Reviews

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.

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89 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Martin Williamson

Reviewed June 2018

Tougher than expected

This was a tough trip and I think the 4 grading is rather generous when compared to other cycling trips with Exodus. However having said that it is as always a great way to see the country and to experience Albania. This trip around the southern part of Albania includes both mountains along the border with Greece and the Ionian coast. Although we found this a tough ride we both thoroughly enjoyed it and felt it was a great holiday. The guides were very supportive and helpful.

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling through the mountains and seeing the inspiring countryside as it changed.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Both the leaders were very good and competent. They went out of their way to ensure that the group had a great time and were able to enjoy the cycling.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The first and the last days are the toughest cycling so there's not much time to improve your fitness once you are in Albania. Do not be fooled by the relatively short distances to be covered each day it is the elevation gained and lost that make this a great challenge.

T S

Reviewed May 2018

Tough but rewarding

Based on previous reviews I thought this would be challenging but manageable for my abilities. Some but minimal cycling recently but good fitness base. It was definitely more difficult than some of the reviews suggest in particular day 1 is straight into some tough climbs which I struggled with but for the rest of the days I was able to manage quite well. Slower cyclist in my group-most of them regular cyclists with good speed but they were all super supportive throughout. All in all a great trip with a great support crew and very rewarding to complete the last day 🙂

Most Inspirational Moment

Completing the last days climbs and the whole trip in general after a tough first day where I doubted my abilities.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Erlis was great-knowledgeable and supportive throughout. Very enthusiastic with his work ensuring everything is perfect.

Tunde Farkas

Reviewed May 2018

Cycling Albania

Interesting, challenging adventure trip mostly in rural Albania with some days on the Ionian coast.

Most Inspirational Moment

One late afternoon we had a chance to visit the thermal springs of Benji. We had to cross an ancient foot bridge to get to the pool. It was awesome to be in warm waters in the middle of nowhere looking at beautiful pasture and snowy peaks.

Thoughts on Group Leader

This was the only sub-par part of the trip. Our leader biked by himself most of the time, leaving us for ourselves. There was a van support, but it was very behind us, sometimes ahead of us leaving us without support. The leader failed to point out the beauty, the scenery and most of the time the guiding was very superficial, lacked enthusiasm. This was my 3rd trip with Exodus, and the other two trip leaders were so much better.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure to be in good form, the hills are steep. This is not a trip for a beginner.

Suggestions

Food was excellent, all local, organic and very tasty. Rural roads were in bad condition. There should be a better arrangement for those not flying in from England; some of us had to take a taxi to Pogradec, some 250 km away, because the local transportation would not wait for us at the airport.

Peter Jones

Reviewed May 2018

Cycle Albania

Albania totally surpassed my expectations. The scenery and cycling was fantastic. Inland its a bit like the Alps and towards the coast it get more like mountainous meditterannean. But the beauty of it is that the roads are really quiet which is just great for cycling. The trip notes had said that some of the accommodation may be a little basic, but this too was a lot better than I was expecting. I think this trip had the best days cycling I’ve had anywhere.

Most Inspirational Moment

Getting to the end in one piece. Its a 6 day trip. We had 5 glorious days of sunshine, with some big climbs, and on the final day a little rain, which made the roads very slip after a prolonged dry spell. Two of the team had a spill

Thoughts on Group Leader

They were great as usual on all exodus trips. They were from a local company 'Cycle Albania'. Everything was well organised, the bikes were good, and they coped well with a few unexpected events. People could cycle at their own pace and then re-group at specific points.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Not really. The only thing I would say is that I wouldn't go to Albania for a gastronomic experience. There is a lot of really good seafood, always fresh and readily available. Otherwise the food is uninspiring.

Suggestions

A great trip. I think this is a destination waiting to be discovered. Can't understand why loads of cyclist go to Majorca to train when they could come here.

Jonathan Richards

Reviewed May 2018

Albania

A challenging ride through dramatic scenery. Beautiful countryside, friendly people but too many unfinished buildings. The trip was efficiently organised with good back-up and accommodation.

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching the top of the 1000m pass on the final day.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Both leaders were excellent.They were well informed and spoke excellent English.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't be put off by the mountainous terrain. You can take it at your own pace.

Ed Hayes

Reviewed May 2018

Why would you go to Albania??

