Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Although reaching Everest Basecamp was amazing in itself, climbing Kala Patthar (5545m) felt like the big acheivement. We were really lucky with the weather and the breathtaking views will stay in my memories forever.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Lakpa Lama was absolutely fantastic. He looked after the group with such care and did everything in his power to make it the trip of a lifetime for all involved. Our other guide Pemba (who has worked for Exodus for over 27 years), was a brilliant character who kept spirits up and ensured everyone was safe and happy.

Advice for Potential Travellers

-Take a metal water bottle to be used as a hot water bottle in the evening.-Take a small bottle of febreeze to freshen your clothes!-Listen to your guide, if he says walk slowly do and drink lots of water.

Suggestions

This really is a trip of a lifetime, I will be boring my friends with photos and stories for weeks to come!

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling around Giritale tank in the scorching heat being greeted and high-fived by locals coming out of their houses to see 15 madly grinning tourists.  Finishing the cycle with an incredible curry and rice lunch in a local house whilst enjoying an ice cold sprite.  One of those rare moments when you no longer feel like a tourist looking in and begin to feel part of the fabric of a place.  An incredible day that will stay in my mind forever.The Sri Lankan people in general - they often don't have a huge amount when compared to their Western counterparts but they are so happy, welcoming and proud of their country - you can't help but feel uplifted.  

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sujan was a legend.  I don't think I have met a more organised, accomodating person - every transfer was seamless, every question answered.  A vertitable treasure trove of knowledge whether it be the local wildlife, local traditions, religion, where to shop.  Genuine, passionate and friendly - a great person - ISTUTI!

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is an intensive holiday - you go to a lot of places so there is a lot of travelling on buses and you have to stick to a pretty rigid timetable.  This can be quite tiring and occassionally frustrating - especially when you visit somewhere that you fall in love with but only get a couple of hours there :(Accommodation is highly variable - there are some relatively decent hotels and some ... less decent hotels - dirty sheets, poor facilities, unpleasant bathrooms.  Regardless of the standard hotel also prepare yourself for occassionl bugs in the room - cockroaches, termites, ants, spiders, beetles, mozzies.  And you'll always have geckos in your room sitting on the ceiling :) 

Suggestions

A really memorable holiday with some breathtaking highlights.  If you want an intensive tour of a large swathe of Sri Lankas highlights this is a great option.

Most Inspirational Moment

Descending the Atlas Montains, Berber tea and hospitaly, seeing the compassion in our driver's eyes.  

Thoughts on Group Leader

He is great, very organized and precise. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be physically prepared for very high ascendings! 

Suggestions

I wish we had more sightseeing and stops at historical places along the way. 

Most Inspirational Moment

Definetly the views. Some spectacular views of the region.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sara was a fantastic leader, very easy going but very well organised. A lovely lady with a wealth of climbing experience. She made the holiday very enjoyable despite the awful weather.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is challenging climbing holiday. Be prepared with good walking shoes and lots of warm clothes. We had awful weather in April, very cold, snow, hail, rain therefore come well prepared for all weathers.

Most Inspirational Moment

Each place we visited had a highlight, from learning how to cook delicious Vietnamese food from an entertaining chef in Hoi An, kayaking around the many and mysterious islands in Halong Bay, visiting the My Son temple complex, exploring Tu Duc's mausoleum, the sights and smells of Hue market, crawling along the tunnels at Cu Chi to taking a cyclotaxi ride around Ho Chi Minh City, every day had numerous inspirational moments. The Vietnamese people are amongst the friendliest I've met which added to the experience. I would highly recommend visiting Vietnam for the sheer variety on offer.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Zung made the history and culture of Vietnam come to life and helped us to understand their customs and way of life. This was an invaluable way of getting a better understanding of the country and the people around us, which I definitely won't have got the most out of if I had visited Vietnam on my own.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Book this trip now before Vietnam changes!!! You won't regret it. Don't forget to bring tropical strength DEET for the Mekong Delta as the mosquitoes in that part of Vietnam were particularly vicious!

Suggestions

I got so much out of this holiday both in terms of the sights I saw, the activities I did and the people I met. Having the opportunity to have dinner at a local family's house was a real highlight as not only was the cooking excellent but the company was warm and welcoming too. Since the iternary allowed for free time along the way you could make this either a relaxing holiday or a real jam packed sightseeing one which suited the group dynamics well.

Most Inspirational Moment

Being able to walk the wall in your own time/pace.  Take it all in and enjoy the scenery!!!!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Kevin was a fantastic tour leader, always trying to accommodate everyone as best as possible. He's easily one of the best tour leader I had with Exodus.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a sleeping bag liner, a travel towel and spare toilet paper. Unless you're travelling in the summer, take a long base layer with you, just in case it gets cold at night. If you're into landscape photography, this is a fantastic opportunity to take some unique pictures, take a ND Grad filter with you - the light can be quite harsh (something I didn't expect). I didn't have one and now I wish I did.

Suggestions

I had some issues with the food, as I'm not only vegetarian but also quite picky in general. Make sure you tell your tour leader in advance so that he/she can try to accommodate you. Other than that, this is a brilliant trip, with loads to see and experience. You won't regret it.

