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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14375 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Linda Kirby

Reviewed May 2019

Excellent

This was a joint celebration of our 70th birthdays so we wanted it to be extra special. It was an amazing experience, with a wonderful group of people, led by an extremely professional, knowledgeable and proficient guide, Johnny Villalobos. Thanks to Johnny’s extensive knowledge of bird calls and habitats, we were able to see a huge number of birds, including the elusive Quetzal. Johnny also had a wide knowledge of the many mammals we encountered.
Apart from overnight stays in San José, we stayed 2 nights in each destination which was enough to enable us to explore what each habitat had to offer. Johnny ensured that we maximised our time in each location, though you always had the choice to opt out of an activity.
Each location was well chosen in terms of being a representative sample of what Costa Rica has to offer, from hot steamy jungle, to cool, high altitude cloud forest. The accommodation was excellent in each place but we particularly enjoyed the remoteness of Esquinas Lodge, surrounded by the sounds of the forest, especially the frogs. An added bonus was the stream fed pool and later, a night walk in the forest, led by a guide from the lodge who was able to identify the many frogs contributing to the incredible cacophony of frog calls.
We were given a warm welcome in each location by the hotel/lodge staff and served some delicious food. However, crucial to the success of this holiday, was Johnny’s enthusiasm for what his country had to offer and his exceptional knowledge, organisational and people skills.

Most Inspirational Moment

Experiencing the huge diversity of flaura and fauna in such a relatively small country. Seeing the vital work being done by Costa Ricans like Johnny, to protect their environment.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We couldn't have wished for a better group leader. Johnny Villalobos was extremely professional, very knowledgeable about birds and mammals and was passionate about caring for the environment. His enthusiasm for his country, it's people and Costa Rica's biodiversity, was infectious. He ensured that every aspect of organising our travel about the country and the transport of our luggage ran most efficiently. Johnny was attentive and caring to two group members who felt unwell. Also, he did his best to maximise our experience of Costa Rica and often gave over and above what was reasonable to expect from a group leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a good poncho, insect repellent (We used Picaridin), binoculars and a camera. Make the most of the time you have there, the plants and wildlife are amazing.

Peter Woodward

Reviewed May 2019

Would I go again? Yes I would.

From tropical beaches, through steaming jungles to Scottish moorlands Sri Lanka has it all. Where else can you grow where they grow pineapples, coconuts and cashew nuts a few miles down the road from tea, potatoes and leeks? Fantastic scenery, great food and wonderful people.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing a 5ft water lizard at our first road side stop after leaving the airport. Just a taste of what was to come.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader had a great sense of humour and loved his country. Standard answer to any question was usually "90 minutes" and he wasn't far wrong.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go with the flow. Sri Lankans don't like to hurry and preparing fresh food takes time.

nicole jordan

Reviewed May 2019

good

The home stay was awful, it would have been good to have an option to have a stay at hotel instead.
It’s not my idea of a holiday being a strangers house.

People nice enough.

Some environmental issues that were offensive, think Exodus should be insistent that the locals improve on.

Most Inspirational Moment

The scenery was beautiful and cycling the back waters was magical.

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was good, his english was not brilliant so hard to engage with him but he was attentive, thoughtful and did everything to make us have a pleasant time.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a sheet or lining for the home stay and expect the worst and you will ok.

nicole jordan

Reviewed May 2019

good

The home stay was awful, it would have been good to have an option to have a stay at hotel instead.
It’s not my idea of a holiday being a strangers house.

People nice enough.

Some environmental issues that were offensive, think Exodus should be insistent that the locals improve on.

Most Inspirational Moment

The scenery was beautiful and cycling the back waters was magical.

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was good, his english was not brilliant so hard to engage with him but he was attentive, thoughtful and did everything to make us have a pleasant time.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a sheet or lining for the home stay and expect the worst and you will ok.

Thom McKee

Reviewed May 2019

Beware of the Altitude

Only rated as good because my wife and I were only able to complete the rain forest part. The trip notes mention consulting your GP about the altitude sickness pills. Ours advised against. As a result of the jump from rain forest to Cusco on a 1 hour flight, my wife ended up in hospital for 6 days due to altitude sickness and a pulmonary edema.
We really enjoyed the rain forest and have previously enjoyed many holidays with Exodus.
It’s a pity the trip notes do not stress how it is really essential to take the altitude sickness pills – this is what all the doctors in Peru also confirmed. The situation also wasn’t helped by the hotel in Cusco with cold rooms and showers that took for ever to get warm. The night before ending up in hospital my wife had endured a freezing cold shower and then went to bed shivering until she fell asleep. It turns out this also did not help her condition and was very likely a significant factor in the edema developing. Thankfully Smithy, our guide, was quick to spot the symptoms so medical attention was brought in fairly early.