Why would you go to Albania?!? Is what everyone said to me before I did this trip. Well, after coming back I’m telling them they should go because of:
– Amazing scenery. Beautiful mountains, alpine type meadows, some nice beaches along the coast
– Good food. Really nice, simple food. Fresh fish and fresh vegetables. Options for vegetarians too.
– Great cycling. Some reasonable hills (and a couple of really good descents) and generally good quiet roads (in April anyway.)

Most Inspirational Moment

The big hill on the last day was a satisfying challenge. The descent out of the mountains on day 2 was beautiful and probably my favourite bit.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Really good. The guide and driver we had were great - friendly, helpful and super organised. This is probably the best organised exodus trip I’ve been on.

Advice for Potential Travellers

In terms of difficulty this is definitely a grade 4 (certainly not a 3.) You don’t have to be a ‘cyclist’ but you do need to have a reasonable level of cardiovascular fitness and to have been on a bike about before I think.

Cathryn Spence

Reviewed May 2018

Challenging cycling with stunning scenery, fabulous food and great company

This is my seventh trip cycling with Exodus and probably one of the best.

The cycling was quite challenging with a fair amount of hill climbing and I was glad that I had spent the time out on my bike in the weeks before I departed. This was rewarded with cycling through wonderful hills and mountains with snow capped mountains in the background. We could go at our own pace and stopped for great coffee and lunch.

Every night we stayed in different types of accommodation – mountains, valley, beach resort, small beach town. The variety was really good.

We had fantastic lunches and dinners with lots of home grown vegetables, salad, local cheese, local wine. Our local guides organised these great meals for the group.

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching the top of Llogara Pass on the last day of cycling. Our guides provided us with information about the days cycling so we knew what to expect and then provided snacks, water and supplies to make sure I could keep going to the top. I also really enjoyed cycling to Leskovik and through the valley. The snow capped mountains in the background with river wending past wildflowers and blossoms was a great days cycling.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our guides worked tirelessly to make sure we had a great holiday. They organised lunch and dinner and provided encouragement and support for every day of cycling. They were amazing ambassadors for Albania.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you do some training beforehand, cycling up and down hills. I went without expectations and just wanting to have any enjoyable week of cycling. It was a great experience and would recommend a trip to Albania before it becomes really popular.

Nigel Copestake

Reviewed October 2017

Cycling Albania

Didn’t know what to expect, but it didn’t disappoint. Really excellent tour guide. Fantastic scenery. One of those trips that just went smoothly, almost certainly due to the guides organisation. The cycling is described as moderate to challenging. At the time I would have said it was more challenging. However, upon reflection, I was pushing myself, which almost certainly made it feel more challenging. However, the last day of cycling was definitely challenging. It was also very rewarding and as with all of the Exodus trips I’ve been on, there’s always the option of the bus, which for various reasons, some of our party took. The food was really good. Plenty of choice for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. There are plenty of mountain springs for water top-ups which was brilliant – tasted great! A fantastic trip which I won’t forget with a guide who really did look after everyone!

Most Inspirational Moment

I like the challenge of a hill climb, so I would have to say the last day, cycling up and over the pass.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leader was truly amazing and really did go the extra mile. As previously mentioned, a trip doesn't run that smoothly without a lot of planning. He was also without a doubt a group leader you would want in any unexpected situation that might occur!

Advice for Potential Travellers

The mountain spring water is fine to drink. You get a bit of a taste for it.

Suggestions

Another tick for Exodus! Really excellent! I knew very little about Albania, which has now changed. A beautiful friendly country with fantastic scenery and food! Did I mention the spring water :)

Bill Thornton

Reviewed October 2017

'Albania' why go there!

‘Albania’ why go there? was something we heard many times from friends and family when we told them of our plans. Well firstly its off the beaten track, it isn’t full of mindless tourists and its got some sense of mystique still. But mostly it is such an interesting place with such lovely people.
My third Exodus cycling trip and the most challenging, it is more challenging than moderate in my opinion. We went in September and it was still fairly hot so the long climbs were a bit of a ‘push’. I was tail end Charlie for most days, partly due to my frequent stops to take photos and I was not going to be rushed, all at my own pace. The point is that this trip allows this to happen, no pressure whatever you capability. The rear-guard van is never far behind so you are not on your own.
The scenery here is amazing, both mountains and the coast. Albanians we met were lovely and you always felt safe and welcome.
Bikes were good and days were planned well. Hotels were varied but all were more than adequate.
There was a bit of culture thrown in which was interesting but not overdone.
We were a large group of 16 but in no time at all we had all gelled and were supportive of each other and had many laughs and shared experiences. We have all shared our photos so we have a great bunch of memories.
Most of my memories are of quiet roads, no people anywhere and incredible views made more amazing by people still living in a bygone age.
Apart from start and end there are no significant transfers so this is a positive.
Food was excellent and plenty of it too.

