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An excellent family holiday, the best thing about it was our fellow holiday makers, lots of children who my son made friends plus a brilliant guide. Ps Vietnams not bad either!
Staying at the home stay in the Mekong delta
Amazing. Nothing was too much trouble for him, fun, informative professional and what he didn't know about Vietnam wasn't worth knowing!
Yes, take 3/4 days to get accustomed to the jet lag before you start your exodus tour.
Travelling with young children for an adventure across central America may be considered as too much stress and anxiety for some or downright irresponsible by others. Our family holiday to Costa Rica could not be further from the truth. Travelling through the waterways of Tortuguero exploring extraordinary flora, spotting amazing spiders, astonishing birdlife and catching a glimpse of a caiman or crocodile the children could not have been more inspired. The excitement of being woken by a barking howler monkey troop, the fun had chasing off cheeky white-faced capuchin breakfast thieves or the thrill of the sight of smartly dressed anteaters, oddly shaped armadillos and raiding racoons before bedtime added to the magic. Adrenaline flowed through the entire family with grins as wide as the Panama canal white water rafting down the Sarapiqui river and zip-lining through the Monte Verde cloud forests. Night hikes opened a whole new world of weird nocturnal creepy crawlies, with strange headlight click beetles, striking venomous snakes, industrious leaf cutter ant colonies, poisonous dart frogs and glowing scorpion exoskeletons.
Banana crossing!
As we travelled through active volcanic landscapes, rested on idyllic beaches and explored tropical rainforest with new friends and families met on the trip the stories flowed, vocabulary grew and imaginations ran wild. Even the frequent pit stops for the obligatory small child toilet break were supplemented by encounters with giant iguanas, crocodile swamped river beds, cactus flower ice-cream, unspoilt natural views, delicious cakes and, of course, incredible coffee. Our energetic tour guide (Eddie) and reliable driver (Hernan) judged our group perfectly and were tuned in to exactly what we would appreciate when to make the most of our time in their country. At the end of adventure packed days and encounters with stunning wildlife the entire family cooled off in serene swimming pools or thermal hot spring bars and weary little heads slept comfortably dreaming of the next adventure.
It seems no other tropical country has made such concerted effort to protect its natural environment and as Costa Rica’s tourists account for the largest sector of their national economy we have unprecedented power to protect this amazing country’s natural beauty and remarkable wildlife – spend wisely, avoid business that threaten their future and enjoy this enchanting, magical adventure!
The adults really enjoyed the wildlife, particularly Tortuguero National Park. The howler monkey wake-up call at 5am started an inspirational day of toucans, herons, snakes, frogs, crabs, caimen, crocodiles, spider monkey and then going to sleep to the sounds of the rainforest is something I will never forget. The children took all of this in their stride at the time but have since talked about nothing else with their teachers and classmates.
Eddie was fabulous. He was so very well tuned in to what we needed, whether we knew it or not. He knew exactly when and where we would like to go. One particular decision sticks in my mind: After a hot and sticky day on the Manuel Antonio beach all the children needed was food and all the adults wanted was a beer and Eddie took us to a fabulous bar on the beach to watch the sunset, with a beer and the kids played on the beach - perfect decision and it was those types of things that made our holiday very special - Thanks Eddie!
Take plenty of memory cards for all the photos, go with the flow so wake-up when nature calls and don't go to bed too early, enjoy rice and beans and definitely do the rafting, night hke and zip lining options - you will never forget this holiday!
An excellent holiday: the snow-covered Dolomites are incredibly beautiful, and the weather for our week was perfect, with blue skies above and lots of crunchy snow underfoot. I was rewarded in spades for puffing up those hills: on the walks themselves, by the amazing all-round views; back at our hotel, by the rather nice swimming pool and by tasty and plentiful food. Our group was a really friendly bunch of people, which made for a lovely atmosphere throughout.
Not a moment, but a person: Sarah, our guide - amazing!
See above!
