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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14432 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Ruth Green

Reviewed February 2017

Intense, exciting and fabulous!

My first trip to India was everything I hoped it would be. This was my 4th Exodus trip and I knew I would be in good hands. I was a woman in my 60’s, travelling solo for the first time, but had no fears or worries. Everything went smoothly and I was in good company from start to finish.The whole experience was incredible and I have over 600 photos to prove it!
If you’ve never been to India before, this is a great trip, avoiding the big cities like Delhi & Mumbai for the gentler pace of Kerala & Tamil Nadu. That’s not to say you won’t encounter mad tuk tuk drivers and incessant horn tooting – but that’s just India! I’d recommend this trip 100% – an adventure of a lifetime. Definitely want to see more of this fascinating country now!

Most Inspirational Moment

Too many to mention. For me a lifelong dream of watching the Kathakali theatre and visiting the fabulous Meenakshi temple in Madurai have to be at the top of the list. But lots of other cultural experiences, like visiting a local laundry in Fort Kochi, eating palmyra palm fruit from a seller at the side of the road, trying out the tea picker's tool near Munnar, travelling through the Western Ghats with it's fantastic tea bushes. The journey on the houseboat was wonderful too as was visiting local markets and eating parathas and drinking masala chai at roadside cafes and my Ayurvedic massage in Periyar! As an ex teacher,the visits to 2 local schools were an eye opener, I even got to sing a song to the children, who were very appreciative!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ajith Kumar was amazing. A kind, helpful, generous guide, with a great sense of humour who was passionate about his area of India and who wanted us to experience as much as we could in the 2 weeks we were with him. Nothing was too much trouble, he was especially helpful when I developed a nasty cold and cough, seeking out appropriate medication for me. I'm sure it was only due to him that we saw so many incredible sights. From visiting a site to see how clay bricks were made, to buying samosas and fruit for picnic lunches and for me - interpreting the menus in restaurants and hotels, so I didn't have to eat too much chilli! Aji as he liked to be called was a fabulous role model for other tour leaders, I know I wouldn't have had such an amazing time with so many brilliant memories had it not been for him. He gave us an amazing amount of information, but I didn't feel I had information overload, as can so often happen. We were caught up in the Jallikattu demonstration in Madurai, which meant we didn't see the Gandhi museum which was disappointing, but couldn't be helped. Aji handled the situation brilliantly and there was never a time when we felt overwhelmed by the huge crowds of demonstrators.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The pace is quite full on, but feel free to drop out of experiences if you need to, it's your holiday after all. When I was ill, I missed the jungle walk but needed the time to relax and felt better for it. However if you can, embrace everything that's on offer as it will enrich your experience. Be prepared for some hotels to be basic eg the eco homestay. The beds at Sona Palmshore in Kovalam are rock hard too! I took a small feather travel pillow, which I was grateful to have as many of the hotel pillows aren't comfortable but maybe that's just me! I didn't need the suggested £15 a day for food, the food is extremely cheap, - I took £300 sterling and came back with £75! I did buy some souvenirs & I would suggest Periyar & Kovalam as the best places. We mainly changed cash at money lenders so didn't have to shfow our passports. Be prepared to haggle! Otherwise take plenty of hand gel or antibac wipes. No one in our group had an upset stomach as far as I'm aware.

Anna Mcsherry

Reviewed February 2017

Cape Town to Johannesburg

Quite possibly the best holiday of my life (and I’ve had a few).

