Request Your Free Brochure For Adventure Inspiration. Order Now

All activities
No results found
Select all activities Culture Cycling Family Mixed-Activity Multi-Country Holidays Polar Walking & Trekking Wildlife Holidays Winter Holidays
All months
March 2024 April 2024 May 2024 June 2024 July 2024 August 2024 September 2024 October 2024 November 2024 December 2024 January 2025 February 2025 March 2025 April 2025 May 2025 June 2025 July 2025 August 2025 September 2025 October 2025 November 2025 December 2025
Ask a Question
Turtle, Ecuador

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.

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.

Reviews

Life changing!

This was a trip of a lifetime, from start to finish I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was very get up and go, so if this isn’t your sort of trip then I don’t think it would be for you.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing Machu Picchu for the first time was really incredible, no one can explain to you how it feels when you're standing there, you have to see it with your own eyes. I also really loved the sand dunes which our leader took us to!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Leo was incredible, he was thoroughly organised, kind, patient, sensible, careful - everything you want in a tour leader. I noticed how he waited in reception all times of the day in case anyone needed him, so he could be found easily. He really made the trip for a lot of us.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If it is approaching summer/spring in Peru - ensure to pack shorts, t-shirts etc as the weather is very unpredictable and it was VERY hot for us! Also very strong sun cream, as well as a travel pillow for long journeys, ear plugs and face mask which helped me.

Peru

In summary, the trip, the organisation, and the itinerary was extremely good.
Leo, our guide, was excellent.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing Machu Pichu and also stopping at an Oasis. The scenery was also stunning.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Leo was excellent. He was knowledgable, caring, answered all questions, and was extremely well organised. He made local stops, such as to an Oasis and also to a Road side stop on one of the long journey days, that had excellent coffee and shopping, and really should be included in the itinerary.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The altitude caused ALL of us problems, from mild headaches to full sickness and needs to be more strongly emphasised. The weather was MUCH warmer than suggested in the Trip Notes and ALL of us had brought too many warm clothes and not enough light clothing. The bus stays are much longer than suggested, with few stops and often unanticipated holds ups meaning extremely long travelling days with little time to do anything on arrival except eat and sleep. The Hot Springs at Chivay shoukd be avoided- 1 overcrowded pool with blaring music and lots of loud teenagers.

Suggestions

The first very long bus journey (day 4) was made even longer by a road closure for 2 hours. This was too long on a bus with very few stops and the route should be changed or a stop over en route, made. The Hot Springs in Chivay, mentioned in the Itinerary was dreadful. Only 1overfull, very loud pool with blaring music. Neither relaxing nor pleasant. In contrast, the Hot Springs in Machu Pichu, which was not mentioned in the Itinerary, was in beautiful scenery, multiple pools, no music, and, while also busy with school children, they were all kept to 1 pool, leaving the other pools free for adults and relaxation.

Fantastico!

Outstanding full-on tour of southern Peru, with its wonderful variety of scenery and historical attractions. Overall organisation and itinerary were excellent. There were some very long drives but not tiring as there was so much to see. Food (huge portions) and drink were very good, reasonably priced and quite varied (nice to see lots of craft beers). Hotels were very good. There were only 3 of us, luckily we got on very well! Others had cancelled, doubtless scared off by the civil disruption early in 2023. People were friendly and we encountered no problems, in fact Peru felt safer than some southern European countries…

Most Inspirational Moment

So many highlights, Machu Pichu, Cusco, condors in Colca Canyon, Reed islands in Lake Titicaca, festivals at Cusco and Raqchi.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our tour leader Leo was excellent. He was highly competent and patiently attended to our needs including arranging great restaurants for dinners.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just go. When you book, check that the flights selected are the best for you. KLM really messed up my arrangements by changing and cancelling my flights.

Fantastic experience

So much to see and do. Quite tiring, with early starts and some long drives, but I loved it all. We saw so many wonderful sites, met great local people and tried lots of different foods and drinks. Arrangements and support in Peru were brilliant, particularly the lead guide, William.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking around the corner of the top path to see Machu Picchu below me - so emotional after wanting to see it for almost 50 years.

Thoughts on Group Leader

William was excellent. He was extremely knowledgeable and spoke excellent English. He really made the trip, because all of his advice and support was great. He even took us to places in his own time and made great suggestions for places to eat and visit. He was also a really lovely man and interesting to talk to.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take or buy snacks for the long journeys. Always top up with water/drinks. Sort and pack luggage into small bags, so it is quick and easy to find what you need.

Suggestions

Enjoy every experience. I was not a great outdoor person and a little nervous of the home stay and food, but embraced it all and had a truly memorable holiday.

Expectations exceeded!

