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I’m just back in Kathmandu having completed the Manaslu Lodge Circuit. 33 years ago my late wife and I trekked the Annapurna Circuit independently which was one of the loveliest experiences of our lives. So I was prepared to be very disappointed by the neighbouring Manaslu Circuit. But not one bit. The itinerary works really well – with 13 nights to get round the circuit. Starting in warmth and luxuriance and Hindu culture; moving steadily up to the colder more spacious places of Tibetan villages with the beautiful twin peaks of Manaslu and the surrounding Himal providing glorious vistas; the long hard day crossing the Larkya Pass with the unexpected revelation of the Annapurna massif in the distance; the descent through dappled forest back to the world of flowers, butterflies, monkeys and terraced fields. Just magic! More than I’d hoped for. All made even better by having Valerie Parkinson as our leader – who could tell us what it was actually like to be the first British woman to climb Manaslu (8163m) – without oxygen. I feel very spoilt. Thank you Valerie – and thank you Exodus for another well-organised, unforgettable experience.
The first proper sighting of Manaslu and the surrounding himal and the transition to Tibetan culture.
See above. Inspirational and a wonderful human being.
Definitely take a Steripen (see trip notes) - such a brilliant device.
We have just returned from a fantastic holiday guided by Johnny Villalobos. He made the experience memorable for our group of 13 travellers. He gave 100% to us, walking early to see as much as possible, owl hunting at night and working all hours to enable us to ‘ maximise’ our holiday ( his word ) ! The itinerary was well put together and all the lodges and hotels were carefully chosen, all different but all excellent. We particularly loved Esquinas Lodge, its remoteness and the birds of course! We saw a huge number of bird species and Johnny helped us to check the ‘list’ every evening in happy hour!!! We had the good fortune to be travelling with a great group of people which really made for a fun time as well. We did see quetzal too. We saw at least two males and two females and they did us the honour of performing a memorable flying display! All in all a really wonderful holiday. My only query might be a question of its rating as Leisurely 1!!!
Baby turtles hatching and making their perilous journey from nest to sea. The Resplendent Quetzals! Getting very wet in Monteverdi cloud forest! Visiting a local school and the home of Aurora for a Costa Rican lunch.
Amazing group leader. His knowledge, love and pride for his country Costa Rica shone through.
If you love birds, mammals, nature and beautiful scenery book this trip.
We had a wonderful time – Japan is an amazing country and this exodus tour really helped us appreciate that to the full.
Seeing parts of japan off the normal tourist trail
Ayaka was fantastic - she couldn't do enough for us all - full of energy and infectious enthusiasm, and very knowledgeable too. She clearly listened to what people said about what they wanted to get from the trip and delivered on this. Impressive.
We had a wonderful time – Japan is an amazing country and this exodus tour really helped us appreciate that to the full.
Seeing parts of japan off the normal tourist trail
Ayaka was fantastic - she couldn't do enough for us all - full of energy and infectious enthusiasm, and very knowledgeable too. She clearly listened to what people said about what they wanted to get from the trip and delivered on this. Impressive.
This was a great trip, planned and organised to Exodus’ usual high standards, which enabled my partner and I to tick of a number of ‘bucket list’ experiences that we’d wanted to do since our ‘teens.
The only downside was the number of hours spent sitting on the comfortable coach – but Peru is such a long country, and out itinerary so diverse, that there really wasn’t any alternative. And, as usual, we were able to stop and see places too small for a final destination which we would not otherwise have seen.
Altogether, a good, thorough exploration of Central and southern Peru.
Oooh ... the Nazca Lines ... Machu Pichu of course ... floating islands on Lake Titicaca ... the food ...
Daniel Torres was an excellent tour leader - possibly our best Exodus leader yet. Coming from Lima, he thoroughly understood our problems with altitude, yet his own altitude problems never once impacted on his care and attention to detail. A lovely man.
Do not underestimate the variable effects of altitude! I was short of breath (especially at night) and experienced disrupted sleep and a complete loss of appetite. At very high altitudes (during brief coach stops) I felt as though I was standing on the deck of a ship - move too fast and I was swaying. My partner also suffered disrupted sleep, but wasn’t nearly as breathless and his appetite was undiminished. We saw the Nazca lines from a small aircraft (an optional extra which the guide arranged) - expensive, but worth it. But we were all very glad to get off the plane - cramped, of course, but did the pilot really need to bank so enthusiastically?
So much to see and enjoy. The landscape is awesome and the itinerary excellent. All of the places we visited were memorable, from Macchu Pichu to Lake Titicaca (great homestay, so friendly) to Cusco to the condor viewing…..plus many more wonderful places. Always wanted to see the Nasca lines and this was one of the few tours we could find that included it. The weather was largely kind to us so I would say it is a good month to go. We also enjoyed some really great eating experiences – thanks to our Tour Leader ‘foodie’ , Danny.
We really could not fault anything. The hotels were good and well located, the (sometimes long) journeys were broken up by regular stops along the way and there was some dramatic scenery to enjoy. We largely coped with the altitude but be aware that it does affect a number of people in some way.
Finally, our Tour Leader was excellent, probably the best we’ve ever had. All in all a fabulous tour, one not to be missed !!!
Has to be Macchu Pichu !!
Fantastic.
