Most Inspirational Moment
see above
Thoughts on Group Leader
see above
Advice for Potential Travellers
Don't need passport photos for Angkor complex pass. They take your photo when getting your pass.
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.
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Reviews
Don't understand this
Well organised and very good well informed guides. Very comprehensive trip.
Grateful for arriving a day early and leaving a day later arrangements – accommodation & airport transfers.
Excellent accommodation.
Very variable activities – some included (cycling) and some optional (kayaking, cooking)
Hoi An – too touristy.
Saigon – uninteresting.
Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, My Son, Tunnels, Mekong delta, Angkor temples, Floating villages – all excellent.
Phnom Penn s21 prison and nearby “killing fields” – very harrowing.
Meals – some were relatively expensive and I found with a good breakfast that I only needed a snack at lunchtime if eating a full meal in the evening.
Vietnam Adventure
Our Vietnam Adventure was indeed an adventure – having such a varied itinerary – but not over-organised – with interesting places visited – travel by boats and train- and activities such as bicycling and kayaking-and crawling through tunnels. Staying in excellent hotels – and overall led by a very competent, entertaining and knowledgeable guide – who looked after us, without being imperious
Most Inspirational Moment
Climbing up Marble Mountain and seeing the cave used as a hospital by the Viet Cong
Thoughts on Group Leader
Excellent
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be prepared for an active holiday with enjoyable - but long - days
Finnish Wilderness Week
I loved this trip. It was a chance to head to the frozen north (Finland/Lapland) in April and take part in a range of outdoor activities such as snowshoeing, x country skiing, downhill skiing and dog sledding. It was also great to go out in the wilderness and have a chance to see wildlife and perhaps the Northern Lights.
Most Inspirational Moment
What was special was a combination of things - a social group, feeling I could at least begin to get the hang of activities such as skiing and dogsledding, generally travelling around the Oulanka National Park area by road whilst seeing all of it covered in snow and getting to meet the huskies and reindeer. I also had the chance to take off on my own in the afternoon into the wilderness which gave me a sense of exploration!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Elina is a very good leader and had us clearly organised everyday. She took us out snowshoeing and showed us cross country skiing. Else kept us well fed from the kitchen and took us out on a night walk with the snowshoes. Both have a lot of local knowledge and were very social, as part of the group. Elina also organised us with the most outdoor kit I have ever been given on a trip!
Advice for Potential Travellers
This is a week where there is a lot of choice as to what one can do. Hence, perhaps, it helps to have some preconceived ideas as to what one would like to experience from the week.
Aptly described
Against a background of knowing nothing of Bhutan, I found the trip so educational and broadening of my horizons with regard to the country’s culture, customs, history, religion, etc. The trip fulfilled my desire to be immersed in the country’s culture. I found it so interesting to listen to the two leaders in an effort to learn as much as possible of the country both of whom went to a great deal of time and effort to impart their knowledge and experience. I also enjoyed being amongst like minded people within the group and enjoyed listening to their stories, especially of their travels already made and those planned in the future.
Most Inspirational Moment
Listening to Valerie Parkinson's descriptions of treks she has completed and generally of her experiences, especially in the Himalayas. She gave me such inspiration and an impetus to tackle more. This against a background of mixing with ladies in my normal life who are generally not very assertive and rather insular.
Thoughts on Group Leader
2 leaders: Valerie Parkinson & Norbu Tshering: both excellent, both looked after our every need, answered all our queries and, what I appreciated most, were only too willing to take time to impart their extensive knowledge of Bhutan and the Himalayas in general Rinchi, guide, was also excellent
Advice for Potential Travellers
Pack Yak Trax if you have them; if not they may be purchased in Kathmandu. This was not on the list of things to take and therefore I did not take my own pair which would have been useful.
Fast paced and exhausting tour of Japan - certainly not a leisurely holiday!
It was great touring using public transport including bullet trains but it meant deadlines to catch trains. Because of this we sometimes felt rushed with not enough time to fully enjoy the sights we were visiting. But we certainly saw a slice of Japanese life.
Most Inspirational Moment
We loved the trees - the cherry blossom and perfectly sculptured conifers. We loved the bamboo forest and gardens nearby. We loved the traditional architecture of sliding panels and tatami mats. We loved the politeness and cleanliness of Japan with train guards bowing as they entered and left carriages. We loved the gardens sitting in nests of skyscrapers in Tokyo. We will miss the quirky Japanese toilets and the onsens.
Thoughts on Group Leader
We liked Shin - he organised tickets and reservations perfectly and with assiduous counting managed to keep the group together at very crowded stations during complex journeys.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Prepare for crowds everywhere and standing in trains and buses. Prepare to walk fast. Do your research before the trip to help use your free time. There are great food outlets at the stations where you can grab a picnic.
Paro festival and Druk Path trek
What an amazing trip which exceeded my expectations. Bhutan has been on my bucket list for many years and I particularly wanted to go on a trip which combined the experience of seeing the Paro festival firsthand, a visit to the Tiger’s Nest monastery and some trekking and this trip does just that. The festival was fantastic and such a wonderful and joyous occasion with the locals in their national dress watching in their hundreds the amazing storytelling through dance. The final day we were treated to a view of the Thangka which was beautiful. It was a real privilege to be able to witness this festival and be part of it.
