Exodus - Latest News

Peru Trekking Holidays - Book NOW!

imran — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:57:12 +0000

We've very happy to announce that the railway between Machu Picchu and Cuzco, which was badly damaged during unusually heavy rains in January, will officially reopen for tourist service on 1 April, and we are very confident that the Inca Trail, which has also been closed for repairs, will reopen at the same time.

Although the rains have had a serious impact on the local people and the Peruvian economy, the number of people wishing to visit this fascinating country shows no signs of abating, and we strongly advise anyone considering trekking the famous Inca Trail not to delay their booking. Entrance to the trail is strictly regulated by permits, with only 500 people a day being allowed to start the trek (including porters and tour guides), and they are selling fast, especially for the peak months of May to September.

View our Peru holidays page

Exodus' Polar Expeditions - anything is possible!

imran — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:47:48 +0000

Many people think that the Polar regions are impossible destinations impossible to get to, impossible to afford, impossible to understand. They are mistaken. The Polar regions have always been about possibilities - exciting, breathtaking possibilities!

They are among the last wildernesses on Earth and command a level of participation, flexibility and respect not encountered elsewhere. Exodus are the UK’s leading provider of polar expeditions. We are delighted to present to you an extraordinary collection of polar voyages.

“If you plan to travel to the far ends of the world, make sure you do so in good company. These mother ships - and their crews that some how cosset you in the most extreme weather and latitudes are maritime marvels. They are also full of fascinating fellow travellers who have many tales to tell while you a wait the next polar wonder. You may feel well looked-after in the most convivial company, but the raw edges of the planet are always with you. Hermetically sealed? Never.”

Simon Calder, The Independent

Click to visit our Polar Expeditions home page

When booking a Polar Expeditions holiday by 30 April 2010

It is astonishing how many people go on wildlife holidays either with poor binoculars or none at all. That changes now. Anyone booking a Polar Expedition by 30 April 2010 will receive a magnificent set of the acclaimed Opticron Countryman 8x42 binoculars. They come with a 10-year guarantee and are critical on any wildlife holiday. In the Poles they are as important as your passport!

Download our Polar mailer featuring this offer (PDF: 256kb)

BA strikes: 20-22 March & 27-30 March.

bobm — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:41:25 +0000

Exodus have noted the announcement by the Unite members of BA cabin crew to strike on the following dates: 20, 21 and 22 March, and 27, 28, 29 and 30 March. Please therefore assume that your holiday will be going ahead as planned unless you hear from us.

For the 20, 21 and 22 March strike dates, however we have received notification on the affected routes and an update is shown below.

Toulouse. CEP - Pyrenees Snowshoe Expedition, 21 March. BA flight to Toulouse cancelled, Exodus has rebooked passengers rebooked onto Easyjet.
Tripoli. AYY - Highlights of Lybia, 14 March. BA flight to London cancelled, BA has re-protected the group on alternative airline for the same dates.
Naples. TDA - The Amalfi Coast 20 March - route not affected at present .
Geneva. CEC - Chamonix Snowshoe 21 March - route not affected at present .

We are yet to hear from BA on the affected routes for the 27, 28, 29 and 30 March strike dates. We remain in regular contact with BA, and if your holiday is likely to be directly affected by the strike, we will contact all passengers, and do all we can to minimize disruption to our clients. Until further notice, normal Exodus booking conditions apply.

If you would like to discuss this further or have any questions, you can contact our Customer Operations department on 0845 863 9643 or email: Customer Operations.

Rains in Peru

bobm — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:14:41 +0000

We have received official notification from the Peruvian Tourist Board that the railway link to Machu Picchu will officially reopen on 29 March, with scheduled passenger services resuming on 1 April. The route to Machu Picchu will be in two parts following the resumption of services - the first part of the journey between Cuzco and KM82 (the start of the Inca Trail, also known as Pisacucho) will be by road, then the remainder will be by rail to Aguas Calientes. Bus services between Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu citadel will run as normal.

Although no official announcement has been made on the repair work to the Inca Trail, it is widely expected that the trekking route will reopen on 1 April to coincide with the opening of the historical sanctuary itself. We will update this information once we have a definite reopening date for the trail, but we are confident that the Exodus trekking groups who are due to start their treks in April will be able to do so as planned.

11th February Update

Following the recent floods and landslides in southern Peru, we have received updates from our local operator about access to Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu is currently closed while the road from Aguas Calientes to the site is repaired, and work is now well underway on restoring the rail link between Aguas Calientes and Cuzco. We expect the Inca Trail to reopen as normal on 1 March, and the rail link should be operating again by 31 March.

