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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14448 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Marilyn Spencer

Reviewed May 2018

Flower filled meadows

An excellent, varied itinerary encompassing the different aspects of the area.

Most Inspirational Moment

Camenito del Rey. The flowers, possibly at their best due to the past few weeks of cooler and unseasonably wetter weather giving flash floods.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alex was a very experienced guide which showed in his daily manner and dealings with the characters and fitness levels of the group.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make a firm request for bed type selection. I asked for a twin room. My husband and I had to share a very small double bed which affected our sleep quality. The owners of the property were not helpful although there was the possibility of replacing a double bed with 2 singles from the store. In my opinion single beds pushed close together are a better option when running group holidays therefore giving the option for singles or couples to share a room comfortably. There was no hand soap. Take your own. Don't expect the bathroom to be cleaned in the week although the towels were changed mid week. Drainage problems in the showers in rooms 1,2,3.

Reply from Exodus

We would like to thank Marilyn for her feedback. We were pleased to read that she found the itinerary to be excellent and varied, but we are very sorry to learn of her disappointment with the size of the double bed in her room and that she experienced issues with the bathroom. We are of the understanding that the hotel’s owners tried to find an alternative room with a more suitable bedding situation, but we remain sorry if Marilyn felt that more could have been done to assist. We have been advised by the hotel’s owners that the bathrooms are cleaned every other day, but we regret that Marilyn found this to not be the case. The hotel’s owners have also informed us that the drainage issues in the bathrooms have been looked into and fixed, which we trust will improve the experience of future clients. Monica Princic – Product Manager for Spain

Graham Johnson

Reviewed May 2018

Essential Peru and Amazon extension

This trip does everything it says it will do, BUT, do be aware that where the trip notes mention long days that is exactly what happens. The scenery is spectacular for most of the trip so settle back and enjoy it.

Machu Picchu lives up to all expectations, so if it seems a bit of a faff getting there just let it work its magic on you when you get there.

Cusco is sublime. You have some free time there but you’ll love it, just grab a Pisco Sour and watch the world go by.

Most Inspirational Moment

Machu Picchu doesn't disappoint, watching all the condors in the Colca Canyon was wonderful........BUT 5 jaguars on the Amazon. Blown away.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Right, first off Peruvian plugs are TWO FLAT PIN PLUGS!!!!!! If you buy the standard Boots/travel plugs that say Peru but have two flat pins and one round earth pin THEY WILL NOT WORK except in Lima. I had to beg borrow and scrounge plugs to charge my camera. Boots refunded me but be aware, their plugs don't work.

Sheree Dodd

Reviewed May 2018

Great walks, great wine, great holiday

A really wonderful holiday with very different walks and enjoyable/informative visits to wineries well led by Ricardo and András. We enjoyed the holiday with a diverse and fun group that mixed Brits with Aussies and Canadians – keep doing this Exodus it added another dimension to our trip.
We enjoyed fantastic weather and it was good to be able to relax in hotels with excellent facilities – two infinity pools overlooking breathtaking scenery in one.
Lunches at the quintas were excellent especially the organic winery.

Most Inspirational Moment

Personal highlights for me were walking through a meadow that were bursting with colour from the sudden blooming of thousands of wildflowers while the adjoining vines terrace was being ploughed by a horse and following a levada until a beautiful meeting place of two rivers.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ricardo was a very good group leader who had researched and organised the excellent itinerary. At all times I felt that he was conscientious about safety and the needs of group individuals. He was ably supported by Andras. Both took excellent pictures of the group and an evening highlight was looking back over the day's activities through the images.

Steve Johnson

Reviewed May 2018

Very good - just a few tweaks

Overall, we LOVED this trip and would highly recommend it.

