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!

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14408 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Beth Hepburn

Reviewed September 2022

Amazing week walking in the very beautiful Norwegian Fjords

As a first time hiker I was worried about what to expect from this trip but I shouldn’t have been. Spent a truly amazing week hiking varied and incredibly beautiful landscapes, interspersed with some breathtaking ferry trips. The pace was manageable (although I did start with a good base fitness) and there were often options to shorten or lengthen walks depending on capability but this was always optional. Nes Gard itself is a truly special place and perfect for an escape from real life. Waking up to the view of fjord everyday was such a contrast to living in the UK. The staff at Nes Gard are lovely and evenings were spent eating fab local food and then drinking and catching up in the bar with new found friends. This is the perfect holiday if you want a break from reality, a chance to unwind and to see some truly beautiful scenery as well as the chance to make some amazing friends.

Most Inspirational Moment

There are too many to really mention but the two stand out moments were getting to the top of the mountain on the first day and looking down over the Fjord. The sun was shining and the water was an incredible turquoise. Our group had laughed and bonded all the way up the mountain and there was a huge sense of achievement at the top. The second was on the last day at the waterfall. We'd all spent an amazing week with each other and there was a poignancy that it was our last day together. The waterfall was magnificent and the scenery breathtaking- it was my favourite hike and it was sad that it was the last.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Anders was a really fantastic group leader. He was knowledgable, kind, funny and you knew you were safe with him. He went above and beyond to spend time with the group, flex the schedule to take is to the bakers for cinnamon buns and overall look after us. He never pushed anyone to their limit and took time to understand the individual needs of the group.

Advice for Potential Travellers

You do have to have a base level of fitness for this trip to really enjoy it. Some of the ascents would be tricky in the rain and the terrain is full of rocks so you also need to be steady on your feet. That said in out group there were 4 people over 70 who managed just fine and had a great time!

stephen R

Reviewed September 2022

Fantastic TMB

Like a previous reviewer I found this much harder that Toubkal or EBC. The walks seem to be up all morning and down in the afternoon. Some of the downs were very hard on the Knees. Despite this the effort was well rewarded with the stunning scenary. Having to put your tent away before brerakfast required some effort, specially if you didn’t master the technique. Camp meals were always filling, and never went hungary. Although breakfast did get a bit repetitive. The group van always contained a cold beer at the end of the day, which was very welcome. I hired my sleeping bag and matt from exodus and the bag was nice and warm, but maybe the matts could have been a bit thicker. Really felt the rocks some nights. Would bring my own next time

Most Inspirational Moment

Finishing

Advice for Potential Travellers

Train harder than you think you need. Wifi in camps were not brillant, could be aproblem if you need it at all times. If your not feeling to good, and need a day off from walking, it can be a long trip. One of our group needed 5 buses on one day, to get to the next camp

Alison Melrose

Reviewed September 2022

What an experience!

If you are short on time but love adventure, this is a great trip. The trek is challenging, you will need decent boots, and beware of the slippery scree but well worth the hard work. The night in the Refuge was quite the experience, a 16man bunk bed and breakfast at 2.20am so we could get to the top for sunrise. Hussain (our guide) and Lassan (the support guide) were great. I had a nasty bout of altitude sickness at the Refuge and Hussain took me higher to try and conquer it and feel better. The mountains are beautiful, the chef kept us well fed and time for a whiz round Marrakech too. Highly recommended.

Most Inspirational Moment

The care and support to get everyone safely to the top and down again.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was great, hard working, friendly, shared good advice and looked after us really well.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Wear decent hiking boots, pack for four seasons in a day, take large capacity water bottles. Change money in the airport or at Hotel Ali in the main square. Argana in Marrakech has lovely icecream and wifi and Les Jardins Majorelles are beautiful.

Helen Green

Reviewed September 2022

Outstanding

A simply outstanding trip. Our guide Eva was informative, friendly and helpful. A lovely small group of people made the trip very friendly and low key. All the sites we visited were just amazing. Lovely hotels, fabulous sights and sounds and awe inspiring insights into living history. Stunning.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking through the corridor onto the stadium at ancient Olympia; seeing the oracle at Delphi; the Corinth canal; the theatre at Epidavros; climbing up to the Acropolis. Honestly - too many to choose !

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fabulous. Eva was wonderful.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It’s very uneven underfoot at times - you definitely need proper walking shoes/sandals. In September it was still very hot so make sure you have a refillable water bottle. Be prepared for some days to be more strenuous than others

kim simkins

Reviewed September 2022

Lovely part of Italy

A busy itinerary exploring a beautiful part of Southern Italy. Some stunning hillside cities with classic narrow streets and cafe culture. Lots of excellent food and local wine throughout. Whilst not strenuous in itself, it was a pretty full on itinerary, with heat, lots of steps and extensive exploring on foot, with uneven pavements/cobbles and walking terrain. Not as leisurely as the trip notes might make you believe, and not really suitable for those with limited mobility or fitness. Some parts are very busy and touristy, but easy to wander the back streets to escape the crowds and immerse yourself in Italian culture. A mix of city, rural areas and seaside to give a taste of the whole area.

