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

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83 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Reviews

Fabulous Scenery

A great insight into war between the Balkan countries. Starting in Kotor, we headed into the mountains. The countryside is spectacular: the scenic walks around lakes, looking down into deep gorges with impossibly blue/green water plus the fields of buttercups and blue wild violas were amazing. Many wild flowers including orchids along the way. In Sarajevo and Mostar the damage left by the war is so noticeable. Destroyed buildings protected by Unesco, but the owners not having the money to repair them, mortar shell and sniper holes in buildings. Learning about the siege of the town and the tunnel built under the airport were fascinating.

Most Inspirational Moment

The fabulous wild flowers, swimming in the Kravica Waterfalls, getting in amongst the alleys of all the old towns; but the trip to Lukomir up in the hills was amazing. Many miles on very bumpy dirt track ending at the village with spectacular views of the gorge and a great lunch was breath-taking.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Lorenc. Sorry, I don't know his surname. his is the most polite, caring leader you could wish for. We were also accompanied by Dina who is a guide already, but not for this trip - she was learning about it. Her knowledge of the history was great.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you are very interested in the history of this conflict I suggest you read up on it first. A couple of the guides were OK, but did not give as much information as they could have. A good overview was achieved.

Bosnia & Beyond

A very good mix of Balkan history, culture and lovely countryside.

Most Inspirational Moment

Having lunchtime meals in villages in Montenegro and Bosnia. getting to see the welcome from the local families.

Thoughts on Group Leader

It was Fatima's first solo lead and she had to cope with two trips to A&E to help travelers who got sick or injured - a baptism of fire. She was understandably nervous but determined we should all have a great time. Her personal passion for Bosnia and all that it has gone through in recent times shone through and made the trip very memorable - reminding us of the challenges of the conflicts of the recent past.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Some longish days in the bus but worth it for the scenery. The first day after pick up from airport you do go back into Bosnia Herzogovina for a lunch stop - it does not take cards and there was no ATM near by so we had to borrow some local currency from Fatima - please remember to pay her back!

AVB090223

Just returned from 11 days in the beautiful Balkans with 16 other great people making up the tour group. The itinerary was well planned, considered and delivered and gave me a greater insight into this part of the world I had longed to visit. The range of landscapes and cityscapes we journeyed to and through were breathtaking with enough guided and free time to learn, explore and absorb.

Most Inspirational Moment

One of the standout experiences was the visit to the home of a family in the village of Podgora. We were offered the most delicious lunch, most if not all sourced from their land. Their hospitality was so warm and welcoming. The city tour of Sarajevo with guide Alem was really interesting and his delivery was superb as was our tour of Kotor and Cetinje with the fabulous Ivana.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fatima was the most wonderful guide to us from start to finish. From the depth of her historical/social/ political knowledge of the places we visited to her care and compassion towards us was above and beyond. She clearly loves her role and we enjoyed the enthusiasm, humour and smiles she bought to each day. The world needs more Fatima’s!!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for some quite long coach journeys but you are certainly rewarded with stunning scenery. Our morning trip to Durmitor National Park with walks around the black lake -you’ll find a toilet block at the beginning of the walk with a wooden decked path up to it. This decking was very slippery on our visit. It had been raining the night before. So perhaps under similar weather conditions it would be safer to use the toilet in the adjacent cafe.

