Reviews

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

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14370 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Reviewed December 2012

CYCLING THROUGH RAJASTHAN

This holiday was quite simply the holiday of a lifetime. It exceeded my expectations in almost every way. I could never have imagined that India had quite so much to offer. The endless stream of temples, forts, palaces and scenery that was simply breathtaking. The people of India were just so friendly and the great thing about cycling through the villages was the opportunity to meet the real people of India.

Most Inspirational Moment

Pushkar - the afternoon I spent on my own wandering around the streets of Pushkar during the world famous camel fayre was the most memorable few hours of my holiday. I spent a lovely lunchtime overlooking Pushkar Holy Lake in The Rainbow Cafe. The service was friendly and the food excellent but the views and the serenity of the location, in what was a bustling town centre, was simply breathtaking. Taj Mahal - Nothing can prepare you for the beauty of the Taj Mahal. It is simply perfect. The detail on the building can only truly be enjoyed by being there in person. The story of how it was built is fascinating in itself. This was a great way to bring my amazing trip to India to a close. Indian Wedding - whilst cycling up a quiet rural road we stumbling into a wedding procession where 26 couples were getting married. We were mobbed by the procession and at one point I was shaking the hands of the guests with both hands at the same time. Everywhere we went in India we met local people who were inquisitive, friendly and always smiling.

Thoughts on Group Leader

On our trip we had a team of 5 people taking care of the group of 10. Mr Singh - our bus driver and his very enthusiastic assistant. "Michael" who was the bike doctor. Sanjay was the supporting group leader and Harish was the lead group guide. The whole team spent the entire holiday looking after us. The attention to detail was amazing and Harish and Sanjay were always happy to help if you wanted a little more information or guidance. Harish's knowledge of the places we visited was excellent. He is also an expert on wildlife and in particular birds. He is a lifelong member of the RSPB and has even travelled to the UK as a guest of the RSPB to give lectures. I really felt that for those two weeks, all the team cared about was ensuring the whole group had the best possible holiday.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The cycling was enjoyed by everyone in the group. I would have described the group as generally fit but not athletes by any means. Everyone seemed to enjoy the cycling and managed to complete the routes with relative ease. The cycling is broken up into shorter legs throughout the day to ensure the group are together at each point of the tour. The hotels were of a surprisingly high standard. The were usually very impressive locations. Occasionally the hotels lacked the refinements of a European 3/4 star hotels but the staff were always happy to help. I think you have to expect in this trip that at times the hotels may not be as well run and maintained as you might get in the UK. However, the rooms were generally clean, well furnished and the cycling helped ensure a sound sleep at every location.

Reviewed December 2012

CYCLING VIETNAM

Still digesting the whole experience. Sights, sounds. tastes, new peronal best with cycling distance and height climbed. Warmth of the Vietnamese people especially in the south.Touched by the kindness and support from the stronger cyclists to the weaker cyclists in our group.

Most Inspirational Moment

Completing the 10km climb with the support, encouragement and a little help from my new found friends. Cycling down was awesome, as was the 30km down hill too a few days earlier. The views were amazing.My cheeks aching with laughter on the 8 hour train journey to Hanoi. Relaxing at Halong bay a lovely end to the trip.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Commited, informative, proffesional, fun, interesting, his recommendations re restaurants were 5* and meeting his family and having lunch was an extra bonus.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take old tshirts socks etc and discard at the end of the trip Deet ruins clothes and whites become anything but. Also old towel to discard and give you extra room for souvenirs.Get training as the terrain is 'undulating' and in the heat humidity the more training the better.

Reviewed December 2012

COLOURS OF RAJASTHAN

A really interesting trip round North India, an excellent guide and a small group all helped to make it a memorable holiday. Taj Mahal, Uidapur, and Jaipur were highlights. The Camel Fair was interesting but I hear it is less colourful than it was in the past. Last day to Dehli was the only low spot of a great holiday.

Most Inspirational Moment

The Taj Mahal has to be the wow moment as it is such a tribute to a great love story. Also the lake at Uidapur was sublime, we could have easily spent another day there. A special mention must go to the small village we visited, a chance to see real India away from the tourist hot spots.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ravi was great, knew his stuff and helped bind the group together. He also put the trip in context by telling us a great deal about the Indian way of life. Only drawback of a tall group leader is that there is a very tall Indian in most of my street views!

Advice for Potential Travellers

It can be colder than you expect, November is winter in India as well. I prepared for finding our own meals by downloading reviews from the Internet, but we ended up eating as a group all through the trip. Go vegetarian for the trip, the food is much nicer. There is a lot of walking around the various sites and palaces so it is not for the unfit.

