Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Machu Pichu was a dream come true and the initial reason for my choosing a trip to Peru. Other main highlights included an overnight stay with a family at Amantani – an emotional & humbling experience, and thereafter the Colca Canyon to view the majestic Condors in flight.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We were so very privileged to have Fabrizzio Cornejo as our Group Leader. His knowledge & understanding of his country and its people are phenomenal and the passion with which he performs his work is tangible. He went the extra mile in terms of taking care of the group.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Prior to departure, I had done a fair amount of reading, particularly relating to cultures, history, and politics of the country and this most definitely made me appreciate & enjoy so much more the significance of all that I was experiencing. I also learnt a bit of very basic Spanish and it was fun putting it to practice!Pack half of the permitted baggage allowance as an excellent laundry service is available in Cuzco, and this also means you will have lots more space for shopping en route – the quality and range of Textiles are amazing and very hard to resist! Read the reviews on the website and be prepared for some long travel, although I did not find this unpleasant as the scenery, wildlife & diversity of the landscape more than compensated. 

Suggestions

For anyone passionate about travel, learning about new cultures and archeologically stepping back in time then move “Essential Peru” to the top of your wish list as this trip can only delight!! 

Most Inspirational Moment

I needed and enjoyed the safety of the group but loved the opportunity of free time to tailor some of the trip to my own desires, thus a morning spent walking from Pisac, followed by fresh juice and corn in the market, was wonderful and will stay with me forever; other highlights include returning to Macchu Picchu for sunrise, and climbing to the top of the island for sunset on Amantani, and standing watching Lllama, Vicuna and Alpaca graze next to big lonely lakes, surrounded by even bigger skies, and seeing the ice maiden Juanita in Arequipa.  The white water rafting, the sand boarding........I could go on and on.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fabrizzio was great.  He knew everything there was to know about Peru, the Incas etc.  For me he really came into his own when walking us around Maachu Picchu, his love and pride was evident and he enabled us to fully appreciate what we were seeing.  I felt well looked after but not in an obstrusive way at all.  His advice was first class.  He does his job very well indeed.

Advice for Potential Travellers

As long as you drink loads of water, and I mean loads (3-4 litres a day), and move slowly you should not be affected to much by the altitude (but you will pee a lot).  Take the opportunity to sleep early at night and on the bus as there are a lot of very necessary early starts to enable you to see everything possible. Enjoy every minute.  Go with the flow.

Suggestions

Being part of a group made this holiday possible for me; and I have nothing but praise for the whole adventure.  This was my first experience of Exodus - it was so good I am now trying to decide where to go next.  If you want to see Peru - in all its extremes, book it - you won't regret it!

Most Inspirational Moment

we arrived at Lake Titicaca in the afternoon where we caught a small boat to Amantani island.Our local hosts were waiting at the pier to meet us so they could carry our luggage up the steep hill, my family made up of elderly parents , mother and father and 3 years old son Anthony. They had a small house and garden where they grew potatos and corn, a few sheep with a baby lamb who needed bottle fed as it had lost its mother and a toilet in the garden .  we were invited into thier kitchen where the women of the house were cooking our meal of veg. soup and veg stew with rice over the wood burning fire. after dinner we got dressed up in traditional dress and enjoyed a night of dancing and music. after a good nights sleep in our warm beds dressed with lots of heavy blankets , we watched the locals go about thier work , picking up water from the well in the garden, taking  their sheep to graze. it was all so peaceful and the local people were happy with life. granddad was picking flowers from the tree in the morning and before we left they presented us with a garland of flowers for around our neck, they were such lovely people who had little but gave us much.

Thoughts on Group Leader

fabrizzio was our tour leader , he was amazing, he was such a kind and caring person who took the stress out of traveling, he was always asking if we were ok and took us to the most amazing restaurants. he was so passionate about his job and his people, we stopped in the country a number of times to see some ruins or to do some shopping and the locals seemed to bond with him and love him, the old saying "NEVER  FORGET WHERE YOU CAME FROM' came to mind, cause to us a few pence or a orange didnt amount to much but to them it was a treat, we all have so much , which we take for granted but there are millions out there who have so little and he was one of these people who sees that.

Advice for Potential Travellers

when traveling its like life if you treat people the way you would like to be treated yourself , you can get so much more out of your trip, its not the places you go its the people you meet when you are there. we had 18 people on our trip but not all 18 saw the real Peru. try new things , eat adventurously, try the guinea pig, alpacha, chicha,tamales and Pisco sours and you will not be disapointed,

Suggestions

The scenery in Peru is mind blowing, everywhere you look its a picture postcard, take enough memory cards , there is wifi in all hotels so you can update your facebook and make your friends jealous. you can wash clothes in cuzco so you can pack for 7 days. in  Arequipa go to visit Juanita the ice mummy, and interact with the locals whenever possible, bring some candies and pens, pencils to the kids. when you go to Amantani island bring some supplies for the family, fruits, sugar, rice or any extra clothes you dont want to bring home, i gave the lady my tube of soap for washing clothes and she thought it was a nice handcream ,she was very happy when i found some in my bag. But most of all enjoy the experience and reflect on how lucky you are in life.

