Most Inspirational Moment
The most inspirational moment of the trip for me was the view from the hike on the first day.
Thoughts on Group Leader
The group leader was outstanding. The best I have had.
Reviews
Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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Reviews
A Great Time
I really enjoyed everything about this group hike. This was the challenging version in March 2019…which was a great time to visit with temperatures in the Low 70’s F.
Everything went off without any problems but that was most likely due to the guide, Michael Newcomb. He is probably the best guide I have ever encountered. Not only is he very personable, he has taken the time to learn a LOT about the area and wildlife. He took the time to interact with all of the members of the group and he paid close attention to the pace to make sure those at the back didn’t fall behind too far. He was simply outstanding.
The Cortijo (farmhouse) was a really great place to stay. I had the single room and it was clean and comfortable. Note that there were dogs barking during the night but they are on nearby farms so the owners cannot help this.
The owners, Joke and Cartouche, were very friendly and helpful as were their staff. I was able to pack lighter because they offered a laundry service that I took advantage of halfway through the trip.
The food for the evening meals was fine (not bad) but I had hoped for a bit more Spanish cuisine. Breakfast was fairly light but sufficient.
As a side note, Cartouche is also a talented tattooist and he has a small shop on the premises.
A Transformative Experience in Jordan
I feel like I’ve had a year’s worth of memorable experiences in the last nine days! I knew I would like it; I just wasn’t expecting to love it as much as do. I still can’t stop talking about it since returning home. I will treasure these experiences for all time.
If you are interested in the Middle East’s rich history as a crossroads of people, ideas, religions, and cultures, I wholeheartedly recommend this tour. You will see Jordan from top to bottom, from mountains to desert to sea.
Most Inspirational Moment
Sorry, I just can't choose one moment: • Realizing that I could exchange pleasantries in Arabic with the people I met. • Seeing a shooting star in the night sky over Wadi Rum. • Seeing the sun rise from camel-back • Petroglyphs in the desert. • Seeing the Treasury at Petra. • Becoming friends with my fellow group members.
Thoughts on Group Leader
I can't say enough positive things about our guide, Ibrahim Isbitani. His expert knowledge of the culture, history, and geography allowed us all to get so much more out of the experience. He was able every time to create the right context for what we were seeing. I can confirm that my other fellow 19 tour group members all feel exactly the same. He clearly loves his job, loves meeting people and introducing them to the full mosaic of Jordanian culture and history, and has an enjoyable time doing it. His great sense of humor and flexibility eased the occasional discomforts of traveling. I wish I loved my own job as much as he loves his!
Advice for Potential Travellers
It's worth it to take the time to learn a few words in Arabic. A half dozen words or less is all it takes. This will open all sorts of doors for you. This is not actually a requirement, component, or aspect of the tour, but Ibrahim was very generous with his time in teaching me when I expressed an interest. Steamed/cooked vegetables are always safer then raw vegetables. I took so many photos, I couldn't charge my batteries fast enough. Next time I would bring a portable battery/power pack. If you are coming from North or South America, it's worth it to spend the extra money on a really good voltage convertor. Don't cheap out like I did!
An amazing experiance
If you are having any doubt about booking this, think again. This is a trip of a lifetime and a truely amazing experiance. Cycling the backroads of Sri Lanka gives you a wonderful insight into the country.
Most Inspirational Moment
Cycling through small busy towns, seeing local farmers working the land and visiting small farms,
Thoughts on Group Leader
Surresh made the experiance , and the support from the team was superb
Advice for Potential Travellers
Just book it you will not regret it
Costa Rica for variety
This 2-week trip took us to several geographically different regions ; volcano, tropical rain forest, beach and cloud Forrest. All had their individual climate and wildlife. We travelled with our guide and driver in a comfortable air-conditioned coach, staying in each location for 2 nights.
Most Inspirational Moment
1. Seeing sloths moving around in the treetops in Tortuguero NP , and seeing a sleeping toucan through the telescope of our night-walk guide. 2. The rough Caribbean Sea and the power of the waves
Thoughts on Group Leader
Group leader was excellent. He is also a bird-watching guide and was able to identify everything we saw. He was able to answer questions on other topics too. He was very careful about looking after the 2 people who needed to eat gluten-free meals for medical reasons. His English was excellent.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be prepared for extreme climate. It is unbearably hot in the southern rain forest and you have to realise that doing anything, even walking, is exhausting.
Chile
Discover Chile is a great trip and a fantastic way to see all the best areas of this long thin country. It is full of travelling though and not just flying. However, as a brilliant and thorough voyage around the Atacama, Lakeland and Patagonia you can’t beat it.
Most Inspirational Moment
Too many to mention high Lakes in the Atacama, hummingbirds in the temperate rain forest and all of Patagonia!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our le.ader was knowledgeable, helpful, enthusiastic and fun. He made the trip much more enjoyable
Advice for Potential Travellers
Don't expect to stop for long meals or have much down time but you do see a lot instead.
Be prepared for .....
… all weather types in November! We had expected to be cycling in sunshine but only had one whole and one half day of sun. It was bitterly cold, with driving rain, high winds and even snow; we got to the top of the longest climb on Day 2 in a white-out! Thankfully, we had gone prepared with plenty of layers – make sure you do too. The positives: amazing scenery, fantastic group of people, well led, a real sense of achievement: I’d never cycled more than two days in a row, yet I managed six consecutive days with challenging climbs; dietary requirements (gluten and nut free) well catered for; evening meals tasty and plentiful; comfortable saddle – better than mine at home! The negatives: the accommodation on the second night (the first day of cycling) was atrocious: no heating; a trickle of a shower which was either boiling hot or freezing cold, so I couldn’t shower; concrete beds with no top sheets although plenty of blankets but so heavy and large they couldn’t possibly have been washed between guests which wasn’t at all hygienic; generally the bathrooms in several other hotels were very poor quality, (especially the one on the fifth night of cycling); we were not advised until just about to set off on the first day of cycling about wild dogs roaming freely in the mountain villages which was extremely unnerving – thankfully most didn’t bother with us; sardines and sweetcorn every day for lunch! Would I go again? No, but I am pleased to have completed the trip.
