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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14440 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Julie Woodward

Reviewed March 2018

Excellent jam-packed adventure

After a fair amount of research into which trip/company to select, I opted for this one. I opted for this trip for a few reasons – I’d previously done another excellent trip with Exodus, only 1 overnight train (just enough!), the itinerary sounded fascinating with some different places included to other similar tours. I was extremely pleased with my choice – an adventure from start to finish, amazing places, loads learned, a fabulous group and a brilliant tour leader.

Most Inspirational Moment

So many to mention - a true sensory experience. Varanasi was a huge highlight - people watching, the Ganges, the Ghats and the various ceremonies we saw - including beautiful weddings. The mountain scenery in Nepal was breathtaking - including the drives to get to Pokhara and Kathmandu, the Pokhara paragliding experience and Everest flight from Kathmandu. The Pashupatinath complex and Bodnath temple in Kathmandu. Learning about the Hindu and Buddhist history, beliefs and traditions was fascinating (including the Bodhgaya stay and day trips). Finally, our 13 strong group and Jatin were very special people to share this experience and adventure with.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jatin was absolutely brilliant - this would have been a tough and complex trip to manage and Jatin worked tirelessly to make sure everything came together, that we were all safe and well, and that we had a brilliant time. Whether someone needed meds, first aid, money, recovery of a misplaced/lost/left-behind item, souvenirs ... Jatin was always on hand and happy to help (he even rolled his sleeves up to help fix the bus!). Jatin's knowledge and experience was superb, he cared and his happy nature made us smile. A huge credit to Exodus.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring plenty of hand sanitiser (and use it regularly!), drink loads of water, bring an open-mind and be prepared to go with the flow. This is a really fun adventure trip - there are some early morning starts (for activities or to travel), rough and bumpy roads, long days, squat toilets and often facilities which might not meet our usual standards - go with it, it's really worth it. The long travel days weren't so bad as the views and outside life was fascinating to watch. Try and carry some snacks to keep the energy levels going - Jatin and the drivers often stopped at street vendors to get us fruit or other snacks during the day. During the long journeys, we stopped every couple of hours for a leg stretch, cuppa and a loo break. We were always told to shout if anyone needed an earlier stop. We encountered an unscheduled 6 hr delay, due to protests, on the morning train to Varanasi and many of us were very grateful for saving some our breakfast box leftovers which kept us going. The overnight train was an adventure. We made sure we had a good feed at lunchtime and we stopped off at the shop for some snacks. I carried a lightweight sleeping bag liner for the overnight train - I used it because I carried it, but the bedding provided seemed clean enough to use without the liner. However, it did get a little chilly during the night so the extra layer was welcomed. One thing I wished I'd packed was some cards or small games, but we made our own fun in the end. US $ are very useful to carry - crisp and un-torn notes. Indian rupees can be carried into and used in Nepal. Don't overpack - hotel laundry facilities were cheap and good, and best used on 2 night stays. I used the hotel laundry facilities in Bodhgaya and Varanasi. Bodhgaya was slightly cheaper, but neither expensive at all. Get over the cappuccino love! Mainly instant coffee all the way until Pokhara - but the Masala Chai is a good substitute.

stella thompson

Reviewed March 2018

Cross Country Skiing at Kvitavatn, Norway

This is an amazing place to learn to ski and to ski. The Fjellstue is friendly and has a great atmosphere and is perfectly set up for you to ski from your door, out into the wilderness. There is an excellent network of tracks, but the leaders offer mainly off track and with great skill and knowledge will take you away into the remote rolling hills, among the trees and above the tree line, offering fantastic guiding and tuition. I would have given up cross country skiing probably if I hadn’t come here as the support and leadership is second to none. Perfect for both beginners and for those with experience and skills. I have been back for many years, as have many others who come here.

Most Inspirational Moment

Doing two routes with Ilse that she had never done with groups for many years.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Both leaders are superb

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you have never skied before go for a beginners group. Work on your basic fitness before you go!

Sarah Skinner

Reviewed March 2018

Finland wilderness week

A fantastic location, the hut was lovely cozy & warm. The staff, particularly the leader Ana were really friendly and helpful. The kit provided was of good quality with top name brands, and kept you very warm, even at -30 for the evening walk. Each day was different, so made it intresting and allowed you to try a range of activities. Would highly recommend.

