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.

Select a trip specific review:

Select

13884 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Reviewed June 2011

A TASTE OF CUBA

Very enthrusiastic guide – Mariella, who bent over backwards to do her best for us. This resulted in us all eating the finest cuisine Cuba had to offer – 3 lobsters in a week!! Accommodation – though basic was more than adequate for our needs.In addition, I feel that this trip strikes the best balance between travel and seeing the place without the travel aspect of it overwhelming the whole holiday as I have been told can occur on the longer Cuba trips.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were a few really. Overall, it was good to see a country very different to the one we are used to before it too becomes just as commercialized as anywhere else.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Exceptional. A real asset to her country and EXODUS. Talks alot though.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do the one week trip. Not the 2. The complaints surrounding the long bus journeys on poor roads on this trip indicated that the amount of travel on it was too much. By contrast, the one week trip strikes the balance just right.

Reviewed June 2011

Great way to see Jordan

This holiday covers all main sites and attractions in Jordan. It’s packed with things to do and there is a great mixture of different activities.

Most Inspirational Moment

Hiking in Petra, which many tourists do not get to do.The 4x4 ride in the desert, followed by sunset, food, dancing and then a silence that you cannot get anywhere else.Snorkelling in the red sea is like entering a completely new world.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leader was really friendly, helpful and most importantly very knowledgeable. We were a small group, so he tried to accommodate different people's needs and helped getting good bargains when shopping. I spend additional days on my own, met other tour guides and none were anywhere near as good as the exodus group leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

On some days you might have to be adaptable in terms of food as you don't get much choice in some tourist areas. If you are spending additional days on your own as a solo female traveller, make sure you have enough appropriate clothes for a muslim country.

Anonymous .

Reviewed June 2011

GORILLAS & MASAI MARA

WOW! Talk about a holiday of a lifetime. This has to be one of the most amazing and special trips I have been on. From meeting the group at the airport I knew that it was going to be something special. Often as group leader, Benard and Nebert are fantastic at making you feel welcome and involving the entire group. There is a great bond between them and it was this bond and their fantastic characters that made the holiday so enjoyable for me, they are an ace team. A special mention to Benard as well for his cooking throughout the trip, he always accommodated people and the BBQ steak was awesome. Seeing all of the ‘big 5’ and all the other wildlife in their natural habitat is very special most of all, the Gorilla’s, for which we were incredibly lucky to see the famed Susa group. Most emotional and moving for everyone was definitely the orphanage which is doing such wonderful work, and the genocide museum which really hits hard. Thanks to each of the leaders and the rest of the group for making it such good fun, certainly memories that will last a lifetime.

Most Inspirational Moment

For me the moment that stands out most was visiting the little angels ophanage and seeing what an amazing job Duncan is doing. He is an inspiration as a young man that is driven to help others and go out of his way to promote the good work he is doing in order to help more youngsters. He should be commended for what he is doing.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Often was an absolute star. He makes you feel welcome and at ease from the off, he has a great sense of humour and pulls the group together well. Its refreshing to go on a trip with a leader who is so knowlegable and willing to discuss things with the group. Most amazing of all is his eagle eye vision, managing to pick out a Lion in a tree that took everyone else about 15 minutes to find. Benard and Nebert also require mention as the camaraderie between the three of them is what makes the holiday so enjoyable.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you take a small ruck sack big enough to carry everything you need plus 2 litres of water, as sometimes you are out for some time and it can get very hot. If you do the quad biking, remember to put sun creme on your arms as the overalls are short sleeve and you can burn easily.

Reviewed June 2011

THE AMALFI COAST

A really fantastic holiday – exceeded my expectations. The walks were truly spectacular, through lemon groves, beech woods and along the most beautiful coastal paths. Calves still aching from all the steps up and down, but still fun! Really great group of fellow walkers who made the days a really enjoyable experience and were great company. Wonderful, family run hotel with the most fantastic 4 course dinners and nice accommodation. Very well organised week – didn’t have to think of anything! We had a number of options for our free day and they all turned out to be very good.

