We noticed you are browsing from
NEW TRIPS! Our latest adventures are here. Secure your spot now. Click Here
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!
Once you return from your Exodus adventure holiday, you will be emailed a link to add your review. Any feedback collected is posted onto our website, totally unedited.
Alternatively you can navigate to the relevant trip page and add your review via the Reviews tab.
Select a trip specific review:
Incredible trip to Everest Base Camp and scale Kalapatthar for the sunrise.
The scenery was breath-taking and mesmerising in equal measure, but everything was backed by a fantastic team of guides.
Watching the sunrise from the peak of Kalapatthar
Professional, fun and experienced mountaineer it was a pleasure to trek with Sukman
Take an insulated 'sigg' bottle and get boiled water each night - wrap this in a towel for a hot waterbottle experience Also merino base layers and liner socks make life easier
Lovely walks, blue skies, huge dinners, great people – the perfect holiday!
The Walk of the Gods was my highlight - a stunning path with lovely views, finishing with a paddle on Positano beach.
Paul was fab!
Be prepared to put on a lot of weight... the food in the hotel is amazing and there is a lot of it!
Guide: Zelko is the best guide you can have in the region!
Transportation: great if you’re about 5′ tall – otherwise, leg room is a la Ryanair/Air Transat
Itinerary: great – for 6 days. Trip starts on Day 2 (guide and most of the group arrive near midnight on “day 1”) and ends at 6am on Day 8 (guide takes group to airport at 5am on “day 8”).
Hiking up in the Paklenica mountains.
Best.leader.ever.
If you're going in July: it gets really (really) hot.
A fantastic introduction to this amazing country. The food, the people, the history, the sights, the sounds….my senses were constantly bombarded with new experiences at every turn. India had been on my travel bucket list for a long time and it did not disappoint…I’m already planning to go back!
The Taj Mahal is simply breathtaking - most definitely the highlight of the trip.
Take some entertainment for the long bus journeys although there is usually plenty to look at as you pass through the villages and towns. The evenings and early mornings can be surprisingly chilly during the winter months so take a jacket. Hat and gloves are also a good option for the very early game drive in Ranthambore National Park.
Overall this is an excellent introductory week to winter activities in the beautiful frozen forests, lakes, and rivers of northern Finland.
Most of the activities.
Excellent.
Before: very good communication from Exodus. Queries answered promptly. I did need to prompt them to send my final joining instructions. Detailed trip information on their website, which gives an accurate idea of what to expect, though actual day to day programme is out of date and now in the wrong order (according to Basecamp Oulanka, Exodus has failed to update this for some time now). If you are nearer Manchester Airport (option not listed as standard; flies from terminal 2), it is worth knowing that this is a direct flight to Kuusamo, which gets you to the basecamp just after lunch on the Sunday (meaning an early start) and leaves 10.30 am at the end- whereas London flights were via Helsinki and got to the basecamp at around 10pm and they left 7.30 am- we ended up being charged no more for this (initially there was £75 extra for each taxi transfer). Also there was another adult Exodus group there at the same time. Night before: we booked a room in the nice Manchester Airport Marriott Hotel via Holiday Extras (large, comfortable room) with a lovely swimming pool; food expensive though; and left our car there. Taxi’s arrived on time for our departure (5-10 mins) and came quickly when called on our return (pick up at Departures in Airport). No issues with car on our return. Flight/ transfer: everything went very smoothly for us. Flight was a charter with Thomsons Airways (3hrs 20mins flight; nb- seats not bookable in advance, no actual tickets). Pick up taxi there waiting in arrivals- one family who had booked within previous week were not picked up at Kuusamo by the transfer as they should have been. Takes around 3/4 to 1hr. Basecamp Oulanka: warm welcome from Miriam, our leader for the week, who was excellent all week, very helpful and approachable, good with the kids. All staff were friendly/ helpful. Nice main block for meals and socialising- log fire and board games (only had time/ energy to play on our first night), and wi-fi (worked fast enough for me). Equipment store below, hot tub (temperature ok but quickly drops when in use- I enjoyed this every evening), and sauna/ changing room (sauna also ok for my 11 year old). We had use of plastic sledges for self-directed fun on the slopes around the basecamp on the day of our arrival. Accommodation: We stayed in a wooden chalet near the main building- terraces of 4-5 at same height and below (2 storeys on a slope). Comfortable, met all our needs. Temperature is adjustable. We were always warm, despite the nights being - 10 to -25; it was nice having warm floors. 2 beds downstairs and wooden steep steps to another bed upstairs with low ceiling/ internal balcony/ no window. Nice view of the frozen woodland outside to the frozen lake near/ below the basecamp. External balcony. Desk, enough cupboards for us, bathroom/ shower room. Some had a problem with their locks- ours was fine. Nb- no wi-fi in rooms (not a problem for us). Food: Lunches are not included for some reason, no viable alternative- they do also sell snacks and drinks- lunch was self-service pots of soup and bread (cost 11euros per person)- they assume you want it the first day if arriving around lunchtime- there is a list to tell them if not wanted. Tea/ coffee/ hot water out throughout the day in the main communal room- no extra cost for this. All breakfasts and dinner are included. 