Reviews

Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers

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14429 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Christopher Ing

Reviewed May 2017

Walking in Puglia & Matera, May 13 to 20 2017

This was an especially interesting and enjoyable trip, thanks to a well-balanced itinerary, accommodation and transport that was well above average, and superb management on the part of our Tour Leader, Giuseppe. It proved also to be an excellent time of year to visit, with the countryside at its most attractive (green & productive) and the climate relatively fresh.

Most Inspirational Moment

The most spectacular part of the trip involved learning about the history of the city of Matera, and appreciating its geological setting.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We have completed many trips with Exodus and other companies operating on similar lines. We have learned that the qualities of the Group Leader influence the success or failure of a trip to an enormous extent. Giuseppe proved to be one of the very best Leaders we have known. His concern to explain & illustrate the culture of his native province was quite exceptional, as were the lengths to which he was prepared to go to ensure that we experienced the full breadth of the local cuisine and wines - notably in the middle of the day when he regularly prepared a wonderful lunch for our party of 16 - complete with coffee, mint tea, or - most memorably - a polystyrene cup of Primitivo.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for climbing a lot of steps in Matera (as it's a very hilly city), and don't imagine that a 10km walk is too short for a good walker (the heat of the sun makes even a short walk quite taxing - even in mid-May).

Shelagh Jamieson

Reviewed May 2017

A relaxing and enjoyable trip

This was a nice close up look at the heel of Italy. Lots of historic context alongside regional cuisine, great local wines, and beautiful countryside. We had a great group of 11 like-minded travellers and had a lot of fun.

Most Inspirational Moment

Trying out the local cuisine was a highlight, especially all the amazing appetizers.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Marcella was great! She spent time with us even when she didn't have to and always made sure we were taken care of.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring good walking shoes. The walks are longer and a bit more challenging than they sound in the trip description, and take place in the heat of the day.

Christine Nichol

Reviewed May 2017

Cycling Puglis

The sun shone,the bikes were sturdy to cope with the bumpy roads and the food was outstanding. After a long and undulating first day I thought I’d
never keep up. But my legs did get used to the speed of the others and the hills became just a small challenge. A great holiday with lovely people.

Most Inspirational Moment

I cycled to the top of a coastal hill encouraged by our guide Marinella. I thought I would have to walk but No........

Thoughts on Group Leader

Marinla worked so hard she made our holiday. Fixing bikes, sorting out the route and places to eat,making picnics giving encouragement.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Good sense of humour required!

Janet Dalby

Reviewed May 2017

Cape Town to Victoria Falls - Lodge

This was a fantastic trip. It involved a lot of driving through the virtually uninhabited desert of Namibia, along mainly unpaved ‘corrugated’ roads which provided a great deal of ‘African massage’. Potential travelers should be prepared for this experience but the desert scenery is ever changing as are the colors. You certainly gain a very real appreciation for the size of the country.
For me the first memorable activity was canoeing on the Orange River – so peaceful with amazing scenery! Fish River Canyon was also impressive.
My only real complaint is that the Trip Notes mentioned that on Day 7 we would ‘watch the early morning light creep over the dunes’ at Sossusvlei. This proved to be impossible for two reasons – one is that the park gates do not open until 7:30 am (the sun rises at about 6 am) so it would be necessary to stay inside the park overnight, the second is that we had to drive about one hour passed the park to our lodgings, so adding two hours to our already considerable drive. We ended up climbing Dune 45 in the heat of the mid-day sun. Still an incredible (and very memorably hot) experience but definitely not what we had been lead to believe.
Etosha National Park exceeded all expectations – especially at the water hole at Halali where we saw two families of elephants, rhinoceros and a leopard! Also a couple of honey badgers. Of course on safari we saw impala, zebra, giraffe, kudu, oryx, ostrich and many, many birds.
Okavango Panhandle overwhelmed us with hippos.
Chobe National Park also provided great safaris, hippos and many, many male elephants feeding at a reed bed in the middle of the Chobe River at sunset. Not to mention more birds.
We were upgraded to a 5 star hotel in Victoria Falls and the Falls definitely lived up to their reputation.

