Most Inspirational Moment
Completing the optional extra peaks
Thoughts on Group Leader
Very good
Reviews
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Reviews
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Great challenging trip but one that’s well achievable.
Rouna's Silk Road
This is a truly spectacular once in a lifetime trip which I will never forget. I would never have been able to travel to such and so many places in the time available if it weren’t for Exodus. The contrast between the three ‘Stans’ Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan is infinitely fascinating. The hot deserts, magnificent Muslim architecture, Madrashahs, Mausoleums, Markets and magnanimous hearts of the people of Uzbekistan to the epic mountains, rivers, lakes, forests and awesome pride and grace of the people of Kyrgyzstan (especially the Eagle Hunters which is only one of many highlights on this trip).
Most Inspirational Moment
1. Registan Square in Samarkand in my view is more beautiful and epic than the Taj Mahal. 2. During the Eagle hunting demonstration in Kyrgyzstan I almost cried as the eagle flew above and swooped down in front of me to catch the coyote skin!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Both group leaders (one for Uzbekistan) and (one for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan) did their very best for us and Ali bent over backwards to help me in Bukhara when I had a bout of 'Bukhara belly' :0
Advice for Potential Travellers
You might laugh but I regret not taking small bottles of salt and pepper and chilli sauce with me because the food will cause you problems. Take plenty of Immodium and Dioralyte. In Uzbekistan especially they try to put on the menu what Westerners will like and I did not like it at all. Sometimes the food ingredients were really old, not cooked properly or under hygienic conditions and tasted extremely bland. It can take forever to sort out the bill if you eat in a large group. Before you travel I would look at the trip notes and where the hotels are then do your own pre-trip research using google maps and trip advisor to see where all the good restaurants are near to these hotels.
A Brilliant Week of Hiking!
This was great trip – we continually had spectacular views of the Mont Blanc massif and the surrounding area. There was a relatively consistent amount of trekking each day but it never felt like a chore. The hiking routes were well thought out and you were never too far from a mountain coffee shop for a well deserved rest. Our guide Egle was excellent and really made the holiday a lot of fun!
Most Inspirational Moment
Difficult to choose just one but the passes over from Switzerland to Italy and then Italy into France were phenomenal. The last day hiking around the Chamonix valley was also amazing with clear views of Mont Blanc.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Spending a week with Egle was a real treat. She was knowledgeable, fun and looked after the group brilliantly. She really made the holiday and brought the group together. 10 out of 10.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Plan to make your hiking bag as light as possible, its weight will make real difference to the enjoyment of the hiking. You also do not need to carry gallons of water - there are fairly regular opportunities to refill each day.
Go and experience Uzbekistan
An amazing trip if you’re interested in Early to modern civilisation, beautiful architecture and a country rediscovering its heritage and crafts. The people are very welcoming, dress code is relaxed and beer or wine is always an option at mealtimes. It’s a country worth seeing now.
Most Inspirational Moment
The unexpected ‘wild swim’ in the lake and visiting the beautiful Shah-I-Zinda on the day families were celebrating Eid are both magical memories.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Absolutely fantastic! Dilshod’s knowledge of ancient and modern history, the architecture, crafts and culture in each city was phenomenal; and his willingness to share his own stories of recent history put this trip right up with the best.
Advice for Potential Travellers
If you have a problem with pillows try and take your own travel pillow!
Wonderful family holiday
A busy but well organised trip. This was the first time we’d done a trip like this and we don’t regret it.
We saw so much in the 14 days – I don’t think we could have done and seen so much if we’d organised it on our own. Our two children (16 and 18 years old) had a great time. They made friends with the other young people on the trip and this made it easier and enjoyable for everyone. Everything was organised in a family friendly way and the guides were excellent. It was also good to see the way local communities can be supported by responsible travel.
Most Inspirational Moment
Hard to say - so many lovely memories. The sampan trip on the Mekong Delta and the stay at the homestay were great. The trip to Angkor Wat was amazing - the scale of the place is breathtaking.
Thoughts on Group Leader
We had 2 leaders - one in Vietnam and one for Cambodia and Bangkok. Both were excellent.
Advice for Potential Travellers
You need Vietnamese Dong for Vietnam. In Cambodia you can use US Dollars but sometimes it's easier to use Cambodian Riels. ATMs in Cambodia dispense US Dollars and Riels. For Thailand, you'll need Thai Bhat (our guide stopped just before the Thai border so that we could exchange). For visas, you need to pay cash in US Dollars. We found that we needed mainly cash - some of the restaurants didn't accept cards or some places (eg supermarkets) have a minimum spend before using a card and, if you only want a drink, that doesn't come to the minimum spend. Also, if you want to buy in the markets, you'll need cash. There were ATMs near all the places we stayed (except Mekong Delta). Pack light, cotton clothing, you don't really need activewear/trekking wear. There are local laundry services available in Cambodia - around USD2or3 per kg.
Great walks with stunning views
Thoroughly enjoyed this trip. You will need to be reasonably fit as each day has some long steady ups and downs but the views from the high spots are well worth the effort. The walks were paced to suit the ability of the group and the food served each day, by Liz and Clare, was excellent.