2 of us liked all the food; most dinners (usually 6pm) featured fish or elk; 1 of us doesn’t like fish (they will offer alternative/ vegetarian if you ask); breakfasts (usually 9 am) include a local version of porridge and cereals, bread, cheese/ meat/ jam/ honey, yougart. Equipment: they do provide everything you will need to stay warm and we found everything we needed in comfortable sizes (nb- we all needed much larger sizing than we have in UK; bring own thermal underwear, we used Helly hensen lifa ones which were very comfortable)- to keep with you, they give 2 baselayers top and bottom, waterproof layer on top, merino wool socks, boots (also you can borrow ski boots for the skiing), hat, 3 types of glove, small rucksack, headtorch (ok, not very bright), flask for juice or hot water (leave at reception the night before to refill). When the kids became damp, they were allowed to get dry extra ones. The only issue is that they need this all back the night before you leave- so if you want to go down to the lake to watch the northern lights on the last night or have final goes on the Kick sleds on your morning of leaving or one last look in your Quinzee, you will need your own warm clothing, waterproof layer, waterproof footwear, and torch. I suggest bringing waterproof walking socks as well and a Go-pro type camera/ harness. Day 1: meeting and Kick sleds- fun, use on the road coming into basecamp, kept on rack outside main building, varying heights (the larger ones even usable by myself at 6ft4)- can use throughout week after that, which we did every day at some point. Snowshoeing in the afternoon (2-3hrs; you get to keep snowshoes and walking/ skiing poles for the rest of the week after this and use for self-directed trips)- guided walk around the locality from the large frozen lake just below basecamp to the Old Mill (beautiful location). Suitable for all ages there- from 6 to 14 on our trip- though the smaller ones did become tired. We really enjoyed all of the included activities. We also enjoyed a self-directed wonderful winter wonderland woodland/ river walk on our free day (day 6)- around the Little Bear Trail- highly recommended, easy to follow/ marks on the trees, Basecamp gives an overview map and their are display boards around the trail and shelters/ firepits- took us 4-5hrs/ 7-8miles- frozen waterfall, rope bridges, one short very steep icy climb up to a viewpoint/ rocky bluffs and a series of frozen tarns. Day 2: Free morning. We went snowing shoeing on the local trails. Cross country skiing in the afternoon (2-3hrs)- on lake and through local woods to a short slope. After which you could borrow the ski’s and boots in your free time, which we did most days after. Optional: local woods nighttime story/ information hike (approx 2hrs- much colder, it was the one time that I felt I was at risk of getting cold- I had put 2 extra layers on (5 in total on my top), but really should have put more on). Day 3: Husky Sledding. 3/4hr drive away. Adult driving with 1 child sitting in front in warm blankets- I had 2 children with me, therefore the older child was driven by one of the guides. Lots of fun, my favourite activity, though too short (around 1 hr- you can pay extra for a full day on the free day- the kids decided they would get too cold sitting for so long). Kids loved petting husky’s after, which were well behaved/ friendly, after howling on our arrival. Day 4: Ruka Day. Transport included. Reindeer Farm in the morning- short Reindeer round a circuit track; feed the Reindeer in a pen; Sausage, biscuit, and hot drink in a shelter with central firepit while being told about life as Reindeer Herder; old house gift shop- this would probably have been better later in the afternoon. It meant we were too late in Ruka for the earlier free ski bus to our optional activity- Downhill ski lessons (we had been told lessons would be on the other side of the hill- 15mins away)- we had to get the equipment, then take the bus (we could have got this the other side if we were on time- nb it took 1/2- 3/4hr to get all our equipment sorted out)- not ideal wearing heavy ski boots and having ski’s/ poles with us and our children’s ones. It was too much of a rush and we therefore didn’t get as much time on the slopes to learn very much (around 1 3/4hrs), and didn’t get lunch. Kids and adults are in separate groups near each other- kids learnt faster than us adults did; they both really enjoyed it, probably my kids favourite activity of the week. Day 5: Free morning. More cross country skiing for us. Quinzee building in the afternoon (hallowed out frozen snow pile)- enjoyable team activity; looked great once done- there are lots on the lake from previous weeks. After dinner story on the ice. Day 6: Free day. Snowshoeing and skiing for us. Evening (5pm) outdoor dinner and walk to the old mill. Don't expect Northern Lights- our nights were mostly cloudy, only the last night had stars for long enough and we did get a short display of white pillars/ shapes (hardly any colours)- I had been down by the lake luckily to look at the stars anyway. You can tick a box to be woken if staff see them starting and there are apps which try to predict likelihood (didn't predict the one we did see). We could have easily done with another week there.
The best value holiday i have been on in a long time, not sure how it was done for the price, 1st class in every detail from start to finish, brilliant!!
