Request Your Free Digital Brochure for Adventure Inspiration. Order Now
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!
Once you return from your Exodus adventure holiday, you will be emailed a link to add your review. Any feedback collected is posted onto our website, totally unedited.
Alternatively you can navigate to the relevant trip page and add your review via the Reviews tab.
Select a trip specific review:
This trip is hard work, the altitude is hard work and some days I thought I could walk any further, but it was so worth it!
The group were awesome and getting to base camp with everyone was great fun!
Ngima and the guides were funny, supportive and very knowledgable.
My Walking sticks were so useful!
I'm So glad I did this trip
This trip is incredible! It is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life but well worth it and I am so pleased I did it! The guides were fantastic, up early every morning to get us ready and last to bed at night, working non-stop to make the experience as good as possible!
A week after I got back to the UK I was still shell-shocked about what I had achieved and just bowled over by the whole experience. The world is there to be seen! 🙂
Base Camp!! - Has to be really doesn't it, iconic place and great atmosphere when you get there! Such a sense of achievement.
Ngima was just incredible, most of the guides caught colds and chest infections while we were out there but they kept going with their unending enthusiasm and good spirits! They were always there when we had bad days and never stopped watching us to make sure we were having a good time!
To get the most out of this trip I really would recommend a few things. Pack light! Take loads of photos. Enjoy every minute! Most of all I really believe I would have enjoyed it more if I had done some serious hill walking training - I made it with barely any training in that department although a reasonable level of general fitness but I think I would have benefited from more training on hills!
If you are in two minds - just book it! The Nepali people are some of the nicest I have ever met and this is such an amazing experience. It's really put my privileged life into perspective!
Tough but rewarding trip with a great bunch of people.
Though not for the faint-hearted, the magnificent and rugged landscape, the tough/arduous trekking, and the tranquility of the journey allows you to put things into perspective. This, combined with a fantastic group of people, made for a most enjoyable and memorable trip.
Ngima was an inspirational leader, always there with encouragement and humour to ease our journey. Ngima kept us informed throughout our trek and, along with his chief and assistant guides, made this a hugely memorable (and educational) experience for our group. (I think a special mention for the porters and Yak driver is in order; these guys, through their hard work and efforts, made the logistically challenging task of moving sixteen people's kit look easy. The work that the whole team put in made this trip a seamless and enjoyable experience. Well done all!)
This is a tough but rewarding trip that is both physically and, at times, mentally demanding. While the group interactions and dynamics can help with mental side of things, the physical is something only you have control over; preparation is key to ensure that you are prepared for (and adapt to) the tough trekking and altitude that you will encounter. Without a doubt I think almost all of my group found the trek difficult at one stage or another, but the fitter and more prepared that you are the better and more enjoyable the trip will be.
Absolutely excellent trip, beautiful surrounding, amazing people and a challenge to remember!
The whole trip was an amazing experience and also a challenge that won't be forgotten for a long while to come. The Gokyo lakes are beautiful and definitely worth seeing. The Cho la pass is a hard day of walking and scrambling but The achievement of finishing it is worth it. The leader, the guide and assistant guides and also porters were all fantastic and a credit to Exodus and couldn't have been more helpful throughout. The accommodation on the whole was as good as could be expected for the height and accessibility and all the staff were helpful and welcoming everywhere we went.
The group leader was excellent, he couldn't have been more helpful, friendly or knowledgable about the trip, nothing was too much trouble day or night.
This trip is not for the faint hearted, it is very hard walking/scrambling on a couple of the days and much harder than the normal Everst base camp trek.
I had an amazing holiday with Exodus around trekking to Everest base camp and which included Gokyo Lakes.
