Reviews

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

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14274 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Catryn Scantlebury

Reviewed November 2023

Amazing Adventure down the Garden Route full of Variety!

This itinerary offers something for everyone! From Safaris to National Parks to Whale Watching, City tours and Wine Tasting, every day offers a new adventure and something exciting to look forward to. The pace doesn’t feel to rushed with no long drives and even the slightly longer ones broken up with coffee stops and viewpoints. The East Head Viewpont in Kynesa being a particular highlight of mine! You meet some lovely locals including the charming owners full of stories at St Martin’s guesthouse and whale watching off the shore line in Hermanus was truly one of the most amazing sites seeing so many whales congregated in the same place breaching and teaching their young to strengthen their fins before heading across to Antarctica to feed. I choose to travel in South Africa’s Spring time because I really wanted to see the Whales migrating in Hermanus, little did I realise but it’s also an excellent time to visit because all the flowers are in bloom so the drives were really stunning, our guide even mentioned that he hadn’t seen the landscapes so green. If you’re looking for a leisurely paced trip with a passion for wildlife, landscapes, food and wine then this ones a winner!

Most Inspirational Moment

For me the most inspirational moment was watching the whales in Hermanus, I did a coastal path walk and a whale watching trip and both were equally amazing. The backdrop of Hermanus and the dramatic rugged coastline was such a lovely setting, there was even a local band playing instruments in the square so the whole town had a exciting buzz and energy to it. The whales get so close to the shore and captivated everyone every time one popped up to breath.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was Tallis and he was excellent! He was so full of knowledge and has been leading tours for over 20 years so had a great understanding and knowledge of the local wildlife and culture in South Africa. I had an issue with my bag and Tallis was super proactive in taking me to a local mall to make sure I had some essentials to last me a few days. He was also relentless with contacting the airport staff and airline to ensure I was reuinted with my bag before to long, it was comforting to be that far away from home and have someone who truly cared and went out of his way to make sure I was informed and comfortable. Tallis mentioned at the end that he really enjoys when guests ask him questions so don't be shy and ask as he pretty much has all the answers!

Advice for Potential Travellers

If travelling between August - November make sure you check the weather forecast when your packing! For the first half of the trip we were in coats and winter hats and by the second half shorts, sandles and summer clothes wearing sun cream. We experienced all climates throughout the trip so pack for all weathers. I would also suggest a pair of binoculars because there are so many wildlife spotting opportunities!

Michael Dunford

Reviewed November 2023

Outstanding week's walking with a great guide and a relaxed environment

This is a great week’s walking in a little-known (and underrated) part of Spain. The Aitana range is a compact set of mountains so you get to tick off almost all of it, and there are great views from the top of all the peaks, out to the coast and across to the surrounding peaks. Most of the walks are reasonably demanding, but also rewarding.
Being based in one location, with very short transfers (or none) for each walk makes for a very relaxing week aside from the walking. It’s also a fairly short transfer to/from Alicante Airport.
The vast majority of meals are included which makes it much better value than some other (apparently similarly priced) holidays.
Jose the guide is exceptional: hard-working, helpful, supportive and deeply knowledgeable about the area.

Most Inspirational Moment

Personally I really enjoyed the Pico de Serrella day, as it had a very nice mix of different types of terrain, with lots of variation. The Aitana peak (the highest in the range) was also a great day. Although it's the highest point in the range, the approach to it was mainly fairly gradual and pleasant. The scramble up to the Pas de la Rabosa (including the squeeze through "Fat Man's Agony") was also good fun!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jose was outstanding in every way. He knows the area like the back of his hand so there's no-one better as a source of information. But on top of that he was friendly, good-humoured and supportive, and we always knew we were in safe hands. And the sandwiches he made for the lunches were amazing!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Prepare properly for some solid days' walking with some tricky ascents/descents and lots of uneven ground. The raw stats on the itinerary may not look too intimidating, but the terrain makes it harder work than those would suggest. So if you want to enjoy it, make sure you've done some preparation! Be equipped with lots of layers to accommodate varying weather during the day. During our trip the weather was very good and there was no rain, but the wind can be a significant factor and going from a sunny, sheltered spot to a shady, windy part makes it seem like an entirely different climate. Also, make sure you take enough water bottles for your needs (or a bladder). In my opinion the "large water bottle" suggested in the trip notes is probably not enough (unless it's very large!). I had one 500ml and one 1L which seemed about right for me most days, although we went at a cool time of year, so I'd have used more in the summer.

