Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

There were so many - The first steps on the Wall, and the realisation of its vast scale, the third or fourth day of trekking when you looked around and saw nothing but green mountains, with the Great Wall stretching away as far as the eye could see, with no one else but our small group in sight. the Great Wall stretching away as far as the eye could see. Not forgetting the first sight of the warriors.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Kevin was absolutely superb, we could not have wished for a better group leader, He shared his considerable knowledge of Chinese history,culture with us with passion and good humour. Even before and after the actual trip Kevin took care of us, taking us out on our first and last night in Beijing for Food and a trip to a theatre. Exodus should be honoured to have Kevin as a Group Leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

There are some physically challenging sections, scrambling up or down steep and uneven slopes. I took trekking poles and was very glad of the extra support. If you are afraid of heights some sections will be uncomfortable. Our group was of mixed ages and abilities - from students to retirees, from occasional day hikers to multiple marathon runners - all managed the walk. What i wasn't prepared for was the actual walks to reach the wall some days - I stupidly thought, after reading the itinerary that we got dropped off on one end and picked up the other - not quite like that but still all great.

Most Inspirational Moment

The desert, the Lake District and Patagonia were each a highlight, but there was something special about Patagonia - the setting, the landscape, the wildlife, the colours, the weather, the wind, the air.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alex was excellent, timings spot on, kept us on track, plenty of info. One of the best guides I have had.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is not a trip for culture vultures, more for scenery observationists, physical geographers, those seeking a special place to chill out, and photographers. Hotels - all decent clean hotels in good locations. Flight timings good for the internal flights. Be a bit clever with packing. I went two days ahead of the trip, and got over the long flight out and saw some of Santiago. If you see something to buy then buy buy buy, especially before travelling to Patagonia. There is a lot of travelling about but this trip actually felt like a holiday. Plenty of time for naps on the buses.

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling over the Andes mountain pass between Chile and Argentina, with the later visit to the Conguillio National Park and the Eco-lodge

Thoughts on Group Leader

They were all great - thank you to the local team Marcello, Taiel & Jero

Advice for Potential Travellers

Most days had good weather, but you should also pack proper rain proof gear, as the weather can be erratic

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many highlights including the following: 1. Hearing the early morning cries of the Indri lemurs in Andasibe. 2. Seeing mouse lemurs and the rainforest in Ramofana. 3. Seeing ring tailed lemurs very close. 4. The amazing landscapes and the "black pool" at Isalo. 5. Travelling to and from Nosy Ve by a traditional dhow. 3. The welcome given to us by the villagers when our bus broke down and we had a 90 minute delay while Andree fixed the bus.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ritza was excellent. She was very friendly, enthusiastic and approachable throughout the trip and gave some very good talks on the bus on Madagascan life. The dealt with the bus breaking down crisis brilliantly and got the ladies on our trip dancing with the villagers.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for some long drives on some poor roads (although most of the roads outside the Tana to Fianarantsoa section were fairly decent) but that is realistically the only way to see the number of attractions which are covered by this trip. The accommodation was very good throughout but I would try and although the food was generally fine I would try and eat outside the hotels whenever possible. The town close to Isalo has an amazing pizza restaurant about 200 yards from the hotel.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing sea turtles being born and seeing their journey back to the sea.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Superb! Knowledgeable, patient, enthusiastic, with great command of the English language

Most Inspirational Moment

The gorilla trekking was the definite highlight, to spend that time so close to those magnificent animals was incredible. I was amazed how close we got, which made it very special.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Kip was an excellent leader, knowledgeable, helpful, efficient & friendly. Nothing was too much trouble. Along with the rest of the crew (Dan, Ken & Amos) he made the trip run like clockwork.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring long sleeves, long trousers and long socks for the gorilla trekking. Also a $50 note to exchange money at the Kenyan border, you get a better rate with larger notes (this is not mentioned in the trip notes)

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing Everest for the first time, getting to base camp/summiting Kala Pattar the following morning. Meeting a great bunch of people on the trip.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sukman was excellent. Was very organised, got on very well with the group, had a wonderful knowledge of the region and he did everything with a great sense of humour. He had a wonderful support team in Ming Ma/Gami/Geljen/Yak Man (apologies don't remember his name).

Advice for Potential Travellers

Walk slowly on the ascent to allow your body to acclimatise, drink plenty of water and enjoy the wonderful views that are around you. To be honest, the teahouses and the food was better than I had expected based on what I had read on the internet. Chips and beans was very enjoyable at Gorak Shep.

Most Inspirational Moment

I enjoyed the biking days. Riding through the small side streets you get to see how the locals live away from the tourist areas. The overnight on the boat was a great experience, Halong Bay is beautiful.

Most Inspirational Moment

I think the most inspirational moment was visiting Pompeii and walking the upper crater rim of Vesuvius. This volcano sits quietly at the moment but you know that it caused such destruction in its wake all those years ago, its quite awe inspiring.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Paul was our tour leader and he was fabulous, full of knowledge about the area, very organised and a great sense of humour. He made the trip what it was and worked really hard to ensure that everyone was looked after and having a great time.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is a leisurely paced trip however the walking is definitely a level 2 purely because of all of the steps that you have to walk, there wasn't anyone in the group that didn't feel it in their legs at some point during the trip. I'd recommend doing some training prior to the trip to build up your stamina for the walking if you are not used to it.

Most Inspirational Moment

My favourite part really was seeing the bears it was truly magical, cute and cuddly. The heart did pound a little as we walked to the bear hide but knowing they are more scared of you than you are of them helped a lot. We saw many bears over 10 in fact including a mum with her two cubs, truly amazing.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Udi our group leader was fabulous, he was very knowledgeable and insightful with all that he shared. I particularly loved that he knew so much about all the flowers and birds it really added something to the trip for me.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you get travel sick at all then take travel calm tablets with you. There's not much travel involved but if you suffer its really helpful to take them, once I did I didn't suffer at all. I travelled with KLM via Amsterdam from Leeds and they lost the luggage on the way out so make sure you have flights that allow at least 2 hours transfer otherwise they will struggle to transfer your bags for you.