Most Inspirational Moment

Loved the views over the city from the terrace in Matera, and listening to the bells of all the churches ringing out on a Sunday afternoon. Walking into the white city of Ostuni was stunning, taking in an Aperol Spritz at an outside cafe by the cathedral whilst watching the world go by, and then seeing the sun go down along the city walls! Walking alongside the azure blue Adriatic sea in Otranto

Thoughts on Group Leader

Andraea was a very enthusiastic and hardworking leader. He sometimes struggled to understand the question he was being asked and so it was not always easy to get a straight answer. The group were not easy for him to deal with, and under the circumstances he did an adequate job.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Forget the map, just wander through the narrow streets away from the main centres and explore the real Italy! Enjoy the cafe culture and people watch over an aperitif in a central square! Indulge yourself with the local cuisine. Sample the amazing gelato and granita, such an amazing variety of flavours. Don't do this trip if you are not very fit or mobile, it has a huge amount of walking on cobbles and up and down steps, and the busy schedule means you would not maximise the value of the places visited.

Mark Snell

Reviewed September 2022

Beautiful country

Had a lovely trip with a very friendly and welcoming group. Our tour guide was lovely and made some great restaurant bookings for us including one meal right on the beach with the waves crashing! The sea kayaking was the highlight for me, lovely to be out on the water , though it is surprisingly hard work! The hotel Artemis we stayed at was very nice , clean modern rooms, lovely breakfast with amazing views, though getting a drink from the hotel bar was challenging at times!! My only criticism is the walks, they were much harder than leisurely/moderate , some of the walks on the itinerary had to be changed as paths were closed which is fine and unavoidable but the replacements were often on steep scree slopes and involved clambering over large rocks at times , some of the group found this v challenging especially with the heat! If these walks are to be kept then this trip needs to be upgraded in difficulty so people are aware what they will be facing. Turkey is beautiful though and thoroughly enjoyed my time here 🙂

Most Inspirational Moment

See above - sea kayaking

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very lovely and always helpful , walks were more challenging than expected though so the routes may need to be reconsidered.

Advice for Potential Travellers

See above - the walks are more difficult than anticipated.

Lisa Velasco

Reviewed September 2022

Wonderful Hiking BUT

Let me just start this review by saying that I have been on over 25 guided trips in the last 22 years so I have experience with tour groups. It never crossed my mind when booking this trip that I would have a poor guide. I have been fortunate that my experiences have always been exceptional. The good: the hiking was fabulous, different challenges, variety of scenery each day. By luck we had a fantastic group of 12 from all over the world. The bad: our guide, luggage transfer and lunches. The guide started off the trip by being very unwelcoming on Day 1. He then proceeded to share way too much about his personal life and how he was so tired each day due to lack of sleep. The first several days of the trip, he didn’t even do any type of route review or what we were to expect for that day’s hike. Thankfully we were a cohesive group (mostly because 9 out of 12 of us came down with a gastric bug on Day 3 of the trip) so we always waited up for the slowest person of the group. Due to us only having one uninterested guide, we had to lookout for that person. One day the group got about a quarter mile down the trail only to find the guide missing. When someone went back to look for him, he was found at the trailhead “chatting up” a woman that was waiting for the bus. The list of complaints can go on. A few days into the trip, three people didn’t get their luggage for 24 hours. The guide suggested that they “borrow” clothes from others on the trip. Luckily, a staff member at the hotel took them into town so they could purchase clothes for that night and the next day (the next day was a free day and there were plans to go to the spa). Nothing worse than coming off the trail and not being able to change into clean clothes. We made our lunches each morning with supplies that the guide set out. Typically the last two people to make theirs ended up with just bread and cheese since everything else had run out. There just wasn’t enough supplies purchased. Also, the meat and cheese sandwiches got a bit boring after a week. Fortunately, after some complaints he did add fruit and some vegetable toppings. Eventually we also got some chocolate at the end. Based on the amount of money that was spent on this trip, I expected much more from the guide. I emailed the company about 5 days into the trip to express my dissatisfaction with the services provided. I am sure that there will be more letters from others that I traveled with. I would suggest looking for another tour group to do this trek with. I certainly encountered many more enthusiastic guides on the trail from different companies.

Most Inspirational Moment

The scenery and views also making new friends

Advice for Potential Travellers

I would look to book with another tour company.

