Reviews

Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers

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124 Reviews

4.6 out of 5

Patrick Dunn

Reviewed August 2016

A Great Walk

A personal journey into the unknown became a truly memorable experience. My first Exodus trip into a country I didn’t know and with people I didn’t know. With the wisdom of restrospect, I possibly should have known that such a venture would bring together like minds – adventure seeking, fun-loving, witty, sociable, interesting lives – yes, all of these. I was so lucky to be thrown into this group of people and they made it for me.

Most Inspirational Moment

One dusky evening we were led in Tai Chi on the Great Wall right by the Asian Gate. We then watched a very beautiful sunsetting behind the Crouching Tiger Mountain which we had climbed that day. On the penultimate evening, our leader advised us to go out into the town where we danced with the locals (mainly elderly ladies) in formation to funky Chinese techno pop music. An act of true and honest community on their part and not at all for our benefit as tourists.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader and guide, Jerry, was endlessly patient and charming. His pride and enthusiasm for his native China gave us something of the true essence of this fascinating country.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I underestimated the challenge of the trekking at times, but managed nonetheless and had a great time. I would advise potential travellers to prepare physically - lose a bit weight, walk lots, go to the gym and do steps. The notes advise long trousers but shorts are much better and fine. It's very hot and humid (August). I went out on my own the last day and wandered the streets of Beijing for a while. I felt perfectly safe and comfortable. No-one bothers you and no-one ever hassles you. The Chinese are very polite and respectful.

Paul Appleby

Reviewed July 2016

Great walks on the Great Wall

It is a myth that you can see the Great Wall of China from space. But close up it is an amazing structure, with a fascinating history. This walk took us to parts of the Wall that other tourists never reach. And with a guide who brought Chinese history and culture to life. It is a strenuous walk, with lots of steep ups and downs – I lost count of the number of times we encountered “the thousand steps” or “the stairway to heaven” – but it is well worth the effort.

Most Inspirational Moment

There was a moment on the third day of trekking when I looked around and realised that all I could see in any direction was uninhabited wooded hills, with the Great Wall snaking through the landscape from one horizon to the other. And we had this breath-taking, awesome view to ourselves.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Could not have wished for a better group leader than Jerry Wu. He kept us safe and together through some pretty wild terrain - we were his "sticky rice dumpling". He shared his considerable knowledge of Chinese history,culture and language with us with passion and good humour. And we enjoyed excellent food, drinks and accommodation which all just appeared effortlessly - no doubt thanks to Jerry's efforts behind the scenes. (Jerry is his chosen English name; on the last night he revealed his Chinese name and why he doesn't tell groups that name on day 1 - a story which had us all in stitches. If you ever get to meet him, do ask!)

Advice for Potential Travellers

You do need to be prepared for some physically challenging sections, scrambling up or down steep and uneven slopes. I took trekking poles and was very glad of the extra support. If you are afraid of heights some sections will be uncomfortable. But our group of mixed ages and abilities - from students to retirees, from occasional day hikers to multiple marathon runners - all managed the walk. The only real problem was the heat and humidity - if that bothers you don't do this walk in July!

Brett Scott

Reviewed July 2016

Up and Down on The Great Wall

A great trip, which opens the eyes and the mind to the achievement that is the great wall. Hard work but gratifying. There is no other way to put it into context other than to “climb” and see for yourself.

Most Inspirational Moment

To see the magnitude of the structure and try to imagine the difficulty of the construction at the time, all by hand, cannot be anything but inspirational.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jerry was great, super informative, jovial and well organised.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Have some fitness, not a trip for couch potatoes.

Peter Pope

Reviewed June 2016

Walking the Great Wall of China

I have waited for the last 3 years to go on this trip having been stopped by one thing or another, but now I have finally done it and it was everything that I had hoped for and more. It was tiring, it was exhausting, it was Magic. The whole thing from start to finish was perfect, (well apart from the flight home) the guide met me at the airport and looked after me until he dropped me off to catch my flight home, thank you Jerry.