This was a wonderful holiday from start to finish, with so much to see and do. Our first stopover at Tortuguero was very enjoyable – the lodge was superb and we saw a lot of wildlife both on the boat trips and walking around the forest. It was also refreshing to have a swim in the pool at the end of a busy day. I thought the holiday may have gone downhill after that – but it didn’t! The lodges we visited subsequently were just as good, and I continued to be amazed by the flora and fauna that were in abundance at all locations on our trip. Add to that a couple of relaxing days on the beach at the Pacific, and it truly was the recipe for a superb holiday.
As already noted, this was a holiday of many experiences, and put them all together to get a whole that is greater than the sum of the individual parts. I would highlight the following however: - I did the Sky Trek at Monteverde, which is an optional extra - it's billed as the ultimate zip line experience and it certainly lived up to its reputation. I loved the thrills from zip lining at speed through the forest. - As a contrast, I also enjoyed the rest and relaxation on the Pacific coast. Our walk there at the Manuel Antonio national park was packed with sightings, including sloths and monkeys. We then had the rest of the day if desired to spend on the beach within the park itself, which was much more peaceful than the public beach back in the main resort area. - And finally, I need to mention the Esquinas Lodge. The main building is open plan which adds to the experience and you truly feel that you are away from all the hustle and bustle, and it is just you and nature.
Gio(vanni) was top class. He had a very easy-going manner and really helped to make the group gel and to engender our enthusiasm throughout the holiday. Nothing was a bother for him and he was always eager to please (although I did like his comment at the start of the holiday that it does rain in the rain forest and it is one complaint he can't help with!). He was also superb at spotting wildlife, and he kept up his 100% record on our trip of always managing to spot a quetzal in the Savegre cloud forest.
- Accept that it is likely to rain at some point during your trip and enjoy the experience for what it is. Our trip was the latter part of November and we were lucky as most of the rain fall was during the night. However, when it rained during our stay at Esquinas, we got the brollies out and enjoyed our walk in the rain, and slightly muddy paths (!), through the forest. - The cost of food and drink throughout the trip was relatively expensive and I ended up spending more than the average noted in the trip notes. However, the food was good quality and in particular I enjoyed the fish and seafood. - We made time on our last morning to visit the Gold Museum and it was very interesting. We were in it for over an hour but could have spent much longer going round all the exhibits.
The whole trip was excellently organised, the accommodation generally better than expected as was the food. The scenery was breathtaking. We were lucky to have perfect weather the whole time. The group leader was excellent being always good humoured, friendly and helpful. Slight downsides were the amount of road walking where occasional buses, lorries and jeeps would tend to hoot at us and then cover us in dust as they passed. Also, some tea houses made hygiene difficult by having very poor or no hand washing facilities in the toilets.
The first close up view of the high snow capped peaks.
Our group leader was excellent and always had his finger on the pulse of the group. He was pro-active in seeking continuous feedback from the group and dealing with any issues promptly and effectively. He also clearly was effectively managing the guide and porters. He was excellent on safety issues especially those relating to altitude. He also ensured that an appropriate pace was set at all times.
Make sure you have adequate clothing for very cold nights and make sure you bring plenty of socks. In general, the packing list in the trip notes is very good including its recommendation for using a Steripen for water purification.
From beginning to end this was an amazing adventure ….every day filled with wow moments
So many, the mighty Victoria Falls, watching the elephants play in Chobe, the peace gliding down the Orange River or the spectacular Fish River Canyon. For me the just watching the activity at the water hole in Etosha.....fantastic
Siza and Endi (and Sylvia in Namibia) were just brilliant. Cant believe what Siza managed to cook on BBQs and gas rings!!! Food was fabulous.....Endi was always there with a smile and the most infectious laugh....I'm only 5 foot tall and he made sure he was always there to help with the tent because I was "height challenged". Sylvia was only with us in Namibia but her knowledge and passion for the animals, birds and plants was evident ....she was brilliant.
Just go with the flow. This is not a holiday it's an adventure. Be prepared to be hands on, this was NOT a fully serviced camping trip, we were expected to erect and dismantle our own tents. There are some long drives but worth every minute.
A great tour, which we both enjoyed tremendously. A wide variety of interesting sites to visit and different modes of transport to experience. Being able to visit Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, Takayama, Matsumoto, Yudanka and Tokyo was just superb and everything went exceedingly smoothly with all the trains, buses, subways, trams, and PIRATE ships! The group was 18 in number and we always were able to travel together and experience all the sights. Hotels were good and offered restful nights and hot spring water baths at one. Meals were usually together and fish eaters were well catered for alongside the meat eaters. The two luggage transfers were great and suitcases were whisked off to be reunited a couple of days later. The trip schedule meant that most days we had several sights to visit and even on ‘free-days’ our guide, Ayaka, skilfully put together individual packages depending on our needs. The variety of experiences across the main island of Japan was wonderful.
Too many to mention but obviously the emotions of Hiroshima Peace Park, the busy food markets, the opulent shrines and temples, the extensive art treasures in Kyoto and Tokyo, the snow monkeys in snow, the hot spring bath in snow as well, Mount Fuji, the impressive time keeping of Japanese Rail, the patience, knowledge, good humour and infectious laugh of Ayaka.
Ayaka brought together a sizeable group in a calm and unflustered manner and made sure that we were able to fully experience the 'wonders' of ancient and modern Japan. Ever present and always preparing material for free days and helping us get deeper into Japanese society, made the whole tour a really memorable experience. Thank you.
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