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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14234 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Deb Simmons

Reviewed September 2024

Outstanding scenery

Incredible scenery throughout this walking holiday.

Most Inspirational Moment

The amazing rock formations whether they were seen from the valley floor, from the top of a cliff, the top of a castle or from a hot air balloon.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very knowledgeable and flexible. Clearly knew the area well and took note of weather and other tourists when choosing the order of our itinerary.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Water was no problem, there was a massive bottle on the minibus so we could refill our bottles at the start and half way through any hikes. Every meal we had bottled water for free. The terrain was exciting - often steep slopes where I was glad of sturdy walking boots and poles. Very few problem with insects late August. It was hot (mostly 27 - 33 degrees C) but not too humid. I recommend you take ear plugs, the dawn Muslim call to prayer is very loud at 5 am and we had a barking dog throughout most nights. The balloon ride cost is variable by day. For us it was 180 Euros instead of the expected 320E. You can pay in Turkish Lira. We took Turkish Lira with us and used that throughout the holiday. Many toilets charge 5 or 10 Turkish Lira so keep hold of your low notes. The Whirling Dervish optional event was very much a religious ceremony not entertainment - an interesting experience. One evening we ate outside and had to ask for blankets as we were too cold. Do take a jumper. The day before we arrived they had torrential rain - we were lucky and it only rained a bit in the evenings but it could have been a very different holiday late August - check you take rain gear with you.

John Coppock

Reviewed August 2024

Having a blast in the Baltics

A wonderful cycle through some of the best parts of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania averaging about 35-40 km a day. It takes in the cultural highlights of the three Baltic states including some stunning scenery, forest trails and four swimming opportunities in the sea and a lake. The trip was made truly memorable by our awesome guide Lina, who combined being an excellent cycling leader with her ‘en-cyclo-paedic’ knowledge of the history and culture of all the places we visited. She also shared her own experience of life in Soviet-era Lithuania including facing the Russian tanks after independence was declared in 1990. The trip was made extra-special by traveling with such a great group of like-minded people, making it all my best Exodus trip so far. Highly recommended!

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling out of the forest and onto the beach a few times, plus the cute villages.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Awesome! Lina the en-cyclo-paedia was brilliant!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Try not to take a picture while cycling (as I did) as you'll fall off :)

Catherine Newbold

Reviewed August 2024

Awesome couple of stunningly challenging weeks.

This trip was a fabulous challenge, hard but very rewarding. We had some big thunderstorms to contend with & a good amount lying snow in July (spikes required). Luckily the sun was out for the big view, high pass days. The scenery was just awesome, stunning mountain vistas, wildflower meadows, pretty villages and much more. A great sense of achievement, Loved it.

Most Inspirational Moment

The trip as a whole was inspiring, you can only be inspired when walking and camping in such an environment. The most inspiring thing though was the kindness of those in our group, including both leaders, heartwarming indeed.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Egle, our trek leader was great. Friendly, supportive, informative and had a great sense of humour (definitely needed with us lot) Albert, our camp leader was also great. A friendly and very kind soul. Albert keep us fed very well, perfectly preparing us for those big day. Could not thank them more xx

Advice for Potential Travellers

If your thinking of doing this trip go for it. Camping can be hard at times but also bonds you with the group very quickly and the locations of the camp sites are just stunning. It is a most unforgettable adventure full of breathtaking views and breathtaking ascents.

Helen Burrell

Reviewed August 2024

An inspiring adventure throughout Southern Africa

We had a most enjoyable 3 weeks on this trip, and made friends on our group of ten. The camping was work, putting up our tents (with help, thanks, you know who you are !). We stayed two nights in most places, 3 in Etosha. Very early morning starts, breakfast at 7 with tents down on moving days. It was dark, and cold! However, the tents were very comfortable with beds and mattresses, and we slept really well. The food was delicious and plentiful. After long days driving, our guides turned in and cooked for us. The breakfasts were delicious too.

Most Inspirational Moment

How do I start? The Victoria Falls were stunning with beautiful rainbows. The wildlife viewing was amazing. Herds of elephants with their young, lions close up, a lioness dragging her kill, many cheetahs, zebras, giraffes, riches of wildlife. The night waterholes in Etosha were a gala of animals coming to drink, including a leopard. The night sky, the Milky Way so clear. Climbing up Dune 45 and getting to the top for the sunrise. A humbling township tour in Swakopmund. The African sunrises and sunsets were spectacular. The moroko trip was so peaceful. As was the canoe trip on the Orange River. The campfires at night were a great end to the day.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Andi and Petrus were such professional guides, and were a perfect team. They shared the long drives. They were great fun, and so popular with us all, but were serious when it came to the daily briefing. I’ve mentioned the lovely healthy food they cooked, they worked so incredibly hard, and all the shopping had to be done too. We were lucky to have them both.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don’t bring as much luggage as we did! You can wash as you go, and have laundry done in Swakopmund. Bring a head torch, preferably a battery one as you’ll have other items to charge, including camera batteries. The campsites are clean with good facilities and some with swimming pools. Do the optional safari in Chobe on arrival there, you can’t see too much wildlife! We would certainly recommend this tour.