Most Inspirational Moment

It's hard to decide on a favourite part, but probably have to settle on the walks in the beautiful mountain scenery, with the views of the snow-capped mountains, beautiful valleys and picnics by the river. Then again, the square and the souks in Marrakesh at night were a smorgasbord of smells, sounds and sights. Lots of nice memories - sitting chatting over cups of mint tea in the gite at night, wrapped up in blankets then venturing outside to see a skyful of stars.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We felt very confident in Hassan's experience and knowledge of the mountains. He had an innate sense of timing in terms of walking pace and stops. Certainly won't forget the snowball fights at the pass on the second day's walk! He was always calm, friendly and good-natured. The staff at the gite were lovely, too. Managed to get some recipes out of the cook.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Always take warm clothes - especially gloves and hats! Don't believe forecasts that predict the mountain temperatures will be 3-5 degrees lower in the mountains than the city. We travelled in April and it was very cold, although worth it for the snow scenery!

Suggestions

Visit the Marrakesh Museum and Ben Yousseff Medersa if you have time once back in the city - beautiful buildings. Don't miss the square at night.

Most Inspirational Moment

We were woken early on the morning that we were at Thyenboche to come and look at the view.  The sky was a brilliant blue, the air was cold but the sun was out.  We were thrilled to get our first view of Everest, nestling behind Nuptse and Lhotse.  It was beautiful and I know that that vista will stay in my memory for ever.

Thoughts on Group Leader

What can I say about Pasang.  His beaming smile met us at the airport after our long, tiring journey.  He was entertaining, bright, efficient, helpful, charming and knowlegeable.  He assisted us with our many queries throughout our holiday, he gave us good advice and seemingly effortlessly guided us to our destination.  I think I can speak for the whole group in saying we felt very lucky indeed to have Pasang along with us.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I would simply reiterate the advice given by exodus.   some of the walks are challenging because of the altitude and therefore I would advise potential travellers to get themselves as fit as possible prior to their holiday.  although one cannot always avoid altitude sickness, you can cope with the effects if you are  fit and well in other respects.

Suggestions

the holiday was great.  I enjoyed the company of the rest of the group, our assistant guides and the yak man were great fun to be with.   pasang was wonderful.  I even have fond memories of the toilets!

Most Inspirational Moment

I really loved Halong Bay and the kayaking, but heard the music on the other boat and they were clearly having more fun, jealous.The Mekong Delta was also beautiful and the locals lovely and friendly, the homestay was a bit quiet for me though.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Was initially dissapointed as took an early dive on the 2nd night and decided we didin't need a group meal, the first three days were tough as lack of information on what we were doing and not properly kitted out for the day trip. However; once he asked what was wrong and I explianed he bent over backwards to make the trip really enjoyable. Very knowledgeable guide who was proud of his country and clearly enjoyed his job.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Shopping in Hoi Ann is amazing, bought several tailor made suits and wok shirts which were well made and dirt cheap, so leave space in your luggage and remember you can do laundry there so don't over pack.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many great moments on this trip. Walking amongst wandering giant tortoises, stepping over myriads of marine iguanas, watching sea lions at play......Seeing a whale and calf breach the surface of the ocean ahead of the yacht - even momentarily - ranks pretty high. As did cruising with a pod of Dolphins at our bow - who remained with us, leaping and dancing, for some minutes - especially as our guide had assured us Dolphins don't do that in the Galapagos! Also not forgetting the snorkelling with large numbers of turtles, sea lions and the occasional penguin.Generally, it was the wildlife that provided the highlights - which is what you would expect and the reason we chose the trip.

Thoughts on Group Leader

I would single out Esteban, our mainland guide in Quito, for special praise. Nothing was too much trouble for him. He is clearly passionate about his country and went to great lengths to ensure we got the most out of our time in Quito and had the opportunity to see as many of the highlights as possible while we were there.The joining instructions advised we would be meeting Darwin (who has received many good reviews) in the Galapagos Islands. Our guide in fact turned out to be Franklin, who was knowledgable about the area and the wildlife, and keen to share his knowledge - and his opinions. We were a small group (initially there were just five of us) joined part way through by others (a family of three) and we felt Franklin could have done more to stimulate group cohesion. He also had his own views about what we should want to see, rather than group members' specific interests. We also all felt a little bit abandoned on the first evening on board Cachalote after Franklin left to go to a meeting and the crew retired leaving us to our own devices!In the jungle David was knowledgable but the real star there was Hugo, our local guide, whose wildlife-spotting capabilities were amazing.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just go - you won't regret it, but don't forget the seasickness pills. (Better to be safe than sorry.)

Suggestions

The rainforest extension is well worth doing. It would seem a shame not to take advantage of the opportunity having gone all that way! It's hot and humid (as you would expect) but the lodges are comfortable and it provides a contrasting wildlife spotting experience after the Galapagos Islands. A minor word of caution, though. When you arrive at the Napo Centre you are "grouped" with the people you arrive with. We were the only two Exodus travellers with two other couples, both of whom were considerably older (and less fit) than ourselves and, bizarrely, seemed to have little interest in wildlife. In order to get the most out of this short extension we had to persuade the guide to split the group for some activities.