Most Inspirational Moment

For me personally it was seeing Machu Picchu - a lifetime ambition.  We took the train rather than trekking to get there and I do not feel I missed out in any way.  As it was not high season we were able to go back to the site on the second day - choosing to go early at sunrise, which was really worth the effort.  

Thoughts on Group Leader

Marcial Bedregal was an excellent leader.  He was born in Peru and has been leading tours for decades and so knows it very well.  He knew how to pace the trip to suit us best and all the best places to stop for food, toilet stops and photos.  He adapted parts of the itinerary slightly to give us the best possible experience.  He was very knowledgable about the history but gave us information in manageable chunks.  He was laid back and friendly with us all equally and very helpful to any group members having problems.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I went on the group flights with United Airlines with changes in Houston on the way out and Newark on the way back.  We were unlucky with delays due to electrical problems.  On the way out the flight from London was delayed and so we missed our connection and had to spend 24hrs in Houston.  United Airlines put us up in the holiday Inn at their expense and gave us meal vouchers.  We phoned Exodus about missing the connection and they arranged that when we reached Lima the next night we were met by the tour operator and driven four hours through the night down the coast to meet the rest of the group, so that we only missed one day of the trip.  On the way home at Newark the flight to London was cancelled due to an electrical fault and we had approx 9 hours in Newark airport until the next flight.  Again we got meal vouchers.  It sounds bad, but I think we were unlucky to be delayed and the service on the actual flights was very good.  As it was the official group flight that was delayed on the way out, I arrived home to discover a very prompt letter from Exodus apologising for my delayed journey and with financial compensation.  I was very happy with Exodus' response and their actions to catch us up with the group.  If we had not been on the official group flights and had been delayed we might have had to arrange our own transport at Lima to drive down the coast.  So don't let my experience put you off the group flights!Apart from the flights saga, it all went quite smoothly. Two people were quite badly affected by the altitude at various times but were dealt with promptly by our guide and completed most of the trip with a few modifications.  Most of us had only mild symptoms and just had to walk more slowly than usual - and not talk so much when walking! As regards money, I would suggest planning to use nuevo sol everywhere rather than dollars.  I only used dollars twice - once to pay the local tour operator for some extra tours and once in a market when I ran out of sol.  Most places seemed to prefer sol to dollars.  I brought some from home and also changed a lot at Lima airport.  For the first two to three days no-one seems to have any change but from Cusco onwards this is not usually a problem.  From Cusco onwards it is easier to access ATMs or money changers.Some of us felt that we could have done with fewer hot weather clothes and more warm ones - it gets very cold at altitude especially in the early or late parts of the day.  Layers are the way to go - the temperature changes a lot in one day as you go up and down in altitude.

Suggestions

There is a lot more to Peru than I ever knew before.  I enjoyed all the Inca history and sites - there are many others besides Machu Picchu.  The Santa Catalina convent in Arequipa was beautiful.  Also we were able to go and see the "ice mummies" in the museum and I had never heard of them before I went there.   I also really enjoyed Chinchero market as we saw the locals in their national dress doing their shopping as well as seeing the weaving etc for visitors.  The scenery in the Andes was wonderful and much more interesting than I had expected.  Although there are people who want to sell you things there is no hassle from them - it is all a lot more relaxed than in, say, Egypt or India.  The food is plentiful and varied though you do have to be very careful to avoid the local water and any food affected by it.  We had a lot of early starts but that was good because we saw places at the best times of day and were not travelling the the dark.  Bring things to do on the bus - although I hardly read any of my books in the end as I was too busy admiring the secenery or chatting to members of the group.  It was all great and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many overwhelming moments but perhaps looking over the vast expanse of Machu Picchu was the most inspiring.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We were fortunate to have Juan Cardenas Carrasco  as our group leader.  He was knowlegable of the history, culture, religions, customs, flora, and fauna of each area we travelled.  He could recommend restaurants, guide us on the food to choose and tell us when a tip was appropriate.  He was always prepared with enterance fee tickets and water on the bus and took care of other mundane tasks which if neglected had the potential to cause delays.  He wad congenial, joined in our activities and treated all of us as good friends. He was ready to help with any special requests and was always concerned for our welfare.  Even a slight cough and Juan was ready with the first-aid kit.  My husband had an accident(no fault of the tour)  and Juan went out of his way (on his own time) to ensure that we found a good doctor who bandaged him up and gave him the appropriate advice and medication.

