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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14308 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Julia Larsson

Reviewed August 2023

Fascinating Baltics

An excellent, busy trip with sufficient free time to explore on our own and lots of variety between cities and countryside/seaside. I finally made it as I had booked this trip when Covid intervened and it had to be cancelled. I am so glad that I was now able to go.

Most Inspirational Moment

Hard to select just one. Tallin was my favourite city, the Art Nouveau district and museum in Riga, the Occupation Museum in Riga was a real 'eye opener' and the Hill of Crosses was amazing and moving. Also being able to go to the Lahemaa National Park, the Curonian Spit and Jurmala for the architecture. As I said before, good variety in this trip between cities and countryside/seaside.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Andrius Mazrimas was excellent. Well organised, friendly, helpful and with a good sense of humour. He told us a lot about growing up under Soviet rule which was a fascinating insight. He always had suggestions for possible restaurants, helpful for me as I am a vegetarian. I had some great meals and some that were not!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you put on LOTS of insect repellant in the Lahemaa National Park. If you are vegetarian take some snacks for 'emergencies'.

Mark Gilbert

Reviewed July 2023

Fantastic

A trip walking in the Bosnian mountains, climbing mount maglic. Should call it magic as the scenery was absolutely stunning. Food was good, try the Bosnian pie!

Most Inspirational Moment

Getting to the top of Maglic.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Kenan and Sead were a suite stats. Kind funny and caring. Not only did they guide us but was so informative and passionate about their country. Two of the best guides I’ve had and I’ve been on quite a few treks.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Enjoy!

Bill M

Reviewed July 2023

Hosts with the most

After a week of trekking and having arrived home…the gear cleaned and aired out, and laundry done it’s a pleasure to take a pause and take a moment to celebrate a wonderful trek, with amazing like-minded people who love the outdoors. Gratitude to the Exodus Travels team for making it memorable. Acknowledgment to our guide Fred who is a total pro and our Chalet Chocolat hosts Sol and Tomas for their warmth, thoughtfulness and efforts in taking care of us. A host is defined as someone as accommodating, impressive and engaging and my experience this was true of all 3!

Most Inspirational Moment

Our new friend Sarah-Jane boldly declaring ‘I am strong’. 💪Then demonstrating it with her actions in consistent hiking and parasailing for the first time. Also, the hike along the Bonatti refuge in Italy was one of the most memorable views of a lifetime. The additional reward of tasty gelato in Courmayeur with new friends was a special treat.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Professional, encouraging, sincere, reliable

Advice for Potential Travellers

Read the reviews on chalet accommodations in advance…know before you go. The chalet is solid. Being proximate to Chaminox was a plus. Hot tub, nice add. I’ve made many backpacking treks and stayed in tents mostly. I wanted here to do a level up from that and overall was pleased. I’d had the awareness that it could feel cramped for some and while I’ve never lived in a house with 13 people I could fully see how that overall experience not being for everyone. Do the research and if not for you choose another option.

Heather S

Reviewed July 2023

Busy but Fun Getaway!

This trip is a really interesting mix of activities, biking, hiking and kayaking, along with sightseeing. I felt that the days were quite busy but it maximized what I was able to see in Vietnam. Though not inexpensive, I would recommend doing the extension to Cambodia. The temples were absolutely breathtaking.

Most Inspirational Moment

My favourite part of the trip was the visit to Halong Bay. The karst mountain scenery was just gorgeous and our experience dining and sleeping on the boat was exceptional. Kayaking here was the cherry on top. My most inspirational moment was likely visiting the day program for individuals who had been mentally or physically impacted by the war. Having an opportunity to purchase some of the beautiful embroidery they created was very meaningful for me.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jay was an absolutely incredible guide from start to finish! He made the most of our travel time together on the bus by sharing his wealth of knowledge about Vietnam and the rich history of the country. He was always willing to answer our questions and did all that he possibly could to maximize our enjoyment of the trip. Dee and Thida were our guides on the extension in Cambodia and they were also terrific. These three guides enhanced my enjoyment of the trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I would have been more comfortable on the hikes if I had brought along my hiking poles. If doing the Cambodia extension, and using American currency, it is important to know that currency will only be accepted if it is crisp and rip free. It is also preferred that it be dated within the last ten years.

