The Turquoise Coast of Turkey

Our Clients’ Reviews

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. Any feedback collected (Good or bad) from Exodus clients is posted straight onto our website - totally unedited. Read more...

Average Review Rating: from 58 reviews.

Natasha Cornick

THE TURQUOISE COAST

Written May 2011
A great holiday, an unspoilt area of Turkey. Great walking, great ruins, great restaurants & bars.I want to go again, but without the sea kayaking, not recommended if you have no upper body strengthGreat fro vegans
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The ruins at Arycanda - Awesome
What did you think of your group leader?
Great group organiser. Bit lacking in some local knowledge. very sociable. Knew some great bars with music.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Take Mosi spray, & plenty of sun lotion
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Great group, made new friends which is fab
Great food
Highly recommended especially a good first exodus holiday
Walking not strenuous
A good chill out week
Just beautiful
Julia Hoare

THE TURQUOISE COAST

Written January 2011
A good trip that bore no resemblance to the main Turquoise Coast trip itinerary as it was the alternative itinerary for the summer period (August 2011) This was not especially clear at the point of booking although the details were available. As a trip in it's own right it was enjoyable and will be improved by the modifications that will be made in future, according to the trip leader.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Eating local, home made and delicious food in a remote village and enjoying an evening boat snorkel and barbeque.
What did you think of your group leader?
Very friendly, knowledgable and accomplished. Very keen to please.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Check to see if the alternative itinerary applies prior to booking
Is there anything else you would like to add?
First trip with Exodus, would go again.
Anna Franks

THE TURQUOISE COAST

Written October 2010
This holiday had everything! Sea, sun, walking, culture,good food and a great guide. We didn't een get round to paragliding, or the Turkish bath.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Sea kayaking past the sunken city of Kerkova and seeing all the steps leading to nowhere.
For me, seeing St Nicholas' baslica at Demre meant a lot, as I am interested by Turkey's Byzantine past. a lot of which has been destroyed.
What did you think of your group leader?
Strong, passionate about Turkey, good with all sorts of people and considerate of the less good walkers.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Bear in mind that the walking can be along narrow edges with drops, which would be scary if you had vertigo. Otherwise, it's a good mixture of walking and looking at ruins so if that appeals, go for it.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
The hotel was covered with bougainvillea and you got petals on your balcony. Local people were friendly, you don't get hassled, and the shops were colourful and amazing. I should have bought so many Christmas presents! Worth not packing too much and squeezing a rug in when you go home, as there are so many to choose from.
Trish Thomas

THE TURQUOISE COAST

Written October 2010
An excellent well balanced holiday with a mixture of walking, culture and fun.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The Lycian remains were fascinating and well preserved even though they are many centuries old.
Finding that I was part of a really great group of people again. This was my second Exodus trip and I was a little concerned that the lovely group I met last year may have been a 'one off'. My fellow travellers on both trips were from a wide range of ages and backgrounds but we all got on very well together and everyone seemed to have great fun. I certainly did!
I had never visited Turkey before but would love to go back sometime - great food, lovely people and stunning scenery. Kas is a really nice town, aimed at tourists but certainly not overly touristy.
What did you think of your group leader?
Dave was good fun and knowledgeable about the area and its history and was able to point us in the direction of several lovely restaurants in Kas. Although not Turkish he was clearly part of the community in Kas and the surrounding area having lived there for several years.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Don't expect a luxurious hotel! The accomodation was basic if adequate for our needs but it would have been enhanced with a better supply of hot water. It is very disappointing to come back hot and sweaty from a day's activity and find that you are only able to get a trickle of water that was rarely more than lukewarm. Having said that the staff were very nice and the hotel was clean with a nice swimming pool.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I had a great time and found the mix of walking and other activities to be just right. I wasn't sure that the grading was quite right though. This trip is graded 'Moderate' while the holiday I did last year at the Amalfi Coast (TDA) was graded 'Leisurely/Moderate'. I felt the grades should have been the other way round as I found this trip was much easier and less strenuous than Amalfi.
Froniga Lambert

THE TURQUOISE COAST

Written September 2010
The Turquoise Coast is a stunning area and Kas is a great town. For really committed walking, though, it was frankly too hot - better to go a bit later in the year, I think.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The visit to Arykanda was amazing - the most stunning ruins (a lot of which are in really good condition) in an amazing setting, and no-one there but us and the archaeologists!