Most Inspirational Moment

Travelling along the river in the mist.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Smithy was good company, knowledgeable and did his best to accommodate us. There were only 4 in the group so he was able to suggest and arrange alternative activities.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Unless there is a medical reason not to, take the altitude pills. Otherwise, find another route to start the Inca Trail. Machu Pichu itself should be fine at about 2,400m, it's just getting there without the sudden increase to over 3,000m that Cusco entails is the problem

Reply from Exodus

We would like to thank Thom for his review, although we remain very sorry that his wife was unwell during the tour. We hope they both felt well looked after by our local team during the team’s daily visits to the hospital. We recognise the risks of travelling to altitude and on our tours which reach high altitudes we do try to be clear about these risks in our trip notes, and as we are not medical professionals we, as is the case for most tour operators, direct clients towards medical health professionals when it comes to medical travel advice. We are very sorry, however, that Thom received advice which he and his wife do not feel was correct as we recognise that this must have been incredibly disappointing.

Lucy Crabb – Exodus’ Customer Services Manager

Angie Morgan

Reviewed May 2019

Fantastic walking and cultural combination

This holiday exceeded my expectations. The walks were stunning and our guide Severio’s knowledge and insight into the region made for an action-packed, superb holiday. Sharing this holiday with a sociable group fondly referred to as the Walking talking heads made the holiday complete.

Most Inspirational Moment

The Walk of the Gods to Positano

Thoughts on Group Leader

Severio was very knowledgeable, fun and accommodated all levels in the group really well. He went above and beyond to help us get the most from our holiday even taking the trouble to give us a suggested list of places to visit and how to get there on our free day in Capri as he wouldn't be with us. What a gem!

Advice for Potential Travellers

This holiday is hard on the knees and shins initially as your body adjusts to the huge number of steps most walks involve. The holiday really gives you a great overall walking experience of the Amalfi coastline and the opportunity to also visit the main attractions of the area eg Vesuvius, Pompeii, Herculaneum and Capri. I thoroughly recommend it.

Ann Dowson

Reviewed May 2019

We saw tigers!

We travelled to India solely to see tigers in their natural habitat and we were not disappointed. We saw tigers in each of the three national parks we visited as well as many other animals, most notably three sightings of a leopard. The accommodation used on the trip was, we felt, of a good standard. We appreciated the pool at each of the hotels and went to the pool every day after the morning game drive.

Most Inspirational Moment

In Kanha National Park our jeep drew up to a crossroads to see a tiger walking along the road on the right. The driver turned the jeep so we were facing this big, male tiger. The tiger continued to walk along the road towards us and the driver reversed the jeep a short way, the tiger continued his walk towards us and we reversed again. This went on for 1km! We saw the tiger scent mark and casually stroll along. This was just an incredible encounter with only our jeep present. It was beyond our greatest expectation and when we saw how excited the driver and guide were after this experience we knew just how special it had been.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was very well organised and efficient. He was always approachable and we were happy with the manner in which he organised the group briefings. He was friendly and easy to get along with.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Even when travelling in April I still required a thin fleece for the early morning game drives. You do not need to pack a lot as clothes dry so quickly in the heat. Remember to take a small bag for your camera, tissues etc on the game drives.

Annabella Gatto

Reviewed May 2019

Walking The Amalfi Coast

This was an enjoyable tour, with 2 great guides. Saverio leading and Tony assisting. We felt in capable hands the whole time.

Most Inspirational Moment

Standing in Ravello on a glorious day, looking out over the Mediterranean. Beautiful. Walking into the cloister at Amalfi. It was stunning.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Saverio was great - very organised, friendly, knowledgeable, and he set realistic expectations of what the hikes would be like. This was very useful for me, as I felt the grading on the website did not match the actual hikes. They felt more challenging than a Grade 2. The assisting tour leader, Tony, was also great.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for more steps than you have ever encountered in one week. There is one hike that involves several hours of downhill steps to Amalfi. (I opted out and got the bus!) Do opt for the group airport transfers. Long distance taxis in this area are hugely expensive.