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many. The majesty of the Drakensberg mountains, seeing a leopard drink from a river, the beautiful and so very different landscapes, and learning about the animals from the extremely knowledgeable guides.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The tour leader Petro was amazing, and she was supported by two others, David and Andrew. All three were friendly, approachable, open and fun, as well as knowledgeable, enthusiastic and clearly proud of their country. This was possibly the most important thing for me as a lone traveller, as I could rely on them for company, though I didn't need to as we had a close, cohesive group anyway. I was on a trip last year where I didn't have the same feeling about the guide, and while it hasn't tainted my experience the trip, it made me reluctant to ask questions or have fun. This was the complete opposite where in fact the guides were one of the best things about the trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go. Doing the trip in this direction rather than the Jo'Burg to Cape Town direction is probably a bit more exciting. As the trip progresses, the ante is upped and the end of the trip is much busier than the start. If you want to relax, I'd consider doing it from Jo'Burg to Cape Town as it is more chilled at that end. I'm glad I did it the way I did though, as for me, the best was saved for last, i.e. game drives. Read the trip notes, and in addition with a couple of days without electricity, I was glad to have packed my portable batter charger for my phone/camera, etc.

Jayne Tomlins

Reviewed February 2017

Trails of Vietnam

A lovely group, an efficient guide and a varied itinerary, we got to see a lot of Vietnam, a beautiful and exciting country. It was definitely a holiday that left me with some brilliant memories. The only thing which let us down was the rain in Hue and Danang with its consequent inactivity.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were loads of moments but in particular I loved the cycling round the Mekong Delta, lovely food, walking round vibrant Hanoi in the evening and the trekking in the Truong Son mountains. Will always remember singing our hearts out on the overnight train trip from Hanoi to Hue! Also the New Years Eve party in Hue was perfect, with games, karaoke and dancing.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ticked all the boxes! Bac was lovely and bent over backwards to get the most out of our stay in Vietnam.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go for it! It's not too strenuous activity-wise, most of us could have happily done more. I took a more comfortable saddle which I was glad about. In Hoi'An you can get clothes tailor-made for you, so if you have a favourite item of clothing, take it along so they can copy it. Also, laundry can be done at the various hotels so there's no need to take 2 weeks' worth of stuff. Wished I had stayed on a little really, which some members of the group did, as there are some beach resorts close by which are cheap.

Phil Chambers

Reviewed February 2017

Snowshoe Catalan Pyrennes

Great scenery most important if all great snow

Most Inspirational Moment

Being so fortunate to get huge snow making for great snowshoeing

Thoughts on Group Leader

Miguel loves these mountains and communicates his passion so well

Advice for Potential Travellers

Lots of layers first you get hot then you get cold

Jenny Sinnott

Reviewed February 2017

Amazing country, but Exodus were a shambles

Cuba is amazing, fantastic country and people. But Exodus were poor from start to finish.
Before we left – most staff were great. One asked us for same info 3 times!
On arrival, we had booked an extension in Varadero. We weren’t told that Exodus can’t guarantee your hotel for this part of trip. We found out at airport we couldn’t stay at hotel we booked. Disappointing, but the substitute hotel was lovely too.

Havana – hotel so far out of town hotel we couldn’t do sightseeing as planned. Took an hour to check in! Room was dirty and badly maintained. On a road so noisy the windows shook as big trucks drove past constantly. I asked to move and was given a quieter room, but with no hot water!

Vinales – beautiful place, but more issues with room. It was cramped, grim and noisy. Could have coped with that, but also had swarms of mosquitoes in my room. I killed dozens. Told tour leader, who chided me for not telling her immediately, although I had no way to contact her! My phone wouldn’t allow me to make outgoing calls in Cuba. Owners sprayed my room, but I still killed another couple of dozen mosquitoes later that evening. This room is available for $20/night on airbnb. Massive mark up charged by Exodus.

Cienfuegos- decent, quiet room, although windowless. Air con broken and leaked all over bed. No one to report this to. Told tour leader in morning and she looked at me blankly and said nothing! Breakfast was bread and jam. Pot of coffee to share that allowed only half a small cup each. If we wanted more coffee we had to pay! In this hotel, my iPad was stolen. It was charging and never left my room. In morning, I checked the room was clear. As soon as i sat on bus (at 7.45am), I realised I hadn’t packed ipad. Told tour leader immediately, hoping she would call hotel. She didn’t call them until we reached Trinidad and she told me my iPad wasn’t in the room. Only explanation, it was stolen by hotel staff, either before or after I left. I told Exodus hoping they could use influence to pressure maid into returning stolen item. Exodus did nothing for THREE DAYS! After a lot of hassling, they called me, but still did nothing to try to get the iPad back. I believe they still use this hotel, so beware!