Although we will continue to monitor the local situation carefully, this news means that we will be operating all trips departing on or after 27 March as planned, with no changes to their daily itineraries.

If you are thinking of travelling to Peru, we would advise you not to delay booking your holiday this year - Inca Trail permits are still selling as quickly as ever for the peak trekking months, and the local economy, to which tourism contributes so much, will recover much more quickly if visitors continue to come to Peru and experience its unique culture, landscapes and archaeological sites.

News: 29th January 2010

You have probably seen the recent news about the heavy rains and landslides which have affected southern Peru, and the problems this has caused in the Machu Picchu area. Events such as these are quite common at the height of Peru's rainy season. Although officially the rainy season runs from November to March, the heaviest rains generally fall in January and February, and landslides are a frequent occurrence.

In recent years, landslides have damaged both the railway line from Cuzco to Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, but the local authorities have always worked hard to repair the damage as quickly as possible and our tours have not been affected by events in the rainy season. At present, it is estimated that repairs should allow tourists to visit Machu Picchu within the next 6 to 8 weeks, and we are in regular contact with our local partners in Cuzco to keep up to date with developments on the ground.

We believe the majority of our itineraries will be unaffected by recent events, but as of 3 February we have cancelled our first departure on the Inca Trail (10 March) and will be reviewing the remainder of March trips within the next few days.

All April departures are scheduled to run as planned, with no changes envisaged to itineraries, but we will be constantly reviewing the situation in Peru until we are sure that all services have returned to normal.

Leopards rain in the Mara

imran — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:06:15 +0000

A spectacular photographic safari in the Mara brought huge dividends to those prepared to travel there during what is 'supposedly' off season. The abundant rains have replenished the grasslands, the birds have returned in huge numbers and the wildlife, especially leopards were astonishing. It would be impossible to point a finger or highlight the best moment, indeed the views from the group members were almost all different, but, to quote Daniel, Kicheche head guide 'you have used all the year's luck on leopards this week.' The best photographs of the week were definitely taken by the group.

On a cold March morning these images may make you choke as leopards raise the pulse like no other animal. Whether it was a female making mincemeat of a young dik-dik or the fabled Zawadi descending a fig tree, they will hopefully make people think twice about only travelling during the drier months of the year and during migration. Leopards were the major players but everything from eland to impala and elephants to monkeys were in abundance as well as rain, dazzling light, a giraffe birth and oh yes a twister. I might also add that this was a superb group, revelling in the early starts. Enjoy two dozen from the trip.

Paul Goldstein


Sunrise - rain means spectacular skies early and late.	Early AM day two - backlit female, four year old we worked out, daughter of Zawadi born 2006	Be very afraid, three Marsh Pride cubs keep a low profile


Zawadi, meaning 'the Gift' - for she truly is. This is her Maasai name not a ridiculous dumbed down BBC one (Shadow ..... as if). I have followed her since 1999 - she is now 14, old for a wild leopard but she has a young cub, which we did not see (you can't have everything) and she put on two marvellous matinees for us.	Astonishing - giraffe birth. This calf was only fifteen minutes old, an incredible hour was spent with the two.	Rain means long grass and weavers nesting, taken during a lavish bush breakfast.


Prequel to hunting	The white storks have transformed the oat grass plains into a Hitchcockesque scene	See number 1 - end of an incredible day - wish you were there, thought so.


Big weather, big game, big skies.	Birds and the bees and the butterflies. Rain and sun, strong seductresses for all of Noah's Mara lot.	Two of the big three brothers against an inky impending storm - we really got drilled that afternoon


See what I mean	It also brings out the frogs, much to this Malachite's delight	Here Zawadi scent marks, obligingly backlit.


A creature I had not seen before!	Perfect leopard, perfect light, perfect tree - Zawadi gives us an arboreal orgy.	A pregnant cheetah in the reserve (promising for next season), behaving like a leopard after being harassed by a hyena.


Fully alert now	Nice Mohican, the young Marsh pride males brave the downpour.	Last morning - the Mara ALWAYS delivers.


So beautiful, I had to take it twice	A leopard, Zawadi again, behaving like a leopard.	Many gigabytes later

Just a week, outside of migration. Seven leopard sightings, fifteen delirious photographers, incredible skies, sumptuous views, four of the best guides in Africa and no other vehicles. this one may be hard to top, but we'll keep trying.