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!
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14217 Reviews
4.7 out of
5
Reviews
Finn Shanklin
Reviewed November 2023
Awesome trip, awesome guide
What experiences! What fun! What a guide! Roberto’s immense knowledge, experience and efficiency ensured we had a superb trip including our emergency evacuation by speedboat at 4am from rioting Panama. Roberto’s ability to rejig the trip, rearranging routes, accommodation and excursions was noteworthy. We were exhorted to ride, but never too hard, fed and watered well at every opportunity, educated comprehensively about farming, history, culture, politics and geography but never too much. We went bananas over pineapples and didn’t pine for chocolate! The well maintained bikes were good in CR and okish in N. The drivers worked very hard in the background, admirably navigating and usually avoiding any speedbumps. We had an excellent cohesive group who were good friends at the end of the trip.
Most Inspirational Moment
Masaya Volcano I loved Playa Marsella and could happily live there as a beach bum!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Roberto was our father figure. I have immense respect for his abilities and character. I would strongly recommend future travellers to travel with him.
Advice for Potential Travellers
We had only 30 minutes of rain, but very quickly got cold and sodden. We descended by bike from Poás volcano (our extra trip having escaped Panama)and warm windproof gloves would have been good. I found a travel sink plug was good so I could wet shave. ? A can of insecticide to spray in bedroom - I got badly bitten one night. Watch out for sea urchin spines on the reef if you go snorkelling off Bocas del Toro - compeed worked well on the inextractable ones! You need dollars for each countries bill settlement, but almost everything else can be paid by card. (Pay in local currency not dollars)
Susan D
Reviewed November 2023
Highlights of Japan
Great holiday. Great guide.
Most Inspirational Moment
Variety of sites. Food. Weather. Golden temple. Kyoto. Tokyo
Thoughts on Group Leader
A pleasure to be with.
Susan D
Reviewed November 2023
Highlights of Japan
Great holiday. Great guide.
Most Inspirational Moment
Variety of sites. Food. Weather. Golden temple. Kyoto. Tokyo
Thoughts on Group Leader
A pleasure to be with.
Elaine Wilkinson
Reviewed November 2023
An amazing holiday!
A holiday of contrasts -the hubbub of Kathmandu, the magnificence of the Annapurna range and the luxury of the Bahari Jungle Lodge in Chitwan.
We had a superb tour guide in Kathmandu who was happy to answer any question and who took us to see the living goddess! Our original hotel was very average but we were moved to the much more upmarket Yak and Yeti for the final night, which was the original hotel when we booked the trip and is now advertised for future trips.
I really enjoyed the trekking experience, the scenery was spectacular, the lodges were very comfortable, the food really good and the staff excellent. Our guide and porters were amazing, it was very sad bidding them farewell.
Chitwan was a complete contrast, much warmer, very luxurious. We were kept busy there. The jeep safari was my favourite, fortunately we did this early in the morning when the park inhabitants are more lively. To get to the National Park we simply took a boat across the river from the lodge, so easy! We didn’t see a tiger but saw several one horned rhinos, including a mother and calf whom we observed for some time. It would have been great to have one more day there to chill, to enjoy a dip in the pool, to sit on our balcony of our lovely ‘hut’.
Our last full day, the ‘approximately 5 hours’ on a coach turned into about 8 hours on a holiday, a day when traffic is much quieter than normal. We did not arrive in Kathmandu until about 4pm, it left little time to do anything before our farewell meal. I would have preferred to pay a little extra to fly! It was a disappointing end to our holiday.
Most Inspirational Moment
Getting up before sunrise each day to see if we could see the mountains, which were obscured by cloud later in the day. Our last morning of our trek granted us a spectacular view, which lasted until our departure from Pokhara.
Thoughts on Group Leader
This is a large part of the reason why I did not give the trip a 5 star rating. A premium adventure is supposed to have an expert named leader, there seemed to have been a change at the last moment about which we were not notified, and ours was neither. He was a very pleasant, kind individual and got us from A to B with no problem. However, he had not led a group for four years, hence he was a little out of practice and his English was somewhat rusty, which led to much confusion. On previous trips we have had some excellent Exodus group leaders from whom we learnt so much about the country we were visiting, unfortunately we learnt more in a day with our excellent Kathmandu tour guide than we did in the whole trip with our group leader.
