Reviews

Little known gems

Walking in Matera was an interesting and eye opening experience. I knew nothing of the history of this facinating “heel of Italy’ so was extremely surprised and delighted to discover it in the company of 5 other travellers and our wonderful guide Nino.

Steptastic Italian Adventure

A well structured trip that takes in both the famous Cinque Terra villages, but also some less frequented and equally stunning hiking routes. There is plenty to do in this area and Moneglia is a good base, as it is lively without being overrun with tourists, which is sadly the case in some of the other towns nearby. Eating out most evenings means you get to experience authentic and varied Italian cuisine and the hotel is comfortable and welcoming.

Fantastic Tour of the Croatian Islands

My partner & I had a super time cycling round the Croatian islands in June 2018. Our tour leader, Mario, was fantastic and nothing was too much trouble for him. It was very well organised and the itinerary was busy but it meant we got to see a lot. Some of the views from the cycle were fantastic. One thing I would say is it is very hilly and I would maybe rate it more than a moderate. On the second day of cycling there was a 25km uphill climb which was pretty tough in the heat. There are plenty of stops though and no one is left behind. There is also a support bus for anyone that does not fancy the hills and you can join in the cycle from the top of the hill.
The first accommodation was a need of refurbishment and a little disappointing. The room was pretty basic. The other two hotels were nice, especially the one in Lumbarda. The restaurants we went to were all really nice and we got to sample lots of local dishes.
Overall I would recommend this trip – we had a super time and great memories from it.

Another excellent Exodus holiday

Slovenia is a lovely country with lovely people – helpful and friendly. I can but pass on the advice given to me which was “go before it gets too popular”. An important factor in making the holiday is the Leaders and the Group. In both instances they were excellent. Walks are well planned and whilst some previous posts have commented re lunching in restaurants rather than a packed lunch, I preferred the former, which, with one exception, are not restaurants but mountain lodges. All helps the local economy. Weather can be changeable but aside from our Lake Bled day, we enjoyed good weather. When it rains, it rains.

Tough Cycling, Beautiful Vistas

I’m so thrilled that I took the chance and visited Albania. It is a country I previously had never concieved of visiting before. As a Black female traveller, I wasn’t sure what to expect (I saw no one that looked like me during the trip), but people were always kind to me. The food was excellent (lots of fresh and roasted vegetables, cheese, yogurt, fish and seafood).

Up and down

A full week of trips and endlessly up and down the narrow switchback roads down to the coast. Herculaneum was a highlight as was the back streets of Naples in the pouring rain! Much too hot for the ascent of Pompeii. The Path of the Gods was awe inspiring though not the easy walk it was described as ………

Wonderful scenery and walking plus great food and wine

This was a wonderful week. The scenery is magnificent and the Cinque Terre villages are as beautiful as i hoped, despite the crowds you can still appreciate the unique atmosphere and architecture of these tiny villages. Several times we walked through lovely flowers or woods. The hotel is just across the road from a Blue Flag beach with safe swimming , lovely after a hard walk. Local food is tasty and affordable and especially good if you like anchovies and ice cream (not together!) The walking is strenuous going up the cliffs at the start of the day and down at the end, but there is plenty of time allowed and the “level” parts are well surfaced and easy. I really reccommend this holiday.

Been to Italy? Now visit Puglia

Like many people we meet we did not know Puglia existed until we saw this trip. A gem of a region, very different and so suited to a short leisurely summer trip when time is a constraint to a full-on distant adventure tour for which Exodus is otherwise renowned. Distances travelled are comparatively short so it easy to fit in many of the historic, architectural and geological sights with ease.

Great Trip

Really enjoyed the trip. A fascinating island, great food, wonderful history. My only criticism is that we tried to cover too much, which at times led to us only reaching our hotel at 19.00.

Wonderful archaeological sites

Herculaneum and Pompeii were outstandingly good, seeing the artefacts in the Museum at Naples helped put the earlier visits into context. Walking to the top of Vesuvius was fantastic and seeing Capri was wonderful. Amalfi and Ravello were also very enjoyable and deserved four stars.

I felt the Path of the Gods walk had no place on this trip (perhaps only as an option for those who wanted to do it?). I did not the think the strenuous nature of the walk was adequately explained and an overall rating of ‘leisurely’ for this holiday certainly does not apply to the Path of the Gods. Several of our group would not have done the walk if they had known what it would entail. Positano was lost on me because by the time I had completed the walk I was hot, tired and dusty and not in the mood for sightseeing or shopping.

I felt the rest of our day in Naples could have been better spent elsewhere.

Most Inspirational Moment

Herculaneum and Pompeii - they were the reasons I booked the trip and they more than exceeded my expectations.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Eduardo's passion and love for his country is obvious and his energy and enthusiasm were impressive. We were a difficult group for him - a large group with two fallers on the Path of the Gods both of whom needed medical attention and stitches. I think he struggled to look after us all on that day - possibly the group was just too large for one person to manage? Although I think he did his best in difficult circumstances.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The pace of this holiday is marked as 'Leisurely'. The Path of the Gods is not leisurely and after our trip, that happened to coincide with the visit of two of the directors of Exodus, they will hopefully consider reassessing and reclassifying the description of the day spent on the Path of the Gods. There is a lot of walking on this trip and very little down time.

Reply from Exodus

We would like to thank Paula for her feedback. We are, however, sorry to learn of her concerns about the activity level of this tour. We have been running this itinerary for over 5 years with the same programme, which includes the Walk of the Gods as well as a short walk up to Mt Vesuvius, and the feedback we receive is normally very good. Following Paula’s group’s experience, however, we have updated the way our trip notes describe the overall trip difficulty, the terrain and the level of fitness required, to make sure our clients are prepared and aware of what to expect; and leaders will keep groups together during the most difficult section of the paths.  Marta Marinelli – Product Manager for Italy