Most Inspirational Moment
Reaching the high spots with time to sit and enjoying the views
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our leader Lotte was exceptional. Keeping us all together and pacing the walks to suit the ability of the group. She was well informed and knew a lot about the geography of local area. Her descriptions of the next days walks were accurate and informative. A very good leader.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Ensure you are fit enough to walk continually up hill for a couple of hours and be prepared for any weather.
Borneo: Lovely but not quite what I'd hoped.
I have mixed feelings about this trip. On the positive side, my husband and I joined a very lovely and friendly group and a delightful guide (Sheila). The accommodation, although more basic than on some trips we’ve done, was mainly fine and some of the restaurants Sheila took us to were in lovely positions and had good food – although rice did tend to dominate the menu! We also saw some lovely things, such as Lang’s cave, with its stalactites and stalagmites, and Bako national park, where we saw silver leaf monkeys, proboscis monkeys, macaques and bearded pigs. I also particularly enjoyed the river trips and going to the ‘sun bear sanctuary’ as well as watching flying squirrels ‘fly’! However, overall, there was a lot less wildlife around than I have seen on previous holidays (especially our visits to Africa and the Galapagos). On some walks we saw virtually nothing, certainly in the way of larger mammals or birds. I think the trip notes – and even the very name of the trip! – implies that you’ll see a lot more. Like most groups apparently, we did not see elephants at all (‘A rare thing to see around here’ according to the guide). We also did not see rhinos (I’ve never seen one in 22 years…’), or, of course, more elusive animals such as leopards or wild sun bears.. We fortunately did see wild orangutans but only briefly on two occasions and at a distance. A necessary evil in such trips is the travelling. However, in Africa, we would often see interesting animals ‘en route’. In Borneo, for a large majority of the time, we were travelling through endless miles of palm oil plantations, which have been planted where rain forest used to be, and virtually no animal life – or wildlife of ANY type except for the trees themselves – exists in these massively impoverished environments. It was very sad to see, as well as being, frankly, tedious. If you, like us, would like a trip based on special scenery and fairly frequent sightings of larger/interesting mammals or birds, then I personally feel this trip is probably not one to choose.
Most Inspirational Moment
There were a few. I particularly enjoyed watching the flying squirrels 'fly' and the proboscis monkeys were lovely to watch. The sun bear sanctuary was interesting and watching thousands of bats emerge from a cave in the late afternoon and fly off 'in formation' was also fascinating.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our leader, Sheila, was very sweet and kind. She worked hard, was anxious to please and was very concerned about our safety and wellbeing. Her only slight fault was to under-estimate how long each activity would take, so we invariably were running late and time to shower, or relax, was often considerably reduced.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The animals and birds we did see could often be a long way away, so take a good pair of binoculars and a camera with a lot of zoom. We did not have a lot of rainy days, but when it rains, it POURS, so also take a good waterproof and NEVER go out without it! (We did on a visit to a restaurant and would have been soaked through, if Sheila hadn't been able to beg a lift back for us.) You will also need a lot of insect repellent, as there are many mosquitos and sand flies. In some jungle areas, there are also a lot of leeches, so leech socks (or a good pair of long socks such as football socks) are also a 'must'.
Another trip I will never forget!
I have had this trip on my bucket list for a while now and it lived up to all of my expectations! David was a fabulous leader and took care of everything!
Most Inspirational Moment
Having a baby gorilla ignore the 7m rule and nearly touch me. Watching David meet our every demand with a professionalism and a sense of humour.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Loves loved loved David! A man who clearly loves Uganda and knows his stuff!
Advice for Potential Travellers
A seat pad for the bumpy rides and dont drink tap water!
A fantastic trip with incredible varied sceneries
The trip is incredible. The scenery varies every day and you’ll ride on all possible terrains: sand, rock, gravel, tarmac and every day offers a lot of fun. The landscape of the Moon Valley in Chile is surreal and the Tatio geyser excursion is a stunning experience. Chile and Argentina are lovely countries; the areas visited still haven’t been reached by mass tourism and you barely see any other tourists while travelling.
Most Inspirational Moment
Riding through the hill of seven colours in Purmamarca.
Thoughts on Group Leader
The guide we had on our trip has been working with Exodus for many many years and is very knowledgable of the area as well been born in Argentina. He went above and beyond to make sure everyone had the best time and gave us tips to ride on different terrain, as sand for instance and I felt I've learnt a lot by the end of the week.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Just book and go!
Perfect blend of cycling and sightseeing
My husband and I went on this tour in July 2019. We were impressed from the beginning by the excellent organization and by the professionality of our guide Nut. We also had a terrific group, a good mix of more ambitious cyclists and those who desired a more leisurely pace (although I should mention that the tour is somewhat demanding and isn’t for total beginners). Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time regardless of their cycling ability. Having experienced guides made things so much easier than if we had tried to organize the trip on our own – which we never would have attempted as a cycling tour.
Most Inspirational Moment
There were so many memorable moments, including the temple visits, the Killing Fields, navigating around scooters and food carts, cycling through the Mekong villages with kids shouting hello, trying new foods ...
Thoughts on Group Leader
Nut is simply the best. What else is there to say?
Advice for Potential Travellers
Book this trip if you want to combine an active holiday and plenty of sightseeing. Highly recommended.