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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25 Reviews

4.8 out of 5

Steve Hart

Reviewed January 2022

Galapagos Wildlife Cruise

I completed my 16 day cruise on the 22nd December and although I had to self isolate over Christmas, missing out on the family gathering, I still had the smile on my face. I had never snorkelled before but am now hooked and have bought my own gear. December was a good month to visit as it is the breading season with lots of cute chicks and sealion pups about. Having playful sealion pups swimming around you and nibbling at your fins has to be experienced to truly know the fun of it. Also got to swim with White Tipped Reef sharks, but the icing on the cake was swimming with Hammerhead sharks in Darwin Bay, Genovesa.
The land scape changes from island to island and there is always something different to see either on the islands or while navigating to them. Our ship the Cachalote Explorer could accommodate 16 and although the cabins were not particularly spacious they met our needs. Only 2 of us stayed on for the entire cruise of west and east islands and I think those who only did one week missed out in many ways. The food was served as a buffet and was generally very good and you certainly weren’t going to starve. Definitely worth the money.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were quite a few like watching a pair of Albatrosses doing their goodbye for a year parting ceremony, filming a Frigate male puffing up its red chest to show off to the females flying over, swimming with cheeky sealion pups or through shoals of brightly coloured fish. And did I mention the Hammerhead sharks? Still smiling. Nature as it should be with the majority of animals and birds showing no fear of humans. By visiting most of the islands I was able to get a better understanding of the various stages in their evolution and only a week or so from getting back Wolf volcano on Isabella Island erupted again.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Dani was generally a good leader and very knowledgeable. His briefings were pretty clear on what to expect the following day and he dealt with any problems brought to his attention in a speedy manor. I hope he has many more opportunities to lead and add to his experience.

Advice for Potential Travellers

TAKE EAR PLUGS. The boat engines are quite noisy and when sailing at night earplugs are a must for a good nights sleep. Swim gear is also a must if you intend to snorkel as wetsuits have to remain on deck where you change into them. Make sure you have plenty of spare capacity on your smart phone/camera and I suggest you take both and use frequently. One of our group lost their smart phone when they got back to Ecuador and lost all their pictures.

Suggestions

Still smiling!!

mike power

Reviewed November 2018

a week in the Galapagos

a brilliant holiday, unfortunately cut short through no fault of Exodus.In the circumstances they handled everything well and re-arranged flights to our complete satisfaction,the itinerary was great, the boat amazing and you couldn’t want for a more amiable and knowledgeable guide. We
visited all the islands in the east and were fortunate enough to see all the wildlife on our wish list, and although we were offered the chance to return and do the western Isles, I decided to take a full refund for the lost week and arrange another holiday with Exodus in the future. In summary I would say it was not just a great holiday but a lifetime experience

Most Inspirational Moment

there were too many to mention but watching albatross try to take off was highly amusing

Thoughts on Group Leader

brilliant

Advice for Potential Travellers

go now and enjoy. As there is a fair amount of snorkelling take a waterproof camera

mike power

Reviewed November 2018

a week in the Galapagos

Most Inspirational Moment

there were too many to mention but watching albatross try to take off was highly amusing

Thoughts on Group Leader

brilliant

Advice for Potential Travellers

go now and enjoy. As there is a fair amount of snorkelling take a waterproof camera

Jakki Foote

Reviewed May 2018

Fabulous holiday, shame about the boat!

The two-week wildlife cruise was the holiday of a lifetime. We both enjoy science and wildlife, we are also sailors and have our own boat. Most days the itinerary was full on and wonderful, and we were delighted with the amazing wildlife both on land and in the sea. The crew were very friendly and worked amazingly hard. There was a generous amount of good food for every meal, including much fruit, vegetables and salads. Unfortunately several of us had stomach upsets for 1 or 2 days.
The boat was the main cause for concern. The A/C in the dining room failed for a couple of days, and dripped water on the seating so we had several wet seats for a few days. The Dining room ceiling also dripped water on several occasions. Our A/C also dripped on the carpet, or anything that was on the carpet nearby, and also on the shelves under it. Many things were wet or smelled musty. We had room 1 and our toilet was often malfunctioning from the start, and then blocked completely for a whole day (happily the crew worked very hard and managed to repair it by bedtime). There were no other toilets except the ones in other guests cabins.
Exodus gave us only 24 hours to decide whether to abort the holiday as the original boat the Cachalot was out of commission but we were told that the substitute boat was also a “first class boat”. We now discover that according to Galapagos Islands.com the ‘Astrea’ or ‘Pinguino Explorer’ is down as a “mid-priced boat” and costs 650 dollars per week less that the ‘Catchalot’ did, so we are not amused as no refund was offered for this cheaper accommodation.
Exodus were unable to give us useful information regarding laundry (they said there was none) or the ability to wash things ourselves and hang them out. Also, they were unable to answer queries about the flight from Quito to the islands or the baggage allowance for that flight. We therefore took far too much luggage!
We were only told about the need for US dollars to pay the bar bill within the last week when we had already ordered and collected our dollars.