Bev Cejer

Reviewed November 2023

Amazing and crazy in equal measures

If you want to experience Rajasthan’s famous sights and more peaceful rural life on two wheels this is a great trip.
The distance covered is vast, so expect long days with lengthy transfers on crazy uneven roads
If you are a confident cyclist the cycling is not too hard, however, you do need to concentrate as anything from a tuk tuk to a cow can suddenly appear in your path! Plus a tarmac surface can suddenly become rubble!
Cultural highlights include hill forts, palaces and not forgetting the beautifu lTaj Mahal.
Delhi and Jaipur are noisy and can feel overwhelming with the constant blarring of horns. The colours, sights and sounds will be with us for a very long time

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting the Taj Mahal Seeing rural life close up

Advice for Potential Travellers

We timed our visit to coincide with Diwali. Sadly spending it in Jaipur wasn't the experience we had hoped for as its a bit like London on NYE Unless the itinerary is changed so Diwali is spent in a smaller town I'd avoid going then. Pack layers as the mornings can be chilly on the bike.

Sally James

Reviewed November 2023

Fantastic Adventure

Thank you to our leader, Chandra, guides Prasan, Sagar and Mingma and helpful group of porters for an amazing trek. Our group was also amazing, great company and full of interesting travel stories!

Most Inspirational Moment

No one moment stands out as overall the whole trek was fantastic, apart from perhaps the gruelling pass day, but that came with a great sense of achievement. I had never been to Nepal before and the scenery surpassed my expectations. Everyday the scenery changed and was stunning, from deep gorges, sunrises over the mountains to high plateaus and remote villages. The trek really does take you off the beaten track. The teahouses are therefore quite spartan, however the remoteness and spectacular walking more than makes up for some cold showers. Often a bucket of hot water to wash in was a much safer option! I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of food on offer and it was amazing how the teahouses produced 16 hot meals all at once on very limited cooking facilities.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fabulous, always smiling and helpful.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you are suitably fit so that you can really enjoy the walking without too much effort. Especially lower down we frequently walked for 2-3 hours without an official break. However the pace is relaxed and there are so many photo opportunities that you don't really notice the distance. As one of our group advised, cut up a snickers bar into bite sized pieces so you can actually eat it at the top of the pass. Hydration tablets meant my water bottle was still drinkable at the top, even if more like a slush puppy! If just water most bottles had frozen over by the top of the pass. It is worth bringing quite a lot of snacks with you. Everyone says it, but really pack light. The down jacket I hired was really good quantity and kept me cosy in the teahouses at night and over the pass. If you suffer from poor circulation like me, I recommend hand warners inside "down" mitts with liner gloves. It was amazing to have warm hands all the way over the pass! I bought "down" mitts cheaply in Thamel before the trek.

Chris H

Reviewed November 2023

Nile Cruise & Aswan - Premium Adventure

We had a fabulous holiday with a great informative guide who organised everything very efficiently and the group all gelled together.

Most Inspirational Moment

The AbelSimbel trip plus fallucca sail.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The trip was excellent. Our guide Sayeed changed the day of the Abel Simbel trip which worked much better. He was just excellent.

Sue B

Reviewed November 2023

Nile Cruise & Aswan - Premium Adventure

Very well organised, the description of the trip beforehand was very good, the guide was excellent, and support from ground agents was really good.

Most Inspirational Moment

The Nile cruise, valley of the kings and Abu Simbel. To be fair the all the sites were marvellous and we enjoyed most days.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Probably the best guide we have had on any holiday! Friendly, helpful, caring, do I need to go on.

Nicholas S

Reviewed November 2023

Mexico: Mayans, Aztecs & Conquistadores Day of the Dead Festival

As usual the trip was fantastic

Most Inspirational Moment

The Day of the Dead festival I Oaxaca. The hotels were just amazing and the colonial architecture was beautiful along with the cathedrals. Everything was so peaceful. The coffee and food was fantastic.