Most Inspirational Moment

Snow showing in the National Park on the last day, the scenery was amazing, but huskies were a close second.

Thoughts on Group Leader

She was excellent, great local knowledge, friendly & nothing too much bother.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Book this holiday!

Colin Owen

Reviewed March 2018

Magnificent landscapes

Chile is a country of the natural landscape. So it isn’t a particularly cultural experience as, for instance, is Peru. On Discover Chile we went in only one house (Pablo Neruda’s in Valparaiso), no museums and there’s no Spanish colonial architecture to speak of. But the landscapes are wonderful and sometimes unique. The world’s driest desert at one end and icebergs at the other. The internal flights are necessary to see this hugely long country; they felt appropriate and acceptable.

Most Inspirational Moment

Day 5 - the stop at Reserva Nacional de los Flamencos then the steady and compelling bus climb to altitude culminating in the magnificent and majestic Miscanto and Minoques volcanoes with their respective lakes. The guide gave us 30 minutes at the Reserva, nowhere near enough. We told him we wanted more and stayed 1 to 1.5 hours which is about right. The Atacama is much more interesting than you might imagine. Don't think of it a just a desert - it's deservedly a major attraction in Chile with lots of interest and even topped Torres del Paine for me.

Thoughts on Group Leader

A charming man but one who seemed to struggle initially with the size of this group (16) and, in trying to please, was at times indecisive and lacked direction. After several days there were definite rumblings of discontent within the group. He assimilated this and became better so that by the end of the trip he was as he should have been at the beginning. His knowledge of Patagonia was good but less so of the other regions and this is definitely an area which could have been improved. A good solution, which would have enriched the tour, would have been to use a different local guide in the each of the regions leaving the group leader freer to manage, rather than guide, the tour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I agree with the comments of Peter Rooke, reviewing a different Discover Chile group from mine, on clothing and food. I would, though, advocate lightish walking boots, say three season UK or at least approach shoes. If you choose conventional shoes instead make sure they are stout, as my mother would have said, up to rain, sand, dust and sometimes rocky uneven ground. I found no need of insect repellant at all and nor, so far as I am aware, did any my group. For the colder elements you will need a shell jacket so you can layer up and down underneath with a fleece and maybe a base layer under your shirt. Take gloves and a warm hat. Wind/waterprrof overtrousers are a good addition. You do not need full-on UK winter kit for a February trip; even pre-dawn at altitude it isn't that cold. Don't be concerned about the amount of trekking; it's high quality but pretty minimal and there isn't a great deal of climbing. If trekking is what you like, this trip will disappoint from that point of view and you would do well to reconsider. Chile is not a cheap country; think European out of pocket expenses. Budget up to £50 per couple per day and take a bit extra for contingencies. (Hotel del Paine $10 for a bottle of local beer; in the same hotel a fixed price buffet dinner, no other option, at $38pp; Santiago and San pedro pizza for two, one glass of admittedly gorgeous house wine and a Sprite or Cola £40; two airport small vending machine capuccinos £6). Everywhere takes plastic but it's useful to have some dollars cash. As regards pesos I changed $100 at the outset, paid for meals etc with a cash card, and that pocket cash lasted the two of us pretty well the whole trip. Think carefully about your packing on the internal flights and take whatever you most hold dear into the cabin. If you're travelling as a couple, switch clothing between your two cases. My group did five internal flights on LATAM. The entire group's bags, every checked case, went missing on one flight and three of those bags (mine included) didn't turn up till 24 hours later. On the next flight four of us lost bags again, myself included, for 24 hours.

Wendy Dunk

Reviewed March 2018

Discover Sri Lanka - just do it.

If you think India might be too much but really want to discover a different culture, this is the perfect trip to do.
Full on and busy every day but with “free time” just when you need it.
So many experiences in 2 short weeks, cultural, home based, incredible climbs, bike rides, white water rafting, incredible views, ancient cities, spice garden tour with an expert, turtle hatchery, visiting a tea factory, and that is just to mention a few of the things we did.
Our guide was so knowledgeable and soon became part of our group of 16, the bus driver was brilliant as was his support, we felt safe every time we went anywhere, Our Guide Nalaka was charming and always available to us and answered our numerous questions with charm and knowledge.
All the hotels were of a high standard, only two were not that good but for one night they were fine, but throughout the tour we were given 5* treatment and courtesy.

