Reviewed May 2019 Lily Surgeon Our Baltic Cycle Was The Best! There were only seven of us on our trip but we all felt this was a perfect number. Our guide Minda was wonderful. He was patient, flexible, had a great sense of humour and was full of information. He answered all our questions and had so much knowledge about the history of the Baltics. We rode in May and it was cool when we started in Estonia but warmed us as we went south. The added bonus was we were doing it before the season really started so we didn’t have the crowds. We all enjoyed the varied itinerary and have learned so much from our experience. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? There were many wonderful moments. It is difficult to pinpoint one! What did you think of your group leader? Minda was wonderful and is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable tour leader.
Reviewed May 2019 Lily Surgeon Our Baltic Cycle Was The Best! There were only seven of us on our trip but we all felt this was a perfect number. Our guide Minda was wonderful. He was patient, flexible, had a great sense of humour and was full of information. He answered all our questions and had so much knowledge about the history of the Baltics. We rode in May and it was cool when we started in Estonia but warmed us as we went south. The added bonus was we were doing it before the season really started so we didn’t have the crowds. We all enjoyed the varied itinerary and have learned so much from our experience. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? There were many wonderful moments. It is difficult to pinpoint one! What did you think of your group leader? Minda was wonderful and is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable tour leader.
Reviewed May 2019 Hayley Kennedy Trip: Everest Base Camp Trek Fabulous! Holiday of a lifetime! Fabulous trip. Great Guide (Bikash T, TNT190427) great staff. Great adventure. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Reaching base camp as I’d been doing the trip for charity so felt such a sense of achievement What did you think of your group leader? Legend! Fab guy! Had a great team around him as well! Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Take more money than you need, electricity, wifi etc are expensive Train hard and get fit, you will enjoy it more! Work as a team to Ensure you all get there and achieve together. Is there anything else you would like to add? Excellent adventure.
Reviewed May 2019 andrew goodwin Trip: Undiscovered Trails of Cape Verde Undiscovered Trails of Cape Verde A good combination of walking and culture. Spectacular mountain scenery. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Probably the walk from Cha de Morte to Alto Mira was my favourite, but all walks were very good. Also enjoyed the visit to the guitar maker, plus the musical recital. What did you think of your group leader? Alveno was very enthusiastic and obviously enjoyed his job. Very aware of the environmental issues, as you would expect. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Be prepared for a strenuous walk in very hot weather. Is there anything else you would like to add? The live music during meals could be intrusive and make conversation difficult.
Reviewed May 2019 John Pritchard Trip: Secret Trails of Medieval Spain Deep Spain I've been on walking holidays in Spain before but I don't think I've ever felt the country's essence quite as much as I did here. The base is a wonderful medieval village full of half-timbered houses where even the tourists are mostly Spanish, and the local saint's day is celebrated with bonfires, barbecues and dancing in the streets. The walks mostly leave from the hotel, are well-paced and lead to spectacular views. The hotel overlooks a leafy square next to the church: the owners don't speak English but are very generous with food and drink and always ready to help. It all added up to an excellent holiday. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? The walk to Santo Domingo de Silos takes you along a ridge overlooking the recently-restored Sad Hill Cemetery, scene of the final showdown from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Alexis our leader kindly let me take a detour to explore it, which was a wonderful experience, but you could also hike there on your free day, via Retuerta and Contreras. What did you think of your group leader? Alexis was a great leader: energetic, well-organised, good-humoured and knowledgeable. He made sure we were all looked after. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? I don't normally suffer from hay fever but found my eyes and nose streaming for the first few days of a week in May, so it may be worth bringing some anti-histamine tablets with you.
Reviewed May 2019 Mike Baker Trip: Cycle Romania Another Gold Star for Exodus Travel! This was my fourth cycle holiday with Exodus (previously Dalmation Coast, Albania, Puglia in southern Italy) and I certainly hope there will be many more. I am often asked which is my favourite so far. So difficult to pick one as they are all top drawer stuff. It is a fantastic way to get to know a country and its history; our guides did not disappoint in this respect. The weather was not always kind, but the tour was packed with interest, visits, charm, and views that stun. As a photographer, all those appealed. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Being part of a church service in Vulcan on our first day of cycling. Although I an not overtly religious, the feeling of being part of a community was quite overpowering and emotional. What did you think of your group leader? Radu was excellen, full of knowledge of the history of the region. We all got on famously with him and, not forgetting Stefan, our driver and mechanic. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Just book it now! Is there anything else you would like to add? I would like to be able to see details of each ride day on the previous evening. This happened on the Albania trip and was most useful giving distances, stops and profile of the route.