John Haley

Reviewed November 2023

The good and the bad

Although the trip notes said hiking on clearly defined trails, I found this not to be the case – much of the time there was no visible trail and we were bush whacking through leech infested mud. At one point, stopping for a short pee break I became separated from the group and became lost. Despite shouting loudly and blowing my whistle it was a few nerve racking minutes before I was able to find the group. Once again the lack of any clearly defined path made the situation worse. We experienced heavy rain every day while trekking through the Western Ghats, which made the leech situation horrendous, everyone suffered multiple bits on their torso. The provided leech socks were effective around lower legs and ankles, but were bulky and made hiking shoes far too tight – black toe nails etc. Given the condition of the walking conditions, which were treacherous and slippery, I feel we should have been accompanied by a second guide to deal with any emergency situations and perhaps to prevent trekkers from becoming separated and lost. Our leader, Santosh Kumar, was excellent in trying to address our concerns and varied the last scheduled day of trekking to avoid any further leech encounters or injuries. He also ensured that given the weather conditions we made camp in the higher ground rather than the planned site which was waterlogged. The food whilst camping was exceptional – probably the best Indian food I’ve ever eaten. All the other aspects of the trip were very good and enjoyable.

Most Inspirational Moment

I've always wanted to visit the Kerala Backwaters and our short time there met and exceeded my expectations of this part of the trip.

Thoughts on Group Leader

I've already mentioned Santosh - he was informative, caring, had great organisational skills and was all-round first class.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure to avoid the earliest trips in the season, take good wet weather gear and roomy hiking boots.

Lucy Smith

Reviewed November 2023

Amazing trip, highly recommended

This was our first exodus trip and exceeded our expectations in every way. From the first contact I had with Exodus over the phone, I was impressed by how efficient and helpful the travel advisor Robyn was, she answered all of my queries and was accommodating when we needed to change our travel dates after paying the deposit. The subsequent contacts with Exodus were helpful and informative and the trip notes answered all questions we had when preparing for our trip. Sara Bull our guide was amazing, she is so enthusiastic about the area and managed to perfectly balance being supportive of everyone’s abilities and confidence levels, while still challenging the group. Our group gelled well and walks and meals together were enjoyable and fun. Sara never pressured any member of the group to walk faster than they were comfortable with, and paced the walks perfectly to keep energy levels up. The walking was hard at times, but was definitely worth it for some amazing views at the top. We loved having the company of Sara’s dog Elvis, and the dogs and cats around Braccicorti added to the family style feel of the accommodation. We feel so lucky to have had a fantastic guide, and such an enjoyable first trip with Exodus. Our only concern is that our future trip expectations are now very high!

Most Inspirational Moment

Being at the top of Monte Prado! The highest mountain I've ever climbed.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fab, Sara is a very inspirational leader and has an infectious energy and zest, even if she does seem superhuman at times. I found Sara really warm and open about her life, family and experiences which made the trip more personal. She had a real confidence in leading the walks, which you are constantly aware of in the background, this enables you to fully relax into the pace and not have any worries about how fast you should be walking, distance travelled, getting lost, unpredictable conditions etc. I would have been intimidated to try mountain trails without a guide prior to this trip, but I now feel confident that I could follow the walking routes and am capable of the activity level.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Book this trip! There is a reason that it has been running for 20 years!

Trevor Acreman

Reviewed November 2023

Really enjoyed it but the walks the least good bit!

We visited lovely towns and stayed in nice hotels and ate good food! Having been to this area before it was as expected and lovely to see again. I’d never been on a walking holidays and last time in Puglia I toured by bike. Whilst some of the walks were lovely, past aged olive trees etc, others were pretty ordinary. The guide was great and passionate about his local area. The group was ok and as usual you just avoid the naysayers. Being a cycle tourist an evening walk is usually a nice change. It only struck me on the holiday that on a walking holiday you walk during the day and then in the evening………….go for a walk!! Certainly recommend Puglia but not sure about the walking?

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