Thoughts on Group Leader
Our group leader Shibu was fantastic as were all of the team.
Reviews
Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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Reviews
Fab trip
Fantastic trip, enjoyed every second.
Mexico Tour
We saw many inspiring ruins from several cultures, tried delicious Mexican dishes, and visited many interesting cities.
Most Inspirational Moment
The Teotihuacan ruins near Mexico City, Palenque, and Chichen Itza were all different, yet amazing.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our tour leader, Adriana, is absolutely excellent. She was very organized, informative, and helpful. She made our trip fun in many ways like making playlists of our requested music to pass the long road trips. This also inspired positive group dynamics.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be prepared for some long days of travel. The temperatures in March are very hot (mid-30s celsius).
Never a dull moment!
While I anticipated a week of trail hikes, our guide added several events to make the week a cultural event as well. To begin, the scenery is spectacular. Added to that, our guide Veriano shared his deep passion for the area and its culture. We enjoyed the morning challenges of the trails, then shared in the preparation and/or consumption of those gourmet products in the afternoon. It was the best of both worlds. Our guide was extremely knowledgable about the history and vegetation of the area, having been born and raised there. In addition there were opportunities to appreciate the history first hand by climbing Mt Vesuvius and visiting Pompei. The experience left me with a great appreciation for the area and left me with a lifetime of memories.
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing the remaining caldera of Mt Vesuvius was indeed impressive and then walking on the pumice still adorning the Amalfi coast, many miles distant provided a new impression of the catastrophe that occurred in 79 AD. Also, I was struck by the presence of herbs growing wild all over the region in the hills.
Thoughts on Group Leader
As I stated above, our group leader was fantastic. He was clearly passionate about his roots there, which was infectious for all of us. His knowledge of everything local was unsurpassed. He kept our days light hearted and ensured the safety of all. He has a great sense of humor, yet maintained order in the group with excellent leadership skill. This is my second trip with Exodus, and thus far, I have experienced two phenomenal group leaders.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Although this trip was designated moderate in difficulty, it is far less challenging than the hiking around Mont Blanc in France. Still, I would recommend that participants spend time walking and hiking on a regular basis prior to the trip. There are some rather challenging inclines.
Amazing variety of habitat
We hadn’t realised the incredible variety of habitats within Costa Rica, and this trip allowed us to sample them with Johnny, our superb tour leader.
Hotels were all good and some were exceptional, particularly Cuna del Angel, where the views from the restaurant were wonderful, and the Savegre Hotel, where the grounds were beautiful. The pace of the trip was good, it was nice to have 2 nights in each hotel.
We enjoyed seeing sloths, monkeys, crocodiles and hundreds of birds. The weather was very hot in some places, but the walking was never too fast paced. The cultural experience at the farm was lovely.
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing quetzals in the grounds of the Savegre Hotel, and then again on a wildlife walk the next day
Thoughts on Group Leader
Johnny's enthusiasm for his country and its conservation was infectious and we learned an extraordinary amount. Johnny is an expert bird and wildlife spotter and was kind and considerate to every member of our group. The places he chose to eat were great and the early morning walks were lovely. We couldn't have had a better leader!
Advice for Potential Travellers
If you go to the Savegre Hotel, take advantage of their hide in the gardens, we spent a couple of hours engrossed in watching the hummingbirds - magical
Week in Oman
A good overview of a small part of Oman, a country that deserves a longer exploration of its history and geography.
Most Inspirational Moment
The harbour Dhow cruise and the Dolphin Pod we saw. The Cattle market and the witnessing of Omani traditional life. Nizwa forts and Mountains. Walking in the Wadis
Thoughts on Group Leader
Ahmed was helpful and his bus talks and guiding expanded our knowledge. It was Ramadan and managing that and tourist guiding must have been challenging. The driver was exceptional of the tour bus and the 4 Wd drivers also filled one with confidence despite the challenging terrain.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Add on a trip to Salalah for 3 days to visit the Frankincense trail. Add an extra day in Muscat for additional museums
Wonderful week
We had a marvellous time walking in Puglia and Basilicata, an area completely unknown to us before now. Such beautiful towns and villages to explore in Alberobello, Ostuni, Lecce and the fascinating Matera and gentle day walks in surrounding countryside.
Most Inspirational Moment
Matera has to be a highlight. We stayed in a charming cave hotel in the heart of the old Sassi area, ideal for investigating the many enchanting alleyways and nearby ravines. It would have been easy to spend a whole week there.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Tancredi proved to be an exceptional leader with a thorough knowledge of the area, having been acquainted with it for much of his life. Nothing seemed to be too much trouble for him. He was engaging, helpful and knowledgeable and got on with every member of our 12-strong group.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The walking is pleasant rather than spectacular for much of the time but thoroughly enjoyable. The weather for our trip in March was ideal. I can imagine it might become extremely hot in midsummer, when of course crowds will also descend on beautiful places such as Matera and Ostuni.
Amalfi
Fantastic week nice hotel good food and well organised trip all round.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Vania De Paoli was Excellent. Thoroughly knowledgeable of the area, extremely enthusiastic and went out of her way to be sure everyone had a great time.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Thoroughly recommend both the experience of this holiday and Exodus Travel.
