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

14217 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Sally Davies

Reviewed March 2024

Fantastic holiday and a great country

From the initial enquiry and booking process through to the trip itself the whole experience was easy, efficient and generally in line with the high standard I have experienced on my two previous Exodus trips. The hotels and eating places were generally of a good standard, clean and comfortable. Our guide/trip leader went above and beyond to ensure the trip went to plan and all arrangements worked as expected. He made sure we all had the best possible experience and was enthusiastic and keen to show us the best of his country. He dealt calmly and efficiently with any unforeseen events, kept us safe and was always available to help and support us all with anything we needed. The four support staff were also excellent, always smiling and ensured we never wanted for anything, including bike support, water and snacks at every stop. A slight black mark was that several of the ebikes seemed quite old and a bit unreliable and a few broke down a few times which made extra work for the leader and bike support guys, who were already working incredibly hard. They dealt with the problems well though and it didn’t really detract from the overall experience due to their efforts. I would highly recommend this trip (but if you intend to rely on an ebike be prepared for a few issues).

Most Inspirational Moment

There are a couple - Cycling past all the kids in the villages who clapped and waved at us and seemed genuinely happy to see us. Reaching the coast towards the end of a hot and sticky couple of weeks and getting into the wonderful Indian Ocean.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Suresh worked very hard to make the trip a success, personally made sure the hotel staff delivered great service and ran the cycling and excursions in a very well organised manner. He was also knowledgeable and shared with us information about the country, its history and local insights. A very professional leader who made sure everyone in the group felt part of the team.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Some of the cycling is pretty challenging with some long climbs in the heat. You do need to make sure you have a good level of cycling fitness although there is the ebike option which I took just to make life a bit easier and meant I could enjoy the holiday a bit more without worrying about the climbs or having the odd gin & tonic of an evening! And a minibus follows us the whole way so there is always the option to hop in the bus for part of the journey if it does get too much.

Yvonne Wensley

Reviewed March 2024

So much to absorb,fulfilled expectations and mores

This 15 day trip is described as easy/moderate however it is quite full on with so much packed into the time. Sri Lanka is a diverse and interesting country and we were very lucky to have such a knowledgeable and interesting guide, Roshan who brought not only the presenting experience but the history to life. All eyes and ears on him from everyone when we were discussing the day to come. I would add he had the patience of a Saint and witty and entertaining flow to keep us all engaged. The variety of walking, wildlife, history, belief systems, culture, flora, fauna, whale watching and even cycling which I sucked at gave perspective .so lovely to mix with local families on occasion and have such a variety of places and settings with something amazing around each corner. Our driver was remarkable, treating any road challenge like a confident puzzler and kept us safe in some interesting situations.for me the natural beauty of Sri Lanka left me in awe with such a variety of landscapes to explore. There were a couple of very early starts but totally reasonable to catch the hidden gems and avoid the worst of the heat. Dont underestimate the humidity. Hotels were all well placed for what we were visiting each day though if you like to shop or visit a village or town every day that’s not an option. There are days where the shoppers can get their fix along the way. Alot of food is buffet style but with great variety and always fresh fruit. Wonderful tea but no real milk to go with it, not alot of dairy produce at all and powdered creamer offered instead. Lovely to have a swimming pool or ocean opportunity to swim and chill out on the days with more free time or after a long day. All the hotels were of a reasonable standard, some more quirky than others but not your generic corporate cloned/squeeze everyone into soul less spaces , mostly fitting the environment they were in. Be prepared to take a variety of clothing, flip flops to walking shoes, vest tops to sweat shirts,shorts to walking trousers. I used my umbrella once. Options to get laundry done along the way. Read the brochure carefully so you know your likely daily spend and added trip costs. Roshan kindly worked costings out in local currency, dollars and sterling which helped on days away from atms.

Most Inspirational Moment

Everyone has their own personal wish for what they hope to get from a visit to Srilanka. I found some of the temples both Buddhist and Hindu and the craftsmanship and art work of such antiquity and some cases purity and simplicity quite moving. Other s hugely complex and thought provoking. The walk in Horton plains beautiful for its range, a bit scrambly on river beds. I think though the people and their demeanour , friendliness and positive response to visitors is inspiring.technically in terms of civil construction how water is managed to support agriculture and life is quite mind-blowing considering when it developed processes still working today.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Roshan was a joy, a real encouragement and support, open to trying to offer answers to every question and to make the travel experience interesting and fun. What a wide range of knowledge , actually a funny guy, full of humour but patience ,a real catalyst to enable the jumble of folk travelling together to build real camaraderie and ensure every need met if it were possible. He kept us learning, curious and safe , a positive leader with such warmth and respect and understanding for the chequered history SriLanka has experienced, great to get the non eurocentric take on it all, literally we grew to comfortably trust him with our lives...to make the experience a great one.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Insect repellant, earplugs if you need air conditioning on at night, it's very hot but the units to keep you cool are noisy. Change money at the airport, have a card for ATMs. Drink water at every opportunity. Be open minded to those travelling with you .

John Bird

Reviewed March 2024

Costa Rica

Excellent tour. Well planned. Excellent guide and driver. Hotels ranged from adequate to very good. Food very good.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walks in rainforests.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent. Very knowledgeable, hard working and caring

Advice for Potential Travellers

Very warm. Sun tan lotion, insect repellent and binoculars essential. Think carefully about clothing and footwear for daytime and evenings.