Most Inspirational Moment

The wildlife in general, the Halali water hole and the elephants in the middle of the Chobe River in particular. Also the Sossusvlei Dunes. We stayed at some really remote lodges in the middle of the desert.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Nyasha and Sam were great leaders. It seemed they never stopped working - they shared the driving and the cooking and clean up duties, loaded and unloaded the luggage, fixed a flat tire and dealt with a vehicle that was swallowing oil at an alarming rate and had to be exchanged for another mid-trip, as well as dealing with our sometimes high maintenance fellow travelers. They seemed to have encyclopedic knowledge of the flora and fauna They always managed to be cheerful and patient with positive outlooks.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you are looking for a real African experience and have a spirit of adventure then this trip is for you. If you need to be pampered and enjoy lot of luxuries then perhaps you should pay more and choose another trip! If you decide to go, I would recommend you take the south to north option as the trip just gets better and better every day.

Joanne Elmer

Reviewed May 2017

Perfect Adventure

Perfect walking holiday in Madeira. This was my first walking holiday, first group holiday and first loan trip. I wouldn’t have changed anything. Andrej, our guide was fantastic. He showed of the island with 5 different walks that showed of everything Madeira has to offer.

Most Inspirational Moment

Difficult as was all so good. At one point I said "Every time we turn a corner there is another beautiful view which was completely different and awe inspiring".

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fantastic. Knowledgeable and enthusiastic about his island and all it has to offer. Made everyone feel comfortable and created a good team atmosphere.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Lots of stone steps. Need strong knees and lots of energy!

Jane Duffin

Reviewed May 2017

Cycling in Croatia

Just brilliant !
Just beautiful!
Just about achievable for those that haven’t put in the training.
Just easy (ish)for those that have .
Just great people, guide , hotels, views, sea.
Just go !

Most Inspirational Moment

The guide encouraging someone to achieve cycling up THAT hill! And the smile that said they made it - to cheers from everyone.

Thoughts on Group Leader

You couldn't ask for better.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Put in some training if not a regular cyclist to prepare your legs for the hills.

Erica Whitfield

Reviewed May 2017

Uzbekistan uncovered

This was a well structured trip , and took in most of the spectacular sights of Uzbekistan. It is busy with little free time (in the right places ) and we didn’t get to go on the train , which would have been a relief from the tour bus ,as it covers a lot of distance.
Uzbekistan is a fabulous place to visit , has many awesome buildings , and you cannot walk more than 50 metres without a local wanting a photo with you, which meant lovely conversations and interactions.
It was great to have a camel ride to the lake , as this meant chilling time and a much needed refreshing swim.

Most Inspirational Moment

The Poi Kalyon was fabulous , and seeing the Koran in Tashkent (which we would have missed if we had not insisted on going )

Thoughts on Group Leader

Dilshod was very good , a calm and knowledgeable guide who would try to accommodate our wishes.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The vegetarian food is nowhere near as bad as suggested , try to avoid the set meals though , they are not worth it for Veggies. Do not accept a ground floor room by reception in Bukhara Hotel Aist, it is very noisy ,dark (no window) and cramped.(which the other rooms are not )

Marja Ramos

Reviewed May 2017

Great Wall - great everything!

What a great trip that was! It was relentlessly busy and heaving with people, but so enjoyable. We were constantly on the go, spending no more than three nights in any one location. Three slightly uncomfortable nights on a ‘soft sleeper’ train, and three very comfortable nights on the Yangtze river boat, except the last noisy one when we travelled through the five locks at the Three Gorges Dam. But any discomfort paled into insignificance at each destination. I saw far more of the country than I had expected, both urban and rural, and now have a much better understanding of China, its culture and people – and the food, glorious food!