Most Inspirational Moment
The views from up high and realising that I had cycled all that way.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Hisham was very good: he spoke good English, was calm, knowledgeable and told us the history of areas as we drove to and from each hotel.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Make sure you take lots of layers even if you think it will be a warm time of year.
Hungry for more
This has been another memorable Exodus holiday. An excellent package, in line with the trip description, but made outstanding thanks to Sara our group leader and an exceptionally nice group of people. The trip offered exactly the right combination of manageable adventure and physical challenge with time to relax in the hotel’s wellness centre, eat excellent food and engage in conversation with likeminded people.
The hotel staff were also very friendly and attentive.
The equipment provided (snowshoes and poles) were of an excellent standard. In addition safety equipment (avalanche transponders, probes etc.) provided reassurance that attention was paid to potential risks in the mountains. At the same time it was clear that Sara made appropriate risk assessments before embarking on a specific route.
Having received a free public transport pass prompted us on the free day to travel by train to Bolzano to visit the Oetzi museum (highly recommended) and use the pass on a couple of other occasions. This is an excellent promotion by the local tourist board.
Most Inspirational Moment
No single moment, rather a series of moments. Each day offered a new delight, a new challenge, through the change in weather, the landscape and the connections with the group and Sara our exceptional group leader.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Sara offered an outstanding combination of skill, expertise and attention to us, both at the group and individual level. All of it presented with humour and humility. Sara's enthusiasm for the outdoors and the local area and history was highly infectious. I shall treasure the conversations we had as a group and individually. It was also evident that Sara adapted the daily excursions to the weather conditions and the group as a whole which made each day such a success.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Read the trip description - it provides a good guide to what to expect.
Everyday a highlight
We’d wanted to go to Costa Rica for some time and this holiday did not disappoint. In two weeks we saw amazing things on the coast, in the mountains, in the jungle and in the cloud forest. Our guide, Katia, was extremely knowledgeable and was excellent at spotting wildlife and explaining all about it. Indeed all the drivers and guides we encountered on the journey were excellent and also good at spotting wildlife. The accommodation was good all round including some great jungle lodges. We really felt that we ‘discovered costa rica’ and were really impressed with the whole holiday and the country.
Most Inspirational Moment
It's hard to pick the most inspirational moment of the trip as there were so many of them. Esquina lodge was special. It was a small lodge in the jungle and everywhere you looked there was wildlife. The afternoon we arrived we had a fantastic thunderstorm so we got to truly experience the rainforest. At night the jungle came alive with the sound of frogs and other wildlife. But we also were captivated by the sloths in the cloud forest, the monkeys at Manuel Antonio, the humming birds everywhere ( who knew there were so many varieties?), colourful toucans at Tortuguero, and of course the quetzal in Savegre Lodge.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Excellent. Katia was so knowledgable about the wildlife and very patient with those of us who aren't natural 'birders' . She also gave us a great insight into the country with lots of information and stories to bring the history and politics to life. She was very personable and one of the best guides I've had on a holiday like this. A big shout out to Juan Jose our driver who was also good at spotting bird and kept the bus immaculately clean and tidy.
Advice for Potential Travellers
This is a fab holiday with lots of opportunities to spot wildlife so book it now! The walks are undemanding compared to what we are used to doing, they use made paths or boardwalks and can easily be done in approach shoes or trainers. There are some steps and inclines and some of our companions found sticks useful but we didn't feel we needed them. All the lodges are designed to keep out bugs and beasties but occasionally some creep in (you are in the forest/jungle after all) so check your room before you go to sleep! The hotel staff are on hand to extract any unwanted creatures. Do try the coffee, it's excellent everywhere- non of this instant coffee stuff. There's lots of nice fish to eat fresh from the sea. You have to eat gallopinto at least once - I got quite addicted to it and will be cooking it at home. Only one downside and that was San Jose Airport. We waited three hours to get through customs on the way in so be prepared for a wait. We were told the average is around two hours.
Excellent active and cultural holiday
This is a great addition to exodus’ portfolio, with cheese, wine and local food as well as superb walking and snowshoeing. A visit to a mountain hut in the Aiguestortes National Park, not currently in the trip notes but very much in Miguel’s area of walking knowledge, was stunning. MIguel is a gentleman, a true Catalan and boasts a fine Scottish hat as well as some surprising Hebridean anecdotes.
Most Inspirational Moment
Doing the conga with the villagers in Rialp during Carnival.
Thoughts on Group Leader
As above
Advice for Potential Travellers
Best to bring a rucksack either with plastic straps/clips down the sides, or one with enough space under the top to wedge snowshoes under. Just that it's a nuisance to have to tie the snowshoes on and then undo them again.
In a trail of the Middle East
A fantastic experience, trekking through Wadi Rum, camping with the Bedouins, walking in the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia.
The jewel in the crown of this trip was A full day in Petra ,The red rose city.
The people of Jordan were warm and friendly adding to an all round enjoyable trip.
Most Inspirational Moment
First sight of The Treasury, amazing. We set off at 6 am to beat the crowds, and was not disappointed, as we were one of the first groups there and managed to get some photos without anyone in the background
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our leader Abdallah, was passionate, knowledgeable with a wicked sense of humour and a cheeky grin.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take a hip flask, it is a job to get a drink outside of Amman