Busy trip showing varied sites of Mexico
Lots of road travel but many amazing ancient sites lovely colonial and vibrant cities
Most Inspirational Moment
Palenque pyramids and Oaxaca wedding processions final meal in a Mayan family home (also independent visit to Churmula Church )
Thoughts on Group Leader
Excellent knowledgeable friendly helpful flexible
Advice for Potential Travellers
Bear in mind there are many hours on the road in an uncomfortable minibus. Double check well before departure that Frida Kahlo's house is included as per itinerary. We didn't find out it wasn't until arriving in Mexico so far too late to do anything about it and very disappointing
Disappointing trip
Beautiful and interesting time in Borneo and masses to see in Malaya, but spoilt by a poor guide and less than satisfactory travel arrangements . Lovely group of people.
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing the orangutans in Borneo and the river cruises
Thoughts on Group Leader
My experience of the guide in Malaysia has been the worst I have experienced and will make me seriously question the use of Exodus for future trips. Andy was obsequious and undoubtedly the worst guide I have encountered. It started a racist joke at the airport and continued with the arrival at out hotel in Malacca where he said we were with Intrepid and went downhill from there. At the KL hotel he said the same and we questioned this and he said that Exodus and Intrepid were the same company. News to us…..but perhaps he is right, however, we booked under the Exodus name. He failed to give adequate explanation about what we were doing each day, he never learnt our names and his guiding was frankly useless. When asked a question, he would often make up the answer. We asked for a recommendation on the second night in Malacca for somewhere to eat and he suggested a supermarket! The dinner restaurant in Malacca was below the standard expected for an Exodus holiday, the toilets were so disgusting they felt to be unusable. It felt like he reached the city and called into the first place he saw. He treated the group like children and was patronising on many occasions. On the walking tour of KL it lasted for 5 and a half hours due to his poor organisation. During this activity we had a guide from the Islam temple talk to us about the history and religion, in the few minutes we spent with her she remembered all our names and was clear and informative. We finished in the Chinese temple and then caught the underground went 2 stops and then a walk to lunch. Many of our party were over 70 and this was exhausting. The lunch restaurant was little more than a canteen and once again sub standard to previous experiences with Exodus. On the transfer day to Penang we left the hotel at 9:30, we arrived at the station at 9:45, when asked why we were there an hour and 20 minutes before departure he said it was the railway rules to be there an hour before otherwise they would sell your ticket. We found a notice saying “ we recommend you be here 30 minutes before departing and the train doors close 5 minutes before” ……. Nothing said to be there an hour before. He also said we could get nothing to eat or drink on the train and in our carriage was a buffet bar. We arrived in Penang and on the coach to the hotel asked about the itinerary for the next two days. He just said we would do a walking tour but no information about what we would see. We asked about the optional tours in Langkawi, he said there were two but could give no explanation about the costs or what they entailed. His walking tours were poorly managed and his knowledge inadequate. He did not make me feel safe or as though he had any clear idea about what he was doing. Having a lovely group and going to some interesting places the holiday was very spoilt by this inadequate guide. By the time we got to Penang several of us refused to go on his walking tours and went off by ourselves. I for one could not bear his disorganisation any longer…..but that is not what I expect to do on a guided tour holiday. Malaysian guides poor performance was brought into relief by the caring and friendly nature of our Borneo guide.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be prepared for a lot of days of travelling!
Reply from Exodus
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us regarding your recent trip to Borneo and Malaysia. We appreciate your positive comments about the orangutans, river cruises and the restaurant chosen for your final meal. On the other hand, we sincerely apologise for the challenges you encountered whilst travelling in destination and regret that your overall experience fell short of expectations. We understand the importance of clear communication and effective organisation during guided tours so it was particularly disheartening to hear about the issues you faced with your Malaysian tour leader as this is not reflective of the standard of service we aim to provide. We take all feedback seriously and will investigate the matter further to ensure that appropriate action is taken to prevent such occurrences in the future. This includes taking steps to reinforce training and guidelines for our local staff to ensure that all guests receive the level of professionalism and support they deserve. Regarding the itinerary and travel arrangements, we apologise for any inconvenience caused by the scheduling and accommodation issues you mentioned. Your feedback regarding the time spent traveling, as well as the quality of the hotel on Langkawi Island has been shared with the product manager and other relevant personnel, and will be carefully reviewed and considered for future trips. Once again, we apologise for the shortcomings of your experience and thank you for bringing them to our attention. Your feedback is invaluable to us as we strive to continuously improve our services. We hope that you will consider traveling with us again in the future, and we would welcome the opportunity to restore your faith in Exodus on a future trip.
Kelly Reid, Product Manager
Beautiful Sri Lanka by bike
Probably our best ever holiday – beautiful country, welcoming people, interesting and varied cycle routes, lots of bird and wildlife sightings, lush colourful countryside, interesting visits and tours, delicious food, excellent hotels plus our brilliant leader, Ruwan, and his kind, thoughtful and hard-working team
Most Inspirational Moment
Inspiring moments every day
Thoughts on Group Leader
Exceptionally good - Ruwan deserves to win the Exodus Leader of the Year award
Advice for Potential Travellers
Read the Trip Notes - all is as stated. If you like what you read, don't hesitate - book now!