If you enjoy the mountains and want to get away from the skiing crowds, this is for you. Bear in mind that snowshoeing does burn off a lot more calories than "normal" hill-walking, but if you are used to doing reasonably full day-walks in the UK, you will be fine.
Fantastic tour well organized from beginning to end
Wonderful way to see the country and sample the culture
The team spirit and the support and encouragement of fellow cyclists given to me particularly on the cycle challenge of the hai van pass
Lam was efficient friendly and totally supportive attended to every need of the group
If you are thinking of doing this cycle holiday book now ! All hotels are of a very high standard so everything is provided toiletries towels hair dryers etc
This is a fantastic trip, the walks were hard work, but well worth it, as the views are breathtaking. The hotel 2 Torri is a nice place to stay, the staff are very friendly and accommodating, nothing was to much trouble, the food was excellent, I’m fussy eater, but I had no problems, if there was something I didn’t like they were more than happy to cook me something else.
The most inspirational part of the trip was walking round the rim of Mt Vesuvius, the views of the Bay of Naples are fantastic, but all the walks are great.
Paul was a great leader, very freindly, easy going, and nothing was to much trouble for him, he had a lot of local knowledge, that was very informative. All the walks were well planed, Paul gave us a briefing every about the next day, he was also helpful in arranging things to do on our free day.
Be prepared for lots steps, I don't use walking poles, but the people in my group who did said they made it easier, walking boots are a must on this trip.
I booked this trip as a total novice in winter sports, and after spending a week experiencing a whole range of snow related activities, I’m completely hooked! I enjoyed fabulous scenery, I learnt new skills, I laughed out loud and had enormous fun, I ate great food, I met lovely people and I completely switched off from the stresses of work.
The full day with the huskies; such beautiful animals with fabulous personalities – I could easily have spent the whole week doing this activity! Secondly, I really enjoyed cross-country skiing, and loved afternoon laps of the frozen lake with new friends. Apart from a lone local chap doing a spot of ice fishing, the lake was deserted, tranquil and beautiful. Make full use of the equipment available to you, Staff at Basecamp are always available to assist with access to the store-room.
We didn’t have an Exodus guide, Martti, who works at Basecamp, led the group for the week with assistance from several trainee leaders. Martti introduced us to snow shoeing and cross country skiing, and also led the ice-climbing and abseiling options. All staff at Basecamp are friendly, attentive and hardworking.
Once we’d done the snowmobiling, had a mooch around the shops and lunch on the day trip to Ruka, we got a taxi back to Basecamp rather than wait for the coach. However if you get yourself organised, there are things to do, for example, the hiring of fat bikes and cross country skis.
Well organised with a nice group of fellow travellers. Superb porters and good camping experience.
Reaching the top of dead woman's pass and having a Condor fly pass at the summit!
First class
Take local currency as exchange rate much better in the UK!
Quite superb. The setting, the activities, the accommodation, the food and especially the staff were all exceptional. The Arctic Circle in Finland is stunningly beautiful with vast expanses of pristine snow and silent forests. You really do feel a million miles from the rat race.
Being invited into the home of the Husky owners was delightful. Downhill skiing at Ruka was an unexpected treat because it was so perfect.
Jukka is fantastic; friendly, funny and extremely well organised
Yes; do it!
If you want to see Everest Base Camp and climb Kala Pattar but don’t just want to go up the valley and back down again, this is the trip to choose assuming you can spare the extra few days. This longer circuit, taking in both Gokyo Ri and one of the High Passes (Cho La), is well worth it: it’s quieter, has stunning views in its own right and will allow you more acclimatisation time prior to the regular Everest bits. I can safely say it was the most varied, wonderful and fulfilling 15 days’ walking I’ve ever done, and I’d recommend it to anyone with two feet and a head for heights.