The trek left from kathmandu and was a 16 day trek in total. We were met with our amazing host Ngima at the Hotel Singhi in Kathmandu. He joined us on the first day for breakfast, sat with us and chatted for an hour, and stayed with us for the following 16 days round the clock. He was absolutely fantastic. He was so supportive to all of us, always looking out for everyone. We knew we ould call on him in the middle of the night if we were ill. This is quite a tough trek, and not one I would like to do without a guide. Ngima and our team of guides and sheraps amde this trip so enjoyable. They not only guided us, and helped us through the tough climbs, (and I could not have done the Chola pass without them), but they looked after us when we became ill and made sure our stay was as comfortable as possible. Ngima really did go out of his way to make sure we had a good experience. He even brought us on a night out in Kathmandu and stayed with us until we all got to the airport to fly back home. It was wonderful to do this trek with Ngima, knowing that he was there to help if anything went wrong.
We climbed to Namche bazaar, and from there did the tour of the gokyo lakes which were stunning. We were lucky to have a great group travelling with us from the UK which made the trip so enjoyable. From here we climbed the Chola pass. Oh my goodness, that was tough! Not for the faint hearted! it was the most difficult part of the trip but Im so glad I did it. I couldn’t have done it without the guides who held my hand all the way up that mountain and helped me reach the top! They have unswerving patience! Everest base camp seemed so easy when compared to the Chola pass! And we skipped all the way downhill back to kathmandu from there!
Getting to the summit of the Chola pass. I could finally breathe, relax, and take in the beauty around me, it's so stunning
I love Ngima!!! He is just incredible! So attentive to all of us. He didn't miss a beat! There is nothing he wouldn't do for us. And he is so much fun too! He made our trip as great as it was. We were so lucky to have him!
If you're scared of heights, avoid the Chola pass! And take the easier route to Everest base camp! But if you can brave it, its well worth it! Bring lot's of paracetamol with you for headaches! Oh and bring a hot water bottle with you! it keeps you lovely and toasty on those cold nights Oh nd bring a pack of cards.......
Exodus way exceeded my expectations. Im already looking at what trip I can do next! Thank you for a very well organised holiday and looking after us so well
Truly the hardest but the most amazing trip I’ve ever done. An excellent trip from start to finish. We were looked after by the best leader and guides and we had the best group to trek with. Awesome!!!!!!
There were many but to list a few.... my first view of amazing Everest; trekking past the beautiful Gokyo lakes; reaching the summit of Gokyo Ri with amazing Himalayan views (so tough but so worth it); reaching the top of the demanding and icy Cho La Pass,
Our Group Leader, Gele was incredible! He took such care of us each day with patience and sensitivity. He took the time to get to know us all as well as sharing his stories. Gele was dedicated, attentive, informative, caring and supportive, a fantastic team leader. The entire Exodus team was great, very friendly and always there to offer assistance.
This trek is very difficult however if you listen to your guides and take it slow and easy you will have an amazing experience. Equipment: This is very important, if you go without the proper equipment you will fail. A good water proof Gortex jacket is a must. You will need a good down jacket for the tea houses Boots: Good worn in boots are critical to your success. Make sure they are very comfortable and supportive around the ankles. Layers: Take wicking material (don't forget good thermal underwear) – Icebreaker rules Invest in a good sleeping bag; Crampons for the glacier; Protein bars and beef jerky Finally listen to your guides! They know best.
Don't keep thinking about it - do it! Exodus have a fantastic reputation and there is no doubt that I will continue to travel with them for many years to come.
This trip was a great adventure, combining the thrill of superb mountain scenery with the achievements of crossing the Cho La Pass and reaching Everest Base Camp. We gained a fascinating insight into the sherpa culture and lifestyle. At the same time it was a really tough trek!
It was a great thrill to get to Base Camp and see the profusion of coloured flags, both prayer flags and national flags, that surround the cairn. I was not expecting to see anything at Base Camp out of the climbing season, but it seems like a place of pilgrimage in honour of the many climbers, including our sherpa guide Kaji, that have reached the summit of Everest from there.Also, it was a real eye-opener to see the huge loads carried by the sherpa porters up and down the many precipitous paths along these valleys. Almost everything needed in the villages, apart from basic foodstuffs, has to be carried up; these guys are a breed apart.
Our group leader, Gele, was very experienced and exuded an air of calm competence. He was very knowledgable about the whole area. He was very supportive and always on hand to help or offer advice, without being intrusive.