Most Inspirational Moment

Loved all the following things:The amazing food, stunningly beautiful coastal walks, ferry trip back from Positano, our free day spent at the Ravello gardens.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader Liz, was brilliant. She was very well organised and all the days plans ran like clockwork. She looked after us all very well and gave excellent briefings each night - so that we were well prepared for the next day. She was kind and very considerate towards everyone. She was super fit and walked up and down the coastal paths with ease!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't forget waterproof's - the weather on the mountains changes rapidly. You definitely need a good pair of walking shoes for this holiday. A long pair of lightweight trousers helps - as there are a lot of grasses and bushes on the edge of the coastal paths. A few of us got rashes on our ankles and lower legs.

Reviewed June 2011

HIGHLIGHTS OF BOTSWANA

The trip name is certainly appropriate – you definitely get the highlights of Botswana, and it didn’t feel rushed at all, as some highlight trips might suggest. The distances travelled were quite long on some days to get between camps, but the scenery and wait was always worth it. Compared to other safaris that I’ve been on, this one was very difficult to spot animals due to the length of the grass and density of the trees. It might be better later on the dry season (July / August).

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing Victoria Falls from the Zimbabwe side - which is certainly the best side to see it from. It's not mentioned anywhere in the trip notes, so might be subject to your tour leader.If I'm allowed a second inspirational moment, I'd say the optional river cruise on the Chobe river - don't miss it under any circumstances - we saw more wildlife in those three hours than on any game drive in the parks.Can I have a third? I'd say the trip into the Okavango Delta - a great introduction to wild camping, with the opportunity to do a bush walk - it might sound dangerous, but I felt safe with the very experienced guide.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader Sam, was very knowledgable, organised, and had good cooking skills. He was always helpful, and was flexible enough to amend the itinerary in places where the group wanted to see something or take a detour. Communication could have been a little better on occassions where we came across unexpected problems, but overall was very good.

Advice for Potential Travellers

1. Take an iPod or something similar to listen to on the long journey, and a book to read during the afternoons when it's too hot to do anything. 2. Take a South African and European style plug adaptor (covers you for the vehicle and lodges where electricity is available for charging.3. Take at least one spare battery for your camera.4. UK travellers - Buy your Visa for Zambia on entry to Zambia (rather than via the consulate in London) -it's very easy indeed, and gives you the option for a single or double-entry visa (useful if you cross from Zambia to Zimbabwe to see Victoria Falls from the other side)5. Don't do the 15-minute flight over Victoria Falls, opt for the 30 min flight, or microlight, or give it a miss entirely. Very disappointing. 6. The camp beds were old and uncomfortable - I'd recommend that you ask for two matresses and sleep on the floor if you can't get on with them.

Reviewed June 2011

MONT BLANC HIGHLIGHTS

A well planned itinerary with very hospitable hosts at a well located , comfortable chalet.

Most Inspirational Moment

Our final day finally revealed Mont Blanc in all its magnificence after hiding shyly behind a veil of cloud all week.The ibex appeared as if by magic at the most photogenic of moments.Fantastic profusion of wild flowers

Thoughts on Group Leader

A real character with a whacky sense of humour. Very competent and insightful leader in the mountains.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Very achievable- just go for it.

Reviewed June 2011

CYCLE THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO

Well what a great trip. Very exhilarating and a complete endorphin high as this was my first cycle trip ever. My training for the trip was about 3 times a week doing 15-20kms on roads with hills and flat sections for 4 months before the tour started. I was able to finish most of the tour except for the last 20kms due to time pressure of my flight out of Santiago de Compostella.