Just a few minor complaints, many of which are unavoidable (but some could be addressed):

– Air pollution was pretty bad on some of the days (though not all). Obviously, Exodus can’t do much about this, but future travelers should be aware. I had heard the air quality had improved significantly since the 2008 Olympics, and that might be…but it was still pretty bad.
– Plumbing! Other than the Beijing hotel, every single guest house we stayed at had plumbing issues (and it wasn’t just our rooms – the other travelers in our group had the same issues). You name it – scalding/freezing shower water, no water pressure, drainage issues. It seems like these SHOULD be pretty easy to fix, and yet….
– WIFI – there are many sites that are banned in China, but others (CNN, EPSN, local news sites) are accessible…when you can get a signal. Most places we stayed at *claimed* to have wifi, but the networks were slow at best, and in most cases unusable.
– Food – generally pretty good at the guest houses, but there was not much variety (suprisingly).
– Tai Chi – it was nice to have a Tai Chi lesson, but the instructor stood in the front of the group which made it difficult for those of us in back to see her. She should have been in the center, or if possible elevated on a platform or stage so everyone could see her.
– Crowds – on the final day we went to the Forbidden City in Beijing at what seemed like the worst possible time: Sunday afternoon. The crowds were ridiculous. If possible, Exodus should try to arrange this tour early on a weekday morning to avoid (or at least lessen) the crowds.

Again, all these complaints are minor. Overall, we loved our experience and would recommend it to anyone considering it!

Most Inspirational Moment

The first day on The Wall - just the exhilaration of actually being there!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jerry was good - he spoke a bit quickly and was a bit difficult to understand at times, and was quite opinionated on some topics...but overall quite good. Very patient and good sense of humor.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The hiking gets a bit intense - be sure you are in good shape!

Ed Hayes

Reviewed May 2018

Why would you go to Albania??

Why would you go to Albania?!? Is what everyone said to me before I did this trip. Well, after coming back I’m telling them they should go because of:
– Amazing scenery. Beautiful mountains, alpine type meadows, some nice beaches along the coast
– Good food. Really nice, simple food. Fresh fish and fresh vegetables. Options for vegetarians too.
– Great cycling. Some reasonable hills (and a couple of really good descents) and generally good quiet roads (in April anyway.)

Most Inspirational Moment

The big hill on the last day was a satisfying challenge. The descent out of the mountains on day 2 was beautiful and probably my favourite bit.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Really good. The guide and driver we had were great - friendly, helpful and super organised. This is probably the best organised exodus trip I’ve been on.

Advice for Potential Travellers

In terms of difficulty this is definitely a grade 4 (certainly not a 3.) You don’t have to be a ‘cyclist’ but you do need to have a reasonable level of cardiovascular fitness and to have been on a bike about before I think.

Jakki Foote

Reviewed May 2018

Fabulous holiday, shame about the boat!

The two-week wildlife cruise was the holiday of a lifetime. We both enjoy science and wildlife, we are also sailors and have our own boat. Most days the itinerary was full on and wonderful, and we were delighted with the amazing wildlife both on land and in the sea. The crew were very friendly and worked amazingly hard. There was a generous amount of good food for every meal, including much fruit, vegetables and salads. Unfortunately several of us had stomach upsets for 1 or 2 days.
The boat was the main cause for concern. The A/C in the dining room failed for a couple of days, and dripped water on the seating so we had several wet seats for a few days. The Dining room ceiling also dripped water on several occasions. Our A/C also dripped on the carpet, or anything that was on the carpet nearby, and also on the shelves under it. Many things were wet or smelled musty. We had room 1 and our toilet was often malfunctioning from the start, and then blocked completely for a whole day (happily the crew worked very hard and managed to repair it by bedtime). There were no other toilets except the ones in other guests cabins.
Exodus gave us only 24 hours to decide whether to abort the holiday as the original boat the Cachalot was out of commission but we were told that the substitute boat was also a “first class boat”. We now discover that according to Galapagos Islands.com the ‘Astrea’ or ‘Pinguino Explorer’ is down as a “mid-priced boat” and costs 650 dollars per week less that the ‘Catchalot’ did, so we are not amused as no refund was offered for this cheaper accommodation.
Exodus were unable to give us useful information regarding laundry (they said there was none) or the ability to wash things ourselves and hang them out. Also, they were unable to answer queries about the flight from Quito to the islands or the baggage allowance for that flight. We therefore took far too much luggage!
We were only told about the need for US dollars to pay the bar bill within the last week when we had already ordered and collected our dollars.

