Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting the penguins in their natural habitat during the optional excursion to Isla Martillo near Ushuaia. Only 20 people are allowed on their island at any one time, together with a local guide/warden, so you feel really privileged to be there.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Outstanding. Pepe was first class in the way he led the group and went out of his way to try and ensure everyone had the holiday they wanted. Pepe never waiverd in doing his best to ensure everyone had a great time and knew what was happening everyday.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Yes, the final 1 hour of the long walks to see the Torres del Paine and Fitzroy peaks is in my opinion a level 4, rather than the moderate level 3 rating. Both are short but sharp inclines over uneven terrain so you need to be agile in picking your way along the rocky paths. Both are well worth it if, like us, you get lucky and are afforded blue sky’s and no rain!

Most Inspirational Moment

Day boat trip in the Glacier national Park

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent. He worked hard and everything ran like clockwork

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't pay in dollars. Make sure you change to local currency.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking the ridge of the caldera and looking down on clouds and across to Teide on Tenerife.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Enthusiastic, organised and providing practical information.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the Torres del Paine and Mount Fitzroy [ although the latter was only visible on way home]. I managed to do all the walking keeping up with the group!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Pepe was an excellent group leader who went out of his way to ensure we all knew what was going to happen and that we were prepared for the walk. He had a very cheerful positive out look and communicated clearly.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Pack your ruck sack lightly. I [ female!]had leggings and a top for evenings - leggings could be used for bed as well. Travel towel not needed as they gave us a perfectly adequate one. Flip flops needed for refugio showers. We had ponchos that came into their own in the rain covering yourself and the ruck sack. Packet of sweets/ choc raisins keep everyone going. I would definitely use the laundry service at El Calafate hotel. I had a large bag for travel from uk in which I put my Exodus bag and had my ruck sack as hand luggage. I carried a small collapsible ruck sack inside my osprey ruck sack which was useful in bus and Buenos Aires. The weather in Patagonia was very variable so be ready for all possibilities during the day- rain wind sun snow.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing Petra up close was amazing but spending a night in the desert was a surprising highlight for me - the stars and the peace and tranquillity were amazing

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ibrahim was brilliant!!!! He was knowledgeable, kind, attentive and fun. He shared Jordan past and present with us opening up about history and culture - past and present. He was always there for us and made sure we knew where to be and when and what to make sure we saw or tried. A true ambassador for both his country and Exodus

Advice for Potential Travellers

Dont think twice just go there!!! if you go later in the year it is cooler at night so do bring layers ..... and dont forget water shoes for the beaches!

Most Inspirational Moment

It is impossible to select one moment, as the tour is varied from wildlife to scenery. However being so close to lions and elephants , then the dramatic coastline of Titsikamma slightly nudge ahead for me.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Petros, simply the best guide ever! Not only is she the guide, she drives the bus as well, her extensive knowledge of her homeland enhanced the trip. She even coped with the unexpected load shedding of power. I felt completely safe in her hands.... mega thanks.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just go! Be prepared to put on a few pounds, the food is excellent.

Most Inspirational Moment

Etosha national park was amazing. I didn't expect to see much widllife in etosha NP compared to other African countries but our joyrney from one end of etosha on a 5 hour drive was just incredible. We saw incredible wildlife .

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ronnie was amazing. I have already recommended him to some friends. He's friendly, efficient and nothing was too much trouble. There was a lady on our trip with limited mobility and both Ronnie and Reuben went out of their way to make her comfortable throughout the trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for some long drive days and early rises. Dont pack too much like i did. You are literally living out of a suitcase for the whole trip. Less is more...and defintely easier to carry.

Most Inspirational Moment

I thoroughly enjoyed our turtle nesting tour in Samara and after three hours of walking up and down the same stretch of beach, we finally witnessed a female Lora turtle making her way up the beach, dig her nest, lay her eggs, cover them up again and return to the ocean.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jonathan, our tour guide, was absolutely brilliant. He even managed to squeeze in a few extra activities which weren't on our itinerary such as a visit to a fruit market with a tasting session, a stop in Nicoya town en route to Samara, a trip to the man who produces "the best coffee in Costa Rica" and also a slight detour to another of his friends who has their own pottery business. He knew the calls, English and Latin names of every bird we saw, gave a debrief at the end of each day, made sure we knew the plans for tomorrow, took us to local restaurants for the not-included meals and consistently went above and beyond for us. He made an incredible trip into an unforgettable one.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This trip is currently (Dec 2019) tagged as a culture trip, but in reality it is definitely a wildlife adventure. Some days we saw in excess of 30 different types of birds and reptiles, and were very lucky to find sloths, howler monkeys, white-faced monkeys, spider monkeys, spiders, frogs, snakes, toucans, macaws, crocodiles, turtles, caimen, lizards and iguanas every single day. The trip notes state that the average lunch is around $15 and $35 for a dinner - in practise we found that we paid nowhere near this much. Hotel meals are expensive, but local restaurants often charge half the price for a more authentically Costa Rican meal.

Most Inspirational Moment

For us the hiking in El Chalten ranks amongst the "best of the best" in the world. The day walk to the Fitzroy viewpoint was absolutely sensational, with the trek to Cerro Torre base camp only marginally less so. Completing the W trek was also very satisfying. Finally, the extension to Iguassu Falls was an amazing way to end the holiday - very well managed and a great experience. Don't miss the boat ride!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Tomas is a "people person" with a big warm heart. He managed a large and varied group with great skill, and as a result everything worked well. The Chilean trek leader on the W trek set an erratic pace (very lengthy stops), spent a lot of time on his mobile phone and didn't allow people to walk at their own pace. We'd rate him as a leader as very average. In contrast the female leader in El Chalten, Aime, was exceptional - as good as any leader we've ever had. Only one negative for Tomas which I will repeat here since he didn't react positively to my complaint - it is highly dangerous for a guide to make lengthy commentaries whilst wandering around a bus travelling at 70 mph. He did this repeatedly and for long periods. He needs to know that it has cost him a nomination for "leader of the year" from us.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Pray for good weather! We were very lucky, as weather will likely make or break the trip given the cost and distances that need to be travelled to get to, and around, Patagonia. You need to be prepared for anything, at any time, as the local climate is notoriously changeable. This will also affect how the grading of the walking feels. Our weather was very mild, so the grade of hiking did not feel like a 5, but we could see how that could change. We'd recommend extending the trip to ensure you have time to recover from the lengthy flight and to see Buenos Aires - which is a lovely city - and also to visit Iguassu Falls on the optional Exodus extension. This was outstanding.

Most Inspirational Moment

Abu Simbel