Reviews

Nile Cruise & Aswan - Premium Adventure

The holiday was well managed before and during, the group leaders skills in taking us around all the sites that we visited were very good.

Cycling Vietnam - Premium Adventure

Fantastic service especially from the local support team and guide.

Madagascan Discoverer 16 day tour

In general the trip was good. I enjoyed the scenery. We had a small group, only 7 people which was good. If there had been the full 16 guests, the bus would have been far too small. I loved seeing the Lemurs and the various treks that we did, especially the Tsingy. The hotels were very basic, quite disappointing in many places. The hotel at Ifaty Beach (La Plage) was the worst that we experienced. It is neglected, dirty, very poor quality beds, my room was musty, the fans didn’t work, the bedside lights didn’t work, we were there for two days and had no hot water. There was a smelly dog in the public area. The covers on the sun loungers were dirty. As a solo traveller, as usual with Exodus, I got the worst room, that is compared to what the couples in the group get. One hotel we stayed in, (Les chambers du Voyageur) the room was so small, I couldn’t open my suitcase inside the room, unless I put it right up to the entrance door of the room! There was no wardrobe, no place to put anything, so I had to put my rucksack on the bed beside me, I didn’t want to put it on the floor. The breakfasts were also very poor, quite often stale bread and an omelette made with just one egg! There was no toiletries in any of these hotels, just soap! The other big negative for me, was the extremely long drives on such poor roads. We had breakfast each morning and within minutes of eating, we were on these really bumpy roads. As a result, we all had stomach problems throughout the trip. One day we were on the bus for 13 hours and for the final five hours, we never stopped, neither to stretch our legs nor for a comfort stop! If the bus was full with 16 people, it would have been close to torture!

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the lemurs up close and doing the Tsingy walk.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Claudia was great, quite inspirational and with a great personality. She too had some medical issues during the trip but she kept going and behaved very professionally. She also had a personal tragedy to deal with, but we never suffered because of the things that were going on in her personal life. She was wonderful, we loved her.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be very aware of the long journeys on such poor roads. For me this was a daily torture.. I hated the long bus journeys..! I think that the level of activity rating for this trip it not correct. The Tsingy walk was not for the faint hearted. I was well able for it, but it was tough for others. If I were to go again, I would take old clothes with me and donate them to the locals at the end of the trip. My clothes got really dirty on this trip! I would also take some goodies for the many children that we encountered along the way (Pens, pencils, note pads, yoyo's for hair, anything that would be light to carry!). I can't recommend this trip to any of my friends, because any of my friends wouldn't be able to cope with the long days and the long journeys. I appreciate that it is a big country and if you want to see it you have to travel. It was quite exhausting. One day we left our hotel at 05:30...!

Reply from Exodus

We’d like to thank you for your review, Mary, and we are heartened to receive your comments about your tour leader, Claudia, which have been passed on. On the other hand, we were sorry to hear that you were disappointed with several other aspects of your holiday, particularly the accommodation. Hotel standards in Madagascar are known to significantly contrast those in Europe and this, alongside our literature description of simple yet comfortable lodgings, usually sets our customers’ expectations accordingly. In order to keep the trip attractive, whilst still affordable, we use the best quality mid-range properties in the country, and, though they may not be everyone’s preference, we have not previously received feedback to suggest they are not meeting the mark. In fact, one of our staff members recently undertook this trip and relayed that even the most basic hotels featured clean rooms, reliable electricity and constant water, which is not always a given in this part of the world. We understand that the lack of toiletries is part of an effort to reduce plastic waste, which honours our commitment to travelling responsibly, but we are sorry if the soap you were provided was insufficient. Whilst paying a single supplement does not guarantee a superior room, rather one for sole occupancy, we were regretful to learn that yours were somewhat cramped. Our local manager has advised us that room types do not vary at any of the properties we use, other than between doubles and twins, and we’ve not received this type of feedback in the past, which we find reassuring. Nevertheless, we wouldn’t wish to downplay your disappointment and we’ll closely monitor the reviews we receive going forward to ensure that we are continuing to please our solo customers, who we greatly value. One of the selling points of this trip is that it covers many of Madagascar’s highlights such as the Alley of the Baobabs and Tsingy De Bemaraha National Park, although this does translate to some lengthy drives on underdeveloped roads, which we realise is not ideal. Tour leaders are encouraged to incorporate as many rest stops as possible, to break up the journeys, but it is not always safe to stop by the roadside, which means that long stretches are inevitable. Should your comments become more commonplace, we will certainly consider redesigning the itinerary to incorporate rest days, which we hope shows that we are willing to make changes to our tours to enhance our customers’ experiences. We sincerely hope that you retain some fond memories of Madagascar overall and that you continue choosing Exodus for your travel plans.