Most Inspirational Moment

So hard to decide as most days exceeded our expectations. I loved the seals, so amusing and entertaining, as were the Penguins but the Hammerhead sharks took my breath away. We saw about 100 Mola mola (sunfish) I also was blown away by the Siera Negra Volcano – so huge.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very knowledgeable about so many things, but not easy to get a straight answer from, and also rather creepy.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Find out who the local agent is and check their website, it answered many of our outstanding questions. You can wash for yourself, a plug is useful, and hang out clothes on the rail outside.

Reply from Exodus

We would like to thank Jakki for her feedback. We are pleased that she enjoyed her trip overall, but we regret the disappointment that the Astrea caused. We were very sorry to learn that Jakki experienced issues with the air-conditioning and plumbing, as we appreciate the frustration and disappointment this caused. Following the feedback we have received, I can confirm that we will not be using the Astrea for any future departures and we have been in touch with Jakki on an individual basis.

Sarah Ahern – Product Manager for the Galapagos

Julie Sutton

Darwin was excellent really fun and knowledgeable about the history of the islands and the animals that inhabit it a wonderful your leader can't fault one bit.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Small cabins don't take to much also very formal at dinner times so no need to worry about taking all smart clothes.

Reviewed December 2013

GALAPAGOS WILDLIFE CRUISE

A fantastic experience aboard the Cachalote visiting so many of the Islands and coves; seeing all the wildlife for real that I had seen on the David Attenbrough programme. The most amazing thing was the wildlife's attitude to us. It was so 'laid back' about us being there that they just ignored our presence. We were told to not go too close but nobody told the wildlife that! It was as f we were invisible.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many but here are 3. Seeing the Nazca Boobies and Waved Albatrosses still displaying to each other and sparring with their beaks when we visited Suarez Point on Espanola Island. Also the time a Blue Footed Booby decided that it was going to come close to us and investigate - or did it just want to make it's way along the path we were on? Thirdly, the event that was the 'icing on the cake', so to speak, was on our last day, on Seymour Island when we saw Frigate birds with their red pouches inflated. It was not their normal breeding season but 1 or 2 can be seen at most times of the year, we were told.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader, called Darwin, was brilliant. He knows all about the geology as well as the wildlife. He is passionate about conservation, spending some time doing voluntary work for the National Park ,and was able to answer all our questions about it, the wildlife and life in general on the islands. He was caring and helpful and gave us a good idea of what to expect to see and do each day

Advice for Potential Travellers

There are couple of long navigations that can be a bit rough so be prepared. If you're a particularly poor sailor try the ear patches - like nicotine patches - available from your Dr. Also, if your nervous about snorkelling have a couple of lessons before you go, because, like us, you may have many more opportunities than what is listed in the trip notes!.

Suggestions

Just go! A real holiday of a lifetime!

Reviewed July 2013

GALAPAGOS WILDLIFE CRUISE

What a wonderful experience. Quito city on the mainland and the Galapagos islands are such a contrast to each other but both extremely interesting.

Most Inspirational Moment

The three most memorable moments for me were when we visited - North Seymour Island where the blue-footed boobies were performing their most entertaining mating dance- Espanola (Hood) Island where we saw nesting Waved Albatross- Early morning explorations of the mangroves where turtles, rays and white headed sharks were seen when the paddle was used to sail the panga. These were breath taking experiences.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was Juan Tapia. Juan was brilliant guide. He was extremely personable and looked after every need for each member of the group. His enthusiasm / passion was second to none and he was very knowledgeable about all the flora, fauna, marine life and geology of the islands. His English is first class and I understand he also speaks four other languages. He is a multi talented guy and was most entertaining when we were enjoying our "Crossing the Equator Party" and the Captain's Party at the end of our journey.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Read the Trip Notes thoroughly as they contain excellent advice with regard to the packing requirements, money matters and altitude warnings. They also include factual, relevant information about the Cachelote so there should not be any surprises with regard to cabin size and particularly the noise of the engine. Do not be frightened by all the information about Quito. Heed the information and treat the city with respect as you would with any other city in the world. By doing this you and your belongings will be safe and you will enjoy this fascinating city and it's people.

Suggestions

The Shuttle to and from the Airport to the Hotel were well organised and much appreciated. The Ground Staff were very helpful and kept us well informed at all times. The Veja Cuba hotel in Quito is more than adequate - clean, comfortable, decent sized rooms with private facilities. Breakfast could be improved, mainly the service and choice of menu, however you will not starve.The Cachelote Capitan and his crew members added value to our journey around the Galapagos Islands. They were all lovely people, very helpful and most respectful to the clients. Nothing was too much trouble.My advice to all is if wildlife, marine life, geology, photography, swimming / snorkelling are your interests / passions, this trip has got to be on your Bucket List to be enjoyed at sometime in the future. I truly would recommend the 14 day itinerary to allow sufficient time investigate as many islands as possible in the time allowed.

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