Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Being in the mountains around Mt Blanc where the views and scenery were spectacular and varied.  Beautiful spring flowers and meadows, glaciers, dramatic peaks, and valleys.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very experinced and knowledgeable leader (been doing this for many seasons), managed the difficult snow conditions well, made all in the group feel comfortable, included and cared for without being intrusive or fussy. Took everything in his stride and excllent at judging everyone's capabilities and pace and accomodated needs in a relaxed and positive way.  He was also very attentive on food preferences/allergies/restrictions.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Walking is fairly strenuous, but if you are actively fit or an experienced walker it should not be too difficult, but there's quite a bit of up and down and some longish days.  Well worth getting fit for maximum enjoyment and also to ensure that the group can move along and complete all the route without compromises (luckily our group was all very capable and similar abilities which made it very enjoyable and fun).  Very glad we were on the hotel tour on the colder and wetter days.

Most Inspirational Moment

The cloud inversion on the first days walk. Disappointingly cloudy in the valley but we soon drove above the clouds and entered a different world.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fantastic! Sara couldn't have been more helpful. Very group aware and encouraging in a very mixed ability group. She got us all to the top of the highest mountain in Tuscany and managed to lead us while giving us all the opportunity to go at our own pace. Her experience of the area was a great help especially on the free day when she was so helpful at helping people to plan their chosen day trips. Excellent driver as well!

Advice for Potential Travellers

The temperature in the hills is very different to Pisa so don't be fooled by googling the weather in Pisa!

Most Inspirational Moment

The lovely day cycle across Hvar island, truly beautiful.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Krsto was good at organising the group without it feeling too much like a school trip

Advice for Potential Travellers

Gel saddle

Most Inspirational Moment

The countryside and the people. I had never been to Italy before but had been told it was beautiful, and once you get there you see why. Our ride through the country from Bolzano (so beautiful) to Mestre was fantastic. The friendliness of the people in the small towns and villages was warming and welcoming. A few words of Italian had us buying bread and cheese, meat and fruit. It was actually fun to go to the markets each day. Sampling the speciality of each region was great and Michele made sure that we ate in good restaurants and even organised some ‘off the menu’ dishes for us.   

Thoughts on Group Leader

Michele made a great trip fantastic. He showed a level of professionalism I hadn’t expected and a level of care for each and every one of us that we’ll remember for the rest of our lives. He explained the individual aspects of every region we rode through and made each of us feel like we were the sole reason he was there. I can’t rate him highly enough. He allowed us to see things that we would have had no idea about had we not had a tour guide. Thanks Exodus for hiring him, he's a real asset to your company.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just do it. Go, and you’ll be glad you did. Have faith in your guide and just have a good time. Allow a few days at the beginning and end as Bolzano is so beautiful, and Venice was nice too.

Most Inspirational Moment

Getting to the Sun Gate on the Moonstone Trek and seeing Mount Veronica in all her glory with 2 Condors flying above us. Such a truly magical moment :)Getting to hold a Caimen on the river in the rainforest! Best holiday photos ever.

Thoughts on Group Leader

My group leader was lovely, he was very helpful and told us lots of useful and helpful information. I had him along with me for most of my trip and the replacement I had for the Moonstone trek was equally as good. They both went above and beyond to help make the trip magical.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Bojan did his job well. Nice guy, speaks English well. No complaints really.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Mind your Bus ticket in Dubrovnik. They're made of paper and get damaged pretty easily. Tickets bought as part of the Dubrovnik card package aren't silly cheap and as mine got sweaty, it never worked at all and I couldn't replace it (Had to fork out for a new one!). Non-Dubrovnik card tickets however can be replaced though and as the 'free' Museums are a bit boring and/or small, might be better to buy bus tickets separately anyway and just do the things that are worthwhile; like city walls andcable car/museum. I recommend the kayak trips though. Did one on a free day between flights. Nice alternative to old stones, museums and masses of cruise ship tourists. There's also a bike and wine tasting trip available from the same companies.

Most Inspirational Moment

Picturesque towns and cities in all 3 countries and staying at a Manor House in Estonia.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Piotr was a good leader with clear instructions.  Thomas replaced Piotr for the second half of the trip so although he bonded with the group quickly some members of the group decided to do their own thing which led to a widely dispersed group which was harder to handle.  

Advice for Potential Travellers

Good trip for those who like flat terrain and virtually no hills.

Most Inspirational Moment

Sailing down Lake Garda and the cycle tours of each town that we rode into each night, oh and not forgetting the group meals at some very nice restaurants that Michele picked out for us most evenings together with the evening tour of Venice, quite magical.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Michele was an excellent group leader, friendly, loved Italy (understandably as he was Italian) and basically couldn't do enough for everyone on the trip. You certainly saw many things that a self guided traveller wouldn't have noticed.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This ride was rated moderate and that was about right for anyone who likes weekend road and trail riding. The pace was a little brisk at times but the cycleways were mainly flat so it wasn't a problem. Also the whilst the rental bikes at first sight looked a little stade, you soon discovered that they were well built and rolled extremely well. A great week's cycling.

Most Inspirational Moment

It might not be an original choice, but cycling all the way to the top on the hardest day. I'm not an experienced cyclist at all, and before the holiday started I thought I'd be on the train for sure. Then I thought I would have a go, but expected to have to bus it at least a bit. Getting to the top unassisted was a very proud moment for me, and I'd advise anyone going on this trip to give it a go, the scenery is breath-taking, the sense of achievement is great and on the way up our final tea stop gave us the best cuppa I've had in my life!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Suresh was an amazing leader. This was my first group holiday, and when I go on another the leader will have a lot to live up to after Suresh and the gang. He worked flat out to make it an amazing holiday for everyone. He also went above and beyond the call of duty to help me out when I lost some stuff. The tour was well planned and went of without a hitch! He was also clearly very knowledgeable about his country, being somewhat interested in history and culture I asked him a lot of questions, he didn’t even hesitate once in answering. As well as being an efficient and effective tour leader he's just a really nice guy, and genuinely interested in getting to know the group.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you take both a gel seat for your bike and padded shorts. Some of Sri Lanka's roads are a bit bumpy, and you will be happy with your investment! Take some high factor sun cream and make sure you use it frequently, it’s a powerful sun in Sri Lanka, and you can forget it when cycling ( especially when going downhill) It can be a bit tough at times, if you have a bit of a gap between booking and your trip I’d suggest you do a bit of training. That said it’s not a race, but the fitter you are the less time you will spend on the bus, and the more time you’ll be enjoying Sri Lanka by bike. We had brought some snacks with us, but I wouldn't bother as we were so well provided for, and I had most of them left at the end of the trip. We got fed at a lot of the tea stops, and you will not go hungry at main meals either. Make sure you do maximum damage at buffets as the curry is delicious. If you go to visit the temple of the Tooth on your free day in Kandy, remember to wear trousers ( or at least long shorts past the knee), it completely slipped our mind ( though we had been made aware of it to be fair) and we ended up in some rather lovely flowery sarongs. Sri Lankan airlines is fairly basic when it comes to the inflight entertainment, so take a book or mp3 with you for that. The hardest part of the hard day was before lunch, so push through!

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking through beautiful alpine meadows with the abundance of flowers, with the sun on our backs and the mountains all around.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ian was a fantastic leader.  He shares his knowledge and love of the area with enthusiasm. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go. Its a great holiday.