This is a very tough trek, being 15 days continuous walking, the majority of which are above 4000 metres and several above 5000 metres. Although there are some shorter days, most days are 6 to 8 hours with a lot of steep ascent or descent. For comparison, this is much tougher than a Kilimanjaro trek, which is all over in 6 days. Getting supplies of drinking water is an issue. Many walkers felt the need to buy bottled mineral water, which gets increasingly expensive the higher you get, since it is all carried in. But adding sterilisation tablets to the local tap water is a perfectly safe alternative at essentially zero cost.
Some of the teahouses are very basic in the provision of toilet and washing facilities, the latter sometimes no more than an outside cold tap. So don't expect too much!
A wonderful journey fulfilling a long awaited dream.Challenging, demanding yet motivating and exciting.
To have had the priviledge to stay at Everest Base Camp for 2 nights alongside the Indian Expedition Team - ArunTreks. This memory will stay with me and my husband for the rest of our lives and there is no doubt, that no matter how much you try and explain to someone what this experience was like, unless they had actually been there, they will never understand. None of my photos highlight the actual size and depth of this place. The Khumba Ice Fall - magic!Gokyo Ri - stunning. A very beautiful area and am so pleased that we decided to do this particular trip rather than just Everest Base Camp visit. Fantastic!
Lakpa - what an absolute star! I could not have done this trip without him. I was ill on a couple of occasions and he was there to sort me out on each. He was kind, thoughtful and had a wonderful sense of humour. His knowledge of the area is absolutely outstanding.I feel I owe him so much - This man deserves a medal!
Ensure you are prepared for the cold. It was -25 at Base Camp and in a tent, you need to be prepared. We took our own sleeping bags which went down to -22 but these bags were in no way any comparison against the Exodus sleeping bags you can hire - we had these on a previous holiday and I sure wish we had them on this one!You do have to have mental stamina. We had 4 hard climbs on the trot - Gokyo Ri, Cho La Pass, Kala Patthar and then Everest Base Camp. If you are not feeling well, you need mentally to have the strength to carry on. Having a good leader like we did, is a huge bonus also.
Don't keep thinking about it - do it! Exodus have a fantastic reputation and there is no doubt that we will continue to travel with them for many years to come.
The weather is always a risk factor, beware the extra costs, which could include a helicopter charter or an aborted or severely curtailed trip. Don't assume October will be fine – which it mostly is btw.
Rounding a corner to see Ama Dablam and Everest for the first time.
A very experienced guide, which was extremely important because of the events of our trip (cyclone Phailin in India caused snowfall and avalanches which placed us with tough decisions to make). Other groups with less experienced guides felt it necessary to tag along at one point. His English was not great but nowhere near as poor as he felt it to be.
Ensure you have several hundred dollars worth of local currency, which is easy to get in Kathmandu. Take more than required if you can, especially if you have gadgets you want to charge regularly, cameras being the most common. It often costs 3 USD per hour per item to get charged. Water is expensive so a UV system and filter might save you money, although it costs time and up-front cost. Boiled water was barely cheaper than bottled, up to 5 USD per litre. I carried little water because we stopped for tea and lunch so liquid was available almost all the time. tea costs the same as water and tastes better (to me) - not carrying it made it taste even better! I used a (good) cell phone camera which required little charging and, most usefully, took along charging blocks (essentially large batteries with USB charging) so I didn't use any charging services. This paid for the charging blocks. I kept my kit bag below 10kg, difficult with my cheaper sleeping bag. Thus I didn't take some kit I would have liked to. However, many people on my trip seemed to think that the system was volume-based, using compression bags to cram amazing amounts of stuff into their bags. Many were at 13-15 kgs, only one kept below 10. The general vies was that it was ok "Because it is just a couple of USDs per kilo charged on the plane".Needless-to-say, this conveniently ignored the fact that the porters had to carry the bags. On previous trips, Peru for instance, each bag was weighed and rejected locally if the weight was too high, causing people to leave stuff behind or put it in their day bags. None of this happened to us, my bag was crushed and squashed to compensate for the unsquashable bag that it was carried with. This was mostly ok but it did break my shaver and cause things to get wetter when it snowed. On this last point, USE a waterproof kit bag or carefully put things in good plastic bags, the porters took the plastic covering for the kit bags and used it on themselves when the bad weather hit.If you get hungry more than most, take a lot of power bars or beef jerky to supplement meals, this will fill gaps and save a fortune, it often 20 USD per day to eat.