The trek had stunning scenery and was challenging enough I just wish it had been a little warmer at night!. Waking up to snow was a little chilly but the hot water bottles in our sleeping bags at night helped to take the chill off!
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing my first glimpse of the Tiger’s Nest monastery. Wow!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Norbu was an excellent group leader, very knowledgeable and also supportive of everyone on the trek.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Thermals, thermals and more thermals! It really was very cold at night. A Nalgene water bottle would have been useful as some members of the group had theirs filled with hot water at night to use as an extra hot water bottle and then used it as drinking water during the day. I don’t normally walk with poles but found them really helpful in the snow and ice. Also if it is going to be cold buy some yak tracks in Kathmandu to help you stay on your feet. I enjoyed the hot stone bath in Paro. It was certainly an experience!
Classic Vietnam and Angkor
What a fantastic trip, Cong the leader was excellent, always willing to share his extensive knowledge of both local and country wide topics.
Most Inspirational Moment
Cambodia and it's smaller temple's.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Fantastic, should be inline for the tour leader prize!
Advice for Potential Travellers
Going in March we found that we had taken to many warm clothes. Great time of the year to go.
Costa Rica - coastal secrets
The geographical and wildlife diversity of Costa Rica is immense- a real treasure of a country. This trip certainly delivered in giving me an idea of its beautiful scenery and the wildlife therein. It left me wishing to revisit the country to see and experience more.
My travelling companions were are bonus – we all knitted well and shared a great enthusiasm for everything.
The Costa Ricans I met were engaging, helpful and enthusiastic about their country and what it had to offer.
Most Inspirational Moment
The diversity of Costa Rica: mountains, volcanos, beaches, forests, valleys, colour and the wonderfully diverse wildlife. What stuck in my mind most, however was one fact our guide told me: the country's energy is mainly renewably sourced- hydroelectric , geothermal.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Erick was great: organisationally on the ball; knowledgeable about politics, history and economics of his country (setting issues and daily life in context) as well as his knowledge of wildlife and the natural world. And ......... what eye sight! He had a great sense of humour which helped bond the group.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Beware the US dollar to local currency exchange - you will get change in local currency from shops and cafes which do not follow the official exchange rate! Take loads of small denomination dollars. You need to pay for the loo stop at the transfer point at Tortuguero (currently $1.00). The Osa peninsula is not that isolated (sadly) and the snorkelling was rather crowded but I managed to catch a glimpse of a white tipped reef shark - magnificent
Our wonderful journey through Jordan.
An excellent,well organised cycling tour in a very welcoming and interesting country.
Most Inspirational Moment
To me there were a few inspirational moments on the tour. The mosaics and the whole interior of the “Church of the Map”at Madaba was very inspirational. Again,Petra and camping out in Wadi Rum was quite inspirational.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our tour leader Ab (Abdullah ) was excellent. He was always pleasant,had plenty of patience and hard working.
Advice for Potential Travellers
In winter months you need clothes for all types of weather. When walking to the water at the Dead Sea,I would recommend wearing sandals or some sort of rubber shoes because the layers of salt are quite sharp underfoot.
Sri Lanka - An Experience
A wonderful country and friendly people who love their home. We got to see a variety of habitats in the south during this trip which makes for an interesting trip with great variety. Our tour manager went out of his way to give us the best “Sri Lankan Experience”. We were able to see a wide range of wildlife. For birders the variety seen was good. Mammal life is restricted in what Sri Lanka has but we managed to see many of what there is, exceptions the Sloth Bear and Leopard. The scenery was fantastic in places, loved the tea plantations and trees. Hotels were average, clean and comfortable, what you might expect on a tour to some remote areas, this is not a 5* hotel tour. The weather was good, tropical downpour in the rain forest and hot, dry, dusty days in the parks.
Most Inspirational Moment
Hard to choose one. The scenery and tea plantations, national parks and the animals within including monkey, jackals, wild boar and elephant. The Elephant transit home at feeding time.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Thushan was full of enthusiasm. Determined to provide us with real Sri Lankan experiences, which he succeeded in. A little more assertiveness in decisions required maybe as he tried to please everyone and found it impossible to please all. We had some issues with a couple of members of the group and he was tested, but handled the issue professionally as far as he was allowed. He gave everyone in the group equal attention and made sure we kept hydrated and safe.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Expect early starts and some long days, only way to see the best on offer over a wide area. Do not be disappointed if you do not see everything, the wildlife is wild, not captive. Take care with the leeches, they can be picked up even in the rainforest lodge grounds, socks are available at the lodge so you need not take your own. Do not forget sun protection.
Reply from Exodus
We would like to thank both Robert and John (review below) for their reviews, although we remain sorry that their trips were impacted on by this unfortunate incident. It is incredibly unusual that there are any altercations or disagreements between group members, and we appreciate that group members can have different perspectives when an incident like this occurs. As a tour operator, Exodus has to have a zero tolerance towards any violence on our trips and we have been in touch with both clients about the very different concerns that they raise.
Lucy Crabb – Customer Services Manager