Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Spending the night in the Sahara.Amazing.Never been in such a beautiful environment before.Never seen so many stars.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mustapha was a joy to be with.Extremely knowledgeable,very accomodating and fun.Nothing was too much trouble for him.A true gent.

Advice for Potential Travellers

A little French would be helpful.Take plenty of money with you.So much to buy, but you must be prepared to haggle.Its good fun but towards the end of the trip can be a bit tiresome.Watch out for the child pickpocketers in the square in Marrakesh especially at nightime.

Most Inspirational Moment

Unexpectedly seeing a whale in Hermanus, the wild baboons just chilling by the side of the road, the huge open plains and seriously impressive mountains. Then wine wasn’t bad either!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Pete and his crew were great. Really friendly and happy to give some background on the places we saw. Cooking was excellent and just what I needed after a long day on the road.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don’t underestimate how tough the cycling can be as this is really an exhausting trip, not just because of the hills but also because of how difficult it can be cycling in such windy conditions. Take your own saddle, and padded cycling shorts as you’ll need them. Draught beer is cheap but pretty much everything else is the same price as in the UK.

Most Inspirational Moment

We climbed up the mountainside oposite Petra's "Treasury" and saw it from above.  Looking down on the famous site, with all the tourists looking like ants was amazing!

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was fantastic.  Very attentive, very knowlegable, and he gave us a lot of colorful information about the country, the history, the people, and the culture of Jordan.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you travel in the winter months be prepared for dramatic temperature swings, quite cold in the north and the mountains, quite warm at the Red Sea and Dead Sea.  Layers are a must!  Also, there is some trekking (well worth doing) so if you prefer to hike with poles, bring them along.

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting the Taj Mahal which is amazing.  The Forts at Agra and Jaipur were also really impressive and I enjoyed cycling through the countryside too.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The two leaders, Sajay and Pramod were excellent leaders who not only guided the cycling but also kept us entertained. They worked hard in the background to ensure that the trip ran smoothly. The bike mechanic, bus driver and his assistant were also a good team.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for quite a few consecutive days cycling 40miles+ and consider taking your own saddle rather than a gel cover. If you take your own bike remember that supplies of spare parts such as chains and rear mechanism hangars are aimed at the local bike market and so you would be advised to take a few extra bike bits just in case.   The road surfaces can be rough in places and don't be surprised if the locals want to chat to you from their motorbikes whilst you negotiate pot holes, camels, cows etc in front of you.  This means that you should be confident of cycling in traffic and some experience of cycling on rough terrain would be advantageous.  It is best to cycle with at least one other person as, although almost everyone is friendly, sometimes the children like to jump out in front of you or throw stones. A supply of hand gel is also a good idea.  

Most Inspirational Moment

Sitting in a canoe on the mighty Zambezi, silently, while a few metres away an elephant watched us from the bank, flapping its ears. Watching (at a safe distance) a pod of hippos floating in the river and snorting at us. Sitting in the quiet of the evening wth a glass of wine (yes!) discussing the animals and birds we had seen that day with our guide.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader couldn't have been better.  He was knowledgable about everything - animals, local customs, countryside - and a good cook too!

Advice for Potential Travellers

This was a relaxing trip well within the capabilities of anyone who is moderately fit and wants a close-up safari.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Brilliant, totally brilliant!

Advice for Potential Travellers

You don’t need malaria tablets – the trip dossier is wrong!

Most Inspirational Moment

Approaching mawenzi tarn (our campsite that evening) surround by fog/clouds and not seeing anything the while time until 3 minutes before we get to camp and the clouds break with mawenzi peak right there towering above us!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Meke was out guide leader. Exodus used the company African walking tours locally and Meke was from there. He was outstanding. He ran a really tight group. You could easily see him managing a western company he was in that much control yet made sure we were having a good time and were medically safe.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring lots of snack, eg junk food. There's plenty to eat but you are expending so much energy it is a great opportunity to eat as many chocolate bars as you want!

Most Inspirational Moment

Where to start...? How do you cross the road? with the help of a friendly local...Cycling over 100km before lunch; Hoi An; Halong Bay - fantastic scenery; the people and the food.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Lam and crew were fantastic and nothing was too much trouble. The support truck was a welcome sight at various points giving out much needed water as it was hot, hot, hot! and kept us going with snacks, fruit etc. Lam has an excellent knowledge of all parts of Vietnam and was happy to share.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Lots of sun screen as it was hot in July

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing my grandson's wonder at seeing his first giraffeBing close to lions watching them eat their prey and mateHearing baby baboons playing on the deck of our lodge in the early morning

Thoughts on Group Leader

Both leaders were efficient and helpful.   Ben in particular was friendly and approacable

Advice for Potential Travellers

If possible go and stay in Nairobi overnight as the first day is hard especially with the long drive

Most Inspirational Moment

The weather was perfect on two days - the day we arrived and the day we departed - so one of the inspirational moments was sitting in front of our little tent - DOM, and having the snow-capped mountains and the Les Bossons glacier right in front of us against an impossibly blue sky.  Another was the optional trip on our rest day across the massif via the teleferique from La Palud to Heilbronner and on up to the Aguille de Midi.  This was just sensational and a “must-do”, though very cold above the clouds.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mel was the quintessential guide and her enthusiasm for her “shy” mountains and her botanical knowledge were remarkable.  I am in my 60s and our youngest walker was probably 19 but Mel was able to juggle that dynamic of a wide age range and fitness level with consummate ease.    Carey and Pasquale were well- organised support people and great camp cooks.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Pack as per the trip notes, whatever the season.  While it was mid-summer the weather wasn’t good for most of the time.  Our first walking day was completed in unrelenting heavy rain so everything in our backpacks was soaked (take a pack liner and a good gortex).  Fresh snow fell for a couple of days after that, so layers of light fleeces were required (not cotton!), and a good sleeping bag essential.