Overall, the experience was poor value for money, the helicopter we were almost obliged to hire, cost 600 USD per person, with 100 USD returned to us for the unused plane flight to Lukla at the start of the trip. This was considered well worth it by the group in general but, ironically, despite the continuous "Lucky we took the helicopter", it was more of an insurance policy because the flights continued the next day and we may well have flown in 1 or 2 days later. It may also have cost us the goal we sought, Everest base camp.Because we started a day late, our schedule was almost the original schedule (Note: the extra day at the end was maintained, not for us but just in case the return flight was also delayed and we may have missed our flights home, which would impact Exodus).This compression of the schedule meant less acclimatisation, which, for one person and her husband at least may have cost them the trip since she got serious altitude sickness and had to be helicoptered out.When the cyclone hit, we were forced to go down the mountain. Has we started later, we would have skipped Gokyo, which would have made everyone unhappy at the time, but we would have, very probably, made it to Kala Pattar, the finest viewpoint for Everest, and possible even Base Camp. This may have had it's own issues of course. Added to this that several people were ill from stomach problems, including me for the only time on any trek. Everyone obviously took precautions but the food is all provided by third parties and there is a lot of trust placed in their hygiene.As pessimistic as the above may sound, I am happy to remember the beautiful sunny weather we had for the early part of the trip, the amazing views and scenery in general. I will still look back and be happy I went.
We are pleased that Ivan enjoyed the scenery on this fantastic trek, but we are sorry that his group were affected by bad weather at the start of their trip. October is considered to be one of the best months to go trekking in Nepal, but weather conditions in the mountains are never wholly predictable. We have built buffer days into all our itineraries in the Everest region so that if weather conditions prevent flights from operating on the scheduled day we have the opportunity to fly on the buffer day. Very occasionally when bad weather persists and fixed wing flights are unable to operate on consecutive days, we may give groups the option to take helicopters to Lukla (should this happen during the 2014 trekking season Exodus will contribute half of the cost of the helicopters), but clients always have the option to wait for the next fixed wing flight. Treks sometimes have to be slightly altered or compressed, but we always endeavour to achieve the main goal of the trek (such as getting to Everest Base Camp) and we explain the possibility of this happening in the trip notes.
A tough but brilliantly rewarding trip.
There were numerous highlights but I think reaching the summit of Gokyo Ri and seeing the most incredible view of the Himalayas and the glacier below us dissapearing down the valley was a special moment.Other highlights included the landing in Lukla, seeing Everest for the first time from Namche Bazaar and of course having that first shower after two weeks on the trek..!!
The group leader was excellent, clearly an experienced guide. It was reassuring to see he paid close attention to any members of the group he thought might be having problems. Also the other guides were great, very friendy and always there to offer assistance.
If youre not a regular hillwalker definatley make sure you do some training before you go ! As other reviews have already indicated you need to be reasonably fit if you want to get the most out of this trip. The guides make sure pace isnt too quick but there are some very steep climbs and that combined with the effects of the altitude make the going tough at times. The Cho La Pass involves some scrambling over some large boulders and up some loose rock so be prepared for that..And invest in a good sleeping bag as it gets veeeery cold at night and only the main dining rooms are heated in the lodges!
Well its an experience you wont forget - it will make you appreciate the little things after you have spend two weeks in pretty basic accomodation. Of course the headaches / aching limbs / bad toilets are all forgotton when youre standing at over 5500 metres on Kala Pattar under the bluest skies youve ever seen looking across at some of the highest mountains on the planet, including the biggest one of them all..