ANITA MICHALCZEWSKI

Reviewed May 2019

SRI LANKA - A SMALL COUNTRY THAT HAS SO MUCH TO OFFER.

GREAT HOTELS, SIGHTSEEING, FOOD, PEOPLE. SRI LANKA HAS ALL OF THIS.
OUR TRIP WITH EXODUS TRAVELS WAS GREAT. WE HAVE SEEN SO MANY GREAT TEMPLES, CLIMBED THAT AMAZING SIGURIYA ROCK, OBSERVED MONKEYS AND ELEPHANTS IN THEIR NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS, TASTED SO MANY YUMMY DISHES. OUR BUS DRIVER DARMAN WAS A VERY SKILLED DRIVER (THAT YOU NEED SO MUCH IN SRI LANKA). HIS HELPER SAMAN WAS ALWAYS READY TO GREAT US WITH A SMILE AND ALWAYS MADE SURE THAT WE WERE WELL HYDRATED, AS HE SUPPLIED US WITH WATER THRUOUT OUR JOURNEY. THE HOTELS WERE ALL OF A VERY GOOD STANDARD AND SOME OF THEM DID OFFER A BREATHTAKING VISTAS. MY FAV. WAS THE HOTEL GIRITALE IN GIRITALE AND ALSO THE HOTEL TILANKA IN KANDY, AS THEY HAVE OFFERED MOST AMAZING VIEWS.

Most Inspirational Moment

VISITIG A BUDDHIST TEMPLE ON THE BUDDHIST NEW YEAR AND GETTING A SPECIAL BLESSING FROM A MONK WITH A THREAD TIED ONTO MY WRIST. AND ALSO STANDING ON TOP OF THE MIGHTY SIGURIYA ROCK AND FEELING PROUD THAT I WAS ABLE TO GET THERE, AS NOT EVERYONE WAS ABLE TO CLIMB IT.

Thoughts on Group Leader

SURESH WAS OUR AMAZING WISH MASTER! NOTHING WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM TO DO FOR US. I WISH EVERYONE TO ENCOUNTER SUCH A GREAT TOUR GUIDE. HE WAS VERY PASSIONATE AND PROUD OF HIS COUNTRY. HE MADE OUR JOURNEY A VERY PLEASANT ONE. HE ALSO SHOWED US HOW ONE SHOULD STAY IN SHAPE, AS HE WOULD TAKE US FOR MORNING WALKS AND WE COULD SEE HIM EXERCISING EVERY MORNING. HE ALSO HAS GIVEN US A HONEST ADVICE WHEN IT CAME TO SOME GREAT SHOPPING PLACES. I HOPE TO STAY FRIENDS WITH SURESH IN THE FUTURE AND ALSO HOPE THAT HE CAN VISIT US IN CANADA, NEXT YEAR, AS HE LOVES TO TRAVEL.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I WOULD SAY: LIVE YOU LIFE AND DO NOT GET SCARED OF SOME POTENTIAL TROUBLE IN ONE COUNTRY, OR THE OTHER. UNFORTUNATELY BAD PEOPLE ARE EVERYWHERE AND I REFUSE TO STOP TRAVELING, BECAUSE OF THEM. SRI LANK IS STILL A RELATIVELY SAFE DESTINATION AND IF YOU FEEL NERVOUS - JUST STICK TO THE SMALLER PLACES AND AWAY FROM THE BIG CITIES - AND YOU WILL BE OK. THERE ARE PLENTY OF THEM IN SRI LANKA.

Suzanne Kane

Reviewed May 2019

title is good and reflects the event

I very much enjoyed this trip, the desert, scrambling, company and guide. As expected the tent accommodation was basic but fine. The food was adequate but the ingredients a bit repetitive but I suppose that this is what one should expect in the desert.
The main problem I had was the fact that the desert is a very popular day outing for tourists in open trucks, of which there were many. The high number of trucks etc mitigated against the feeling of being in the desert/wilderness. We had to jump off the track many times and at one point had a couple of open vans careering down a steep slope towards us. A bit disconcerting.

Most Inspirational Moment

The fact of being in a desert, which I had not experienced before, and the scramble up the hill which I very much enjoyed.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Abdulla was an exceptionally good guide. Knowledgeable, honest especially when he did not know something, humorous, and very diplomatic when required. Attentive and fun.

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