Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

From a cycling perspective, making it to the end of the really hard hill climb was very inspirational from a personal perspective! I loved the view from the hotel in Lake Girithale, breathtaking view. The final beach hotel was wonderful. Standing on the sand looking out at the ocean at the surfers was wonderful and the final poolside BBQ was very special. The pools at that hotel were fab as well as the one at Chaarya hotel Seeing elephant and leopard on safari and a fin whale while whalewatching also very special.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ruwan was a wonderful group leader. He was incredibly patient, knowledgeable, flexible, attentive, great wildlife knowledge too.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring your own loo roll and hand sanitiser. Bring cycling shoes and trainers because one will get wet. Bring high quality camera. Bring a sarong for easily going into temples to tie round your waist

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the Tomb of Seti I in the Valley of the Kings (note: this wasn't included in the tour and I paid extra for this, but it was worth it) Also, Abu Simbel was breathtaking

Thoughts on Group Leader

Really good. Galal had amazing historical and archeological knowledge which really bought the things we saw to life and made them fascinating. He fully explained all aspects of life in both Ancient and Modern Egypt. Leading a big group around Egypt must be quite a stressful task, but Galal handled this brilliantly.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Beware of people in Luxor telling you they are from your hotel and trying to take you to a shop or a spice market. This happened to a few of us in the group.

Most Inspirational Moment

Very friendly locals, an aspirational country clearly highly motivated to embrace education.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent team, faultless.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Skip the first week, find a trip spending more time in Kerala.

Most Inspirational Moment

Cairo museum, pyramids, alley of the kings and Abu Simbel. Travelling by bus through the dessert was also very interesting.

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was very good at judging the amount of information given with free time at the venue. Good recommendation about changing itinerary swapping Abu Simbel with the dam visit day.

Most Inspirational Moment

In Jordan our day in Petra where we discovered there was so much more to see than the heavily advertised Treasury and Monastery. The massive area the site covered, variety of buildings and civilisations evidenced by the ruins was spectacular. The Bedouin experience at Wadi Rum was just as impressive. A completely different landscape to that I’m used to, the taste of food cooked in an underground oven, a moonlit night ride to stargazing, a magnificent sunrise and a 4 X 4 tour of the local area, taking in stark rock formations, ancient writing, soap plant hand washing, an endurance run and rock climbers turning up to scale a cliff. In Egypt the vast scale of the great pyramids, that there were still many questions unanswered regarding the dates and methods of construction and the incredible belief system that must have been in place for the investment of time and economic effort of subjects for the benefit of their pharaoh. Also, our Nubian experience, which included desert regeneration, rescued and reconstructed temples and a Nubian lodge at Abu Simbel. The lodge and surroundings were quite spacious and peaceful compared to Cairo and Luxor. The felucca sailing experience on the Nile was special too.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Both Ahmed in Jordan and Yousef in Egypt were very knowledgeable, came with a wealth of experience, were great ambassadors for their countries, making us feel welcome and valued. They were happy to answer our questions, and both had a great sense of humour. In Egypt there was also a senior Exodus representative with us, Sara, who fed back the benefit of her many years of experience to the local operator. Her being there was a positive experience for the group and I’m sure will see positive tweaks to the itinerary, I also thought it shows that Exodus is committed to continuous improvement.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Customs officials in Egypt didn’t like us bringing in optical equipment (monocular) and cameras were singled out and then wiped with chemicals as part of explosive testing.

Most Inspirational Moment

Angkor Wat was always going to be the highlight of the holiday and it did not disappoint. Yes lots of temples but each had different qualities. Then the harrowing visit to the prison and the killing fields brought back memories that we’d witnessed from afar.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Nut was superb. Happy to go the extra mile. Full of ideas and recommendations.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Keep hydrated. The cycling isn’t difficult but the conditions are taxing. Hot and humid but if you’re a reasonable biker you’ll be ok.

Most Inspirational Moment

Certainly the wildlife. We were able to see so much and get so very close to some animals because of the expertise and knowledge of the guides. They knew the animals and their behaviour patterns so well. I always felt very safe.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Onary was excellent. Occasionally I didn’t quite catch his accent (I’m partly deaf) but he was happy to repeat things. He was very knowledgeable and showed great care of us all, nothing was too much trouble. He was very concerned that we were always safe and enjoying ourselves. He quickly became very much a part of our African family on the trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It was an exhausting trip because we did so many varied things but that is what we signed up for. The list of animals and birds we saw became very long and the encounter with white rhino was exhilarating. Moving from lodge to lodge can be tiresome but it meant we did so much and saw so many different areas. It was worth it. We didn’t bother with Zimbabwean dollars, US$ were all that was needed there. We did exchange a few dollars for Botswanan Pula. It was much hotter than I had expected for November, high 30s/low40s and I was pretty useless in the middle of the day but the main activities were early morning or evening and that was very pleasant.

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching the summit of Puig Campana. This was a challenging walk but worth the effort as the panoramic views especially over the coast were stunning.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jose was an excellent leader and guide. He was informative, approachable and very organised and had a good support team. Jose briefed us every day so we knew the detail and the challenges of the next walk and made sure we were prepared. Jose's sandwiches which he made for us every day are rightly legendary as is his paella. He made recommendations and arrangements for each of us for our free day and even ferried us around. Nothing was too much trouble.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The weather was clear, dry and the right temperature for walking but taking many layers is the best approach as it can cool down quickly out of the sun. It is strenuous in parts so you do need to be fit, have a head for heights and have some good boots.

Most Inspirational Moment

I liked the temple in Madurai, the birds, the days we cycled in the Ghats and the tea plantations best. And the food.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Shekkar was very knowledgable. All the team were very kind,friendly and helpful.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I wouldn’t bother with taking clip in pedals, too many hazards on the roads to make it safe. Cows buses etc. Cycling in city traffic was scary at first but actually quickly worked out it’s not aggressive like the UK. Everyone gives way for you and no one drives too fast. I would take light weight bike lights. We had a couple of late finishes and really should have had lights. Take plenty of mosquito repellant, especially for long days when you might arrive at dusk. They bite through your cycle shorts. Some long days in the saddle. Worth investing in good cycle shorts. Take your own saddle maybe. Pack light as you can have washing done midway through at one of the 2 night hotel stays. Most places we stopped for lunch had hand washing facilities but wet wipes were handy. Take a water bottle with a mouth piece cover as roads very dusty. They give you plenty of snacks and have electrolytes for your water bottle.

Most Inspirational Moment

Too many, Ankhor Wat, S-21

Thoughts on Group Leader

Nut was absolutely brilliant. Couldn’t have done done more for us all.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Check out flight options. Enjoy every minute! Cycling does depend on the group. The Kerala trip was supposed to be harder than this one but I found this one harder as some of us struggled in the heat - 37c - and long cycles at a decent pace. Kerala was shorter cycles, not as hot (around 27c) and flat apart from the challenge of Ooty Hill.