Trinidad – decent room, but didn’t get any breakfast one day. We think they mistook the time we requested food, due to language barrier. Girl was barely listening to us when we booked breakfast. Tour leader arranged breakfast for us elsewhere.

Havana – finally a decent hotel! And trip home was fine.

Most Inspirational Moment

Vinales - beautiful place, fantastic way of life for the locals, in my opinion.

Thoughts on Group Leader

I took a while to warm to her. I had a lot of problems on this trip and she made me feel uncomfortable when I told her about them. I only complained when I really felt it necessary. For example, I didn't tell her I got food poisoning from 2 of the restaurants she took us to. She talked too much for my liking. She was interesting and very knowledgeable. But on a 7 hour bus journey, she probably talked for 6.5 hours. I couldn't talk to my friend on the bus or I got a glare from her! Couldn't talk to her privately for most of the trip, she was always talking to the group and didn't like being interrupted, unless it was a question relevant to her lecture. On the plus side, she was fun, very interesting and knowledgeable. Happy and able to give advice on anything I wanted to do or know.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I wouldn't recommend travelling to Cuba with Exodus, sorry! The accommodation was below par. I expected basic, but it was worse than any back packing hostel I've ever stayed in and massively overpriced. You need to get up horribly early every day in order to beat the other crowds of tourists. You're very much on the tourist trail. I would not have chosen to go to the tobacco and rum factory where crowds of tourists stare at the workers, it was weird and an uncomfortable experience. Could have done without the mojito lesson and I found the one on one salsa too intense and awkward. Two Cuban lads baa'd at us and I agreed with them. I felt like a herded sheep! Best times were free time. So much to see, but not enough free time to see it all. Exodus are useful for getting you around the country, but if you can do this another way, I would advise it.

Gill Young

Reviewed February 2017

Snowshoeing in the Catalan Pyrenees

Everything about this trip was excellent – snowshoeing, scenery, comfortable accommodation with friendly, helpful people and delicious food. There was also the opportunity to taste local food and wine and visit an Eco museum. Miguel was an outstanding guide and organiser.

Most Inspirational Moment

The last day in the Aiguestortes National park. We were the first group walking on a meter deep of fresh snow.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent in every respect.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The trip notes are accurate but of course need to be modified depending on the snow conditions.

Barbara Groves

Reviewed February 2017

Cycle India coast to coast

An excellent trip with good leaders, brilliant cycling, excellent food, amazing sights and a really friendly group.

Most Inspirational Moment

Meeting the local people who were incredibly friendly and welcoming Scary cycling in some towns/villages Cooking our own meal under guidance! Staying in a plantation owner's family house Exploring vegetable, flower and spice markets Cycling from door to door with only 1 transfer

Thoughts on Group Leader

Seaker was a really good, knowledgeable leader who adapted the schedule to allow for the particular interests of the group. He was able to give confidence to those of us slightly worried about the amount of traffic in a few of the places we cycled through although we were mainly on very quiet roads. He found us brilliant places to stop for tea breaks and lunches at small local restaurants and made us feel that we were truly seeing the "real" India

Advice for Potential Travellers

Respect local traditions, pack light, go with the flow, make sure you get your visa sorted and join the right queue at the airport in India!

Moira Cerny

Reviewed February 2017

Colours of Rajasthan

This was our first trip to India and it provided a fascinating introduction. It is aptly named. The colours are truly amazing. Even though some of the journeys were long, there was almost always something interesting to observe from the window.The itinerary was full and the local guides very informative, as was our tour leader. We had a very friendly group, a great tour leader, lots of good food and are already thinking of planning our next holiday in India!