Bowled over by Bosnia

We had an amazing time. Our tour leader, Fatima, was absolutely wonderful. Our driver, Samir (sp?) is the most chilled man in Bosnia and an excellent driver on all those narrow windy roads. Our group gelled really well and we had lots of fun together. The tour had a good balance of city highlights, combined with rural villages and getting out into nature for short refreshing walks and swims. We had some excellent homemade traditional food as well as great restaurants, especially Babylon in Mostar where we had a great view of the bridge and Red Bull bridge diving competition. And another restaurant set on the banks of a river. We learned a great deal about the complicated history of the Balkan countries as well as current political situations. Bosnia, Montenegro and Croatia are all phenomenally beautiful countries. But Bosnia in particular blew me away with its gorgeous mountains, rivers, lake, waterfalls and warm, genuine people. A feast for the eye and soul.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were so many highlights and beautiful places on this trip that it’s hard to choose… We drove up a narrow windy gravel and dirt road, passing the most magnificent landscapes, up to Lukomir, the highest village in Bosnia. We went for a short walk up the hill overlooking the gorge and mountain ranges for spectacular views. After, we had a wonderful homemade lunch of locally grown and prepared food and the strongest coffee I ever tasted. Just enjoying the sound of the wind, crisp clean air and peace up there was such a gift.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fatima was an excellent leader and her enthusiasm and sincere commitment to make sure everyone had the best possible time was amazing. She helped us carry heavy suitcases up stairs, made sure dinner arrangements were made and orders placed ahead of time to maximize free time. She dealt with two serious medical issues in our group professionally and with great care and empathy, and even after a long night at the emergency room, joined us for breakfast bright and early with her usual smile. She translated where needed, shared difficult stories of her own family history during the war and made personal connections with each person. She is a beautiful person inside and out.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you’re prone to motion sickness, bring your meds. The roads are narrow and windy, but the views truly make up for it.

Brilliant Bosnia & Beyond

The whole trip was amazing and genuinely a lovely group of people.. friendly, interesting, generous and great fun. Well organised throughout with well selected destinations and knowledgeable guides .. not least Evalin who has such a wide knowledge of history, local people, the countryside … everything. We were also lucky to have Fatima with us too who was always ready with answers to questions and help/advice. Our drivers were brilliant driving us safely and comfortably through every type of terrain and on very narrow and winding roads … also friendly and welcoming. This was my first Exodus trip and I have already recommended it.

Most Inspirational Moment

So much was inspirational .. the multiculturalism in Bosnia was inspiring, with different religions side by side, reflected in art and architecture. What I most enjoyed and was most impressed by was being with local people from the guides and bus drivers and also spending time with local families and small communities who greeted us warmly and welcomed us as their guests. Gorgeous surroundings, delicious food and wine.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Evalin is an amazing group leader.. he combines the energy needed to lead a group, the diplomacy to deal with any issues, huge enthusiasm and obvious passion for the areas we travelled through. I couldn’t believe the depth of his knowledge which brought history to life. He was flexible to group needs whilst keeping us on schedule and made the holiday fun for everyone.

Advice for Potential Travellers

You don’t need to pack as much as you might think … no ironing required! The Exodus packing guide is good. Be prepared for a pretty non-stop adventure with significant time spent on the bus including passing through border control. Go with the flow and soak up the experiences and chance to make new friends.

Mysteries Unveiled

It is a busy trip but with time to explore cities and sights on your own. So you can either revist places that you been taken around but wanted to get a better insight i.e Sarvejo or just sit and people watch. The Balkans have an interesting history that needs exploring. Visiting 3 countries certainly showed tge connection with each other but also the differences. People were very friendly wherever we went and wanted to share their daily lives. Our guide Samra and our driver Sam were excellent. Pity this was Samra’s last trip as she is expecting her first child in September. She not only lead the tour as a manager she integrated the group by booking restaurants for all of us to eat together for the first night at a stop, but we could do our own thing on the second night. She was very knowledgeable and explained the history of what we were seeing, clearly but easy to understand. It was more like having a big sister around. Hotels were all good.

Most Inspirational Moment

I think visiting The Tunnel in Sarvejo where Samru shared some of her family's experience and of her memories, just aged 4 living in Sarvejo at the time.

Thoughts on Group Leader

As I have said Samru was excellent. Always there to help and advised. Her enthusiasm for the countries we visited shone through. Her knowledge was excellent.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Although it was late May take a raincoat and waterproofs as it rained during every day we were there. Pack walking shoes as there is alot of walking.

Bosnia in general, especially Sarajevo, was a lovely surprise

A great balance of being guided vs free time, eating together as a group or finding restaurants on our own. We were incredibly unlucky with the weather for virtually the whole trip, but that didn’t stop us enjoying the scenery, mountains, lakes, history and the warmth of the local people.

