Reviews

Brilliant trip with a superb leader!

My husband and I loved this trip! The walking is varied, in quite different but equally stunning areas. It is correctly labelled as leisurely/ moderate, as the walks are not technically difficult at all and are not too long for most reasonably fit people – but are long enough for the heat, and leisurely enough to give us plenty of time to look at the rich variety of flora and fauna and to observe the huge number of birds that live here or pass through, which included large birds of prey such as eagles and flocks of vultures.. Michael, our guide, is simply superb. His knowledge of nature is second to none and he was well -organised and kind too. The base, a coverted farmhouse which we had sole use of, is not ‘luxurious’ but is homely and very welcoming. The owners are lovely! Our room was clean and comfortable and the shower was very good, although the hot water took a bit of time to arrive! The views from our balcony were stupendous. The food was plentiful. The breakfasts were a bit limited in choice but the lunches were very good and the evening meals – taken on a terrace with stunning views in every direction! – were massive and delicious (Ref a previous review: They definitely did NOT lack piquancy!). Our group were friendly with a lot of solo travellers, nice people to spend time with!

A revelation!

Finally travelling again after a tough couple of years and I couldn’t have picked a better place for my first trip – Uzbekistan. I understand the group I was on was the first time the trip had run since the lockdowns, but everything ran smoothly, and it was a great group of people I was travelling with.

The toughest part of the trip was arriving into Tashkent at 3am, getting to the hotel at 4am and then back up at 10am for a day tour around the capital! However our guide – Dilshod – was excellent and pitched things at the right level considering most of the group were sleep deprived!

The next day was another early start and a flight up to Khiva. Part of the reason I chose the Exodus trip is because it went there (some tour companies skip this) and it didn’t disappoint. The hotel was ideally situated just by the gates into the old city allowing us to wander in and explore on our own after Dilshod had shown us around the main sites. We were also lucky enough to experience the preparations for an international traditional dance festival the Uzbek Tourism board have started and as a result there were many locals in traditional costume wandering the old city.
Next stop was Bukhara which I adored. There’s so much to see and do here and whilst the area around the hotel (Lyabi House complex) did feel very touristy, there were many locals around too and it was a short walk to many of the key sites. The free time here in the evening and during the afternoon on the final day in Bukhara was great to just wander at your own pace, or, after a few days in the heat, to visit a hammam as a couple of us did, to relax and get the knots in your shoulders/back pummelled away!

The drive from Bukhara to Samarkand is a long one which I’d guess is why there’s a stop at a yurt camp in order to avoid a super long day. I’ve spent a couple of weeks in yurts in Mongolia which were smaller but nicer than those here. I’m not sure if its because they haven’t had many guests during the pandemic, but the yurt camp felt a little run down, but it was only for a single night.

Samarkand, like Bukhara has loads to see and keep you busy but definitely feels more of a big city than Bukhara did. However, the scale of the buildings here dwarf anything in Bukhara with their sheer size. The jewel in Samarkand’s crown is of course the Registan and its certainly impressive. Definitely go back on your own when the sun has set to see it lit up.

Perfect trip

Good food and wine all week, and great walking, what more can you ask for?

Mighty Morocco

This is an excellent trip for anyone wishing to experience a wide variety of aspects of Morocco. The tour content is well thought out with a good balance between city, rural, desert and coastal destinations. Each new place provided a fresh adventure with helpful, interesting guides for the main sites. We were particularly fortunate to be part of a small group- just nine of us. This meant we had room to spread out in the bus which made the journeys more comfortable.
Overall, this trip is very good value for money.

Adventure in Jordan -

We travelled as a couple. The tour was well organised, we visited all major sites and had some free time for relaxation towards the end. We visited deserts, castles, dead and Red Sea, biblical and iconic sites such as Petra. The tour also gives a good understanding of the culture and the gastronomic scene in Jordan. Our guide Nidal and driver Jamal were very hospitable. They were friendly, helpful, accommodating and knowledgeable. They wanted to show us all the beauty of their country and we had a fabulous time throughout the trip. We also covered 35km over the course of the time spent in Petra. This is entirely up to your fitness level as already mentioned in previous reviews and the trip notes. This trip was also our first time with Exodus and will definitely recommend.

Great itinerary

If you like wine and some ‘up and down’ walking this is the trip for you. Away from crowds and brilliantly organised.
Even better if you get the Vania and Sandra combo!

A Jolly Good Holiday

We were lucky enough to have the right kind of weather, and as a group we all got on very well, and lead by our guide Veriano.
Loved our day to Vesuvius and Pompei.
The hotel is nice but for me the food was rather dull and unadventurous.
Often after our dinner we would go to the piazza for a walk and coffee.
There were 3 Exodus Group on our particular week, and many of us wanted to go to Herculaneum, and this was arranged for us, as an add on, on our way back to the airport.
Overall it was a good holiday and would recommend.

Good in parts

This was not as good as other Exodus tours we’ve been on for a variety of reasons. Main problem was the itinerary. The order changed, for no apparent reason, causing the tour to be unbalanced. The rescheduling meant the first 3 days were excellent and full on, covering Amalfi/Positano, Herculaneum/Pompeii and Capri, but the following 4 days were too relaxed with not much going on. Ravello is a lovely hilltop village but we were left there unguided for over 5 hours, far too long. The walk on “path of the gods” was the only thing planned on the penultimate day but was only a linear walk (not circular as in the trip notes) 5km total, about 2 hours. It was foggy up in the hills that day and the last day so we couldn’t see the views (not the fault of Exodus!)

The final day we were kicking our heels waiting outside the hotel for the bus to the airport. The group flight back to London didn’t leave until after 7pm – Exodus should look at offering an earlier flight or putting on some activity for that day.

The hotel was very comfortable and largely dedicated to Exodus tours. The staff and management were very helpful. The evening meals were very good, and the local wine was good and reasonably priced. Breakfast choices were limited but good quality. Only real drawback was no wifi in the bedroom.

Excellent full-on tour of Jordan

Excellent full-on tour of Jordan, with its wonderful variety of scenic and historic attractions. The Jordanians were very welcoming, friendly and honest people. Organisation and itinerary were great, and our guide Nidal was excellent.

A great week and a super country

This is a super trip if you are up for ‘moderate’ level cycling, want to visit a new country and are interested in seeing a village lifestyle that may well soon disappear. It is full of small but magical moments – overtaking horses and carts, waves from villagers, passing hi-fives with children and visits to the baker. the blacksmith, the mill, and being shown round a fortified church and a ruined abbey by the local priest. The scenery is great – for the first couple of days we would be cycling alongside snow-capped mountains. That then turns into the lush green hills of Transylvania. The first three days have the longest routes and we were glad that we’d done some hill training before the trip but we coped – although we were usually last we weren’t far behind! The routes are well planned and there is less traffic in Transylvania than on our previous cycle trips in western Europe. Some of the dirt roads are being tarmacked and will soon be smoother rides. The dinners in the small hotels / guests houses were very good as were our picnics and snacks during the day. The fortified churches are really interesting and, as a keen photographer, there were plenty of opportunities for good photos along the way. Btw, the bikes were fine!