This trip fulfilled my long-held ambitions to see Machu Picchu and condors flying over the Colca Canyon while also giving us the chance to visit the Nazca Lines and Lake Titicaca. I loved all these experiences but there was so much else to enjoy, including time spent relaxing in Cusco, pisco tasting in Ica and the Lima tour on our last morning. The local guides we had at Lake Titicaca and in Arequipa and Lima were all superb. My only disappointment was seeing so few birds and no penguins on the Ballestas Islands boat trip. It was upsetting to see the effect of bird flu and El Niño on the wildlife there.

Most Inspirational Moment

I'll never forget looking down on Machu Picchu and up at condors. Not quite in the same league but particular highlights for me were the Koricancha Sun Temple and the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art in Cusco and the Santa Catalina Monastery in Arequipa.

Thoughts on Group Leader

William was a brilliant leader. He worked hard to ensure that everything ran smoothly and everyone's requirements were met and he was particularly conscientious when it came to checking that no-one was badly affected by the altitude. He was a great guide at Machu Picchu and the other archaeological sites and very helpful in identifying the birds and other wildlife we encountered. Above all he's a really friendly and cheerful person who enjoyed taking and sharing photos and who was happy to chat about anything, even Peru's failure to qualify for the last football World Cup!

Advice for Potential Travellers

If in doubt, please go for it!. Our leader and local guides were very grateful that we'd made the trip and asked us to encourage others to visit. After the double whammy of the pandemic and this year's political unrest the Peruvian tourist industry needs support.

Essential Peru

An unforgettable trip of a lifetime. After so many trips, this was probably one of the most impressive and perfectly organised 2-week round trip I have ever experienced, with a very nice and friendly tour group and our guide Luis, who did an excellent job of informing us about the history, geography as well as current events of Peru, including the continent. Every day was full of sights to discover, every day was interesting and full of news, although we made a long journey and it was sometimes exhausting. But no stretch, no tiredness was in vain, because thanks to the professional drivers and local guides, it was the earth of Peru itself, with its diverse colours, areas, people, climate and dreamlike landscapes, that always surprised, amazed and sometimes moved you between speechlessness and tears of unique beauty. From the legendary Machu Picchu to the fiery red rocks of Cola Canyon, from Lake Titicaca, the warm-hearted people and the lovely host family on the island of Amantani to the magical volcanic area, from the region of Ica and many, many places, this beautiful country of Peru is always worth a trip, no matter if it is a round trip or just regional. No matter which region or city I mention, none of it would have been so perfectly possible without our professional tour guide Luis, whose narrations on the bus I kept wishing would never stop, as he not only shared historical facts and local peculiarities with us, but also answered every conceivable question from fellow travellers clearly, precisely and absolutely understandably. Luis, you remain for us an unforgettable, wise, very intelligent and funny tour guide. I would also like to thank the Exodus team for the excellently planned itinerary, even though the planned time in Aguas Caliente proved too long for such a small place. Whomever Luis is assigned as tour guide, he can be sure that he is in good hands and travelling with a very experienced and friendly soul. The many drivers and local guides may forgive me for not remembering their worthy names, but they all did their best, from day to night, from the mountains to the dry and hot areas all over Peru. Thank you. Muchas Gracias. Sulpayki.

Most Inspirational Moment

Simply Peru as a whole, the landscape, people, food and all the colours.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Luis Gonzales is unbeatable and simply the best in his way, being professional, objective, patient and smart.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't hesitate. Just go for this trip: Essential Peru.

Suggestions

Enjoy every day in Peru.

Fantastic experience

So much to see and do. Quite tiring, with early starts and some long drives, but I loved it all. We saw so many wonderful sites, met great local people and tried lots of different foods and drinks. Arrangements and support in Peru were brilliant, particularly the lead guide, William.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking around the corner of the top path to see Machu Picchu below me - so emotional after wanting to see it for almost 50 years.

Thoughts on Group Leader

William was excellent. He was extremely knowledgeable and spoke excellent English. He really made the trip, because all of his advice and support was great. He even took us to places in his own time and made great suggestions for places to eat and visit. He was also a really lovely man and interesting to talk to.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take or buy snacks for the long journeys. Always top up with water/drinks. Sort and pack luggage into small bags, so it is quick and easy to find what you need.

Suggestions

Enjoy every experience. I was not a great outdoor person and a little nervous of the home stay and food, but embraced it all and had a truly memorable holiday.

A trip of a lifetime

The trip was very tiring due to many early starts and very long bus journeys and the high altitude, but oh my goodness it was so worth it. Overall the trip far exceeded my expectations and ranks amongst the best experience of my lifetime.

Most Inspirational Moment

It was, as it was always going to be, the visit to Machu Picchu. This fulfilled a very long held bucket list item for me. I did wonder whether it would turn out to be a disappointment, and I half expected it to be too busy. But the moment when we first stood at the viewpoint above the site was every bit as inspiring and emotional as I had hoped, and the numbers of people there were far less than I had anticipated. Having said all this, the condors at the Colca Canyon came a very close second to this. That exceeded my expectations by so much.