Most Inspirational Moment

We mostly travelled on the Pilgrim paths so there was a lot of rough riding with wonderful vistas and views of the Spanish countryside. Hence I would certainly suggest that you do some mountain bike training before you come on this trip so that you know how to handle a bike in rough, undulating and rocky terrain. Most of us in the group did not have experience in this sort of terrain but if you want to feel confident and go at a reasonable pace then do some. Moreover do some serious hill training as you are probably going to encounter some long inclines.Also we travelled on main roads shared with cars especially the long climbs that you will not encounter in any leisurely weekend cycling. We also travelled on some main roads as from Samos and then onto Sarria once we reached the summit at Cebreiro. This decent was 24Kms in length. The climb to Cebrerio was 9kms which was tough. There is also another long decent at the beginning after you climb for 14ms to the top of Peurto del Foncebadon. Your decent to Molinaseca which is very exhilarating. So you can see that you need to be prepared to do some serious climbing and riding. I could not have done it without having some aids for hydration and energy.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our tour guides Nacho and Diane were really good and were extremely helpful all the way.

Advice for Potential Travellers

- Overall the consensus in our group was that this was more of an Advanced cycling tour rather than Moderate as advertised. To highlight this point only 2 out of 9 members were able to complete every stage of the tour. - One member of our group fell riding too close to the side of the road so it is important to ensure you have insurance.

Reviewed June 2011

CARPATHIAN CULTURE AND WILDLIFE

I had a fantastic time in Romania. It was interesting and educational and, at times, entertaining! A fascinating and complicated country with lots to explore.

Most Inspirational Moment

The highlight of the trip for me was seeing 9 wild bears from the bear hide, mainly adult females with cubs.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leaders were great and very knowledgable about the local area, culture and wildlife. Between them, Cosmin and Udo were able to answer the majority of my questions. Udo also provided plenty of entertainment throughout the week! Katharina and Herman were welcoming hosts at the guesthouse and made the stay very comfortable.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't hang on to leftover Lei with the intention of buying souvenirs at the airport. Apart from the food court, you will need Euros. Oh, and watch the palinc?- you have been warned!

Reviewed June 2011

CARPATHIAN CULTURE AND WILDLIFE

Fantastic scenery and wildlife. The guesthouse is a real gem, great food and friendly staff.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the bears and beavers in the wild will always be a great memory. We were lucky enough to see 2 mothers with cubs.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Both of the guides we had were very knowledgeable and very keen to share their information about the local area.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Watch out for the walk back from Bran Castle quite an uphill!

Reviewed June 2011

Inca Trail - June 2011

This holiday far exceeded my expectations! I had wanted to do the Inca trail for a long time and finally got around to doing so in June this year. I was not disappointed and would definately recommend this trip to people that want to experience the Inca trail.

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching Maccu Piccu. After 4 days trekking seeing these ruins was a deserving reward. The second day of the trip was the hardest but was not as hard as I had feared. This was when we reached the highest altitude of the trip and the walking on this day was all up hill, trekking up steps and quite rough terrain. Throughout the trek there were so many highlights and it was amazing walking along and then suddenly you would turn a corner and there would be some Inca ruins! The fourth days trek was very relaxing with the surroundings being more like a rainforest.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader, Holgar, was amazing and we could not have asked for a better leader for our trek. From the beginning he was very knowledgable and wanted to share as much information as he could and show us as much Peruvian culture as we could fit in. On the trek he set the pace to make sure that we would all finish the trek. The first day there were points were we thought that we could walk quicker but walking slowly was a good way to ensure that no-body suffered from altitude sickness. Our leader told us that anybody could complete the trek regardless of age as long as they took it slowly. All of our group completed the trek but we did see other people coming down as they could not complete it. Our leader stopped to show us points of interest along the trek and gave us a very detailed and thorough tour of Maccu Piccu the day after we arrived there.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The toilet facilities whilst trekking are very basis and I would advise to bring toilet paper. A strong torch is also needed as it got very dark at night and if you needed the toilet in the middle of the night then you definately needed a torch to find the way and make sure that you did not fall off the mountain!The trip notes say that you need water purification tablets and I bought these but you do not need them. Whilst trekking the chefs purify all of the water and when not trekking bottled water is available to buy. I took walking poles as recommended and was glad that I had them as going uphill I found they took some of the pressure off and going downhill they helped to steady where you were walking. The weather was normally cold in the morning and at night but hot in the day so you needed clothes to cope with this i.e t-shirts, fleeces, waterproofs etc.

Prev 1 … 1,346 1,347 1,348 1,349 1,350 … 1,390 Next