Elizabeth Rooke

Reviewed July 2023

Fascinating trip, terrible bike

Our tour leader, Lina, was fantastic- knowledgeable, interesting, supportive, helpful and should be highly recommended. She provided a perfect amount of information on the various Baltic states, their history, current status and blended it with personal stories that really bought the region and history to life – she was brilliant. Unfortunately I cannot say the same about the bikes. This was meant to be a leisurely rated trip but the bikes were so bad – heavy, urban bikes with poor gearing – that they make a 40km ride feel like 100. I was just grateful the countries were flat as they were impossible to get up a hill. I’m an experienced cyclist but believe that experience would put any novice off the prospect of future biking holidays. I’ve also done a number of other cycling trips with Exodus where the bikes have been good so didn’t consider taking my own bike.. this was a massive disappointment to me and would prevent me from recommending the trip as a whole which is sad given Lina’s quality guiding. The hotels and restaurants were all good with the exception of the choice of location for Klaipeda hotel which was in the middle of nowhere and whilst convenient for the ferry was not good for the town.. we could have easily bussed to the ferry from Klaipeda.

Most Inspirational Moment

Lina talking about her family history

Thoughts on Group Leader

Superb - would highly recommend

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take your own bike

Rachel Edwards

Reviewed July 2023

Beautiful Romania

Really enjoyable week in the beautiful Carpathian mountains. Excellent guide who was very knowledgable and entertaining. Mountain walks were strenuous in high temperatures, but forest walks were much cooler. Saw lots of bears in the wild (from a hide) as well as Bran Castle, and beautiful Brasov.
Great holiday to see a really beautiful area, nice walks and very friendly homely accommodation with stunning views and wonderful food

Most Inspirational Moment

Being in the mountains on a daily basis with views of the stunning countryside

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent. Knowledgable, charismatic, caring, entertaining and highly competent.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be moderately fit before you book on this trip. The walks are more than leisurely especially if you are not fit. Take walking poles and a good water carrier.

Mike Crooke

Reviewed July 2023

A Memorable week in the Mountains

The Mont Blanc Highlights tour that we recently completed in early May 2023 was excellent. The tour guide, Mike, was knowledgeable and put together 5 days of walks that were varied and challenged the group within their limits and within the conditions at the time. As it was the first tour of the season Mike had assessed each walk by doing them prior to the arrival of the group. Each evening he would provide a briefing about the walk the following day and answer all questions. At the end of the 5 days of walking he emailed the group a map and details of each of the walks we had completed – this was appreciated by the group. Chalet Chalupa was comfortable and homely for the week of the stay. The communal areas were quite spacious (for a group of 12) and well equipped. The bedrooms were fine, although the beds would have benefited from a top sheet as we found the duvet tended to be too warm. Helena and Adrian were top hosts. They are both warm, friendly people who welcomed everyone the minute they arrived. Their cooking was delicious, and they made every attempt to cope with the various dietary requirements. The bar and snack bar were always well stocked, and they purchased additional items if requested by the guests. Their sunny dispositions and positive approach to life made them a pleasure to be around. All in all it was an excellent week and one we would unhesitatingly recommend to others.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many, especially in relation to the walks themselves. On the second last day we paused for lunch - a spot with a beautiful view and a small herd of Ibex resting nearby, paying us no attention. In the distance a group of 30 or so high school children were holding an Alpine Mass, their singing ringing out over the hills.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mike, our group leader, was extremely knowledgeable and was able to 'read' the group and its abilities very well. He was also fun to be with, a really good leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't come with a lot of expectations, allow the experience to simply unfold, and you will have a memorable trip.