Sinead Cocchiglia
Reviewed November 2023
The "undulating" hills of Central America
Absolutely loved it! From the trip itself to the friends we made on it and the Exodus teams on the ground in each country, this was an adventure of a lifetime and no better way to dip your toes into Central America than by bike. The trip was executed daily with an efficiency of a Swiss clock by our guide Roberto. The bikes were comfy and looked after meticulously by the team. Cycling is the main event here and the heart of the trip was the breath taking views of volcanos, wildlife and rainforest.
Most Inspirational Moment
There are many moments that will stay with me forever. From the molten magma of the Masaya vocano, cycling through Omepede and jumping into the much needed fresh springs to cool off, to the adventurous Arenal rainforest. However, aside from the beautiful nature and wildlife, what exceeded my expectations was meeting the locals who shared their livelyhood. I learnt so much about fruit, cocoa and coffee, farming, exporting and exploitation. I truelly had an educational and fun experience. Memories I will take with me forever.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our group lead was Roberto and we couldn't have asked for a better person to explore Central America with. His passion, love and respect for all people shines though. What was booked as a mere vacation turned into a shared group ever lasting experience. Due to unforeseeable political issues we were faced with disappointment of not being able to complete the cycle in Panama. However Roberto re-routed us at the drop of a hat, kept our spirits high and made sure we went home with incredible memories. His experience in looking after a group and familiarity with the mountains is unsurpassed. My fondist and funniest memory will be Roberto's description of the "undulating hills"- :) come prepared for some hot steep climbs!
Advice for Potential Travellers
Its going to be HOT, so bring light airy clothes that dry quickly, a cap and something warmer for the mountains. Consider taking most of your cash with you for the trip, as at times it can prove difficult to find an ATM which dispenses USD.
Julie Edwards
Reviewed November 2023
Annapurna Sanctuary – magnificent!
This was a wonderful trip, very well organised and made even better because we had such a fantastic group and such magnificent scenery with great weather – my expectations were exceeded! Anish and his team of guides and porters were brilliant all the way through, always helpful and cheerful. Early morning tea was always a pleasure to be greeted by smiling faces. The teahouses were better than expected – basic twin rooms but always Wi-Fi and electric for charging, sometimes a hot shower. We shared quad rooms in MBC and ABC. The food was delicious, lots of choice and the guides did a great job taking our orders for every meal.
Most Inspirational Moment
Sunrise at Poon Hill and arriving at Annapurna Basecamp – stunning scenery.
We had a brilliant and fun last night with our porters and guides – lots of dancing and singing.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Anish was a brilliant leader, always calm and helpful and always checking everyone was comfortable and happy. Coping with 13 of us and keeping on eye on everything could not have been easy but it was obvious he had great team leading skills.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be prepared for steps – every day! Read the trip notes fully, they are very helpful in terms of the kit required.
Sean Thomas Foley
Reviewed November 2023
Wonderful adventure through Jordan and Eypt
This trip included exploring ancient cities, hiking the back trail into Petra, walking through the desert, a nighttime hike of Mt Sinai, swimming in the Red Sea and a visit to the pyramids and sphinx.
Most Inspirational Moment
I loved the Wadi Rum desert and the hiking into Petra via the back trail. The desert was so quiet in the morning and the star gazing was some of the best I've ever seen.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Nidal Al-Ateag was our guide in Jordan. He was a lot of fun and always made sure we had the best view of the sites and plenty of time to explore. Ahmed Salem was our guide in Egypt. He was very knowledgeable about his country's history and the different regions we visited.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Enjoy every part of this trip! There is so much crammed into it and you'll keep wishing you had more time at a site or activity. But then your off to the next part and you start getting excited for it. If you only have one trip to do in the Middle East.....this is the trip to do! There is so much history and culture included, you will not be disappointed.
Sarah Carter
Reviewed November 2023
Peru
Very well organised , introduction to altitude was staggered and well coordinated .
Most Inspirational Moment
One day Inca trail to macchu picchu.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Excellent group leader , very knowledgeable , went above and beyond to ensure we experienced Peru at its best , was always there to answer questions , reassure explain.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Book it , trip of a life time
Julie Edwards
Reviewed November 2023
Annapurna Sanctuary – magnificent!
