Reviews

What an amazing adventure!

From the moment we met our local guide, Pedro Benavides and our excellent driver, Gabriel, we had the most wonderful two weeks visiting many different regions of Costa Rica. From the pounding surf of the Caribbean to the stillness of the lush forests and then from the heat of the Pacific coast to the cool air of the cloud forests and Paramo region at the top of the Continental Divide every National Park we visited had its own character. We were somewhat disappointed at the lack of birdlife visible (or heard) on many of the forest trails, but overall we saw an amazing variety of species and with sloths, iguanas, monkeys and crocodiles adding to the wildlife sightings it was truly magnificent. Accommodation was great – the various wooden lodges varied in character but all provided comfortable beds and in the more remote locations, which were all-inclusive, the food was excellent. The Hotel Presidente in San José for the first and last nights was very comfortable and its central location made it ideal for shopping, interesting museums and visiting the National Theatre and Metropolitan Cathedral. Our group of 14 travellers gelled together easily despite a wide age range and the overall verdict was that this was a trip which could be highly recommended. Thank you, Exodus.

Fabulous, immersive week

The activities, landscape and Basecamp were all excellent. I was concerned that the itinerary looked less active in the second half of the week but, in fact, it was cleverly designed so that we were introduced to snowshoeing and cross-country skiing on days 1 & 2, and allowed to retain the equipment so that we could continue with these activities whenever we had free time. Also, quinzee building on Friday was interesting and very active. Our room was spacious enough, with good storage, a comfortable bed, decent shower and even hairdryer – all with a lovely view. And it was warm! Communal areas were also warm, and welcoming at all times of day and evening. Staff always made time for a chat. The forest, lakes (frozen) and rivers are so pretty, it was wonderful to explore them. As a huge bonus, we saw the Northern Lights – twice.

Slothful, but not in that way.

A trip designed to show the diversity of Costa Rica whilst incorporating many good cycling days, and a range of activities. Busy, but there was a lot to squeeze in.

Amazing Matera!

Brilliant trip with pleasant walking, great food and wine, good company, fascinating towns (especially Matera….a real highlight for me), an excellent guide in Fabrizio (knowledgeable, efficient, very patient, making everything great fun…. the best guide I can remember having on any trip!). I enjoyed the hotels in Ostuni and Matera (though in Matera it was a bit ‘luck of draw’ as to what your room was like – and I felt I was lucky!) First hotel in Alberobello was a bit bland. But overall everything went very smoothly (even the dreaded covid paperwork) – and it was SO good to be out of country, somewhere new. What’s not to like!

Petra and wadi Rum adventure

This trip exceeded expectations, particularly the Wadi Rum trek. This part of the week was really well organised and the desert is even more impressive and interesting than anticipated. The combination of a few day’s trekking and then a visit to one of the modern seven wonders of the world at Petra makes for a great vacation.

You do have to be ready for some wild camping, but the support is excellent and the standard of the food and the regular provision of water and rest stops works very well in the hot desert climate.

Great walking on a beautiful island

I had travelled to La Palma with Exodus in March 2020 and sadly the trip was cut short by the Spanish Covid lockdown without any the walks being completed. I’ve very glad I persevered and returned in March 2022. The walking was excellent with the walk on the rim of the caldera above the clouds, and the walk within the caldera below the clouds being the highlights of the trip. Our tour guide took us to small local restaurants for lunch on a few days, and it felt good to put a little money back into the community after covid and the eruption. The first hotel in Barlovento was excellent with really friendly and helpful staff, while the second on the edge of Santa Cruz was very spacious, but a bit soulless and could do with improved housekeeping. Weather in March was excellent and made for comfortable walking, not too hot and not cold.

Spectacular

This is an action-packed trip with so much variety of history, culture, food and landscape to discover. There was always something new and enough time to stroll around the sites.We saw all the highlights mentioned in the guide books! Jordan is not a big country so travel is a reasonable proportion of each day. All journeys are interspersed with visits or sights. We would heartily recommend this trip to others.

Lovely Week's Walking Despite the Snow

Firstly we did not expect snow on this holiday! Nonetheless we had a very enjoyable week and met some lovely people in our group of 16. Some parts of the itinerary had to be adapted and changed due to the weather conditions but this did not affect the overall enjoyment of the holiday. Walking on the first couple of days was a bit tricky due to the snow and ice, meaning walking poles were essential. In normal conditions none of the walks would have been especially challenging. Gizer was a great guide, very knowledgeable and mindful of the group. We appreciated the extra trips to Famagusta (on free day) and Nicosia (departure day). Hotel Pia Bella is a good base with friendly staff and the bonus of heating in the bedrooms. It has a lovely outside pool area (shame it was just too cold to enjoy). Worth noting that if you enjoy wine the house stuff is not good, instead ask the hotel for a bottle (affordable) and keep behind the bar. Organised restaurants were very good, especially the last evening one. The restaurant next to the hotel serves a nice pizza too. All in all a good holiday and so much history in Northern Cyprus

Friendly people, Roman ruins and Petra!

This trip was an excellent opportunity to see the best of the historical ancient sites of Jordan – it has many! The food was wonderful, the people we met were friendly and welcoming, and the sights were always better than expected.

atlas descent - 12 march 2022

An unforgettable experience not for the faint hearted.
Exhilarating continuously due to the beauty of the environment, the challenge of the conditions and the terrain but terriftying at one or 2 points due to the rock falls.

The beuty is that each trip will evolve along with the changing environment, additional tarmac routes, rock falls …..If I ent back in October, it would probably be a very differnet experience and that is good.

It is not a descent, it is more down than up but there is a fair amount of on roand and off raod steep climbing.

Some of the descents were challenging to most memebers of the group which ranged from highly experienced and competent Mtb’s / road cyclists to people who were fit and resilient but did not cycle greatly.
I have only moutain biked for a year and not on such extreme terrain, I should have spent more time adjusting my bike /tyre pressures as we almost immediately had a very challenging descent over a partial rock fall.
I also asked for the brakes to be changed so the back brake was on the left and front on the right.

I do not feel the overview gives sufficient weight to preparation in terms of clothing, decdnt fitness and some mountain bike experience. The bikes we used were Cannondale 2 x chani wheels, not as reported.

I have undertaken many cycling trips and this is as memorable as any and given the proviso’s above, would have no hesitation in recommending it or going again in the future.