Reviewed May 2019 Lynn Roulstone Trip: Walking in Andalucia A selection of excellent walks in diverse countryside A lovely relaxing week in a charming farmhouse with a pool. The five walks were all very different, and the day 'off' that was spent in Seville was different again. Each walk took you through different aspects of Andalusia, olive groves, holm oak woods, the spectacular caminito del rey. It was difficult to pick a favourite, they all had things to commend them, and the fact that each one featured a bar for a refreshment stop was very welcome. I thought the day in Seville might be long and tiring, but though it was very hot there was enough to do that the time didn't lag, and the lovely gardens of the Alcazar were a good place to relax before the evening's flamenco show. The farmhouse was very comfortable, and the food was good. As a vegetarian I didn't feel I was missing out. All in all one of the best Exodus holidays I've been on. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? The flora and fauna. Seeing ibex and coming across a peony in the wild was amazing. What did you think of your group leader? Michael/Miguel was fantastic. He wrote on the board each evening the itinerary for the next day, sot here was no wondering exactly what was happening. He was careful to make sure the walks were carefully paced, with lots of stops in the shade. Michael was very knowledgeable about the area, the history and wildlife and we came away feeling we'd learned far more about the area than we would have if we'd been on our own. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Although this is a level two some of the walks do involve gradients and uneven surfaces. Nothing too arduous, but if you haven't done much walking recently maybe a bit of training before you go. The tinto Verano drink (red wine and lemonade) was a very good discovery, ideal drinking after a longish walk in the sun. Is there anything else you would like to add? Although the itinerary seems rather full on, you can opt in and out of any of it. One of the advantages of being based in the same place all week.
Reviewed May 2019 Liliana Zlate Amazing trip I wanted to do something like this for a while but didn't get the chance. Going on this trip was amazing and now I am grateful I was able to do it. Everyone was very nice, the porters were amazing(the chef even made a birthday cake for me), Beto and Mel really good and even though I struggled a bit on the second day the trip was just perfect. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Being just a few meters away from reaching the Dead Woman pass and having my group cheering up for me. I was the slowest one in the group and reached the pass about an hour after the first person there. I later found out that Beto(our guide) asked them if they want to wait for me and they all said yes. Having an amazing group makes the trip a lot more memorable What did you think of your group leader? Beto was amazing. He looked after us very well, took us to (mostly) nice restaurants, had a lot of knowledge about what we are doing and knew all our names from the first day. He helped me so much and I was able to finish my trek. Mel our back guide was such a warm and kind person, she knew exactly what we needed and helped us with all the little things and thanks to her most of us now have llama selfies 😊 Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Like most people say, everyone can finish the Inca trail but... Do yourself a favour and do some excercise before you start. Altitude sickness is real but so is lack of fitness. Just so you get an idea: I'm 35, work in a hospital and I'm over 90kg and finished but I did struggle going up, down was way easier for me. Is there anything else you would like to add? Please Exodus do something about the hotel. The first 2 nights we were given ground floor rooms, looking up to a corridor, very loud and no privacy.the last 2 nights after we complained we got roos on upper floors with better views and decor. There are many hotels in Cusco and I'm sure we could have had a nicer view than cleaning trolleys. That was the let down of the holiday.
Reviewed May 2019 Steve Johnson Trip: Walking in Andalucia Fantastic Holiday! The week was wonderful: we had great weather; the comfortable, laid back cortijo is set in an unspoiled Andalucian landscape; our 13 fellow guests were great and amusing company; our guide, Michael, as other reviewers have pointed out was a one of the best we have had on our Exodus trips (highly knowledgeable, caring, supportive and and happy to have a laugh); and the walks were pitched just right. - What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? There was no one outstanding moment. We will remember all of the walks we did with our group (and, of course, the drinks afterwards). Heartfelt thanks to all of you! What did you think of your group leader? Michael was excellent - the trip would not have been the same without him. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Some of the walks involved descending down scree and if you are worried about your ankles you could consider taking along with you walking boots with some ankle support. Some of our group found walking poles helpful. Seville was hot (around 40 degrees on our day there) and I think most of us struggled to walk around even though it was mid-May. In hindsight I wish I had done a little research on Seville and targeted exactly what I wanted to see and planned the route. The cortijo owners cater for vegetarians and those with sea-food allergies and so you haven't got to worry about anything on that score. I would say that the walks are level 2 walks although there are some steepish ascents which got the old ticker racing a bit. If hills are a bit daunting it might be worth putting a bit of training before the holiday. There is some wildlife to see on the walks (we saw griffin vultures, golden eagles, hoopoes, shrikes, ibex, etc.) and so you might want to consider bring along with you binoculars for a better view. Is there anything else you would like to add? If you enjoy walking in peaceful and unspoiled landscapes with stress-free evenings then this holiday might be for you.
Reviewed May 2019 Donald Sandeman Trip: Discover Namibia - Camping Excellent trip There are quite a lot of long drives on bumpy dusty roads but this is unavoidable with a trip that takes in so much of the country. The itinerary keeps you busy with a good mixture of culture and wildlife. Camp sites all had excellent facilities and toilets were first class. Tents were comfortable What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Etosha game park was fantastic and we were able to spot most types of animals. Floodlit water holes were excellent. Dunes, canyon and rock paintings also very interesting What did you think of your group leader? Ronney was excellent. A mine of information on every subject and always trying to please. His ability to spot wildlife from hundreds of meters away was astounding. Cook, Jonas had a lovely personality and created some fantastic dishes over an open fire Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Prepare to get dusty and windswept when traveling Is there anything else you would like to add? Only disappointment was the design of the truck whereby you were unable to see out the front. Felt that you may be missing some of the scenery