Most Inspirational Moment

It would be difficult to say which particular moment was any more inspirational than another. The whole tour was inspirational. I would have to say that the least inspirational for me personally was on day 12 where we had tea in a coconut shell and played Sri Lankan games. Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed the novelty and played the games, it was not inspirational in any way.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Outstanding. Knowledgeable. Concerned. Made sure we were safe and happy. Ensured we were given the right amount of information. Excellent communication skills. Friendly and welcoming right from the start. I cannot speak highly enough of Nalaka.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Read the notes given by Exodus, as they are accurate. Just go with an open mind, take in all the experiences. Take mosquito repellant with you, it is really necessary. Remember to get your ETA on line Things can be bit pricey but take cash in £'s and US$.

LINDA LAMOTTE

Reviewed March 2018

Vietnam by bike - what a perfect way of visiting this country

This trip was absolutely brilliant, a perfect way of visiting a country, by bike. We really felt part of the scenery and the locals were so welcoming, the cycling was interesting, safe, challenging but not too much, everyone could go at their pace as we had plenty of stops to allow the slower members catch up and have a break too. Every hotel we stayed in was over our expectations, clean spacious with very welcoming staff. The food was out of this world, fresh, local delicious and none of the group had any problems at all. Our guide, the driver and the mechanic were so knowledgeable and really kept an eye on each of us during our trip. We had fresh water and refreshments throughout our cycling and the excursions were great . Vietnam is really a great place to visit, so varied and interesting. I truly recommend this trip to any one that enjoys cycling and it was the perfect way to visit a country; I thank our guide Son who made each one of us feel as ease and handled us well. The guide and driver of our bus were very helpful and so was our mechanic. Well done Exodus!!!!

Most Inspirational Moment

Every day was just perfect,

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent, he really knows how to make each individual feel at ease and kept us all in good spirit. Well organised and so cheerful, couldn't have asked for any better.

Advice for Potential Travellers

To bring a neck cushion for the bus ride as we often needed a nap . Lots of insect repellent and sun cream of course. To bring warm clothes too.

Robert Sharpe

Reviewed March 2018

Vietnam Adventure

An excellent trip. As previously, super hotels, above all perfectly located, never more than a short walk from the centre/sights.
The usual combination of comfort, with a little bit of “edge” & adventure during the day. But go now – at current rate of development, there will be too many of us tourists, & moped fumes in cities will be intolerable.
Our guide, T-V, was absolutely superb. Knowledgeable, caring, & always willing to go the extra mile to deal with eg complex eating habits of the group. Tet (New Year) was actually a great time to visit, lots of buzz, & any downside (eg potential restaurant closure ) was anticipated & dealt with by T-V

Most Inspirational Moment

Saigon Opera House performance

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our guide, T-V, was absolutely superb. Knowledgeable, caring, & always willing to go the extra mile to deal with eg complex eating habits of the group. Tet (New Year) was actually a great time to visit, lots of buzz, & any downside (eg potential restaurant closure ) was anticipated & dealt with by T-V

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go now - at current rate of development, there will be too many of us tourists, & moped fumes in cities will be intolerable.

Helen Clews

Reviewed March 2018

Cambodia Adventure

This holiday was my first experience of a third world country and as such was extremely interesting. In spite of some poverty, all the hotels were built in recent years and were of a high standard. Our experiences were varied: chaotic traffic in the cities, visits to country villages, two days on cycles, boat trips, learning about the history of Cambodia’s civil war and how the country if recovering, trekking up a mountain and seeing mangroves. We enjoyed visiting the famous temple at Angkor Wat and several lesser temples in the region. The people were friendly and welcoming.

