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.

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!

Haven’t posted your review yet? Here’s how to do it…

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:

Select

14451 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Andrew Hewitt

Reviewed January 2015

Sightseeing and cycling with few hills

This trip provides good balance between cycling and sightseeing. The cycling is mostly on the flat, with no real hills to speak of, and at manageable distances with regular snack breaks, at least every 10 to 20km or so – if you are averagely fit it won’t be highly challenging, though there are a couple of longish days towards the start. The sights are really worth seeing though – Angkor Wat being the obvious highlight. Ho Chi Minh City is also a great place to visit – it is changing so fast!

Most Inspirational Moment

I am not sure about "inspirational", but for me the most fun cycling was in Vietnam where the route passes alongside a river marking the Cambodian border, and where the people - young and old - seem so genuinely happy to see the group passing through the village. The War Remnants museum in Ho Chi Minh City and the Killing Fields & S21 jail in Phnom Penh are disturbing but essential to visit to start to try to understand the recent violent past. In both places, they have made a real effort to document and explain exactly what went on in the hope that it won't happen again.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Chai was superb. Nothing was too much trouble for him, and he did a great job of keeping the group together, managing three different teams, handling all of the paperwork and border-crossing formalities, and explaining everything that we were about to do (often multiple times over). He really cares about and takes pride in doing his job well and he is incredibly patient. He's also a really nice guy. I managed to mislay a couple of personal items on one of the buses and he has made it his mission to get the returned to me in the UK. I have to also mention the Thai team, in particular Mr Black and his two sons - lovely people with a real passion for cycling (and, in Mr Black's case, photography - he took loads of photos and videos and loaded them up on to memory sticks for us just for fun, in addition to driving the support vehicle and keeping everyone topped up with water).

Advice for Potential Travellers

Siem Reap is busy so if you are not confident cycling in traffic, jump on the bus for the first and last stretches of the cycling days in Siem Reap. There is a great big Tesco superstore (yes, really!) just across the road from the hotel on the second night, where you can stock up on all kinds of things you might have forgotten, and food. They have an in-store pharmacy and electrical goods section. The hotel on the second night isn't great but it is clean and does the job. We found that the water tended to be lukewarm in all of the Thai hotels, much better in Cambodia and Vietnam. We still haven't worked out why the hotel in Siem Reap played nursery rhymes as background music in the communal areas the whole time were there. We took the option to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat - which is fine, but don't be under the illusion that you will have the place to yourself - there were hundreds, possibly thousands, of people doing exactly the same thing!

Robert Robert

Reviewed January 2015

Land of the Tigers

A trip that I would recommend to anyone that enjoys wildlife unless they have back problems (it is impossible to avoid the pot holes in the Indian roads)

Most Inspirational Moment

Looking directly into a tiger's eyes at close range

Thoughts on Group Leader

Krishna went above and beyond my expectations; one example, among many, was to queue up from 3:30 am to obtain permits for an additional game drive.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take warmer clothing than you expect to need; I had significantly underestimated the pre-dawn wind chill effect on the back of an open vehicle.

Tara Moss

Reviewed January 2015

Evia Waters

The trip started with sunshine, and a first walk, then the weather turned to rain and snow, covering the beautiful mountains. Excellent guide, re-planning routes, taxis, lunch menus and venues to enable us to continue walking. Food and service was amazing and plentiful. Scenery lovely. Company excellent. BA troublesome but guide and Exodus made the troubles dissipate.

Most Inspirational Moment

Watching the leader walking in adverse conditions carrying plastic bags full of delicious elevensies. The group spirit, walking through heavy rain but all still keeping together with a smile.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent! Nothing too much trouble, wise, informative, able to adapt to unusual and trying events.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Keep the free airport newspaper as it helped to dry out wet boots. Waterproofs and trousers - just in case..... Have room in your waist bands before the trip.

Thomas Robson

Reviewed January 2015

Morocco Highlights

an excellent trip, plenty of diversity. Being Dec/Jan the weather was a lot colder than I expected and I did’t pack enough warm clothes. I expected being in the desert and in the mountains would be cold but not in some of the cities we visited. However there was wall to wall sunshine and this made the 2 weeks very colourful. We found the local people very friendly and the shopping areas easy to walk around without too much hassle.

Most Inspirational Moment

The Medina in Fez was exciting and we had a great local guide who knew her way around so well.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Yaya our group leader was very helpful without being too pushy. He looked after us very well and had loads of local knowledge. He took us out to dine most nights and helped sorting out menus and drinks.

Advice for Potential Travellers

make sure your clothing is right for the time of year you are travelling. Take a reasonable amount of local money as some times the banks and ATM's were shut. Take very strong walking boots in Toddra Gauge as the paths are very rugged and uneven.

Alison MacLean

Reviewed January 2015

Highlights of Morocco

Excellent trip. Varied from coast to mountains to desert

Most Inspirational Moment

Sleeping in desert and waking up covered in ice

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mustapha was a star. Good sense of humour and knowledgeable

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't expect much of the food. Very disappointing

Peter Weidig

Reviewed January 2015

India's Tropical South

Very different from India’s North and a very pleasant experience. As expected from Exodus the trip was well organised and enhanced by the competence and flexibility of the guide. An ideal way to explore the sights of Kerala and Tamilnadu at an easy pace. Nice to explore tea plantations, temples and wildlife though lacking a bit of momentum towards the end due to makeup of schedule. Sufficient spare time for shopping opportunities if desired.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking through tea plantations, eating lunch from banana leaves and drinking masala chai in a local tearoom in Munnar. Also enjoyed washing elephants and getting sprayed with water!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very confident, relaxed and keen to please. Ideal team player who can cleverly manage a group and keep everybody together! Couldn't have been better!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Good shoes required for walk through tea plantations and jungle walk!!

