Reviews

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

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14232 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Reviewed September 2012

WHALES & BEARS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

A fantastic holiday which gives you numerous opportunities to enjoy the local wildlife while also allowing time to visit Vancouver, Victoria and some of the other towns. This was my first wildlife focussed holiday which meant there were lot’s of things i had never seen before including black bears, grizzly bears, orca whales, otters, seals etc. I do think you need to be aware however that you are trying to spot wild animals so you need to accept that anything you see is a bonus, there is the possibility that you might not see certain things depending on the weather, conditions and just how lucky you are. Having said that the people involved in the trips know what they are doing and will always swap things around and will do their best to get you the best possible experience. We were not disappointed and saw so much throughout the holiday.

Most Inspirational Moment

For me i think seeing a grizzly bear and her cub playing in the river was a real highlight, it was an absolutely stunning area and to see the bears in their natural environment interacting with each other was amazing. The journey back on that day was fantastic too we managed to see a large group of Orca's together which was breathtaking and at one point the boat was being followed by around 20 dolphins playing in the sea.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our team leader was fantastic, she was extremely organised and enthusiastic throughout the trip. She made the trip easy for us by suggesting places for dinner and organising picnic lunches for most days. She knew so much about Canadian history which she bought into the holiday and was fun to be with throughout the break.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is a fantastic trip to do and i would definately recommend this to anyone, Vancouver Island is a stunning place. Just be aware that seeing wildlife is not guaranteed and just make the most of what you do see. I would suggest taking a small waterproof bag to hold your camera and binoculars for the bear and whale watching on the zodiacs as you can't take a big bag and you don't want to get your camera wet.If you do the kayaking then take a set of dry clothes to change into as you will get wet and i would also advise a hat as my head got a bit burnt and being out for 3 hours you need to be careful.I would also suggest participating in as many of the optional activities as you can as these for me really added to the trip for me, the snorkelling with seals was great fun and the seals were so relaxed on the island occassionally taking a dip in the sea. The kayaking as also great fun, although this is not with whales but round the little islands, it is lovely to see the starfish, fish etc.

Reviewed September 2012

WALKING ON THE GREEK ISLANDS

A lot of time in transit on ferries – fine if you get a spot in the sun (or shade – whichever you prefer) but begins to pall by the end of the week.The three islands – Paros and Naxos are genuinely Greek – Santorini felt like cruise ship tourist Disneyland, and I gave up when having to shuffle along in a queue to watch the sunset standing in a pack with several hundred others. The highlight on Santorini was the coastal walk – which was a delight.

Most Inspirational Moment

Felt comfortable rather than inspired. Highlights were time spent chatting with other travellers, watching sunrise over the Aegean, and arriving in port on each island. Old town on Naxos was lovely and worth an extra visit.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Cheerful, charming and helpful but not very interested in or knowledgable about the places we visited. It was a bit of a whirlwind tour, but I did not feel I learnt a lot about what it was like living in the area, and I'm sure there was a lot more historical interest than we had drawn to our attention!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a good book or Kindle for the ferry journeys, or get lucky and have good company (which I did)

Reviewed September 2012

AMALFI COAST & BAY OF NAPLES

Fantastic holiday and great introduction to Italy if you have never been before. Expect to be kept busy. The food at the hotel is wonderful and there is lots of it. Expect to do lots of walking around, but you will see some amazing sites and views.

Most Inspirational Moment

The cookery demonstrations were also entertaining and a highlight for me. Our visit to Pompeii, Herculaneum and Oplontis were wonderful and gave a real feel of Roman Italy.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was Eduardo who had lots of patients and was very knowledgeable.

Advice for Potential Travellers

There are mosquitos so take creams, repellent etc. Things are more expensive than you think e.g. €3 for a can of soft drink so take more money than you had planned to avoid being caught short or having to hunt down an ATM. We went the second week in September and were lucky enough to be there during the festival of the Santa Maria which mean we were treated to the parade through the village with the statue of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus, marching band and fireworks. It did also however mean we had to put up with the Fair ground in the vacant lot next to the hotel in the run up to the festival which blasted dance music until midnight every night, so ear plugs are essential if you want an early night.

Reviewed September 2012

WALKING THE GREAT WALL

In the main this trip was excellent. However there are a few things I need to comment on. When I arrived at Beijing Airport, I and one other person, were met by a non English speaking taxi driver who dropped us off at the hotel. We had problems booking in as we had no reference other than what had been sent to us, and there were 3 Exodus trips starting from there. We had been expecting to be met by our tour guide, but he arrived much later with the rest of our group. On another note, we were not told that we would be rock climbing on the second day. I take it that this part was the "challenging" part of the trip, but as it is not mentioned in the trip notes, it came as a surprise. However, we all rose to the challenge, and looking back, enjoyed the experience. The only other thing I need to raise is that although the tomb of Empress Dowager Cixi is mentioned in the trip notes, we don’t visit it, which is disappointing.