Most Inspirational Moment

There were so many - the obvious ones like the Taj Mahal, but also Bundi, where we were away from the tourist trail, drank the most delicious masala tea and wandered through the market, after visiting an abandoned fort, much loved by our local guide. The colours in the markets and the beautiful artwork . The people , who were unfailingly polite, the traffic , riding in tuk-tuks, the wedding processions in the streets - apparently it was an 'auspicious time' to get married!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ajay looked after us very well. He was very informative about all aspects of Indian life and answered our questions in detail and with good humour. It was good to hear someone speak so positively about the future of his country. He was always attentive to the group's needs,particularly in the search to find a working ATM! He organised a few extras - e.g. the Sikh temple in Delhi and the Midnight Gardens in Agra. He went out of his way to organise a trip to the cinema for four of us. His obvious love of his country and his pleasure in sharing it with us, shone throughout our trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The weather was unseasonably cold at the beginning of our trip, so would recommend taking warm clothes if going in January - especially for sleeping, as hotels have no heating! Be prepared for long bus journeys and take something to listen to - can be quite bumpy for reading! Those with back problems might want to reconsider the ride in the cantor . It was particularly bumpy and one of our group was incapacitated the next day.

Julie Brown

Reviewed February 2017

Charm, wildlife and incredible scenery

What a fabulous trip!
Three amazing countries with some challenging rides, an abundance of wildlife and lots of laughter.

Most Inspirational Moment

It was all about the wildlife for me and we were lucky enough to see sloths, toucans, pelicans, monkeys, agoutis, coatis, iguanas, crocodiles, butterflies, various species of heron and many other colourful birds. Experiencing the Masaya Volcano at night was also an unforgettable experience. For me, Nicaragua had the charm, Costa Rica had the wildlife and Panama had the landscapes.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Andres and the whole support team (Ronald, Paul and Alvero) were great. The team couldn't do enough for us and we were very well looked after throughout the trip. The whole support team laughed with us for 2 weeks.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The hills can be tough especially in full heat and even though the distances are relatively short, a certain level of fitness is required. Take plenty of sun block and insect repellent. I wish I'd taken a video camera for my bike / helmet.

Kathleen Ramsey

Reviewed January 2017

Antarctic Circle Quest

An awe-inspiring experience which exceeded all our expectations. The scenery is truly stunning, as were the encounters with wildlife. Life aboard the Academik Ioffe was very comfortable, the food was good and experts were on hand to help us with all aspects of the trip. After the first spectacular day of expeditions, we wondered how the rest of the trip could even begin to match the early promise, but each day brought new experiences and excitements.

Most Inspirational Moment

It is difficult to pick out a single experience. Cruising in zodiacs amongst icebergs and below glacial cliffs, watching penguins porpoising in the sea or making their way up and down snow slopes or across rocky terrain to the rookeries, observing penguin behaviour in those rookeries, experiencing humpback whales surfacing next to our zodiacs, whale/bird/seal/penguin/dolphin-spotting from the deck of the ship, descending directly onto fast ice from the ship after an impressive parallel parking manoeuvre, watching the sun setting (just) across the ice-filled bays......

Thoughts on Group Leader

David McGonigal was an excellent leader. He was very experienced, knowledgeable, enthusiastic and affable, and amended the programme to make sure that we got the very best experience each day depending on the ice and weather conditions. In addition there were several other experts on board, all of whom shared their knowledge of the environment, fauna and history generously and enthusiastically.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We had good weather most of the time, with temperatures around freezing, but it can get very cold on the outer decks of the ship, especially if you can't drag yourself away from viewing the wildlife and spectacular scenery, and when sitting still on the zodiac excursions for two or three hours at a time. We took heat pads for hands and feet, but didn't need to use them. Sunglasses/goggles and sunscreen are essential. We were provided with good quality binoculars and outer weatherproof garments and boots. Closed toe shoes must be worn in all public areas of the boat; a pair of clogs or similar would have been useful.

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