Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Being involved in a New Year world record competition at our hotel in Nha Tring

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fantastic

Most Inspirational Moment

The range of available activities, driving my own snowmobile and being in charge of a dog sledding team.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Henri was amazing, so patient, cheerful and encouraging at all times. He was knowledgeable and fun.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a hairdryer, and don't expect luxurious surroundings. Basecamp is great, but it could be felt to be a bit spartan.

Most Inspirational Moment

I have to say although it was very brief, the most inspirational moment was catching a glimpse of a snow leopard in the wild. What an incredible animal, and I feel very lucky to have seen it in it's home.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Chosphel Sonam was excellent. He has a good sense of humor and made sure everything was done for our trip to run smoothly.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Of course you want to see a snow leopard in the wild. But it is certainly not a guarantee. We didn't see one until the last day, and even then it was just a few seconds. I was actually surprised at how desolate the place is. Besides snow leopards, I thought we would see other wildlife. We did see signs of wildlife, but really saw very little. The scenery and experience is worth it, but if you are expecting to see a lot of wildlife you will be disappointed. Also, it is really, really cold at night so take the absolute best sleeping bag you can!!!!

Most Inspirational Moment

So many - Sigiriya Rock - an amazing fortress, spotting elephants on two game drives and seeing whales, Tuk tuk rides, Polonnaruwa - a mini Bagan (Myanmar) and the colonial town of Galle is very special to walk around. This trip helps you appreciate how beautiful and varied Sri Lanka is.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Nala was very well organised and gave his own personal insight into Sri Lanka which really added to the trip. He listened to everyones needs and provided additional help, activities and knowledge throughout the trip. He set the tone of the trip - a happy and fun one!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Adam's Peak - there are a lot of steps of varying height and the climb up and down are very early in the morning with little sleep beforehand. It is also very busy and there is a lot of litter. However the views on the way down, (sun rise if a good one) and sense of achievement are immense.

Most Inspirational Moment

So many good moments that it's difficult to discriminate - but I particularly enjoyed our day jet-boating; our climb up to Mt Cook; the day coastal walking and sailing near Motueka (all in S Island) - and got immense satisfaction from my completion of the 20k Tontoriro Crossing trek in N Island!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ian, as our principal leader, was great...we were expertly guided and cajoled by him! He had a light touch (with our mainly 'early-retired' large party of 16) and inspired confidence... Pete - although new to Exodus - was also a very good support leader, most kind and caring.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for all and any weather conditions! Also, to get the best out of this trip, it is probably wise to arrive in a good state of fitness in order to be able to enjoy the many walks and trails on offer.

Most Inspirational Moment

The views of the peaks surrounding the refuge.

Thoughts on Group Leader

A brilliant young man.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Train hard.

Most Inspirational Moment

There are so many! Building and sleeping in our quinzee was a great experience. I thoroughly enjoyed the night-time snowshoe walk (walking through the forests with only the light of the moon), the ice climbing and husky dog sledding as well.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Henri was a really great guide, he was really encouraging in all the activities and really knowledgeable about the local environment. He was also great fun and we all had a lot of laughs as a group!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Book this trip! You don't need any experience of any of the activities, just a willingness to give it a go. You also don't need to bring any specialist gear as everything really is included. You'll just need your own base layers to go under the kit they provide. Also some warm socks would be useful, although they do also provide these at basecamp. And finally, a Finnish sauna is a must, complete with rolling in the snow!

Most Inspirational Moment

Arriving by dog sleigh to a wonderland of snow clad trees, an absolutely stunning vista, the sun just above the horizon with lakes in the distance. A photographers paradise!! The snow mobile trip was excellent and extra clothing was provided, we had a full two hours so well worth experiencing, but don't forget your driving licence.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Henri was very approachable from the start and had a fantastic knowledge of Finland, its winter sports and wildlife. Nothing was too much trouble, his English was impeccable and his stories kept us waiting for more.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Like all the other reviews you really do not need to bring many outdoor clothes but you would find it useful to bring a thermal buff and hand warmers especially for the evening outside meal where even our wine froze. A kettle for tea in the morning, although there was plenty at breakfast. A tripod is essential if you are lucky enough to see the northern lights like we were, there are also some aps which help predict an appearance. We found the lake an excellent vantage point, less light pollution away from the lodge.