Most Inspirational Moment

All of our days on the Great Wall were excellent, and I wouldn't have missed the experience for the world.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jerry (Wai) is a very good tour guide, and does his best to accomodate everyone in the group, and goes out of his way to do it.Jackey, our tour guide in Xian did his best to accomodate the two of us while we were there, but as there were demonstrations, the Drum and Bell Towers, and City Wall were closed, so we were unable to do what we really wanted, while there. However, our trip to the Terracotta Warriors was excellent.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for rock climbing on the second day on the wall.

Reviewed September 2012

THE HIGH INCA TRAIL

This trip encompasses both the wilds of trekking right in the mountains without seeing anyone the whole time and also the experience of walking the ‘classic Inca trail’. Yes, you will see other people but you are walking in the footsteps of history and heritage! I was really pleased to have done it like this as I can say i walked the trail of the incas and arrived through sungate – it may be a cliche but hey youre only going to do it once so i am pleased to be able to say I did it this way.

Most Inspirational Moment

Most inspirational? Probably the last bit of the final day approaching sungate - i felt like a real intrepid explorer searching for the lost city!! Real dark dank jungle inca path with the echoing sounds of birds all around you....

Thoughts on Group Leader

Bobby was great, really upbeat, sociable funny guy. He has completed this trip about 500x so he knows his stuff. Our group had a few problems with people needing to leave the trail and come back in due to illness. He dealt with this easily and efficiently. Everybody got what they needed. He also helped some of the group organise onward journeys in Peru, very helpful and likes a game of cards!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Wear insect repellant of the first day from Mollepata, mozzies are rife in the daytime and the 20 or so bites i got that day plagued me for the rest of the trip! Once i wore repellant - no bites received.Take it easy when you get to cusco, a few of our group got ill, possibly a bug or possibly altitude sickness. It ruined the trip for some, so take it easy and eat simple food you know! Even though restricted on the inca trail, take a book! Sometimes you get to camp at 1-2pm theres time to kill. We played a lot of cards too. It rained everyday about 2pm...but tea time at 4.30 with crackers annd popcorn relly helped!!

Reviewed September 2012

THE INCA TRAIL

Like most of the reviews this was something I’d long dreamed of doing. So I booked it and was lucky enough that 5 of my friends also thought it’d be a good plan. We were also fortunate to have 6 other travelling companions who were an eclectic mix & excellent company throughout what was a wonderfull journey.If you’re dreaming like I was, take the plunge, it’s a fantastic experience.

Most Inspirational Moment

Ambling around Cusco and suddenly being surrounded by an explosion of colour, music and dancing in the streets, which seemed to fill the whole city for a few hours.. The second day actually reaching the top of the "Gringo killer." I think we all found that hard, but getting there was rewarding.Being woken with coca tea each morning. The third day. That's a day to have your camera out constantly as around every corner was a scene of outstanding natural beauty interspersed with fantastic Inca sites.A lone condor circling our camp on the third evening as the sun set.The sun gate with the first glimpse of Machu Pichu. A well deserved beer or two in the hot springs.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Disnarda was a veritable wealth of local knowledge. A lovely, warm person who was proud of her beautiful country and made the trail all the more enjoyable. She would remind us to drink water at every avaiable opportunity, bless her, & let the various members of our group set their own pace / breaks on the trail which i think was imperative. For Tina, our second guide, i believe this was her first Exodus trip, she again added to our experience in a positive fashion. I hope this will be the first of many for her with Exodus, again a lovely person.Special mention to chef, who prepared two cakes on the first evening, one for Jamie's birthday and another for Martin and Diane's aniversary. Baking two cakes after climbing up a mountain carrying a hefty pack where our group were all ready for bed around 7pm was above and beyond!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Read all the reviews on here. PICK UP YOUR LUGGAGE AT LIMA, EVEN IF YOU'RE TOLD IT'S CHECKED ALL THE WAY THROUGH!!! Essential items:Camera + extra batteries / memory stick. Waterproof jacket and trousers.Sun hat and glasses.Warm hat and gloves.Deet & sun cream.Fleece & thermals for the evenings, change of footwear.Warm sleeping bag / liner.Head torch.Merino wool t-shirts / hoodies were good.comfy boots + enough socks. comfy quick drying hiking trousers.Trek towel.Antiseptic hand gel / loo roll. shorts / swimwear for the hot baths.Ammonia for bites, although I was lucky, others needed to borrow that quite frequently.Imodium, again i was lucky but others weren't so, but that's enough said there. Enough dollars / soles for the tips and the hot baths / pisco sours / beers etc. A hydration pack / camelbak with maybe an electrolite / isotonic powder to mix in. Diamox / Ibuprofen. Excited anticipation.

Reviewed September 2012

WHALES & BEARS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

An immensely enjoyable trip due in part to the awe-inspiring wildlife viewed but also the fact that our group of only 12 had a shared interest made more memorable because of the energy and enthusiasm of our group leader and the very knowledgeable experts escorting us into their speciality areas.