Most Inspirational Moment

The limestone mountains, thousands of them, covered in greenery in the Yangshou region were a revelation, breathtaking! We climbed up one of them, the Xianggong mountain - via a staircase! Also sailing through the lesser gorges on a smaller boat was one of those 'I can't believe I'm here' moments. On a lighter note, we enjoyed learning to play PROPER Mahjong on the boat, on a proper mechanical table.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jenny Lu was a breath of fresh air and a ray of sunshine, always full of smiles and energy and enthusiasm. She led us through the included and optional excursions and meals, and through the complicated travel arrangements and crowded stations with confidence and authority, and always readily pointed out a western toilet where available! We learned so much about living and working in China as well as the history and culture.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The trip notes mention about the need to be able to climb stairs, sometimes with luggage. This is true! If you take part in all the optional activities, there are even more stairs! Also getting your luggage on and off the train at some stations can be difficult, but help was usually at hand within the group or from porters. The temperature was unusually high for May, up to 31 degrees and extremely humid. My advice is, ignore the discomfort and embrace everything with an open mind and open heart!

Philip Bao

Reviewed May 2017

A truly fantastic experience in Costa Rica

Discover Costa Rica is a fantastic holiday that is suitable for all ages. The itinerary is expertly put together, meaning you really get a sense of the whole country and the various different ecosystems. 6 lots of 2 night stays with the bookends in San Jose and a comfortable mini-bus for the entire trip (with wifi) take you from the Caribbean ocean and sea turtles in Tortugero, to the volcano and hot springs of Arenal, to the cloud forrests of Monteverde and Savegres, and the nature reserves of Manuel Antonio and Esquinas. Each of these locations present their own individual highlights and the travel in between is well planned and not overly long (4 hours on average on a travel day).

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing a three toed sloth on the edge of the road at extremely close quarters as she tried to cross the road has to be the highlight of the trip. Such amazing creatures!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Antonio was our group leader and great from the beginning to the end. Knowledgeable, always willing to go the extra mile, he really made our trip special.

Advice for Potential Travellers

No real need to bring much cash. Good to change a couple of hundred pounds into Colons in San Jose to get the best FX but otherwise you can pay with mastercard throughout the entire trip. Bring suncream and plenty of insect repellent. Waterproofs are essential too - good walking shoes and comfy sandals important too - flip flops for the beach.

Justina Mclaughlin

Reviewed May 2017

Hidden Treasures of Jordan

An overwhelming archaeological journey. I was nervous before I traveled with Syria escalating but I never felt unsafe on the tour. I felt really welcome in Jordan and I will return. I hope more people will visit. I can highly recommend this tour and if you’re smart make it a two week trip and have a few days to enjoy Jordan at a slower pace on your own at the end.

Most Inspirational Moment

Petra was simply magical and wins hands down! I particularly liked that this tour gives you 2 full days there. I didn't rush to see everything on day 1 and took the time to explore a little off the main trails and meet the local bedouin. I also loved Um Qais as it was in full spring bloom (I've never seen so may thistles outside of Scotland) Jerash is also incredible, wish I had longer to enjoy it!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Issa was a a responsible team leader, his knowledge of Jordanian history and culture was very good. He had a difficult task as we were a large group with differing interests. Issa very much focused on the history and the sights and was conscious of ensuring we saw everything on the itinerary. He was very helpful with all my queries and helped with my transfer at the end of my trip so this isn't a criticism but I did observe Issa struggled with all the organisational demands because there was so little downtime for him to organise himself.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you can, arrive a day early, as the flight gets in after midnight and the tour starts the next morning. Research the places on the itinerary before you travel - its information overload on the tour and there is a lot of history and no time to sit and read your guidebook. The weather in Jordan varies from one part of the country to another so bring a warm sweater/fleece. There are several walks over uneven/rocky terrain so do bring a pair of hiking boots or walking shoes with proper grips. If you're a light sleeper bring earplugs as a number of our hotels were noisy Oh and do bring a universal plug for the bath tubs as most of the hotels had a bath but no plug!

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