Most Inspirational Moment

There was nothing that stood out on its own, the whole thing was a blast from start to finish. The bus ride through the streets of China, the various home stays that were used, the food and the quantity of it, the scenery from the Wall and the watch towers, even the climb up from the road to the Wall was breath taking in more ways than one. No there was not one thing there was many.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jerry was the group leader, a first class chap he was too, a constant flow of information no matter where we were and with an answer to all the questions about the Wall, the tombs, the forbidden city. He kept a constant check on us all the time with updates on what we would be doing and what we could expect on our next track. I dont know what your other group leaders are like but if they are like Jerry then you will have no complaints.

Advice for Potential Travellers

There are a few things that I would like to pass on, firstly if you are thinking of walking the Wall do it ASAP as it is being rebuilt bit by bit and I would guess that it wont be too long before it will have all been done. The other thing I would mention is that the Wall is not flat, in fact you will find if it is not going up at an alarming angle it will be going down in a similar manner, there is very little that is anything like flat. The best thing that you could do to train for this walk is to climb up and down stairs and I mean tens of hundreds, our first walk on the Wall was up 1000 steps just to get to the base of the Wall, I had trained but not for that and it almost stoped me. But it didnt and after I made it to the top the views were worth it. My advice is train on stairs, good luck on your trip

Karen Baker

Reviewed June 2016

Walking the Great Wall

What a great holiday! From Walking the Wall, the food, Beijing, the amazing acrobat show, eating in the ‘hutongs’, seeing the Terracotta Warriors and travelling on the overnight train (on the Xian extension) – I enjoyed it all and can’t enthuse enough about the entire trip. I’ve never been anywhere ‘out of the ordinary’ before this holiday or travelled with Exodus and I would totally recommend this particular holiday and the company.

Most Inspirational Moment

It is difficult to pick just one inspirational moment on this trip as there were many! One of the best moments though was stepping onto the Wall for the first time as it truly is as amazing as it looks in all the photographs. Other memorable moments were seeing the Terracotta Warriors, the sights in the cities of Beijing and Xian and the food - totally delicious - and mastering chopsticks!

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leader for the main trip was called Jerry - he was knowledgable, experienced, had a great sense of humour and looked after the group really well. He made a great trip into a fantastic trip. Ling looked after us during the Xian extension (well worth doing) and again, another great local guide.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Some of the accommodation was quite basic and most of the beds were fairly firm; so travellers should go with an open mind and don't expect luxury. The bedding however was always clean and fresh and the accommodation hosts were always welcoming.

Jayne Burman

Reviewed June 2016

Walking The Great Wall

What a fabulous holiday, off the beaten track, seeing a bit more of real China. Can’t recommend it enough. We had a great group of people, a mix of singles and couples and we all got along well. I thoroughly enjoyed the overnight train experience to Xi’on too. The walking was at a good pace and the hills and steps a welcome challenge.

Most Inspirational Moment

The Great Wall itself. Until you walk on it and experience it up close, you cannot possibly appreciate just what a feat of engineering it is, and to think it was built so many years ago without today's modern equipment.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jerry was a treasure. He was very helpful and knowledgable, he fit in well with the group and would happily chose him as a guide again on another visit to China should the opportunity arise.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Yes, the trip notes sat soft bags which it right, but make sure they have wheels still! A couple of drop offs from the coach involved a walk, not long for most but with 20kg of weight after a day's walking would not suit everyone.

Mathew Hemsley

Reviewed May 2016

If Carling did trips to China...