Most Inspirational Moment

The first and last days are the most challenging climbs and so to finish them (last) I did feel I had achieved the challenge I knew lay ahead when I booked. Also to see real Albanian subsistence farming in action, people actually supporting themselves without food imports, selling food at the side of the road.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Dhimo was 1st rate, very friendly, easy going and good at communicating. He was well organised and had all the food/snack stops well organised. Seamless all the way! He has a good knowledge of Albania in many ways and answered all kind of questions put to him. He worked well with our van driver as well. It was nice they both ate and socialised with us, something I didn't always witness on other trips I have done. Safety and accommodating everyone's wishes was always top priority.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go with the Group Leader suggestion to pool money for group meals, it saves so much time and works out cheaper too. Waterproofs may well be needed and long sleeve top for down hills. If you are partial to white wine then perhaps take a couple of bottles as there is none available on a couple of nights early in the trip. Also black tea is a rarity in some places so bring you PG Tips! Agree with Exodus/guide up front to go to Tirana for a short tour and lunch after arrival. This is a real bonus. Either bring £cash with you and change a lot on first day or use an ATM in Tirana. Food and drink is relatively cheap in Albania so for a 'full on' week week I only spent £200!

Suggestions

Don't be put off by the challenging nature, but try to be as fit as you can before arrival, spinning classes helped me. Remember its a holiday, take your time if necessary. Padded shorts a must as are gloves. they will provide a pannier if wanted but a small handle bar bag would be better for phone, camera and money etc. We arrived a couple of days earlier and hired a car and went to Berat, well worth the effort. We then met the group at the airport for the transfer.

Sandra Calfe

Reviewed September 2017

An excellent way to see Albania

My husband and I have recently returned from cycling in Albania. What a fantastic adventure it was. Prior to going on this trip our bikes came out of the shed about once a year and since we are not in the flush of youth we had to go out cycling every weekend for the previous 5 months to make sure we were fit enough and boy were we glad we did. It was a challenging trip but we loved every minute of it. The scenery is fantastic, we could not fault the food and the hotels were a lot better than we anticipated and even quite luxurious at times. Armand is an excellent guide with plenty of local knowledge. He offered to run a kitty for meals and drinks and ordered a variety of food at every meal which made meal times so easy and enjoyable. It is a fast paced trip and we had to be up early every day for breakfast and be ready to leave by 8.30 every morning but we were glad of this because at least it was cooler when we set off and we always had a nice stop for coffee to look forward to after a couple of hours. It is a great way to see Albania and it was great to start inland and then move to the coast offering different scenery and a chance to have a swim in the sea. We enjoyed the cultural stops and the chance to learn about the history of Albania. The minibus driver was always there with extra water, bananas and snacks when you needed them and greeted us with a smile at the top of every climb. I would strongly recommend this trip to anyone but to enjoy it make sure you do plenty of hill training. We hired the bikes offered by Exodus and these were of good quality although we took our own saddles. We used the pedals on the bikes ie. no clip ons and managed it okay so if you fancy it go for it – you won’t regret it.

Most Inspirational Moment

Getting through the first day without hopping on the bus and actually thinking I might be able to actually cycle the whole route - I had been panicking before we went that maybe we had overstretched ourselves. it was harder than I imagined but we had trained enough and so were able to do it. A great feeling!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Armand was a good leader. He made sure we always knew what time we had to be ready, where we were going and when the next stop was. He ordered all our food for us and made excellent choices at every meal. We have never enjoyed food so much on holiday before.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you are fit enough to cycle up hills and for consecutive days. Take energy drinks and snacks as you definitely need these as well as the Zero sports drink tablets to stop you getting dehydrated. We didn't have these and had to beg, steal or borrow some from the rest of our group.

Suggestions

Don't hesitate - just go ahead and book this. It's a fantastic trip. Not sure how we are going to top it next year!

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