortable on long journeys or good for posture.

Inexperienced, disorganised, uninformative and slow moving guide in Jordan and just a ‘day guide’ in Israel, who provided better information but with limited time on the Tower Mount spent too long talking, such that the guards started emptying the site before we fully enjoyed it. Fortunately we had the next full day to explore Jerusalem on our own.

Petra and Wadi Rum were spectacular but need to start Petra early, not later with the crowds. If relatively fit it is possible to walk to both the monastery and the high sacrifice but is a full day, which meant us missing out on the meal with a local family that had only been suggested that morning. Wadi Rum camp was basic but fun with good food, but it doesn’t give sunset or sunrise views. The guide suggested it was too far to walk to see sunset, though we saw other groups heading back on foot later, and that we could see sunrise by walking round the corner. We walked several corners the next morning but the cliffs were too high, so a walk out towards the centre could have provided both.

The Dead Sea is an unusual experience and the only good hotel on the tour but the Group had to push to get there early enough to enjoy any meaningful time.

The Israel part of the tour started badly as we were waiting over an hour standing at the border control before the bus/guide turned up and then had to wait further as he had 3 additional names on his tour list. We explained they weren’t part of the group and couldn’t have fitted on the Jordan bus but clearly he needed to check with the office.

Jerusalem and Bethlehem are clearly must sees, but we should not have gone back for another night to Jerusalem after Bethlehem but  headed North to Nazareth and Sea of Galilee (we went on a day trip from Tel Aviv and worth the trip). The long journey to Haifa was pointless and hardly a ‘visit’ as was just a view of the port and the Bahai Gardens from over/through the railings and gave insufficient time in Jaffa/Tel Aviv.

In summary great places to visit but can’t recommend this Exodus tour with its current format, guides, transport and hotels, though Exodus failings likely helped the bonding of the group. It was nothing like the experience and support we expected having had a fantastic guide and great time with Exodus in Sri Lanka.

Most Inspirational Moment

First views of the Treasury in Petra and walking to and views from both the monastery and high sacrifice summit.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Inexperienced and poor in Jordan and although better (ie more informative) in Israel/Palestine he was just a day guide, who wasn’t there if issues arose out of working hours. Neither provided good recommendations for food options.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Potentially avoid this tour until Exodus address the shortcomings and feedback. Refuse the small bus in Jordan that doesn’t fit all the luggage in safely or is comfortable for all on long journeys. Get yourselves organised and get early starts for key locations (particularly for Petra get an early night and skip the late night meal next to the hotel) and long travel days. Food and drink is readily available inside Petra at reasonable price and can be in the shade. Insist on seeing sunset and/or sunrise at Wadi Rum. Get to the Dead Sea in time to enjoy the resort. Get the guide to brief you before the Temple Mount and enjoy the time at the top. Reject the long trip to Haifa and get to Jaffa/Tel Aviv earlier.

Reply from Exodus

We are grateful that Nick took the time to leave a review, and are glad that he enjoyed the varied sites of Jordan and Israel and the company of his group. However, we were very sorry to read that he did not have such a positive experience with his Exodus tour leaders and some of the hotels used; we are in contact with Nick about the points he has raised and are in close communication with our local team in this regard, too. We recognise that a number of points relating to the Jordan portion of the trip should have been handled better by the leader, and normally are. While Nick’s leader in Jordan no longer guides for Exodus, we are confident that we have an excellent team of experienced leaders in the country, who we would mention usually receive fantastic feedback. In Israel, most of our leaders live in Jerusalem so typically spend the evenings with their families. However, they can give recommendations for things to do in the evening and places for dinner, and additional guidance has been provided to the leaders as a result of recent feedback. Tour leaders are required to check that luggage is safely stored and on occasion luggage may be transported in a separate vehicle if there is not sufficient space in the main vehicle. The border crossing between Jordan and Israel can be very busy and unfortunately delays such as those experienced by Nick and the group can occur. For future trips we will be explaining the logistics of the border crossing more carefully. We do also regret that Nick was unhappy with the Sea Net Hotel in Tel Aviv, and while we would note that prior to the start of this trip members of our local team visited the property and found it to be clean, comfortable, and well-situated, we acknowledge that the hotel has not been able to maintain the standards we would expect, and we are therefore looking to replace the Sea Net for our 2023 departures. The day with the visit to Haifa is being addressed and new arrangements will be in place before our next departure of this trip. We hugely appreciate Nick’s feedback, as it has allowed us to look to make changes to this tour and ensure that it is as organised, informative, and enjoyable as our customers expect from Exodus trips, though we remain apologetic that this was not his experience.

Stunning

A truly remarkable holiday led by our excellent guide Mel. Unforgettable scenery and perfect balance of cycling, culture and relaxation.

An Excellent Introduction to Turkey

Turkey is a beautiful country with so many different regions all with their own unique culture and landscapes. This trip is an excellent way to get a taste of each region while visiting all of the highlights you picture when you think of Turkey (and some you’ve probably never heard of!). We absolutely loved every minute and learned so much more than we ever have on any other trip.

lots of wildlife

if you love animals this is the trip for you. The game drives were great. The weather was lovely and food was incredible. An enjoyable trip with lots od beautiful coastal views.

Great way to discover the Balkans

Great trip and fantastic itinerary going through 4 countries ( crossing the borders by bike, was a lot of fun!). This trip is more on the challenging side with long climbs and several days spent in the mountains. The views from the mountain roads were fantastic and made us forget about the climbs. It was also a fantastic way to discover the history of this region going form Ottoman empire to Communist / modern era. The food was really good, a lot of local cheeses, grilled vegetables and olive oil. Great to refuel after a day spent cycling! The hotels selected were great and some of them even features a hot tub and a sauna to relax in the evening.