An amazing way to celebrate a landmark birthday.
Incredible scenery enjoyed with a great bunch of people and a guide who explained the Chinese way

Most Inspirational Moment

Absolutely amazing landscape enjoyed away from the crowds; so many occasions to simply stand and appreciate this unique piece of engineering and perseverance. From a personal point of view, both of us sat at the top of wherever we stopped, taking on some water, getting our breath back from the view (and the walk) and simply feeling privileged to be enjoying this experience.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very simply, Jerry made this trip from very, very Good to most definitely Excellent. The Wall and the sights are fantastic but his additional insights, local knowledge, ensuring you were okay in the various overnight venues and finally his ability to understand, take and give back British humour meant we had a memorable trip. Many thanks Jerry. PS I enjoyed the Long versions!

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is a great trip. However, unless you are a very regular walker (we are fair weather, occasional walkers), then you should treat this as Challenging; the Wall is not flat! That aside the sense of achievement each day when you look back at where you walked is well worth it.

michael o'leary

Reviewed April 2016

Trekking the Great Wall

Fantastic mixture of walking and cultural insights into Chinese culture and history

Most Inspirational Moment

Loads!!!! But watching the sun come up on the Great Wall was pretty special. Also, loved the early morning visit to the Temple of Heaven park in Beijing.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Dennis was fantastic - was great to have a Chinese guide with to provide such informed insights into China- past and present. Also helped that Dennis had a great sense of humour and nothing was too much tropuble.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Food was variable and some accommodation was a little nippy at night. But no real complaints as came prepared and the trip was excellent value for money.

Susannah Ewart-James

Reviewed November 2015

Walking the Great Wall

Fantastic trip – well organised, excellent itinerary and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The walking is pretty tough with hundreds of steps, but the amazing views are worth it. It’s hard to appreciate the scale of the wall until you see it stretching out for miles in every direction. The accommodation was better than I’d expected, as was the food. Sadly, I tore a ligament halfway though, which put me out of action for the rest of the trip, but based on the days I did do, I’d recommend this holiday to anyone.

Most Inspirational Moment

Watching the sun set over the mountains on the first day, and looking down into the valley to see how far we’d climbed. The almost vertical ’spiderman wall' was a bit daunting at first, but I really enjoyed it.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jerry was fantastic – funny, sociable and professional. When I hurt my foot and couldn't walk, he literally carried me down off the hill! After that, he did his best to include me in other parts of the trip as much as possible (e.g. asking his friend to drive me to the bottom of the wall so I could take pictures). Jerry and the rest of the group, who were all brilliant and really fun, made a big difference in salvaging what could have been a frustrating few days for me.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring snacks – breakfasts weren’t always that substantial and there was sometimes a long time till lunch, so I definitely needed a mid-morning chocolate bar. And take warm clothes for the evening as it was freezing once the sun went down.

Bruce Macdonald

Reviewed November 2015

Bucket List Must

The Great Wall Walk/Trek organised by Exodus was a great experience. The tour leader (Jerry) must be congratulated on his professionalism – he never missed a thing (even carried a lady down the Wall after she had either broken or sprained an ankle). Accommodation was better than I expected in the villages we had to stay in. The Food was always fresh and there was plenty of it (mostly vegetables though but still tasty).
The magnitude of the Great Wall is overpowering. Must say that for anyone who intends attempting the Walk then I suggest you have a reasonable level of fitness if you are over 50 years of age – the steps (numerous) at times are taxing. Strongly recommend Exodus if you intend “shopping”the net for companies who run similar ädventures”>

Most Inspirational Moment

Looking back , realising what we had achieved at the end of each day and thinking that for an "old fart", 66 years of age and overweight that I still could tick stuff off the bucket list

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jerry was the best tour leader I have ever encountered in all the years of trekking/hiking throughout the world. You could always see that he double checking things in his mind. From early morning to late at night , he was always there to ensure all was OK He is a great asset to Exodus.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you take stocks with you (particularly if you have knee or hip problems) - they really help on negotiating the steps. Take a small, lightweight camera with you - it is a pain have to drag good camera gear out of your backpack every time you want to take a snapshot.

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