Reviewed December 2012

KERALA & TROPICAL INDIA

This was ‘Biking through Southern India’, NOT ‘Southern India by Bike’ – a small semantic difference, but a real one, on the ground. If, like me, you are only a leisure cyclist, not a cyclosportive/triathlon/serious mountain-biker, no matter how fit you think you are – you may well find this tour more ‘Challenging’ than ‘Moderate’.

Most Inspirational Moment

I didn't find any moments "inspirational" (in the true sense of the word).

Thoughts on Group Leader

We had two group leaders: Peter was with us for the first week, then handed over to Joseph, a local leader.Peter was an excellent leader; experienced and professional. I can say only good things about his work.Joseph did his best but, from the moment he took over, he allowed the speed-merchants to force the pace and was always well ahead of the increasingly strung-out group, leading from the front and therefore inevitably unaware of how far behind some of the group was falling. This was particularly noticeable on the main-road, traffic-heavy sections when I, for one, didn't see him or the head of the peloton for miles. He also seemed not to know that, at catch-up points, the last few people to arrive were entitled to the same amount of breathing space as those who'd arrived first had had; as soon as all were reassembled - he (and the front runners) were OFF. I think he would benefit from some further training, in particular with regard to the likelihood that members of the group will have widely differing levels of biking fitness and different expectations of the tour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

When you've phoned your bank/credit-card provider (in advance) to alert them to the fact that you'll be travelling through India - double-check that they've actually done something about putting alerts on your cards. And if you bank with HxxxxxX - triple check. From the second day, none of my cards were accepted anywhere (except, finally, an M&S credit card): be warned. It's a bit ignominious to be having to borrow cash from fellow-travellers!

Reviewed December 2012

CYCLING THROUGH RAJASTHAN

It was a great adventure cycling trough cities with crazy traffic, passing forts, palaces and temples. Cycle along with cows, camels and elephants and beeing greeted by friendly Indians! As a dutchman I had good fun with a group of English, Scots and Manx!

Most Inspirational Moment

Just seeing big smiles cycling trough rural Rajasthan when you greet people and children with Namasté from your bike. Passing loaded jeeps and tuk tuks with cheering people in, behind and on top of.It was good fun winning a prize on the Puskar Camel fair by making a human pyramid with 12 other foreigners and beat a Rajasthan team because we first broke a bowl with flowers at 5 metres high! And afterwards being interviewed by Indian news!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Harish and Sanjay where great tourleaders who took responsability for a great journey. They where well organized and we had good fun with them! And of course not forget the great bus driver mister Singh and the bike repair team!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just go for it, have fun and aproach India with a big smile!

Reviewed December 2012

PETRA & WADI RUM BY BIKE

Jordan is a great place to visit with lots of history and places to visit. Just add a touch of fairly easy cycling and a night in a Bedouin camp in the desert and you have a great holiday.

Most Inspirational Moment

Floating in the dead sea - wierd! and wheel barrow racing across the sand dunes at night.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Danny was great. Extremely knowledgeable and passionate about Jordan and it's history and role in the Middle East.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go. Just go.

Reviewed December 2012

TRAILS OF VIETNAM

An excellent and varied trip with a great group of people who gelled together instantly.

Most Inspirational Moment

The overnight stays in the stilthouses were great fun,and a great way for us all to get to know eachother.Also the cycling in the Mekong Delta was pretty special.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mao was the best group leader I've had when doing many of these trips.He started as our leader and left as our friend! He made a great trip brilliant,a true asset to Exodus which I hope will be recognised.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared to be flexible with the itinary,as the weather can be very unpredictable,unfortunatly.

Reviewed December 2012

MT TOUBKAL WINTER CLIMB

A fantastic adventure giving the majestic mountains and the bustle of Marrakesh

Most Inspirational Moment

Toubkal summit in perfect winter conditions, crisp frozen snow, sunshine and a virtually empty summit

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent, kept a good pace whilst looking our for everyone, changed the plans so we summited Toubkal on the first day to make the most of the great weather.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take warm clothes and be prepared for the the cold of the Gite.

Reviewed December 2012

TREKKING IN NEW ZEALAND

We packed so much in the three weeks that it was necessary to come back home and sit down with the itinerary. notes etc. to appreciate just how much we had achieved!

Most Inspirational Moment

Imposible to single out just one highlight for this trip. We were a small group of only five people, plus a diferent leader for each of the islands . Smaller groups get things done more efficiently, enabling all of us to pack more into an already busy schedule, combined with exellent knowledge by our leaders Kath & Chris, for whom nothing was too much trouble. Their help, imformation and passion for their home New Zealand lead us to efficient use of our time, with many extra side trips , viewpoints and short treks added .