Having a long-awaited glass of wine at the Everest View Hotel on a perfectly clear morning (trek day 14) - that was pretty special. The views from Gokyo Ri, Cho La, EBC and Kala Pattar were more staggering than I'd ever have believed, and the routes in between these high places were beautiful as well. But the biggest inspiration was seeing how the local Nepalese people have bounced back from disaster and continue to make their way in the world. Tourism is the lifeline of that region and it felt good to contribute to their ongoing recovery.
I'd had a great leader on my previous Exodus trip (Hamid on the Peaks and Valleys of the High Atlas) so I'd booked this specific trip because I'd heard good things about Valerie Parkinson. I wasn't disappointed: she *is* Exodus in Nepal and made a great trip into a glorious one. Everything went like clockwork without any fuss or bother; she lives and breathes her job; and she's happy to share her seemingly limitless knowledge. Full marks, and then some!
In no particular order... There's a lot of climbing but the distances aren't too far. I wasn't able to do much in the way of appropriate preparation walking but I cycle regularly, and this helped build the thighs up for the ascents - definitely worth considering if you can't get some prep walks in before you go. I took a Steripen with me to save having to buy "mineral water" which is effectively only UV-filtered anyway - this helps reduce plastic bottle waste and also pays for itself over the course of this one holiday. A water bladder for the backpack is better for ensuring you take on enough liquid whilst walking, though a bottle is also vital in case the tube freezes in the early mornings (happened to me once). I also invested in a 16,000 mA power pack from RavPower, which, although heavy, was enough to recharge my Steripen 4 times, my camera 4 times, my phone once, plus someone else's phone and camera, and still have 20% or so left over - much better than trying to charge your devices at the lodges, trust me. There's plenty of snacking material for purchase in lodges (bars, Pringles, chocolates and the like) so there's no real need to bring stuff out with you unless you have specific requirements/tastes - this also helps you keep below the 10+5kg weight limit on the plane. I managed the whole trek without taking diamox (though a couple of Ibuprofen were needed one night to suppress the altitude headaches) or using trekking poles (that may just be a personal thing - most people used them). Mobile and Internet access is available in most places but is sketchy above Namche Bazaar so I didn't bother, and it was liberating. Bring a pair of comfortable earplugs if you have difficulty sleeping - there can be a lot of snoring at altitude and the lodge walls are mostly plywood so don't exactly cut out the noise from neighbouring rooms. I managed with a good 3-season sleeping bag since all lodges have blankets/quilts to provide extra layers (travelling in March/April). There are more Western-style toilets than you might have feared but you will need to use squat toilets before the end of the trip, promise... And when you're back in Kathmandu make sure you go to Fire & Ice for a pizza/dessert - what a treat!
An absolutely tip top trip. Our guide, Pedro Bolanos, was amazing. The trip takes in so many aspects of this very interesting country. The travel can be quite long, but still very interesting as we passed by so many amazing places. Two days in each place is about right – but then again, we could have stayed longer in virtually every one, needing a three week trip! The lodge at Esquinas is a real experience, just lovely.
Difficult to answer. Seeing a quetzal in full breeding plumage must rank very high, but we also saw a boa constrictor up a tree and a sloth with a baby. Not to mention the huge variety of birds. And the flowers and trees with orchids and bromeliads growing on them, in the rain and cloud forest. Truly amazing.
Wonderful! Simply brilliant. Very concerned for the environment and with the fund of knowledge which we have come to expect from Exodus guides. What he didn't know is probably not worth knowing. A lovely man as well.
Go! You will not regret it at all.
Hi Carolyn,
It’s great to hear that you had such an incredible time in Costa Rica! Thank you for your time writing such a lovely review. I just wanted to follow up your comment regarding the hummingbird feeders – unfortunately this practice is seen more frequently in the Cloud Forest than elsewhere. I have discussed your comments with our local operator and they are following up with the hotel concerned, as Pedro has done already. As one of the first few companies to achieve the Certification for Sustainable Tourism for Tour Operators (CTO-TO) our local partner will be recommending to the hotel that instead of sugar water they plant more flowers to attract hummingbirds. Kind regards, Vicky Boughton, Senior Product Manager