This was a wonderful trip, very well organised and made even better because we had such a fantastic group and such magnificent scenery with great weather – my expectations were exceeded! Anish and his team of guides and porters were brilliant all the way through, always helpful and cheerful. Early morning tea was always a pleasure to be greeted by smiling faces. The teahouses were better than expected – basic twin rooms but always Wi-Fi and electric for charging, sometimes a hot shower. We shared quad rooms in MBC and ABC. The food was delicious, lots of choice and the guides did a great job taking our orders for every meal.
Most Inspirational Moment
Sunrise at Poon Hill and arriving at Annapurna Basecamp – stunning scenery. We had a brilliant and fun last night with our porters and guides – lots of dancing and singing.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Anish was a brilliant leader, always calm and helpful and always checking everyone was comfortable and happy. Coping with 13 of us and keeping on eye on everything could not have been easy but it was obvious he had great team leading skills.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be prepared for steps – every day! Read the trip notes fully, they are very helpful in terms of the kit required.
Sally Wilson
Reviewed November 2023
Annapurna Premium Tour
My family saved up money to have a holiday of a lifetime. We were promised in the brochure and online that this was a Premium holiday with 4/5* hotels, an expert guide and superb mountain views. This was not the holiday we received in many areas. Some parts such as the trekking and lodges were excellent but as you will see below in my comments a lot fell short of what we had paid for and I would not book another ‘premium’ holiday with Exodus again.
Most Inspirational Moment
The guided tour round Kathmandu with Suresh, the trekking with our guide Bikash and the Bahari Lodge in Chitwan.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Poor group leader. Not one of the 'expert named guides chosen for their expertise and spoken English' that we had been promised. Gave out no information on culture, politics, history, religion etc. His English was fairly poor and his communication and organisational skills were poor meaning that we constantly had to ask him to clarify meeting times, flight transfer arrangements and other daily details.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Temper your expectations of how much of the Annapurna Range that you will see. Pollution is bad and unless there is rain during the night to clear the pollution out of the air and on the basis that it is not cloudy then you may see the Himalayas some of the time but by no means all the time. Ensure that what you have asked for (such as 2 x twin rooms at each location) is what is delivered. We ended up with 1 x twin and 1 x double at each location which meant me having to share a bed with my adult son. Not what I had requested. How difficult is it to get the administration and basic requests right? If you have any trips changes - make sure you get the real reason why they have been changed. Our initial hotel in Kathmandu (a 5 star hotel) was changed to the Hotel Mulberry which was no better than a UK 2 star hotel and the reason given was not credible. Ask about the road conditions on the land trip from Chitwan to Kathmandu. We were told that we weren't flying because of the regular delays at the local airport. Instead we were told that we would have a leisurely morning in Chitwan and a scenic 5 hour trip back to Kathmandu. In the event we had to be breakfasted and ready to leave at 8am and did not arrive at the hotel until 4pm. An 8 hour journey on appalling unmade dusty roads for over 75% of the journey being bounced around like a fairground ride. Even local airport delays would not have amounted to an 8 hour delay. It meant basically losing one whole day of our holiday. Cost cutting?? Think very carefully about what you expect from a 'premium' holiday and the additional cost to you above a standard trip. There were many areas of the trip that came nowhere near 'premium' and that was really disappointing as my family had saved up for this 'trip of a lifetime'.
Reply from Exodus
We are grateful to you for taking the time to submit a review, Sally, and are pleased that you enjoyed the trekking and the lodges. On the other hand, we are incredibly sorry that you felt it did not live up to its premium description in several areas, as this is not the type of feedback we like to receive. The tour leader assigned to your group has a wealth of experience leading group tours and was selected for his strong language skills and charismatic personality, so we do regret if this was not evident during your trip. We always act on the feedback we receive and, following your helpful comments, we are currently considering whether your leader is suitable for future Exodus departures. Regarding the changes to your tour, these were made with our customers’ best interests in mind, although we admit that certain decisions backfired and we will endeavour to learn from them to ensure that future departures of this tour run more smoothly, in keeping with our expectations. We hope to be able to resolve your concerns via direct correspondence and would sincerely like to regain your trust on a future Exodus trip.
