Walking Holidays in Africa

This was an excellent trip, full of extraordinary sights. We were able to see many of the most impressive sites in Cairo and the Upper Nile. Hotel accommodation was of a high standard and the cruise ship was good. We had an outstanding guide and a friendly and interesting group of people. When I had an accident in the temple at Edfu the response from our guide, from Exodus, and from the personnel on the cruise ship was incredibly supportive. The guide’s knowledge of first aid was much appreciated. We have a few reservations: we found the early starts made sight-seeing rather tiring after very little sleep. The 7am briefing on the first morning seemed unnecessary, for example, after a late arrival the night before and the two hour time difference. We didn’t think the trip should be described as ‘leisurely’: there was a lot of standing in queues at both airports and sites and this was especially exhausting in conjunction with the early starts. Also, while we realise that Exodus doesn’t control the entertainment on the cruise ship, we would have preferred informational talks and preparation for the following day’s events to the party games and belly dancer. We would also have liked to have had more Egyptian food.

Derekv Attridge Nile Cruise

This is a good tour covering a lot of South Africa. There is a lot of travel but it is worth it!

Yolanda harris Cape Town to Johannesburg

Group of 16, with 12/4 f/m split, aged late 40s to late 60s. Trip is accurately rated on the Exodus scale – so some fairly stretching treks mixed with highly enjoyable steep sections. Everybody got round with no significant difficulty. Weather in mid-March was really nice – pretty warm at times by day but mostly ideal, and chilly but nothing more dramatic than that at night even at higher camps. Lovely inclusive group chemistry with non-stop chatter. Food is terrific – really quite something for a field kitchen. Just when the idea of another tagine is becoming a little less inspirational then along comes Berber omelette with chips to die for. In general camp life is a bit cushier than the notes might suggest – toilet obviously pretty basic but you learn to adapt. Tents are snug but no trouble sleeping after days like that. And the final day has an optional hamam visit in Taroudant – do not even consider turning it down – it’s the real thing, and not the flaky tourist version elsewhere. A glorious experience.

Kieran Daly Undiscovered Atlas