Reviews

Porto to lisbon

This was our 6th cycling trip and one of the best,we usually do moderate but this time did leisurely to moderate,thought it might be to easy but there was a couple of challenging hills,hotels were very good,trindade hotel in Porto advertised a rooftop bar but there wasn’t one,another hotel had a rooftop bar but was closed for the season bit early I thought. Our guide Pedro and our driver jaun were excellent nothing was too much trouble ,super trip .

Inca trek, a must for anyone who enjoys trekking.

A seasoned Exodus traveller, this holiday was the best so far! The trek was brilliantly organised, walking over 4 days, we arrived to see an almost empty Machiu Picchu. Our guide Reny was fabulous, and had a great knowledge of the trek and the Inca history. The group had a fantastic atmosphere. I would highly recommend this trek to all it was hard work but really really worth it.

Discover Sri Lanka

What a fantastic trip! Travelled with my new wife on our Honeymoon and although I had high hopes of Sri Lanka the tour went far beyond our expectations.

A guided tour of 16 with a real mixture of people we visited many sights and places and overall was a very well balanced trip that comprised of history, culture, tradition and a bit of R&R. The tour allows you to experience the different provinces of Sri Lanka that provides its unique vibe.

A steptastic holiday!

This was a great holiday in a beautiful area, fantastic coastal walks with amazing views of the cobalt sea, trekking through lemon groves past olive trees, fascinating towns and villages, and even a swim in the Mediterranean. There were a lot of steps but the trip information did warn of this.
The Hotel Due Torri seemed to think it was a privilege to host us!

Alexandra the Great !

You have to be lucky to have a great holiday. We were lucky to pick this great tour, lucky to travel with a good group and very lucky to have Alex as our guide!This amazing young lady really made the trip – and even altered the itinerary a little so that we would get the best out of every day irrespective of the weather. Although a native french Canadian , she knew everything about Vancouver and chatted animatedly with everyone , answering every question that was sent her way.
There are always things that go a little wrong -our room at Ucluelet was very dark -but she immediately fixed a change with the hotel. She also knew great places to eat and varied it as much as possible.
The highlight of the trip was a day long visit to see grizzly bears feeding on Salmon migrating up the river. On the way we got close to a large humpback whale . With the boat engines stopped we could hear every breath of the whale and managed to get some great pictures – a magical moment.
The zodiac trips to see whales were fun, but our boat skipper kept a very long distance (much greater than the mandatory 100 yards) from the whales even when invited to approach by other boat captains. Considering we had travelled many thousands of miles to see the whales this was disappointing.
The penultimate day was spent in Victoria. We had tasted “beaver tails” -a cinnamon doughnut – in Ottawa many years ago and wanted to repeat the experience. Alex , once again, made it possible and found a local source of this delightful sweet!
As we said our goodbyes to our new friends on the final day, Alex was on hand again to make sure all went well. We hope she continues as a guide – any other have a hard act to follow!

Best decision ever

Exodus tours were recommended to me, and as someone who knows little about wine but loves to drink it I was keen on this trip. I also fancied some exercise and activities thrown in. I was slightly dubious about going alone but soon realised when I got there that exodus caters for people like me. I would say the trip is scaled correctly in terms of activity level, I particularly enjoyed the panzano and San gimignano walks. There’s also loads to do on your free day, I rented a vintage fiat from castellina, some of the group went riding and others cooking so plenty of options. Couldn’t recommend this trip enough.

Wonderful!

A wonderful once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Indeed a Grand Tour of Sicily

A good introduction to a wonderful island – its culture, cuisine and history.

Most Inspirational Moment

Selinunte - walking around the ancient streets of this ruined city gave a real perspective of how the city could have looked and functioned.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very good. A challenging role, as it was the first time the tour had run!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go with the flow! Plenty of free time for extended exploration. In Palermo, don't miss La Zisa, a Norman castle with ornate Moorish design. In Syracuse, the Catacombs of San Giovanni are the largest in Italy outside of Rome - recommend queue up for the after-lunch guided tour.

Reply from Exodus

Thank you Rob for taking the time to provide us with feedback about your time in Sicily; we are sorry to read, however, that your stay in Palermo was disappointing as you found the hotel to be unclean and in need of refurbishment. We are glad to say that we are now using the Hotel Mediterraneo in Palermo which we trust will ensure future clients will not have a similar encounter. We realise this cannot alter your experience, but we hope it shows we have taken your feedback on board. – Marta Marinelli, Product Manager.