Andrew Griffin

Reviewed August 2024

Amazing wildlife and an epic safari

The 14 day experience was truly amazing for me and my son. The whole experience including the organisation, camping and hotels was outstanding. The trip involved some long days, long drives and early morning but you soon forgot about this as you were rewarded with amazing sunrises, stunning wildlife in at least five different national parks or wildlife area and beautiful scenery. Our local guides and Exodus team were extremely friendly, professional and knowledgeable.
The final few days in Zanzibar allowed us to chill out on a beautiful white beach and enjoy the Indian Ocean. The optional trips including the Serengeti Balloon Experience, the snorkelling in Zanzibar and the Maasia people tour were brilliant.

Most Inspirational Moment

We were extremely lucky to see the Big 5 and the Ugly 5 animals on safari. Seeing lions mating, chasing wildlife and devouring their food was the standout highlight.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Tim was a wonderful leader who went out of his way to ensure that we had the best trip ever. He was extremely knowledgeable about all the areas visited and the animals. Every day, Tim gave us clear briefings of what we were doing and what to expect. Tim had a wonderful sense of humour and he had a great rapport with the whole group. Everyone had tremendous respect for Tim and what he had achieved for us during the 14 day experience.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring face masks for the dust Consider hotel upgrades when available Try some of the optional activities including snorkelling, balloon flight and Maasai tour Arrive a night earlier to start your trip

Cornelia Kastelan

Reviewed August 2024

Excellent!

A huge thank you to our fantastic hosts Sol and Tom as well as to our wonderful, knowledgeable tour guide Tim. This was a great week!

Most Inspirational Moment

Each moment when we spotted birds (including a vulture), butterflies, and marmots

Thoughts on Group Leader

He knew the best routes, told us about the history and nature of the Mont Blanc area, was patient, helpful, and humorous - thank you, Tim!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Highly recommended if you like to delve around the French and Italian pre-Alps

Tim Laughton-Scott

Reviewed August 2024

Once in a lifetime experience with the best guides and people!

I found Sri Lanka to be an incredibly stunning country. We all felt we got to see so much of it whilst getting an authentic feel to the local way of life through seeing it on a saddle. The itinerary is very well designed, as well as all the cycling we got to climb Lions Rock in Sigiriya, visit spice gardens and ancient ruins in the lowlands, walk through botanical gardens in Kandy, see some of the most beautiful views in Ella and got to relax on the beach, swimming in the Indian Ocean after 9 days of cycling. Being a relatively inexperienced cyclist, I did find some of the cycles challenging yet incredibly rewarding. With the cycling, culture, wildlife, food, lovely accommodation and group you’ll share the trip with, this was an incredible way to experience the best of Sri Lanka!

Most Inspirational Moment

Hard to choose just one but have to say ascending the final 20km to Nuwara Eliya! This was the final leg of the day and was a long ascent up the mountain. We were made very aware this would be a challenge and although you are surrounded my spectacular mountain scenery, you'll mostly be looking at the road in front of you that you're trying to summit! The guide and his support team were a fantastic help and if you couldn't make it to the top, the option was there to jump in the van if needed. Reaching the top though felt like an incredible achievement, there were lots of high fives between the group and everybody felt very proud of what they'd just managed to complete. It really brought us together as a group!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Suresh as a leader was outstanding. He's been running this trip for 16 years and you can really tell! Working with his support team (Bus driver, bus assistant, support van driver, cycle assistant) you really feel like you're in good hands. They were driving ahead of us, ready with snacks and cut fresh fruit for our cycle breaks. They would also be stopping traffic whenever we came up to a T junction to make sure we crossed the road safely. One guest got a puncture and the support driver and cycle assistant changed her tyre and had her back on the road within two minutes! Suresh himself was totally in control of the whole trip and had a great sense of humour. Every meal we had he would say, 'we now go to the buffet, we make maximum damage!' With Suresh and his team, they made the difficult look easy, making the trip run like clockwork and we felt as if we didn't have a minute wasted.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I would get some time in the saddle before you go and practice ascending steeper hills where possible. The cycle support team on the trip do a great job but some of the ascents and distances can be challenging, especially if its hot. E-bikes are available if you want to make the cycling easier, and we did have the support bus there at all times that you can jump into if it becomes too challenging.