Whale Island was pretty cool.........and Hai Van Pass was worth repeating!
He was simply no1......brilliant, a great guy who made the holiday what it was........a real star and great leader.
book book book!!
On previous trips with Exodus many people were saying that they were very eager to visit Vietnam next. So I thought I would see for myself if it was as good as people were thinking. A year earlier I had visited China with Exodus, and if I’m honest I would have to say that China is by far the better option in terms of things to see, food, and the tourist experience. Vietnam is a country being swamped by tourists but they are still only just learning how to cope with that influx, and are financially challenged in their efforts to do so. Having said all that, I would urge you to see Vietnam first rather than China, because if you see China first you may be unimpressed with Vietnam
Hoi An is a gem of a place to visit. A relaxed little town with hundreds of colourful lanterns filling the streets markets and river areas. Visit Vys market restaurant, it's a real experience with good food and a large choice. The market is great to wander through and there are many interesting shops, galleries and temples. Many of the key streets get closed off to all traffic and having experienced the mindless hordes of scooter drivers who ignore all traffic signs and rules, that is a godsend... if you need glasses, wait until you get there. There is a 24 hour service at a fraction of uk prices I think I lost out by not going on an organised bike ride. everyone who went really enjoyed it. There is a beach not far away, don't try like I did, to walk there, get a taxi they are so cheap. You may never want to leave this town and your next destination HCMC (Saigon) is so totally opposite
Bon was working tirelessly throughout the trip, always with a cheerful smile and with a unique knowledge of the best places to see or eat at.
The water puppets in Hanoi we're overrated, ok for children, but then this isn't a children's trip. Walk around the lake in Hanoi and you will see a different side to Hanoi than the side where the hotel is in the old quarter. The motor cyclists in Vietnam have a complete disregard of any road regulations, most ignore red lights and pedestrian crossings and many use the pavement or the wrong side of the road. Follow your quides instructions and walk slowly, don't run or give way, across the road. Vehicles dont travel fast so will almost certainly go round you. Not for the feint hearted and you need to take great care as local papers tell of many accidents...
A fascinating two weeks, seeing and learning so much about the area.
The trek through the tea plantations was wonderful.
Sam was excellent. He was so knowledgable about everything, from plants to politics of India. He was entertaining to listen to, and built a good rapport with the group.
I really enjoyed the Costa Rica highlights trip which gave a great insight into the wealth of wildlife in the country. Our guide Guillermo was very knowledgeable but struck a good balance between enough but not too much information. The group was, as on previous Exodus trips, an interesting mix of people sharing a common interest. We covered a lot of distance but travelling was broken up well with viewing and refreshment stops.
Food was almost always very good and sufficient variety at buffet meals for the length of time we stayed at each place.
Eating out felt a bit expensive probably because of the recent decline in the value of sterling. Similarly it wasn’t easy to find souvenirs at good prices.
We expected the travel to be much more strenuous on unpaved roads but in truth it was rarely uncomfortable. San Jose, where we stayed for an extra night, doesn’t have a lot to offer but we were lucky to experience the main drag on a Sunday “family fun day”. Quite a few things are closed on Monday so it’s worth checking in advance. Many guide books advise extreme caution in San Jose but we felt as safe as any other city we’ve visited whilst keeping to the central area.
If anything was lacking it was perhaps the opportunity to meet with more local people and learn a bit more about daily life in Costa Rica but I think this would need a longer or different trip. The visits to a school and cheesemaking family were very interesting.
I will be recommending this trip to others.
I've always wanted to see toucans in the wild so the occasions we did so are top of the list but there were lots of other things vying for a close second place. In particular I remember the periods of silence on a boat in Tortuagero national park as we awaited another sighting of birds or monkeys. The favourite place for many on our trip was Esquinas Lodge which has an inspirational history of development. Do go on one of the night walks. It's great fun whatever you end up seeing!
Very impressed, particularly with knowledge of flora and fauna.
Be prepared for a couple of cold nights.
A complete assault on the senses! As an ex-travel agent and very much an independent traveller, I was a little hesitant about an organised tour. However, for first timers to India, a small group tour is a brilliant way to fit everything in. Yes, it was a whistle stop tour, but was a wonderful introduction to India. I loved the way Indian people kept asking for photographs with us, and struck up conversations. Only one issue….. where do we go next?
The Taj Mahal, of course, but at the end of our holiday, Ronit fitted in a trip to a Sikh temple. I thought by then I was templed, palaced and fortressed out, but I found the place so uplifting.
Ronit, our guide, was calm, funny and knowledgeable, but also gave us plenty of quiet time on the long journeys. Hence, we could absorb what was going on about us on the streets and passing through the villages.... or sleep!
Although the trip says leisurely, be aware that many temples and fortresses have lots and lots of steps, so you do need to be reasonably fit. Remember, in most places you only stay one night, so there is no point in taking too many clothes with you, you will never find them in your case. There is time about half way through the trip to send them to the hotel laundry.