Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It’s the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you’re interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers.
Simply use the selector below to search our trip reviews and start reading real feedback from real Exodus travellers who have ‘been there and done that’!
Lots of our clients also like to post handy tips and advice about their travels. It’s great to know what to expect on an Exodus adventure before you go, so make the most of their experience and you’ll make the most of yours!
Haven’t posted your review yet? Here’s how to do it…
Once you return from your Exodus adventure holiday, you will be emailed a link to add your review. Any feedback collected is posted onto our website, totally unedited.
Alternatively you can navigate to the relevant trip page and add your review via the Reviews tab.
Having completed a number of Exodus cycling trips this is up there with one of the most stunning for scenery. There are a number of long tough climbs which we completed in very hot weather but you are rewarded with fantastic views and great descents.
Most Inspirational Moment
Cycling through the Tara Canyon, over Durmitor pass and the descent to the Bay of Kotor were fantastic experiences.
Thoughts on Group Leader
In general the group leader was good but communication should have been better and some friction between the guides was obvious. A lot of basic bike issues were experienced by the group during the trip and the guides appeared to be lacking the tools, parts and skills to properly rectify which needs to be addressed for future trips.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The weather appears to vary widely throughout the tour season. Having completed the tour late June the weather was very hot and dry with most days reaching 30+ degrees. While we were melting during the day a lot of the accommodation is in the mountains and can be chilly in the evenings.
Also for a stress free trip I wouldn't recommend taking your own bike. Security was a little lax and the transport wasn't geared up for transporting bike bags.
Awesome canyons, mountains rivers and lake views whilst cycling through 4 Balkan Countries. A great variety of scenery and some challenging hills and satisfying downhills make this an excellent choice for those who enjoy great views and cycling.
Most Inspirational Moment
The Tara Canyon is just spectacular and the Durmitor Mountains where the view keeps changing around every bend were possibly the most beautiful varied countryside we have had the pleasure to cycle in. The first views of the Bay of Kotor take your breath away.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Josh is fairly new and enthusiastic to guiding. The trip is still in its infancy and he is trying to fine tune it. He is building his knowledge of the 4 countries and has a passion for the Balkans but we did occasionally encounter language barriers as none of the team spoke Macedonian but this was soon rectified by him Juli, or Dhimitraq.
Juli our driver is a real fun character, full of life, who has friends everywhere and is always making new ones. He makes sure everyone is hydrated on the rides and checks on everyone at regular intervals.
Dhimitraq is the quiet one but has lots of knowledge and passion for the countries visited and cycling. He balances the team dynamics. We loved the walks he took us on around the lake and up to the castle.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The hills are in big chunks which we were not used to..... some were 10 - 15 km long with 600-800m of elevation gain with little or no respite. They are quite challenging but saying that all of our group managed them. The reward is beautiful scenery and some awesome long descents. There were a couple of poorer condition roads which were ok on the climbs but made the downhills slower and more challenging and for me less rewarding. We had fantastic weather 40 deg most days but the weather can be variable as our guides said a few weeks earlier it had been deep snow and ice. Worth taking a bright front light and a back light for the few tunnels that you have to cycle through.
Beautiful weather and scenery in a part of Europe that gets easily overlooked. Lots of uphill cycling but you do get the long downhills as compensation. The guides Dhimitri and Juli were great – always helpful and Juli (also the driver) scuttling back and forth to ensure everyone was OK and had enough water. Would recommend this trip and the local provider Cycle Albania.
Most Inspirational Moment
If you mean 'What were my highlights?' then:
Old Town of Ohrid
Tara Canyon and the zipwire ride across the gorge.
Painted Mosque at Tetovo
Durmitor National Park
Kotor
Thoughts on Group Leader
Group leader Dhimitri was good and always briefed the night before on the next days cycling and during the ride for meet up points. Juli was excellent (he used to be a guide) and was on top of his game as well. When my wife had an accident they both stepped up a gear and Juli called a contact who could translate at the hospital for us. Nothing was too much trouble for these guides.
On a negative note - (1) They were focussed on the cycling and had to be badgered to say anything about the area/countries we were in. Many requests had to be made before any history/politics were forthcoming. (2) This is a fault that we have found before on Exodus trips - the guides are so focussed on meeting the main group flying in that they don't leave any meet-up info at hotel receptions for those overlanding or arriving at a different time.
Advice for Potential Travellers
When you reach Ohrid (N. Macedonia) go for a walk around Old Town and around Kotor (Montenegro).
This is a nice trip with some nice scenery to see but there is quite a lot of cycling on busy main roads. We had pretty bad weather which we were not really banking on which I think spoilt the trip to some extent.
Most Inspirational Moment
Surviving the cycling in the rain!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Dhimitraq was quiet and efficient. He organised the trip well. He arranged some amazing lunches and dinners for us and kindly took the stress out of paying for them all in various currencies by paying for us and running an IOU.
We had some good laughs as we got to know him better, largely at Juli’s antics!
Juli our driver was a character never to be forgotten! Never still and always full of life, “Zebedee” had us in stitches the whole way. The transfers were always an experience and I still can’t believe that we did actually get to listen to the whole of Bohemen Rhapsody!
Both went out of their way to take us on extra little tours or arrange guides for us and worked extremely hard.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Make sure you take a full selection of clothes to cover cold weather and wet weather..
Be prepared for cycling on busy main roads with a good amount of traffic including lorries.