Most Inspirational Moment

The moment, when nearly back at base, our cameras packed away safe from the pouring rain, a transient pair of orcas, male and female, surfaced near our boat. To hear them scythe through the water and breathe through their blowholes and realise their size was truly a tremendous experience. Normally the boats strictly adhere to the 100meters distance rule so as not to cause the animals undue alarm but in this case their was no warning that we were in their path as it was unusual for them to be so near to the harbour.Later on the trip, in brilliant sunshine this time, we were able to observe two pods of orcas meeting thus making up a group of 11 but at least the 100metres away this time.I went sea-kayaking for the first time and as I can't swim was very apprehensive. This was soon forgotten as I viewed the forest of sea-urchins and starfish straight down below me.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leader just couldn't have done anymore to make our holiday special. This trip did not include any meals so she always made sure that we went to nice places to eat or bought supplies in and took us to scenic areas for picnics.She was very informative about Canadian history as she drove us on city tours or hiked the trails and spoke very enthusiastically about the massive trees we saw on the way.The mini-bus we travelled around in had to have all our luggage loaded onto the roof everytime we changed hotels so she had to be very fit to manage this and it was lucky that there were one or two in the group tall enough and strong enough to pass suitcases to within her grasp.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go on a special interest holiday as that will mean you have something in common with the other members of your group.Wildlife watching at 100mtres away, especially at sea, isn't easy so invest in a decent pair of binnoculars.Try and remember to put your camera away now and again so that you can soak up some of the magic of your wildlife experience directly. Sometimes it can be very fleeting and you may never have that sighting again in your life.

Reviewed September 2012

DISCOVER COSTA RICA

Discover Costa Rica exceeded my expectations. It is a beautiful country with superb wildlife and we had a brilliant leader.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were so many - just to pick a few: Tortuguero - the river trips, the lodge and seeing the turtles nesting and hatchlings heading for the sea.Seeing the woolly opossum on our first night walk and the sloth trying to navigate the cables outside El Avion restaurant.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Gio was fantastic. Not only was he a thoroughly nice person and unobtrusively well organised but he obviously loved the wildlife and his job which shone through. His knowledge of the wildlife and spotting ability were superb. He freely gave of his time running extra spotting opportunities and providing us with hand written lists of everything we had seen after we left each lodge. Gio had excellent English, a quiet sense of humour and gave us just the right amount of extra general information about his country as we were driving along. Gio was ably supported by our driver Gerardo who was a lot of fun and also helped to make sure we didn't have a wasted day by taking us out when Gio was taken ill.Both were unfailingly helpful above and beyond the call of duty and worked hard to make sure we all had great time.

Advice for Potential Travellers

For many walks sandals were fine and they were good for travelling and round the lodges. On occasion you will need shoes with 'closed toes' as Gio put it - for safety reasons. For those take whatever footwear you would use for a muddy, occasionally steep, walk at home. For me that was walking boots and poles on occasion but younger and/or fitter folk were fine in lighter walking shoes/trainers as long as they had a good grip. Insect repellent was useful on occasion but insects were not as much of a problem as I had expected so I wore short sleeved light clothes and shorts much more than long sleeved ones. It is difficult to get washing dry because of the humidity and in some of the lodges laundry is cheap ($3 for 1 kg) so it is worth considering.Take a towel for the waterfall walk if you want to swim. The steep walk down and up is all steps.While the recommended bird book in the trip notes was useful if birds are your main interest - for more general wildlife you might find 'Wildlife of Costa Rica - a Field Guide' by Fiona Reid more useful. It covers the most common birds as well as mammals, reptiles, amphibians and some insects. You can get it on Amazon or in CR.

Reviewed September 2012

PETRA & WADI RUM BY BIKE

What a wonderful trip! Seriously, if you are even thinking about going on a cycling trip, want to take in some great climbs and some technical descents as well as visit a country full of culture and the most hospitable people, you should go to Jordan, with Exodus and insist that you have the wonderful guide Zuhair host your trip. You will not be disapointed. The bike team are fantastic – so much fun to be around; dancing at breaks, providing constant support on the road and from the vehicle. The riding is just tough enough to make you feel as though you have earned that baklava and beer in the evening. The real highlight though is the trip to Petra; Zuhair really did take us on a trip where we were away from the crowds and expirenced the magic of the old city. I really can’t recommend this trip enough. Go. You will not be disappointed.

Most Inspirational Moment

too many to say.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was magical. He really brought Jerash and Petra to life for us with his wonderful stories and frank open nature. We felt truly looked after and loved having him as our host and guide to this wonderful country. I would visit Jordan again, and would specifically search out Zuhair to be my guide.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I was worried about clothing but, I shouldn't have. Take a light pashmina, which you can wrap around your head in the hot sun, or, in the evening if you want to go un-noticed in the street. However, Jordanians are very hospitable people and, they will not comment on your clothing or make you feel uncomfortable. It is you who will want to blend into the surroundings so that you can observe these kind people without being invited in for tea!

Reviewed September 2012