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I’ve been on a number of group holidays and this one rates as one of the most enjoyable to date. Great people, a fabulous leader in Serverio, who couldn’t do enough for us, great food and marvellous weather. Who could ask for more?
On our day off from walking, two of us un our group opted to walk one of the higher peaks in the area which was hard - but simply breathtaking.
My only advice would be to take the plunge and go on this trip. Simply wonderful.
This was an excellent tour of Jordan, covering the main sites and some that are more off the tourist trail. After 12 days we felt like we had really experienced the best that Jordan has to offer, fascinating culture, lovely people, amazing archaeology and great food!
So many to choose from but here goes! The two days in Petra were amazing. This site is vast and to make the most of it you need a good pair of walking shoes/boots and a lot of stamina for the steep climbs. In two days we walked a total of 20 miles, we had not realised how much there is to see here, truly breathtaking!! The night in Wadi Rum was very special, the Exodus camp is private and very intimate, we enjoyed the Bedouin stories, music and traditional food. The camel ride at sunrise is not to be missed!!
Mohammad was not as experienced as we would have hoped for however I don’t think it’s fair to be too critical as I believe this was his first Exodus trip and with such a large group and I think perhaps he was not prepared enough. That being said, he was a good escort and we felt safe with him, he was entertaining and fun to be with, and anything we were not sure about we just looked up in the guide book or googled!
Don’t underestimate the amount of walking at Petra if you really want to cover all the main sites and some hidden spots away from tourists! Take snacks with you during the day as meal times were not always predictable and not on European time, that’s how it is in Jordan! Go with the flow and don’t moan, not everything will go to plan, it’s impossible with a packed itinerary and a group of 16 people so try to keep an open mind and maintain a sense of humour!
An unknown region of Italy, mountainous and craggy, with peaks still covered in snow at the end of April. Although the weather was predominantly grey and wet, we made the most of it, and it was a wonderful week. In fact, the last walk was enhanced by the fog that gave the forest a mysterious and mystical atmosphere.
We walked to the rock arch of Monte Forato, a stunning wonder of nature.
Sara Bull is better than excellent. She is an extraordinary being, very inspirational. From the minute we met her at the airport, she was attentive to all, caring and adjusting to the needs of each individual in the group. Every stage was explained in advance, choice was given but wisely directed, her advice was gently given. I thought I knew enough about walking, but I learned more about using my walking poles, protecting against ticks, etc. She was eloquent when communicating the beauty of a place, a corner of the world she deeply loves. She has a great generosity of spirit, and no one in the group felt left out. Encouraging and motivating calmly. You could go to the end of the world with her. Pier Luigi took over the guiding for a lovely valley walk, when he explained the history of the Garfagnana and the customs of the region, while visiting villages. I enjoyed his company.
The walks are moderately hard, so take walking poles (some might be available on site) and good walking boots. Do not forget your rain gear!
Fantastic trip to a wonderful country! So much beauty it hurts your eyes, and the people are incredibly warm & friendly. Each of the main cities has a totally different feel to it, & I loved them all! Khiva was my favourite though : be sure to wander around in the evening after the crowds have gone home – it’s a completely different vibe to during the day.
Some tips:
If you climb the minaret in Khiva you need a proper torch, strong knees & no fear!! The view is wonderful but coming down is terrifying!
Being Vegetarian isn’t too hard but it’s not very exciting- just check the soup has ‘no meat’ even if it is called a vegetable soup it will often still have meat in.Vegetable kebabs lack imagination – best option is the pasta based dishes.
Be willing to have your photo taken by the locals – it will lead to some wonderful interactions
Do bother to get up for sunrise in the desert (if the Vodka the night before doesn’t prevent!) – it’s worth it!
Do have comfortable shoes & some energy! This isn’t really a leisurely trip – the pace is quite full on, but totally worth it.
Dinner & a cold beer on a roof top terrace with a fabulous view over Khiva as the swifts whirled overhead and the sun set!
Full of knowledge and always ready to help.
See Summary
Overall this was not the trip I expected and I am disappointed. There were many pros but a lot of cons too. Starting with the good points:
Pros:
-the guide Michele Q was excellent. He guided us safely, was enthusiastic, knowledgeable about the places we visited, encouraging, funny, very supportive. He went above and beyond trying to find places for us to eat (more about that in the ‘cons’) and dealt with last minute problems smoothly. Even though he didn’t need to, he stayed out with the group and socialized. On a horribly rainy/thunderstorm/lightning day he called ahead to make sure our hotel rooms would be ready when we arrived soaking wet and freezing cold. I rate him 11/10.