Constance Hoffman

Reviewed July 2023

Interesting adventure

The itinerary was full with some downtime. Many early mornings which is to be expected to see animals stirring in the cool of day. I spent a lot more on gratuities than listed as during trekking there are trackers, protectors, etc. Everyone had their hands out. The porters are Not happy with payment of 20USD plus 5 tip as listed in the notes. They were expecting almost double and became very unhappy. There is not really a guide but a driver, so don’t expect to get any information/details about the country, etc. They manly drive and keep everyone on schedule. Overall is was a worthwhile trip to see the chimps and gorillas. What an amaxong opportunity to see them within 6 ft of you.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing animals on this side of bars Where they should be.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leader wad nice but not very outspoken nor outgoing. They need headsets and speakers while driving as you cannot hear them.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't disclose to US customs that we were around chimps nor gorillas. Agriculture will pull you over for inspiration.

Suzy Horne

Reviewed July 2023

Stunning trek amidst amazing scenery

This is a great trip with an excellent balance of activities! The trek was absolutely stunning with amazing scenery and big horizons in wild mountains! It starts in more gentle pastoral sandstone lands, with lots of nomadic herders and yurts, and progresses to gorgeous high mountains, turbulent rivers, and wild mountains, passes and lakes. The warm up walk in Ala Archa National Park south of Bishkek was a good way to start the trip and the stay in the yurt camp on Lake Issyk Kul pre-trek, was a delight (as was the Jety Oguz yurt camp!) The opportunities for swimming/dipping (Lake Issyk Kul, Ala Kul, rivers if you find a sheltered bend!) were great, as well as the 2 hot springs visits, and the cultural visits around Bishkek, Karakol, Burana Tower and Cholpon Ata petroglyphs gave the trip a good variety of activities.

Most Inspirational Moment

Lots of beautiful scenery moments, but the 2 that really made me gasp were (1) when stunning Karakol Peak first came into view and (2) seeing gorgeous turquoise Lake Ala Kul for the first time.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our western leader Valerie is absolutely brilliant! She's great company, deals seamlessly & efficiently with all logistics and any problems, and is a fantastic storyteller! Dan, our local guide, is super-knowledgeable, also good company and has a great sense of humour, as does Ali, our second local guide.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Logistics worked really well - the standard of tents, comfort (the karrimats and foam mattresses provided mean you don't need to take your own sleep mat) and quality and quantity of cuisine were all excellent. The trip notes are being updated, but there are no showers or wash basins at the fixed camps (though you can request a bucket of hot water or bathe in the rivers). Handwashing facilities though are mostly available. With the rivers, hot springs, and sauna at Karakol camp, I think it was the cleanest I have ever been on trek! We had a couple of really wet, cold days, so I'd recommend a pair of waterproof gloves, and highly recommend walking poles for the steep sections both up and down, and river crossings.

D A

Reviewed July 2023

Not a Good Substitute for the TMB

The people were fantastic. Our guide, Jeni, is the absolute best! She is kind, smart, knowledgeable, and made the week both fun and interesting. Our chalet hosts, Tomas and Sol, we’re equally great. They made us feel at home, cooked excellent meals, and helped us explore the area when we weren’t on our guided hikes. These three people get 5 stars. They made the trip for me. The hikes were not what I expected. My reading of the trip’s description is that we would be hiking select portions of the traditional Trail du Mount Blanc (TMB). That’s really not what we did. We took day hikes that started and ended at the valley floor, with some day’s hikes consisting of a full loop to end up where we started. The hike up was usually beautiful, but some of the descents were on the rough side. Two of the hikes descended on long stretches of 4×4 access roads covered in large rocks. Each of these had an optional ski lift or tram that could be taken, and you have to pay for the ticket yourself. But trust me, it’s worth the extra 17€ to avoid these sections. Don’t let your ego make you walk down on these roads. So, the people were excellent, but the hikes were not what I was expecting. If you’re looking for moderate level day hikes around the Mont Blanc area, this will work. If you want to hike the TMB, this will show you small parts of it, but you may leave disappointed.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jeni is the greatest ambassador Exodus Travels could ever have. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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