Reply from Exodus

We would like to thank Lisa for taking the time to leave a review, but are incredibly sorry to hear that she was disappointed with the tour leader assigned to her departure. We have a fantastic team of leaders for Exodus groups travelling to Mont Blanc, and can see that from the feedback we have received in 2023 that our customers travelling this year have rated them an average of 4.80 out of 5 on the Holiday Evaluation Forms we send to each client after a trip. We find this extremely encouraging, and it makes us confident that travellers choosing Exodus can expect to receive an excellent standard of tour leader who can elevate their time in this beautiful region.

However, we would like to apologise to Lisa that this was not her experience, and we recognise that the leader on her particular departure, who is usually consistently attentive, personable, and is an experience mountain guide, did not perform anywhere near our high standards on this occasion. We were in touch with Lisa and her fellow group members about this at the time and, having taken the matter extremely seriously, resolved this to their satisfaction following the trip. We also spoke at length to the tour leader in question, and our local manager has given him comprehensive advice and further training which we feel, in tandem with his previous high level of performances, will mean he is fully ready to lead future departures in line with our and our clients’ expectations.

We are glad that Lisa enjoyed the company of her Exodus group and the wonderful hikes and scenery in Mont Blanc, and sincerely hope we are able to welcome her back on another trip with us in the future which more reflects the positive experience our customers overwhelmingly have.

Danny Bell, Exodus Product Manager

Penny Welford

Reviewed September 2022

Great walks and interesting history

The trip was a good balance for me between excellent walking through stunning scenery and learning about the country’s history and visiting some historic sites.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Dorian was a great guide: very encouraging when walking, coped very well when problems arose (didn't let us know). Extensive local and national knowledge and a good sense of humour. Dorian also cared about our local well-being and needs.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Remember it can be hot and humid. Take lots of water I packed a light-weight hair dryer but didn't need it (either available or too hot!) Small head-torch is useful depending on your itinerary. I felt very safe even when on my own away from people.

Ruth Benedict

Reviewed September 2022

Fabulous and meaningful walking trip

Seeing the Lake District on foot is outstanding! We were well supplied with directions for getting around, and the lodging and other support arrangements were excellent. I highly recommend this trip for poetry and essay writers, for those who love the serenity of the English countryside, for those who love to hike. With our walking sticks (needed at times) and good hiking boots, we were well equipped for a special trip of a lifetime.

Most Inspirational Moment

Touring Dove Cottage at a leisurely pace (make time for this in your schedule, peeps) ... and the ferry ride on Coniston Water to Brantwood and a leisurely visit there, too. The landscape is enchanting: sheep, stone walls EVERYWHERE, the beauty of the landscape and the villages.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Not applicable ... this was a self-guided trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for rain (although we were very fortunate and only had mist and one short shower) ... don't pack too much stuff. You really only need to be prepared for hiking. Do be sure to carve out time if the weather changes, etc. to visit the homes of William Wordsworth (Dove Cottage), John Ruskin (Brantwood) and Beatrix Potter (Hilltop Farm). You may find you don't have time to do these at a leisurely pace unless you skip a hike here or there, which worked out great for us on a day we decided we needed a rest.

Evelyn Alpert

Reviewed September 2022

Fantastic trip

This is my fifth or sixth Exodus trip and I cannot say enough about the trips and the staff. This particular trip was a little challenging due to my being accompanied by an 82 year old woman who just really wanted to go to Africa. As I’d been to Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Madagascar before, we opted for this one, so I could see the falls! From start to finish it was fantastic. The 2 days wild camping on the okovango delta was so unique, and the falls were just breathtaking. We saw 4 of the big 5 (no leopard 😒) and so close we could almost reach out and touch them! And so few other travelers we almost had the animals to ourselves. But most importantly, the leader Adonia and the driver Sifiso were just exceptional. They constantly looked after my travel partner and made sure she was engaged in all our activities, and helped her when needed. They were just brilliant, caring, and solicitous to say nothing of incredibly knowledgeable, and made our long travel days fun and bearable. I can’t say enough good things about them both! Having said how wonderful the staff and trip are, here are my only comments: 1). I’d get a slightly bigger van. The travels are long and though the van is supposedly 16 passenger, with our 11 and the 2 guides, it felt tight. Those drives would be better with more room. 2). There are too many unstructured hours on the delta. I’d plan more activity for the full day on the delta. 3). The last place we stayed before Victoria falls could use an upgrade. It was a cool location but lacking in facilities 4). Tell folks to bring more $$. Explain that it’s needed for the activities in Vic Falls. That’s it. It’s a great trip, and if you can, arrange to go with Adonia and Sifiso if possible!

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the Milky Way on the delta.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Best ever! He’s a saint and a scholar.

Advice for Potential Travellers

See my review above.

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