Thoughts on Group Leader

William was a fabulous your leader. I am sure that I would not have enjoyed the tour half as much as I did had it not been for his excellent leadership. His knowledge and enthusiasm for his country and the sites that we visited was inspirational. He helped us tremendously in identifying wild of the wildlife we saw, which is a great interest to us. On the one night that I struggled with altitude sickness he answered how phone immediately when I rung him in the middle of the night and was so sympathetic and helpful. I cannot thank William enough for all his assistance throughout the holiday

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't worry too much about the altitude sickness. I had heard so many horror stories about it beforehand that I got quite anxious about it, but in the end it was no big deal. Don't be fooled by the guidance given in various sites about the cost of meals in Peru. We found that in average they were over twice as expensive as we had expected. Bring plenty of currency. Don't worry too much about the home stay. I can't honestly day that I was looking forward to that, but it turned out to be a rewarding experience.

Suggestions

Thank you William and all at Exodus for helping make it such an unforgettable trip. It ranks amongst the best experiences of my lifetime and will remain long in the memory.

Wonderful and varied trip

This is really varied trip, which allows you to see different regions and terrains of Peru , from coastal islands to deserts, to the Andes mountains and Machu Picchu, to the islands and communities of Lake Titicaca. A fantastic choice if you want to see more of the country than just Cusco and Machu Picchu.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many. Personally I loved Nazca and the deserts around there. But mostly it was the scenery crossing the Andes. Yes the journey was long, but we got to see amazing scenery, which would have been missed by flying directly into Cuzco. Machu Picchu lives up to the hype and is breathtaking. But visiting the communities living on the reed islands of Lake Titicaca was equally memorable.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Luis was incredible, combining a passion for his country with enthusiasm for making sure everyone had a good time. He worked tirelessly, often behind the scenes, to make sure our trip ran smoothly, and dealt amazing with some hiccups along the way. He was a fantastic leader, and you'll be lucky if he is leading your future trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

As many have said.....take layers. It gets cold, esp on Lake Titicaca. A good gift for the communities is something from your local country (even something like a tea towel), as the family we visited had used these as wall hangings in their house. Headaches from altitude were helped by taking electrolytes (either in drinks or powder sachets); I used rehydration sachets and didn't experience too many problems at all. The optional tour around Cuzco and the 4 ruins was a really great first day in Cuzco to get a sense of the history of the area. You might need more spending money than you think - Peru is not a cheap country, and some ATMs had a cap on how much you could withdraw each time, so maybe take some dollars with you to exhchange as well as relying on ATMs (this worked well for me).

Suggestions

Nazca is under-rated I think. I'm not a fan of flying, and so didn't do the scenic flight with the rest of the group, and yet the alternative option was such fun and one of the highlights of the trip (we visited the burial grounds surrounding Nazca, ancient monuments and an aqueduct, crossing the desert in a dune buggy, which was completely exhilarating).

Terribly let down by Exodus

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing Machu Picchu for the first time. But there were many amazing moments.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Holgar (Olie) was an excellent tour leader with great knowledge of his country and with very good command of English. He has a kind and friendly personality and went out of his way to help us and to make the trip a memorable one for us. His organisation skills were outstanding and he made sure that everything flowed smoothly. As I suffered from altitude sickness his kindness and help was invaluable to me.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Ask Exodus all the details such as the air line you will be booked on (if you are booking with flights) etc before you book the trip. Do not trust Exodus to make the right decisions for you. From what I gathered from some members of the group, Exodus offers better prices and a better service if tours are booked through third parties such as Trailfinders. It might be better not to book directly with Exodus and better still, book with another tour operator.

Suggestions

Peru is a beautiful country, well worth travelling to.

Review Centre
Reply from Exodus

We would like to thank Jinny for her review, although we are incredibly sorry that her trip was soured by the service she received on her flights with Air Europa. We understand that, as Jinny made her booking later than other clients on this trip, flights with KLM would have incurred a large supplement, and so our Sales team looked to book her onto flights with alternative airlines which offered her a better price. We would mention that Air Europa are an established, full-service airline who we have used for many years on different routes to Spain and South America without issue; they are not considered a ‘budget’ carrier, and are a member of the SkyTeam alliance alongside KLM. Consequently, our team were confident they would provide a similar level of service, but we are shocked to hear of the experience Jinny had on her journey to and from Peru, and are so sorry to hear that she became ill following her flight home. Our Aviation team has been made aware of Jinny’s experience and will closely monitor feedback we get from clients who fly with this airline in the future; should this prove not to be a one-off, we will strongly consider removing Air Europa from our list of preferred carriers.

We are also sorry that Jinny feels that Exodus offer better prices should our trips be booked through third parties, which we can assure her is not the case. In this instance, the members of her group who booked through Trailfinders did so far in advance, and so avoided any supplementary charges, which are reflective of the costs Exodus incurs in making a later booking. However, we are heartened to read that Jinny found Peru to be a beautiful and worthwhile destination, and are particularly pleased that she singled out our tour leader, Holger, for praise.

Troy Glennon, Product Manager