Most Inspirational Moment

Going to our tour leader's Grandma's mountain village, where our tour leader's mum grew up too. Extremely remote, with very few facilities even now; so much so that people can't live there still in the winter. Sarajevo - as a city itself, after all the inhabitants have been through and going to the Sarajevo tunnels. Let us not forget their tragedies.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We were very lucky to have Samra as our tour leader, because we were her last group before going on maternity leave. She was a terrific guide throughout the whole of Bosnia. She was definitely in charge of us, yet she was also our friend, being authentic throughout. She really helped the group to gel. I don't want to forget our driver Sam too. There were so many mountain passes and unpaved roads, yet he was a real professional and I always felt safe in his hands.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a rucksack instead of a suitcase. Several hotels didn't have lifts. Why hasn't anyone else mentioned this before?? If you get travel sick, take medication. The roads are windy for almost the whole trip. Take layers. Take waterproofs. Ladies - take a headscarf for mosques (although you can also borrow them, but handy).

Varied trip with stunning scenery and picturesque towns

I thoroughly enjoyed the trip, which let us enjoy the highlights of Montenegro and Bosnia. There was quite a lot of driving, but it’s nearly all through stunning scenery, so it didn’t feel like a chore. The itinerary was very well put together to provide a real variety of experiences, from old towns, to nature, to modern cities with an interesting past. The included walks were enjoyable, and not too challenging (although the optional climb up the city walls in Kotor was hard work in the heat and humidity). The food throughout the trip was excellent – while meat and potatoes were the staples, there were always other options available when you wanted a bit more variety.

Most Inspirational Moment

The drive through Durmitor National Park was absolutely stunning. Although very busy and touristy, I also really liked the towns of Kotor and Mostar, and they contrasted well with the natural areas we visited.

Thoughts on Group Leader

This was my 20th group tour, and I have to say that Samra was probably the best guide I have had on any trip. She was very personable and felt like a friend to the group, and was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about everywhere we visited.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The roads are generally very twisty, so I was very grateful for my travel sickness tablets (although our driver, Big Sam, was excellent and his smooth driving certainly helped). The roads up to Lukomir were bumpy as well as twisty, so I'd recommend medicating that day if you suffer from motion sickness.

Three countries in less than 2 weeks!

This was a really exhilarating trip. We had such a diverse journey through mountainous landscapes and fascinating cities – with stops at a waterfall, lakes and interesting historical remote buildings. The itinerary was excellent.

Most Inspirational Moment

Kotor Bay and the Old cCty, Sarajevo and Mostar where we whitnessed a young diver jumping off the famous Ottoman Bridge. Also a visit to the highest and remotest village in Bosnia Hezagovinia where we met Sam's grandparents. A dying village that only has about 50 residents still living there -but not in the Winter.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sam was fantastic in every area. Her English was totally colloquial and she had a great sense of humour. I must also praise Sam, the driver. I suffer from vertigo but never felt fearful whilst he was manipulating those hairpin bends through the mountains of Montenegro. We nicknamed them Big Sam and Little Sam.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I felt that one of the highlights listed on the website is not totally accurate. For example the walking in the Durmitor Park was described as 'Enjoy gentle walking in the stunning Durmitor National Park' I was one of the older members of the group and am fairly fit and am a Member of the Ramblers Association and regualary walk 7-9 miles most weekends. However, I found the terrain around the Black Lake extremely challenging insofar as we were walking on a mixture of unsteady and different sized rocks and tree roots. I actually had to be supported by Sam for this walk which was only about 4 miles but a very difficult 4 miles and took longer than expected. I would also like to point out that everywhere we went there were many many steep steps to navigate - mostly without rails.

Bosnia & Beyond

An amazing trip dipping into the complex history, cultural background and natural wonders of the region.

Most Inspirational Moment

My absolute highlight was the day we travelled up, through magnificent scenery, to the village of Lukomir. The views were out of this world and we were made very welcome in the village and treated to a delicious lunch. It was a privilege to be in such a beautiful, sparsely populated place. A truly wonderful memory.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader, Evelin Balta, couldn’t have been better. He was kind, courteous to everyone and, above all, passionate about the area and keen to share his knowledge with us. He always made us feel that what he did was not a job - that he was enjoying the trip as much as we were! His enthusiasm was infectious and no one could fail to be fascinated by the history and culture of the region or to fall un love with the beautiful countryside.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This trip has everything - amazing towns and cities, fascinating history and stunning scenery. Walks are optional but not over-taxing. The many trips in the minibus are kept to manageable lengths with frequent stops but be prepared for a lot of travelling - worth it to see some amazing sights.