Most Inspirational Moment

The northern lights appearing for us on our last evening in Reykjavik, and Day 3 of the tour when we visited the glacial lagoon and diamond beach then donned crampons for hiking the glacier.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Gudni was fantastic and looked after our group very well. He was very calm and personable and provided lots of interesting information about the country as we drove around. It was the first trip where I've seen the guide also do the driving, but with the help of his Madonna-style headset microphone it worked perfectly.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Clothing: We were extremely lucky with the weather, but I would definitely recommend lots of layers, and a scarf/buff/balaclava to protect your face is essential. I took both walking boots and snow boots but didn't wear the snow boots at all. They provide you with chains for your boots (which we found to be essential) and you need walking boots really to use them. You also need walking boots to fit the crampons for the glacier hike. I used a Peruvian-style hat with ear flaps for most of the trip, but you also need a beanie-style hat (no bobble) for the two occasions where you need to wear a helmet. Waterproof trousers and coat are essential as you may get wet in the cave and from waterfall spray, even if it’s not raining (a lens cleaning cloth for your camera is also useful as you’ll end up with lots of droplets on it near the waterfalls). I’d also highly recommend two pairs of gloves – the thin inner pair will protect your hands when taking photos. Other equipment: I took a flask but didn't use it. There was a kettle in the room at Hotel Laki, but not in Reykjavik. You can easily fill up a bottle with drinking water throughout the trip. It may sound strange, but sun cream may be useful, especially if you go later in the season; it had clouded over a bit by the time we did the glacier walk, but otherwise there would have been a fair bit of exposure and reflection from the sun. Northern Lights: We were extremely lucky and saw a great display on the last night. However, be prepared to be flexible and keep extra layers on the bus with you just in case. We headed straight from the day's activities for dinner with the intention of then checking in to the hotel and getting extra layers on etc before heading out into the countryside (away from light pollution) as the forecast was looking good. However, the lights had other ideas and appeared for an hour at 8.30 pm, just as we were finishing dinner. We all piled into the bus and headed 10 minutes to a peninsula near the harbour in Reykjavik. So whilst we didn't get to see them against dark skies, we did avoid a long drive and hours of standing outside in the cold, and were back at the hotel by 10 in time to head out to a bar. A friend who went on the trip in January had a 2 hour drive each way to find them on the last night and got back to the hotel at 3 am! When you are at Hotel Laki, if you hear people moving about in the middle of the night and doors going, don’t lie in bed wondering why people were being noisy like I did; it probably means somebody has spotted the lights, so throw your warm clothes on and get up to the viewing area on the roof! I only have a compact camera (Panasonic Lumix TZ30) but managed to get some reasonable photos after doing a bit of research online before I went. I used the manual mode with F3.3, ISO 800, a 15 second exposure, and self timer to avoid camera shake. The key was having a mini tripod with me (that allows you to angle the camera upwards) – even though it’s small enough to fit in my pocket and I looked a bit silly next to everybody with their proper gear, it worked perfectly.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the Taj Mahal was a major highlight of the trip, but cycling through the more rural areas, seeing the real India was probably just as unforgettable.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Bhopesh and Anand could not have been more helpful, they were good company, adaptable, knowledgable and fun to cycle with. All arrangements were efficiently organised, time management was excellent, and preparing the group for the days challenge was always well done. Safety was always a priority but this didn't detract from the fun.

Advice for Potential Travellers

None of our group got any serious tummy problems, we ate Indian all the time. The leaders advised us well on good places to eat, we had street food and regular chai stops but because we were very careful regarding hand gel use and only drinking bottled water we had no problems.