Reply from Exodus

We’re delighted to read that John had such a great time in Costa Rica, but did want to acknowledge his comment about having shirts stolen from his suitcase, possibly at one of the lodges on this trip. This was raised with John’s tour leader during the holiday and the management of both properties John mentions were contacted, but had no success in finding the missing shirts. We’ve used the Laguna Lodge and the Hotel Eco Arenal for some time now and have never had customers face any issues to do with theft. While we can’t pinpoint exactly what happened to John’s shirts, we do apologise that they went missing on the trip.

– The Exodus Travels Team

Frances SMYTH

Reviewed March 2024

Sri Lanka walking

Great trip, covering a lot of the best of Sri Lanka. Wholly recommend this trip.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sujee, was a perfect group leader in every possible way.

Mark Ireland

Reviewed March 2024

Appropriate

Comprehensive game drives in 3 tiger reserves, Pench, Kanha and Bandhavgarh

Most Inspirational Moment

Encountering a male tiger close up

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent, efficient and amusing throughout

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for cold starts so layer up although blankets are provided. Worth doing additional games drives on Wednesday afternoons when Parks are closed. Good guides and drivers who speak good English are at a premium so ask to keep good ones.

Shirley Bottom

Reviewed March 2024

Amazing trip

Fantastic trip start to finish. Excellent leader and good group.

Most Inspirational Moment

Each day had memorable sights. Mini Adams peak was quite special. Cycling in the highlands was probably the highlight

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ruwan Balasoriya was an excellent leader. Very professional, friendly and well organised. He kept the group and itinary in order which made for a good experience for all. Very knowledgable and passionate about his country . He made the trip for us. Good insight into current affairs and history was also helpful.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We took far too much clothes. I’d pack first and then empty half of what you pack out. It’s possible to get washing done through the trip . Very cheap and helps local economy as well.

Louise Thornton

Reviewed March 2024

Wonderful Sri Lanka

I loved this trip, a beautiful Country, very friendly people, a great leader and another wonderful Group of people to share it with. One of my best Exodus trips.

Most Inspirational Moment

I celebrated a milestone birthday on this trip, and while sat on the beach eating birthday cake with the rest of the group a green turtle came out of the sea and laid her eggs right in front of us! A very special moment.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Roshan was lovely, very patient, very kind, supportive of everyone and their different needs. His knowledge was second to none and pitched at exactly the right level - everyone put their books down or electronic devices away when we heard the familiar 'tap tap' on the microphone on the bus each morning, we knew we were going to learn something important. He was a great wildlife spotter (better than some of the wildlife guides) and had a brilliant sense of humour, it was a pleasure to sit chatting with him.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It is much cooler in the tea plantations so definitely take some warm clothes. For the walk to World's End make sure you have sturdy shoes, I did it in trainers but might have preferred my walking shoes. If you are a little unsteady on your feet take a walking pole, some of the paths are quite rocky.

Gareth B

Reviewed March 2024

The best of Iceland in 3 days

The trip crams a lot into 3 full days, but doesn’t feel rushed. There’s plenty of amazing sights to see, including stunning waterfalls, black beaches, geysers and the highlight was walking on the glacier – we had perfect weather with blue skies! The tour is well thought-out, and despite there being a fair amount of driving, it doesn’t feel like there is due to the amazing scenery and comfortable transportation (plus everywhere we went in Iceland had 4G/5G phone signal).

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't assume that you're going to see the Northern Lights, you're reliant on the weather playing ball, and it coinciding with solar activity. Unfortunately I didn't see them on this trip, however some of my fellow travellers who went out 1 day before had an amazing view - typical! I visited in mid-Feb, so there was a decent amount of daylight and darkness. Even without seeing them, it was a great trip with great people and included a wonderful landscape. Other than that, Iceland itself is pretty expensive, so factor that into your budgeting.

Victor Spencer

Reviewed March 2024

Lemosho route to Uhuru the summit of Kilimanjaro!

Exodus and their team, whether those based in the UK or on the ground in Tanzania, could not have acted more professionally or been more helpful in ensuring that I had a fantastic trip.
Our group’s all female team of guides, led by Lucia, with Joyce, Anna, Angela and Happiness did their utmost everyday with words of encouragement, smiles and gentle cajoling to steer us to the summit! It was like being looked after by a pride of lionesses!
Without the rest of Lucia’s team of porters, chefs etc, success would not have been possible.
The aim of the trek was to summit Kilimanjaro but by taking the Lemosho Route, it enabled us to enjoy, stunning scenery, interesting and unusual flora and fauna and perhaps most important of all, a little more time to acclimatise for the summit attempt.
Prospective trekkers should be aware that a sunrise at the top of Kibo is not guaranteed. The five of us who successfully summited, were greeted by a temperature of -10 deg C and very strong winds! Just glad I had so many layers on! All summit attempts for the previous night were cancelled.
This experience will stay with me for the rest of my life, including getting to know my seven fellow trekkers, who were great fun! Have a good look at Exodus, you will not be disappointed.

Date of experience: 25 February 2024

Most Inspirational Moment

Summit night. To quote one of our fellow group members after summiting: " We looked deeply into ourselves, all through a very dark and stormy night on an unrelenting climb, faced real adversity and prevailed!" Sounds a bit melodramatic but all of the previous night's summit attempts were cancelled because of the weather.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Lucia Kivio and her assistant guides, Anna, Angela, Happiness and Joyce were superb. As stated above, I couldn't have summited without them.

Advice for Potential Travellers

1) Pole, pole, the slower the better. 2) Drink more than you think you will need. 3) Eat plenty, it's easy not to but you need as much energy as possible. 4) A positive attitude is essential, one step at a time, only think about one day at a time and enjoy. 5) Enjoy the company of your group and support each other.

Robert Barker

Reviewed March 2024