Reviews

Inca Trail & Amazon Rain Forest + Homestay

All in all a great trip – I met some great people and saw some amazing sights, but this is no walk in the park and I don’t think any of us on the trip fully appreciated just how mentally and physically challenging this trip would be -with a rating of just 3 I think most of us who are experienced hikers – myself and two others hiked in Nepal last year and one of our grp had hiked to Everest base camp thought although a challenge we would not have to many problems – we had underestimated the effects of walking at altitude and not taken into consideration that it would most likely rain as it did for 2 days solid and then having to sleep in tiny tents which let in water whilst wet and cold was not exactly much fun

Stunning varied scenery

I read previous reviews prior to going on the trip, and they are all accurate. I would add that I was borderline fit enough for this holiday so found it challenging at times (it was a late decision to go), but I would not have missed a moment of it. I completed all the walks, which are all different from each other. The group I was with was very supportive. Andre the guide made one unit of us from the first night, and was watchful, prepared, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. As he said 80% is in your head, 20% in your walking ability.
Apart from Andre, the other essential was walking poles, especially on the long downhill Day 4.
I had not been on an Exodus holiday before, nor had I been on one without a companion. Any reservations I had were blown away very quickly. It was so enjoyable,I just love Madeira.
I am looking for my next holiday already.

North Cyprus

An excellent week walking in the hills of North Cyprus, learning about the history of the present-day Greek/Turkish divide as well as the ancient Roman and pre-Roman history of the area. Very nice hotel on the outskirts of Kyrenia with 2 pools to help us cool off at the end of the day.

Exceeded Expectations - Inca Trail - Breathtaking

I have just returned from Peru and would thoroughly recommend this trek. From enquiry to booking and throughout the trip, the service was excellent. Having been on several other trek’s throughout the world I had high expectations and these were exceeded! The Inca Trail is an incredible journey and our guide was exceptional. Throughout I felt well looked after, the customer care was superb. I would happily recommend Exodus to anyone, it was 25 years since my last holiday with Exodus, I will not leave it so long this time!

The porters were an inspiration and the food provided on the trek was superb!

A challenging experience

We chose this holiday for the combination of walking and wildlife offerred and the areas within South Africa that it covered. We love the Kruger and were also interested in seeing the Drakensburg mountains and Swaziland. Inevitably we spent a lot of time in the minibus as we covered very long distances, but it was worth it. We saw plenty of wildlife and fantastic scenerey. We stayed in some staggeringly beautiful places. My main concern with the holiday was always the walking, and whether we would be up to it? We are both in our 70s, but consider ourselves reasonably fit, as we regularly play 3 rounds of golf a week ( walking) and always take exercise every day. In the event, we found the walking very tough. In the main the terrain was difficult: narrow steep and stoney paths with tricky footing: there was a lot of difficult clambering across rocks and a head for heights was essential! I feel that a grading of “ moderate” for the walking was misleading: it seemed much more demanding than that. The altitude is high, and this adds to the difficulty. I would have preferred to have been given the option of easier walks from time to time, so that I could look at the wonderful scenery as well as my feet! Having said this, our guide was really helpful and got me through. I am glad we went.

Essential Peru

A fabulous trip, everything you imagine and perhaps more. The trip notes are accurate and yes there are a couple of very long travel days but the views and huge expanse of Peru and the Anders make these pass quite quickly. Don’t miss the optional tour of the Sacred Valley, oddly enough this was as thrilling as Machupicchu for me. Yes the early starts can be a bit of a killer but if you have done these trips before you know this comes with the territory. Altitude and coach journeys make you take naps so you soon catch up.
Don’t under estimate the need to keep on drinking water and for sunscreen, layers to cope with the changes in temperature and of course a very good camera. Don’t, like me, forget to use your video when you visit Condor Valley, l should have also used my tablet.
Traffic in the cities is horrendous and in Cusco you have to walk to get the coach.

First cycling holiday

This was my first cycling holiday and what a way to start. Firstly let me start by talking about the guide & driver/mechanic These guys made the holiday always went above & beyond nothing was too much trouble holiday was amazing disagree with the rating of 3 was hard but you need to push yourself. Thanks again guys great job 👍🏻

Walking in Puglia and Matera

Our first holiday with Exodus went really well. We were met at the airport by our tour guide Luigina and driven to our first port of call, the Sassi District of Matera. Matera is built on a rocky outcrop, so there were lots and lots of steps. Not a good place for less able bodied people, and we thought some of the cobbled streets were a little slippy, so take a pair of sensible shoes. Our hotel room was a cave built into the rock. Very unusual, but the bathroom was a bit tired and needed a refurbish. Great local restaurants and cafes and very reasonably priced.
Our guide Luigina did a great job and had excellent local knowledge. She organised 2 picnic lunches during the week and organised an extra trip on our free day to Lecce. During walks, she pointed out many places of historical interest, but also talked about the local flora. We got to try wild almonds straight off the tree, also wild rocket and strawberry fruit. We were fortunate to be in Italy during the olive harvesting and she asked a local farmer to demonstrate the harvesting method.
The final evening’s meal, was at a Massiera (farmhouse). We did have to pay extra for this trip, but it was worth every penny (euro). The food was all locally sourced and Home cooked. It just kept on coming and coming, and I lost count of the number of courses. Wine was free flowing all evening too.

Porto to Lisbon Atlantic Ride - MEO (Sep/17)

This was my 7th cycling trip and biking was a great way to see this region of Portugal. The route is mostly flat with the occasional steep but short hill.. The views while cycling along the coast were beautiful. Our cycling group was a lot of fun and the pace was perfect such that we enjoyed a relaxing time at coffee stops (always near a beach) and got into the next town/city in time to explore a bit. The weather was perfect for cycling and we had no rain on the trip.

Walking the Picos de Europa

Just returned from a fabulous week in the mountains in Northern Spain. We had 5 exciting walks up to 2000m with optional scrambling to the peak on our last walk. Suited us (mum and 16 year old son) brilliantly for Half term. Wonderful guide, fellow walkers, hotel etc. It was a really relaxing way to holiday as there was zero stress (nothing to organise) but physical challenge each day. The canoeing on the free day was a rest from walking, however 15km of upper body workout…..and lots of fun.