Most Inspirational Moment

So hard to decide as most days exceeded our expectations. I loved the seals, so amusing and entertaining, as were the Penguins but the Hammerhead sharks took my breath away. We saw about 100 Mola mola (sunfish) I also was blown away by the Siera Negra Volcano – so huge.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very knowledgeable about so many things, but not easy to get a straight answer from, and also rather creepy.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Find out who the local agent is and check their website, it answered many of our outstanding questions. You can wash for yourself, a plug is useful, and hang out clothes on the rail outside.

Reply from Exodus

We would like to thank Jakki for her feedback. We are pleased that she enjoyed her trip overall, but we regret the disappointment that the Astrea caused. We were very sorry to learn that Jakki experienced issues with the air-conditioning and plumbing, as we appreciate the frustration and disappointment this caused. Following the feedback we have received, I can confirm that we will not be using the Astrea for any future departures and we have been in touch with Jakki on an individual basis.

Sarah Ahern – Product Manager for the Galapagos

Michael Littleton

Reviewed May 2018

Great Experience

This was a wonderful trip through the countryside of Tuscany. The Villa Casalta owner and her staff member was friendly and caring.

Most Inspirational Moment

I really enjoyed the hiking. The countryside was beautiful! It reminds me of the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in NC.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Liz Proctor was a great group leader. She is a very good organizer and "den mother" for the members of the group.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We boarded the wrong train going to Pisa before the start of the tour. It was on the same track and approximate departure time for our train. We had tickets for a regional train and it was a express train. The conductor charged us the cost of the ticket and 50 euros penalty for each person. It appears to be a money generator from the unwary!

YIM FUN Mamie XHAN

Reviewed May 2018

Puglia: Discover Heel of Italy

excellent itinerary in covering Puglia in terms of scenery, landscapes, seascapes, distinctive landmarks in towns as covered, participating in or sharing local experience e.g. visit to olive tree groves; olive oil and wine tasting. accommodation in Trulli and formerly cave dwellings in Matera….

Most Inspirational Moment

Castellana limestone cave; stay on Trulli in Alberobello

Thoughts on Group Leader

very efficient, responsible, comprehensive as well as detailed in taking care of needs, requests, meeting expectations, providing and obtaining information for all participants, very knowledgeable on all areas and aspects covered by the tour, full of energy and initiatives in guiding, offering help to and motivating participants.. recommending very good restaurants and regional food

Advice for Potential Travellers

will base on or along my above comments

Julie Hohmann

Reviewed May 2018

AIL 180415

Amazing trip around Sri Lanka

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing all the wild animals in the Yala National Park. We even saw a Lepard with her babies having lunch. It was just amazing!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sujan was a great tour guide. He knows his county by heart, is sharing all his knowledge (he was even teaching us some local words). He has great humour and was always there to help if needed.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring a lot of sunscreen and insect repellant :) The best is to change your cash at the airport. There are not that many ATM possibilities during the trip

Mandy R

Reviewed May 2018

Most amazing stunning cycling

For anyone looking for a cycling trip with stunning views, coastal roads, beautiful fields, topped off with delicious food and wine, then look no further than Cycling in Sardinia. It is simply one of the most gorgeous destinations. I loved it – despite the rain at times. You do need to be fit enough to make it up some quite long hills, but they were generally a good gradient that you could just stick in a low gear and keep turning those wheels. Plus you can get a good sense of achievement at the top. Definitely recommend!

Most Inspirational Moment

Getting to the top of some of the hills! Watching a 79 year old get to the top of those same hills! Lovely people to share those moments with.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Simone, our tour leader, and Ado, our driver/lunch chef, were both brilliant. Really fun to be with and always ready to help. I would love to be led by them again.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Read the trip notes so that you know what to expect and come prepared. Because some of the hills are quite long, it is worth doing a little hill cycling in the weeks before but, like I said above, the hills are generally a good gradient. Also don't be afraid to use an electric bike on this trip. Personally I did not need to, but one of our fellow travellers did and it really made her week more pleasurable. There was unseasonably bad weather on our trip (end April, beginning of May) and we actually had quite a lot of rain on several days, but it was still an excellent trip. I would recommend bringing lots of layers and a waterproof jacket in case this happens to you.

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