– bikes: were very good for this type of terrain. The gearing was excellent, we could climb steep gravel hills easily. Comfortable. I liked having a waterproof pannier. The brakes were good.
– the agriturismo olive farm was the BEST day/night. It was luxurious (the pool, the terrace, our suite), the olive oil tasting and education was so interesting, the food was delicious. Very peaceful and elegant.
– the hotel in Osturia was also lovely.
Cons:
– we did the first trip of the 2019 season, beginning April 8, 2019. Now that I have done this, I think it is too early in the season to do this trip. It was sometimes a challenge to find cafés or restaurants open to eat at during the day. At a couple of hotels, we were the first guests of the season, and it was clear they were not really ready for us.
– dinner: It is the Italian custom to eat dinner(supper) at 9 pm at night. This is not the custom in North America or England, and as people who had been cycling all day and who needed to be awake fairly early the next day, this didn’t work. After two nights of eating very late, Michele would call ahead to the next town and try very hard to negotiate a fixed-price 2-choice menu, and tried to convince the restaurant to open at 7 pm for us to have dinner. Mostly he was successful, but it often meant we didn’t get food until around 8 pm at night. As well the afternoon siesta made finding food a bit challenging at times.
– picnics: many of my friends have taken this trip, and other trips with Exodus. Their experience was: a pot of money was collected from the guests and the van driver would purchase food for “a fabulous picnic” which would be waiting at the lunch stop. This was not offered, and it would have been a very nice option.
– my own problem: our Italian hotels didn’t have in-room coffee. I’m not a human until I have coffee. I did not like having to get dressed and wait for the breakfast to be served to have coffee. I admit, this is my problem.
– group riding. I found out that I really don’t like riding in a group. I felt that 90% of the time I was watching the bike in front of me, and making sure the bike behind me didn’t do something stupid. I didn’t have the opportunity to enjoy the scenery as much as I would have liked. I felt that if I stopped to take a photo (which had been a very important goal of mine – photography!) that I would be slowing down the group. Thus, not many photos taken to my disappointment.
– the van: the van was for luggage, and not a support van for injured or tired riders – that was made clear at the start – no problem. However, we were told by our guide that if we wanted to skip a day of riding, and take transit, just tell him in the morning. So we decided to skip day, told him at 0700H as required, and we were told we would have to pay for the bikes to be transported to the next town. We said “but can’t you put them in the van?” No, the van is full. “Can’t you put them on the roof racks of the van?” No, the roof racks are broken. In the end, the bikes WERE put on the “broken” roof racks, but I recall thinking ‘it’s not my problem that Exodus hired a van with inoperable roof racks. Fix this problem’.
– some of the hotels were quite basic, and one hotel had broken air conditioning, which made the night absolutely intolerable.
– on a day with horrific rain, I felt it was dangerous to continue riding. The water was inches deep on the road, we were riding in traffic for about 30 minutes, and we could not see the road under the water. One of us could have hit a pothole and been thrown off the bike into traffic. The traffic also made “tidal waves” as it passed us.
– automobiles: Near Matera and one other town it was very clear that the car and truck drivers HATE cyclists. Sometimes they would pass very close to us, dangerously so. What I thought were friendly waves were in fact the exact opposite.
The seaside ride was very beautiful.
He was FANTASTIC. He was the best part of the trip.
Consider doing this trip later in the season than April 8th. The weather was quite cool (that's ok when cycling) but there were some very wet days.
The tour was well organised and interesting. The group dynamics worked well and we were given the opportunity to experience many aspects of Sicily including the delicious food, fascinating history, fantastic archaeology and beautiful scenery.
I was blown away by the mosaics at the Villa Romana del Casale and the tastings of various marsala wines was fun!
Rosario was one of the best group leaders we have met and we have met many over the years. He was a mine of information, his English was perfect and he made sure that we all had a wonderful holiday.
The distances in Sicily were far greater than I appreciated so it takes longer than expected to get from place to place and the weather can be chilly, particularly on Mount Etna.
The countryside walks were paced perfectly, with time at the end of each to visit beautiful hilltop towns for leisurely lunches and sightseeing . Visits to Siena and Florence provided a taster for these beautiful cities. The wine tasting, particularly the Siena Wine School, was enjoyable, as was the Chianti imbibing throughout the week. Everything at Villa Casalta was very relaxed, owner and her staff friendly and helpful. I appreciated the tea and coffee making facilities set up in the sitting room for Exodus customers. I loved having day off mid week when I spent a leisurely day in Castellina.