Advice for Potential Travellers

In Lima on our last day the local Exodus company offered us an optional tour of the city. The bus was not really a tour bus, was small and had no special windows. I have since checked the various city tour busses in Lima, and I think we could have seen as much or more in a double decker bus and at a better price than that offered by Exodus.My advice would be  to check out the local tour busses before committing to Exodus

Suggestions

Juan reported my husband's accident to Exodus, and in the middle of the Andes Mountains, on a bus, on Juan's cell phone my husband received a call from Exodus in London wanting to confirm that he was indeed satisfied with the medical treatment he had received.  This is amazing

Most Inspirational Moment

Machu Picchu has to be the single most impressive archaeological site that you will ever see, with that first view in the early morning being absolutely jaw-dropping. No books or photos do it justice; it really has to be seen to appreciate the magic of the place. But there was so much else as well; the condors at Colca, the mummies at the Chauchilla cemetery, the stay on Amantani island, the Ballestas trip, endless Inca buildings, museums, markets, churches, the brilliant colours everywhere, the friendliness of the people...........

Thoughts on Group Leader

Juan, the group leader, is simply the best. His in-depth knowledge of just about everything we saw, his enthusiasm for showing us his country, his instinct for reading the group psychology and his organisational abilities made the whole two weeks go like clockwork. The drivers should also be congratulated for getting us around very difficult terrain on a very long trip with absolute safety and reliability, always patient, friendly and on time.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a pair of binoculars as well as a camera.By far the best restaurant we found on the whole trip was Granja Heidi in an upstairs room on Cuesta San Blas, 5 minutes from our hotel in Cusco. This trip can be hard work. It covers 3000km by bus with much of it at high altitude and there’s a lot of sightseeing on foot, often in very strong sunshine. Minor health upsets (diarrhoea, altitude effects, sunburn) are easily picked up. So listen to the guide’s advice, take the uphill bits at your own speed and keep the water handy. None of it is beyond the reach of the average person with a bit of common sense.

Suggestions

This is a terrific experience with great memories. Very highly recommended.

Most Inspirational Moment

Standing together on the edge, seemingly of the universe itself, at the Macchu Pichu site as the misty early morning clouds dissipated, gazing down at the Urubamba River far below and the many surrounding mountain peaks above was a truly awe-inspiring experience. Mother Earth put us all in our proper place.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our tour guide, Juan Cardenas of Cusc,o was an absolutely outstanding group leader. He was extremely knowledgeable about Peru's history, culture and current society, and has a wonderful way of working with a group to support, facilitate and harmonize. He constantly attended to our needs (health, technical, social etc) and was able to share his own personal and family experience of Peru in a way that was both genuine and uplifting. We all felt very fortunate to have such a talented guide on this legendary and intense tour of Peru.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do not underestimate the effects of altitude sickness after cumulative exposure at 3000m+. If you aren't sure you can avoid it, take the medicines prescribed, stay well hydrated and don't over-exert yourself. This trip is too precious to waste time while you are on it recovering from unnecessary illness.

Suggestions

This particular trip packed so much activity into the 2 weeks that we were constantly learning and discovering new things and having new experiences - great trip design!

Most Inspirational Moment

The highlights for me were magical Machu Picchu, Amantani on Lake Tititica, the history of the Incas, the colourful markets and, of course, experiencing the high sand dunes - have never screamed so much! 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group of 18 was extremely friendly and I can't speak highly enough of our wonderful guide Juan - such a great ambassador for Peru!  Thank you Exodus for giving me a great trip!

Most Inspirational Moment

I was quite surprised by how awe inspired i was by Machupichu, its a place that you think you semi know prior to arrival as its been photographed so many times and plastered here there and everywhere, but being the last people walking in it at sun down was incredibly magical

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rene was natural charmer, managed to appease the groups uncertainties before we even knew we would have them, 10/10

Suggestions

Flights were a problem, missed connections (not exodus fault, but continentals) and not checked in on return flight so my very nervous partner had to sit apart from me on the flight home andthis caused much distress on both journeys, would recomend booking direct flights rather than exodus package.

Most Inspirational Moment

Probably Machu Picchu and the homestay island, truly magical experiences, but all the other sights and sounds of Peru were excellant, hope to return one day

Thoughts on Group Leader

Juan was absoluty brilliant

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepred for a non stop adventure, too many highlights to mention, a feel for the country is guaranteed

Suggestions

Busy saving for another visit to South America next year, with Exodus of course!!