Most Inspirational Moment

I loved the day cycling round the vilages to see rice paper being made, bamboo tubes being filled with sticky rice, tropical fruits being sliced and dried in the sun, fish being processed (very smelly but interesting). All the local people worked long days for little money, but were very smiley and welcoming. At one stop we had a lovely snack of tropical fruit.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader was excellent, and able to give us plenty of information. He took care of us very well. We had a few 'incidents' such as a flat tyre and one member of the party being unwell, but he coped very efficiently with everything. He guided us to good restaurants and was always on the watch, making sure we were all there and happy. His own family had been badly affected by the civil war, so he was able to talk knowledgeably about Cambodian history - particularly when we visited the 'Killing Fields' and a Khmer Rouge prison. His English was fluent, though he had quite an accent. However, this was no problem as we all quickly tuned into it. Like so many Cambodians he was small, smiley and unflappable.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take the advice you are given to guard your belongings carefully. For example, wear a money belt or use a concealed pocket. Wear bags across your shoulder and hold them. (We had a couple of 'incidents'). We were not too plagued by mosquitoes, but I would advise using DEET whenever outside. Carry some toilet paper to use in the squat toilets. These are usually clean enough and often have running water, but often lack paper.

Larry Meyers

Reviewed February 2018

Trails of Vietnam--Traveling During the TET Holiday

We were a group of 7 representing 5 nationalities. The size of the group bonded us quickly and kept it that way through out the trip. Couple with an excellent guide it was and will be remembered as a memorable trip.
Before booking a trip in January or February check to see when the TET holiday will occur and decide if potential deviations from the standard trip notes will have an impact on what you want to see and experience.
TET is not a festival, rather a holiday period for the Vietnamese people to leave the cities and return to the country to spend time with their families. Millions of people are on the move which starts with the Vietnamese New Years Eve. All told we experienced the impact from Day 5 through Day 13 of our trip. Some guide books will advise you not to visit during TET as you will experience closed businesses and the businesses that remain open often hike their prices. While the hotels are operating restaurants options are limited and may only offer a set course meal to serve to tourists. Our guide was constantly adjusting our schedule to accommodate for TET–substituting a cycle day for a kayak trip, locating someone to do our laundry while in Hoi An and of course picking our restaurants. On the plus side there was less traffic to deal with.

Most Inspirational Moment

Reflecting back now it was clearly the two nights we stayed with the hill-tribes. Given our small group it was easy to interact with the adults and especially the children. The music and the dancing on the second night was as enjoyable for the village as it was for us.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Tuyen Nguyen was everything you would want in a guide--professional, well organized, capable of dealing with multiple changes in itineraries (think TET) plus a good sense of humor. He worked his hardest to make sure we enjoyed our time in his country. Our bus rides were filled with his wisdom and wit.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Weather in the north can be really cold especially at the homestays--a sleeping sheet or a light sleeping bag if you chill easily--the bedding provided is a sheet and a blanket. Ear plugs are essential as the dogs and roosters are everywhere. Bring the slippers from the Day 1 hotel to use in the sleeping rooms. You will be backpacking on Day 3 to your new homestay. It rained on us and was very slippery and muddy. Your large bag will be stored at a hotel on Day 2, 5, 11 & 12. You can pack more stuff after the homestay but you still have to carry it between the bus and your night's stay. Day 7 is a long day and one needs to have cycle gear readily available--from the train right to cycling--gel saddle cover and gel cycle shorts really help. We didn't see the sun until Day 7 but the sunscreen came out from then on. Bugs were not a problem.

M B

Reviewed February 2018

Vietnam Adventure

A busy trip that covered a lot of distance , seeing both north and south Vietnam .
Travelling prior / during and after Tet gave a different perspective to the country and people

Most Inspirational Moment

Exploring the cities ( Hanoi / Hoi An / Hue / Ho Chi Minh City ) was most enjoyable . From 15 degrees in Feb in Hanoi to 35 degrees in HCMC was a bit of a challenge .

Thoughts on Group Leader

TV ( Than Vu ) was very able and ensured everyone was having a good time. He spoke of the history of his country as well as traditions. Managed the logisitics of "Tet amendments " well and always communicated upcoming activities in a friendly , informative way .

Advice for Potential Travellers

Dont worry about the cycling element of trip. The countryside is iron board flat and the pace is very leisurely. If you cant use chopsticks before you go , try to get some practice in . Spoons and forks can be provided but might be worthwhile carrying your own set ( i.e those given away freely by takeaways/ supermarkets in UK )

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