And the sea was beautiful - clean, clear, warm.
What did you think of your group leader?
Oscar (not how it is spelt in Turkish, but as close as I can manage in English!) was great, knowledgable about the area and very sociable in the evenings. He took us to some great restaurant choices, all of which had slightly different specialities so by the end of the week I really felt that I had a good overview of Turksih cooking.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
As mentioned above, if you want a walking holiday that does solid all-day walks, go either much earlier or a bit later in the year. If you are happy that some relatively short walks intersperse an overall very enjoyable holiday, this is ideal.

Also Turkey isn't as cheap anymore as you may think. Be prepared for getting-close-to-UK prices for food and drinks. (that said though, all the food was great!).
Is there anything else you would like to add?
The hotel in Kas (Oreo) was really nice, set a bit above the town so had great views and although the last stretch uphill at the end of the night can be daunting, being just above the town centre meant it was nice and quiet. Stunning outside pool and bar area, and really friendly owners.
Anne Chivers

THE TURQUOISE COAST

Written September 2010
Loved Kas. The weather was lovely, the company was good and activities were just right.
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What did you think of your group leader?
Excellent and very knowledgable. Always prepared to go that extra mile to help.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
I would recommend travelling with Exodus as they are well organised and go to some of the best places in the world.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Hotel was a bit basic, the pool was lovely, staff very helpful .
Emma Payler

THE TURQUOISE COAST

Written August 2010
The location and group were fantastic. The guide left a lot to be desired. For a walking holiday there was very little walking. The longest walk was 2 hours. The hotel was quite a long way out of town and the shuttle taxi we were promised was so unreliable we opted to get the local bus in the evenings by day 3.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Beautiful beaches and friendly laid back people everywhere we went.
What did you think of your group leader?
Not much. He was lazy and ineffective. He was persistently at least 15 minutes late. All walks were substantially reduced from the trip notes and he failed to tell us anything about the sites we visited. I feel that I have learnt nothing about Turkish culture or history from our guide. He didn't seem to have any interest in telling us about his country at all. This is a great shame as we visited some potentially fascinating sites. We had to ask him for information about the next day's activities on most evenings. Compared to group leader on Atlas Mountains last year he was shockingly poor. Luckily this did not spoil the holiday as the group gelled so well and we just got on with it.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Still a lovely holiday and hopefully you won't get the same guide we had!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I am very disappointed that we were landed with such a poor guide. The total walking time all week was barely more than 5 hours. The excuse was 'its too hot'. However on several occasions we made it clear we were happy to walk for longer and would be happy to set off much earlier than the usual 9.30am to avoid the heat. We had a to ask for a long walk on the last day and that felt like we were inconveniencing the guide by expecting a day of activity. The driver and vehicle we were given left a lot to be desired especially whenever we saw the other groups from Exodus as they had much better transport which always arrived early rather than 10 mins late like ours. One day the driver had two very near misses due to his lack of observation. One of these was only avoided because the mopeds he pulled out in front of when turning onto a large A road did an emergency stop and honked thier horns at him. The car was small and cramped with very little legroom and inefffective aircon. Again it was galling to see other Exodus parties in much more spacious buses which had more modern aircon etc. That evening he did not show up to collect us from town as arranged. We had to call the guide on his mobile to arrange transport. We were left waiting in Kas for 40 mins. The next day we were simply told that the driver went home to bed as if this was acceptable service. No apology from the guide or driver. After this we took the local bus in and out of Kas as it was infinitely more reliable even if it meant we had to pay for this. The instructions and directions from the guide were non existent. He had to be reminded to tell us basic information such as meet up times in the morning and what we should bring with us.
Sorry to be so negative. I had such a good experience on the Atlas Mountains trek last year and the guide was amazing. This year has been a total let down. I would probably still consider another Exodus holiday on the strength of last year's trip however other members of the group said they would be very unlikely to book another holiday with Exodus because of the guide.
Exodus Response

This trip is designed to be a leisurely to moderate walking trip, taking in the natural and cultural beauty of the area. The group is out for most of the day, with walking time varying each day according to the route taken, terrain and distance covered. Individual walks therefore vary in length from a few hours to longer, however the trip is not intended to be physicall challenging. The group is usually accommodated in a comfortable hotel 10 mins walk from the centre of Kas. Very occasionally, due to limited availability, the group cans stay in a different hotel, which is of equal if not higher standard. We and our local partners work hard to ensure our guides are of the highest standard, carrying out regular training and monitoring all feedback.

- Exodus Staff