John Penge, Product Manager

Abundance

Was trying to think of one word to sum up this trip and India, and it’s Abundance. Abundance of people, noise, traffic, colour, friendliness, food, wildlife etc. It was everything I hoped it would be: the places we cycled to and through, the friendliness of the people, outstanding food and the legend of a guide that is Safi! Cycling in the traffic on the busier roads I never felt unsafe, they’re actually better, more attentive drivers than in the UK, and the seeming chaos of the roads makes complete sense in a country with sooo many people and modes of transport. Safi takes great care to look after his group, keeping us safe. He’s informative, kind and funny and goes above & beyond to make sure we’re happy and having a good time. A huge credit to Exodus. We had a fabulous group and along with our leader and the support guys made this a superb trip, feeling like we’d really immersed ourselves in India.

Excellent and interesting trip

A good all round trip with a good balance between low key leisurely walking, wine tasting and exploring old medieval towns and cities.

Primates & Dragons of Indonesia

It was a great trip. Exceeded all my expectations.Our guide Elly was brilliant and always on hand if we needed anything. The local guides that were used on various parts of the trip were also very good. On the 2 days spent in the forest in Bukit Lawang we saw Orang Utans within 20 minutes of leaving our lodge. Getting fresh local fruit in the middle of the jungle was a very welcome treat. Possibly the juiciest pineapple i have ever eaten. On the boat trip to Komodo and Rinca Islands the food was very good and fresh. Sleeping on the deck of the boat was great. Saw about 15 Komodo’s over the visits to the two Islands. the snorkelling off the both on numerous occasions was brilliant. Crystal clear waters where we saw loads of turtles and fish to rival the Barrier Reef. Bring an underwater camera, I didn’t and i’m sorry i didn’t. The only slight gripe i have was the walk to the volcano/lava fields. In my opinion this was a waste of time. Elly had asked us if anyone wanted to try Durian fruit. A few of us said yes, so Elly stopped at a stall selling it. Trying Durian fruit has been on my bucket list for a long time. It tastes as disgusting as it smells but I’m glad i tried it. Overall it was a great trip and one i would highly recommend.

Great experience

Excellent walking holiday, which was very well organised. The guide was very friendly and made it a great experience.

Amazing Costa Rica

What a wonderful trip around Costa Rica with amazing guide Johnny Villalobos. Staying two nights at each hotel set the right pace. The food was very high quality throughout, although prices are close to European, so take plenty of dollars. Tortuguerro nature reserve and watching the turtles nesting was a massive highlight, along with the walks in the Jurassic like cloud rain forests. Make sure you take binoculars to see the wonderful array of wildlife as they are very difficult to spot in the jungle. Overall, it exceeded expectations as Johnny really made each experience so easy and interesting. Pura Vida!

Stunning landscapes!

A fabulous mountain adventure

I went with limited expectations, and had only seen a few Google photos and some YouTube videos. I knew it would rugged and mountainous, and quite probably wet. The forecast was 7 days rain, and we had a wet welcome. However, Uriel, the local sun god, smiled on us and we had a mostly dry week with some pretty wet moments. The walking is spectacular. There is predictably a lot of going up and coming down, and a fair bit requires poles and some attention as toy where you place them. It is green, and rugged rock. We were tested in terms of what we could do but I was lucky and we had a group of 7 who were pretty similar in our capabilities. Louis the guide is local, knowledgeable, professional and friendly, an absolute star. The hotel was basic but provided all our needs, lots of hot water, a drying room and excellent food. The views from your door are amazing.