Thoughts on Group Leader

We had one for North & one for South Island! Both knew their country like the back of their hand; Kath lead us North and Chris lead us South. We all developed team spirit, strange when a group of people are thrown together at random. Our leaders were passionate about their homeland ,keen conservasionists ,so helpful, full of knowledge and enthusiasm. Quickly they became our friends rather than a leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This N.Z. must be the best action packed ,sight seeing ,thrill seeking New Zealand package available ANYWHERE. OK, you could say OH, we will make our own way, do our own arrangements , No Way, time would be wasted sourcing and organising, you would see and do far less. These guides know their stuff, just who to contact etc. while your kayaking/ trekking/whitewater rafting/sight seeing /jet boating or whatever is your passion these guys are booking /organising the next step!

Reviewed December 2012

EVEREST BASE CAMP

This trip takes your breath away, in more ways than one! This is one slick and well-versed trek that easily swerves the potential to be repetitous and does Exodus proud. Our tour leader, Jangbu, and his able assistants went out of their way to ensure each and every one of us maximised the enjoyment and wonderment of the journey. Definitely a life affirming trip…. you must be considering taking the plunge to be reading this, well don’t dally just do it!

Most Inspirational Moment

So many parts were inspirational for many different reasons, however I think for me the most clarifying moment was atop Kala Patthar: The vista, the company, the sense of achievement and laying a small amount of my dear brother's ashes up there was all pretty poignant. Thangyboche and our first proper view of Everest and her equally majestic neighbours was astounding. Properly awesome in every way. After the pretty tough climb up a stunning valley the small, unassuming, monastic village takes your breath away and is somehow amazingly spiritual, even if you're not particularly. Slightly randomly there's also a bakery there that produces delicious cake! The hustle and bustle of Kathmandu by contrast to the serenity and sheer phenomenal beauty of the Himalayas was a magical part of the trip. In fact, it all is - the sights, sounds, tastes, scents and visual feasts from every part of the trip are quite simply UH-MAZING!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jangbu did his level best to ensure both our team and his assistants were maximising the experience. He didn't miss much of what was occurring at any point; he was especially keen to be kept informed of how we were all feeling both altitude wise and generally. His team of Sherpas including the Yak man of course also did a sterling job. Their cheerful "good morning"s and huge smiles accompanying the tea we were handed in bed (at sometimes dark o'clock) was very welcome, they also waiter'd all our food with speed and skill and were knowledgeable when asked questions.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I read every review on here twice, with a pen and paper to hand and jotted things down. I didn't necessarily heed every single point mentioned but several were blinders: Make one of your water bottles a metal one, I'm not feint hearted but it was pretty damned amazing to use it as a hot water bottle for my sleeping bag. A buff/scarf really does help with the dusty trails. You will breathe in a fair amount and you will develop a bit of cough. Every single member of our team did, also most developed colds. However, up the steepest trails I simply couldn't breathe well enough through it and just sucked up the dust. Lungs are self-cleansing so you'll be fine. There are hot showers, as mentioned in some reviews, but they are about as far removed from any concept of a shower as is possible (you WILL need flipflops and a sense of humour). You will probably use them occasionally but don't fret about it. Wet wipes and a good hat works wonders. A slightly delicate lady tip: panty liners. (You will thank me later) You can charge batteries, for a small cost, but it's still a bit of a faff to remember to take your charger to the front desk and also to retrieve it so bring two or more. My trip was November and I brought far too many t-shirts. Long sleeved merino wool (very thin, 150gsm, works for me) is the way forward. I wore my two to death (and they STILL didn't honk!), even with that I didn't often wear a t-shirt over the top, just a zip up fleece and two different weights of down jacket. Poles. I am a reformed pole snigger-er in every way. I'd never used them before this trip and can only thank the gods that I took some. The paths are pretty rough, steep, rocky and roughly stepped. My poles were invaluable both in ascending and descending, saving both my neck (from falling down) and taking a fair amount of pressure off my dodgy knees. I have decent upper body strength and luckily got straight into it without any effects from the change of hiking style. Diamox. An interesting topic that was discussed a fair amount. Just under half of our team took it and remained on it. Most of the rest of us had it with us but didn't take it, some of us didn't even bring it. No-one who wasn't already on it started taking it. Aside from one poor person suffering acute AMS who didn't summit (but luckly only had to retreat one lodge down) we non-diamox-ers all made EBC and, bar one who was knackered, Kala Patthar. Exdous' tour is designed to maximise acclimatisation and for most of us it did. It wasn't without effect though, we all knew we were at altitude, but we all coped. Drinking is as important as the trip notes and reviews say. Lip balm is an essential. The lodges are comfortable and provide astonishingly good food with such limited facilities and resources. But they are cold, well the bedrooms and toilets are. I personally didn't find it a problem, and it makes you realise how cushy our lives are. It also makes the hot shower and warm room back at the hotel in Kathmandu pretty spectacular!

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