Malcolm Malcolm

Reviewed January 2015

Vietnam Adventure. (AOV). 19 Dec 2014.

Broad ranging trip of almost the full length of Vietnam plus the Ankor Wat extention. From the riot of the Hanoi traffic to the calm of the Delta. From hot sunny weather to teeming rain. From the calm of a buddhist temple to budgie like noise of a Saigon Girly Bar. From the bumpy Cyclos’ and tuk tuks to the smooth four wheel drive of Phonm Penh taxis. From the almost formal superb boat dinner on Hanlon Bay to the disgust of barbequed ducks tongues or baked silk worms. Variety? Vietman has got it!

Most Inspirational Moment

Putting ten rounds through a Kalashnikov AK47. Disturbing. Wish I had had another ten rounds on "burst".

Thoughts on Group Leader

Khanh Dinh was absolutely super. Used magic to get us through Danang Airport. And did everything else as well. Kept us well informed just far enough ahead. Knows and loves Vietnam. Buses and taxis rolled into sight at the right moment. We were trained to cross the road safely which really needed a degree level course. Food guidance at the right time which was seriously needed and gave priority to the drinks, (beer), order. "M" in Siem Reap - excellent. Reya in Phnom Penh - excellent plus.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be sure to have waterproofs and warm stuff if in Dec, Jan or Feb. There are several places you can get laundry done cheaply but ironing isn't part of the service. Eases the amount you need to take. Take more money than Exodus forecasts as the optionals are just too good to refuse and may be once in a lifetime chances. I got through US$ 1,000 plus in 20 days with no regrets. And I didn't get a new suit in Hoi An, I did get a silk Ao Dia though. Look at your flights - Ho Chi Minh airport has the Apricot Lounge, prebook a shower before the 14 hour flight home for about £22.

Rita Carolyn Anita Jones

Reviewed January 2015

The Tropical South

A brilliant two weeks! There were so many fantastic experiences and such a variety of places that it felt like a month rather than two weeks. Great mixture of culture, wildlife, scenery and a perfect beach stay at the end. A lovely group of fellow travellers and perfect weather too. Our first experience of India and of Exodus, would recommend both!

Most Inspirational Moment

Loved meeting wild elephants and seeing a very fresh tiger paw print inPeriyar. The walk in they tea plantations.

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was excellent . Knowledgeable and entertaining. Nothing was too much trouble and we were very well looked after.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for some long journeys on bumpy roads. Our coach was comfortable and air conditioned and the journeys were all worth it.

Nikola Westhead

Reviewed January 2015

Fantastic

A very busy and cold week but fantastic fun. Expect to we well fed, exhausted and probably bruised by the end of the week but equally thrilled with the beauty of basecamp and exhilarated with activities.

Most Inspirational Moment

Getting to the top of the ice wall.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Teddy was fun and informative

Advice for Potential Travellers

The clothes provided mean you don't have to bring lots of winter gear. No cash needed for basecamp

Philip Philip

Reviewed January 2015

Chimps and gorillas of Uganda

This was a great holiday and we fell in love with Uganda during the trip. Although most people booking this trip will probably expect the gorillas to be the highlight, we found the chimpanzees’ more energetic behaviour even more captivating, though having a silverback plus females with infants clinging beneath almost brush past us was the highlight of the trip. We saw a leopard resting very close to a track in Queen Elizabeth National Park, saw a tree-climbing lion in Ishasha and had a great boat trip on the Kazinga Channel.

Most Inspirational Moment

For the trip organised by Exodus the gorilla and chimp trekking were both highlights. We took the optional second day on each occasion and were surprised how differnt the second day was, especially for the gorillas. If you do two gorilla treks your tour leader will try and make sure you see a different group on the second day. After the Exodus trip we spent a few relaxing days in Entebbe, and had the most insprirational moment of the entire trip when we visite a tiny fishing island called Makusa, only an acre but with 450 people living in wooden shacks only just above the level of the lake. Everyone was so friendly and the kids so happy - makes you appreciate that you don't really need all the trappings of modern life.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Male was the group leader and was fine. We spent more time with Sula who we found more lively and keen to discuss anything. We learnt a lot about Uganda from Sula. Both worked really hard to make sure we were happy, and took great care of us.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't expect anything special on your first night, the Central Inn was adequate but no more. We stayed at a much better place in Entebbe (Gately Inn) for 5 nights after the end of the Exodus trip. Don't expect to see shoebills on the quick stop at Mabamba swamp. We were lucky enough to see one on a separate trip after the Exodus holiday, but you have to go to the right place. Take at least one walking stick on the gorilla trek, but depending on your age and fitness you may not need one on the chimp trek. Use the services of a porter on the gorilla trek, well worth the $15 plus tip. The plants that look like nettles on the gorilla trek don't sting and we didn't encounter much that would warrant a pair of gloves, but someone on our group went on a more demanding second trek where gloves and robust clothing were needed. Despite the number of flying insects on the gorilla trek none of them seemed to bother us. You may find that you get better results from a good HD video than a conventiuonal camera when trying to capture the chimps and gorillas - more fun watching the videos when you get home too. A good HD video such as a Sony Handycam only weighs a fraction of a camera with large zoom. Tip as generously as you can as local hotel staff and others are on very low wages. If you take a close up of a local person offer money in advance and agree an amount that seems fair. No one has change, anywhere, so get mainly low value shilling notes when you exchange your dollars. The exchange rates for dollars to shillings is much better for values of $50 or above. Take a few extra days at the end and visit Murchison Falls if you have time. If you have time in Entebbe you could visit the Reptile Village and Makusa Island, both well worth the trip.

Prev 1 … 990 991 992 993 994 … 1,446 Next