Nigel Turner

Reviewed August 2024

Five great and different experiences of Peru!

This is a first class itinerary which gave us five ‘mega day’ experiences of Peru, each of which was quite different from the others: seeing the wonderful condors in Colca Canyon; visiting the families on a reed island in Lake Titicaca; walking the last part of the Inca Trail and seeing Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate; seeing the great colonial religious art and architecture in Cuzco and spending time in the rain forest on a tributary of the Amazon. These memorable experiences were separated by other days travelling through scenic landscapes, visiting interesting sites and staying in some great hotels. The Colca Lodge and ICH Lodge on the river were both wonderful. Bar one that I’ve reported to Exodus, the others were all solid four star hotels with comfortable rooms and good food and locations. The food in Peru is generally good and we had tasty lunches and dinners out. I’ll pass on the guinea pig next time though!

Most Inspirational Moment

The day on the Inca Trail and reaching the Sun Gate to see Machu Picchu below us bathed in sunlight. My wife and I had been booked to do the whole Inca Trail in 2020 (and covid put paid to that) but this one day experience was brilliant and gave us great mountain views, a super Inca site in the middle of nowhere (Winay Wayna) and viewing MP at the end of the afternoon when most tourists had departed. A fabulous day! We concluded that this experience was probably better for us than doing the whole trail. We personally had no problem with the altitude although for a couple of us the trail was hard and needed to be taken slowly - but we all got the big buzz and celebration at the Sun Gate!

Thoughts on Group Leader

William was super (see previous review) but had to travel home for an emergency and was replaced by Raul - another very experienced and expert guide. Raul was excellent - great knowledge, sociability and problem-solving. He always went the extra mile for us. For example he made a real difference to the end of our own trip when we were flying on to Bolivia in middle of the night. Both these guides were first class. They took good care of those who experienced altitude effects. Thank you William and Raul. We also had three additional top class local guides in Arequipa/Colca, Lake Titicaca and the rainforest. We were well looked after through the whole trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We went in July so it was winter in Peru. Although it was hot during the day, it got pretty cold at night so we did need our layers - but the plus point was that we had no rain during the trip and plenty of blue skies. Make sure you drink a lot of water/soft drinks/ coca tea in Colca and take it easy. To help with jet lag, we flew into Lima early and had an enjoyable day visiting the old city centre and the excellent Larco Museum.

Kevin Burt

Reviewed August 2024

An amazing wildlife experience

This trip delivered in bucket loads. There was wildlife everywhere we looked. Copious capybara and caiman. Three fantastic sightings of jaguar (a mother and two cubs and two solitary jaguar) and three amazing sightings of giant otter groups. Birds everywhere including imperious jabiru storks, kingfishers, herons, hawks and jacana. And it was great to be in a remote location on the Paraguay River. Apart from the odd fisherman in small boats, there was only our boat and one other from the lodge on the water. Most of the time we had the river to ourselves. The second lodge is a little busier and not quite so remote, but we still saw lots of wildlife including tapir, collared peccary, crab-eating foxes and a stunning southern tamandua.

Most Inspirational Moment

Our first jaguar sighting of a mother and two cubs and watching them interact. And seeing a southern tamandua on our final night and watching as it stood on its hind legs to sniff the air.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Tony was fantastic and looked after all of us very well. His ability to spot wildlife is amazing. Including a jaguar tucked away in the shade of a tree.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just go. The Pantanal is wildlife heaven. We had 2 hours 40 minutes between our scheduled landing at Sao Paolo and departure to Cuiaba. We were a bit worried this wouldn't be enough time to collect our bags and catch the next flight, but in the end we had plenty of time and it wasn't a rush. Once we'd gone through passport control, collected our bags and gone through customs, we turned left and followed the signs to section E where the Latam desks are located. They checked the labelling on our bags was correct and put them through. Going through security for the second flight took a couple of minutes. We bought specific Brazil plug adaptors (type N) which also had two USB outlets. They worked very well at all the accommodation. Everywhere we went accepted credit cards. We took US dollars and used them for tips. But is handy to have some local currency, just in case. We took £60 worth of reias for smaller purchases.

Chris Waring

Reviewed August 2024

Mont Blanc Highlights

A brilliant week, well looked after by chalet hosts and expert guide.

Most Inspirational Moment

Enjoyed the walk options, particularly the linear walks all whilst returning back to the chalet each evening.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Group Leader provided good guidance and was very knowledgeable about the local area and fauna. The chalet hosts provided a very warm welcome, the cleanliness and standard of the food was excellent.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Pack at wide brimmed sun hat.

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