Great wildlife viewing with a top class crew

Some of my best ever wildlife viewing, seeing all the big 5 (including my first ever clear views of leopards) plus much else including spectacular birds, chimpanzees and of course the amazing mountain gorillas. Very well looked after by leader Jacob, the best ever driver Stone Cold, Godfrey the cook and the hardworking trainee Ester, all of whom not just kept us safe, healthy and happy, but were great company.

Beautiful Sicilian Sights but tour requires some tweaks

We saw many of the must see sights and picturesque towns of Sicily, enjoyed tasty dishes especially the ice creams and granitas and had some time to wander around places and soak up the Sicilian way of life.
We were on the first Grand Tour of Sicily so were anticipating some issues could arise. Future trips will only benefit from having a much smaller group (say max. 12 people). Much of the accommodation, restaurants, roads and some sights were on the small scale and our group of 17 people meant difficulties with accommodation type/quality, logistics and group meals. Also some changes to the itinerary (e.g. length of time spent at certain places) will only serve to improve future customers experience of Sicily, enabling them to fully immerse themselves in the Sicilian way of life, culture and history. I enjoyed my time in Sicily and thanks to our local Exodus guide feel I experienced much of what Sicily had to offer (& was on my wish-list). So if you want to see a varied heritage played out in archaeological treasures and picturesque landscapes coupled with a good dose of sunshine (we were very lucky) and tasty dishes (such as cake for breakfast – always good) then Sicily is the place to go. I just hope Exodus will reduce group numbers and not trip length.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many 'wow' moments, that only the number of photos taken can attest to, and special memories made on this trip. I really enjoyed wandering around picturesque Ragusa, plus being a Inspector Montalbano fan meant it was like being on the set. Seeing the back of Palermo cathedral for the first time was a wow moment just because it was so different to everything else we had seen. The byzantine and roman mosaics at Monreale and Piazza Armerina were very special and a lot to take in. Walking around Etna and through Zingaro Nature Reserve was a lovely experience and not to be missed. Wandering through the medieval streets (lots of steps) and enjoying the Baroque sights (everywhere you look) in Noto, Modica, Palermo and Catania were a joy. The sheer scale of some of the Greek and Roman archaeological towns/amphitheatres are a sight to beyond. Charming seaside town of Cefalu was a nice place to relax just wish we had longer.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Milena was a very good leader and coped well with a relatively large group and the problems (especially logistics getting to accommodation and for group meals) that this entailed. She was extremely knowledgeable about all the places we visited and travelled through. She was very enthusiastic about helping us learn more about Sicilian culture and history plus she had lots of geological knowledge which I found very interesting (but maybe not for everyone).

Advice for Potential Travellers

Find out about potential group size before you travel and hope that you have a small group as that will only be a benefit. Possibly take a small travel pillow as many of the beds/pillows were rock hard. If you have limited mobility or problems with stairs, be mindful that there are lots of steps, cobbles and slopes in the places we visit and even in accommodation itself. So might not always be easy going and you may need to request a room on the lowest floor possible in accommodation as there is not always a lift. Be patient as service can often be very slow in restaurants and sometimes quicker meals can be had in cafes if you need a snack. Don't miss out on the chocolate in Modica or the group lunch (very tasty, local only to that area) also make sure you experience the Etna walk and along the coast Zingaro NR. If you are a keen photographer - take a spare memory card or 2.

Reply from Exodus

Exodus would like to thank Lucy for taking the time to review her trip. We regret to read, however, that she found the size of her group to impact on the enjoyment of her holiday and that she would have preferred to spend longer in some destinations. We have been operating tours in Sicily with a maximum group size of 18 and this is the first time we can recall receiving feedback of this nature. We have addressed the logistical issues which arose on this departure due to having a larger than expected bus to transport the group and we hope that going forward, future groups will not encounter similar challenges. We have also revised the transfer times for 2018 to allow clients more time in destinations such as Cefalu. We will continue to closely monitor the feedback we receive about the set-up of the itinerary to ensure we are maximising time in the areas which clients let us know they enjoyed visiting the most and will consider making adjustments to the itinerary as necessary.– Marta Marinelli, Product Manager.