No single moment as I enjoyed it all.
Liz Proctor is brilliant in every way - friendly, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, helpful, and more...
To book a time slot for Uffizi Gallery the trip notes suggest between 11.45 and 16.00. Liz has discovered a very good free walking tour of Florence 10.30 to 13.00, which I had to leave at noon. Also 4pm is too late as it's a minimum half hour walk back to the bus for 5pm. I suggest around 2pm would be ideal time slot. I was pleased I took walking poles and used them on all the country walks.
I had high expectations for this trip and I was not disappointed. The trip was perfectly described in the brochure and offers an unforgettable experience of this fascinating country.
There were lots from watching in disbelief as mopeds carrying everything weave between each other in Hanoi, to the mysterious Halong Bay, to the beautiful lanterns in Hoi An to the vibrancy of Saigon. I particularly enjoyed being part of a group to share the whole experience with. And of course having a Vietnamese guide who gave us such an in depth insight into this country.
Our group leader, Tan Nguyen, made the trip. He gave us such an insight into the life and culture, as well as share some wonderful stories with us. His knowledge of Vietnam and his spoken English was excellent and everything was always done with a smile. We were never disappointed with his restaurant recommendations. On numerous occasions he guided us safely across the busy roads. Anyone who has been to Vietnam will know that this is no mean feat!
It is a hectic schedule with some early starts and a lot of travelling including the overnight reunification train. There is also plenty of walking in hot humid conditions. But if you want to see and really experience this country, I cannot think of a better way of doing it. Taking a silk sleeping bag liner for the train is very useful and a pack of cards to pass the time away with fellow travellers! Also, when changing cash in Hanoi, they much preferred new notes. They weren’t keen on my crumpled £20 notes!
A tour to be thoroughly recommended, covering all aspects of Sri Lanka and it’s lovely people. Busy, lots of early starts and some long journeys but so worth it. The trip notes were accurate and we were also able to see sights at their most opportune moments, I.e. climbing Lion Rock before breakfast and before the crowds, Temple of the Tooth while a ceremony with drumming was on, Horton Plains early before the heat and the mists descended. Having lunches cooked by villagers and our guide stopping and buying us bananas, watching curd (yogurt) making and tasting it, eating freshly sliced Jack fruit at the roadside. We enjoyed every minute.
Seeing elephants and leopards (and other animals) close up from a jeep in Yala and Minneriya. The ceremony at The Temple of the Tooth. Climbing Lion Rock. On the cycling day we enjoyed seeing the countryside, wildlife, and the local people, also having an amazing collection of curries cooked on a farm for lunch. Paul and I don’t cycle but tuc tucs were hired for the non cyclists so that we could still enjoy the day to the full.
Ruwan was an amazing tour leader. There are some long journeys on this trip but they didn’t seem long as he made them very interesting with his informative talks on the history and culture of Sri Lanka and by regular stops for treats like bananas and Jack fruit, view points and waterfalls. He was very calm and well organised, warm and friendly and a good sense of humour. We were always well informed on where we were going, timings and what to take etc. Nothing was too much trouble for Ruwan and it was a pleasure to have him as our tour guide.
Travel light, the hotel laundry service was excellent, good value, and in most cases same day service. Leave some room in your suitcase for purchases, I.e. tea. It was very hot and humid during our stay (March) so you’ll need loose cool casual clothing. It’s probably best if you like curry, there’s the most amazing selection at the buffets, and a lot are vegetarian. However, it’s usually possible to order a la carte, just remember to do so at least half an hour in advance! Binoculars were useful, especially in the game parks. Walking trainers best for Horton Plains. We changed some money at the airport on arrival but all the hotels took credit cards.
A most interesting and enjoyable trip with good company and plenty of wildlife to see. The safaris enabled us to see lions on 3 separate occasions, a leopard up a tree and a ‘crash’ of 5 white rhinoceros asleep under a tree as well as elephants on land and swimming. We stayed under canvas but with en-suite facilities except at the Okavango Delta. The visit to Victoria Falls at the end of the trip was impressive the scale of them is huge.
Two nights camping at the Okavango Delta which we reached by mokoro (dug out canoes) being poled by local villagers. This was experiencing real Africa.
Rowan was knowledgeable and helpful as well as an excellent cook during the camping.
Take your camera protected by waterproof bags to Victoria Falls you will get some amazing pictures.