Turquoise Coast Ride (formerly Trails Of The Turquoise Coast) Cycling Holiday -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 15 reviews.

Anthony Heggadon

TURQUOISE COAST RIDE

Written October 2012
Well organised from when I booked to when I returned. Had a really great time.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The views and mountains rides.
What did you think of your group leader?
The guide was good and very attentive.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
This is not a bike ride for beginners, you do need a reasonable experience on mountain tracks. You also need a good level of fitness as some of the mountians are a real pull.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Personally, I had a great time, enjoyable group and fantasic mountain rides.
Farhad Topan

TURQUOISE COAST RIDE

Written September 2012
A wonderful trip. The cycling was challenging but the support was great. The guides were excellent, the group friendly and fun - and the scenery was spectacular!
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The first time we saw the sea from the top of the mountain and then cyling down hill overlooking the islands.
What did you think of your group leader?
Our group leader, Mahoo, was great, he was so helpful, patient and worked really hard throughout the week.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Whilst classifed as 'Moderate' being fit would certainly help.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Simply a fantastic holiday!!
Patrick Cooper

TURQUOISE COAST RIDE

Written September 2012
This is a scenic mountain bike ride tackling some big ascents and exhilarating downhills, mainly under a hot sun. The route comprises forest roads and tracks over pine, cedar and juniper covered mountains for the main part, and is not technically challenging.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Views from the mountains looking over the turquoise mediteranean coastine were impressive, made more special when accompanied by cooling breezes generated by convecting air rising up the steep sunny slopes. But maybe the most inspirational moment was finally reaching the summit of what I had convinced myself to be an endless, but beautifully scenic climb in hot sunshine.
What did you think of your group leader?
There's only one Maho, and with Yasha made his distinctive imprint on the holiday, sharing his great sense of humour, tireless energy, patience and generosity.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
This holiday claims to be moderate, but some of the climbs in hot sunshine really are challenging for your average man/woman in the street. Of-course, the hard work brings its own rewards, and there is always the support vehicle to fall-back on if necessary. Mountain bikers should be aware that this is not a technical ride, comprising mainly of forest tracks, though some of the fast loose surfaced descents give you something to think about when you take them quickly enough - and of course you do!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
An administrative error caused problems for those checking-in both ways on the group flight. Exodus resolved the problem promptly, with a meaningful apology, and I trust the problem will not recur.
Elaine Struthers

TURQUOISE COAST RIDE

Written September 2012
A really enjoyable holiday, with spectacular scenery and a great group to share it with.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Definitely the amazing sea views in our descents towards Kas. Got me every time - the beautiful turquoise colour has to be seen to be believed!
Also sleeping under the stars at the village house-stay. (Was quite surreal listening to the 5.30am call to prayer echoing around while watching the moon and stars blinking above.)
What did you think of your group leader?
Maho (with help from Yasha and our driver) worked really hard to make sure we all had a good holiday (not easy when you have 14 people with a wide range of route/terrain preferences!) and to help us learn more about the local culture. He never seemed to stop - even after a long day of looking after us on the trails he took the time and trouble to show us some good places for nights out in Kas.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
The distances/terrain/lack of single track are definitely in line with the 'moderate' rating, but beware the effects of the sun. It was really intense at times, especially on some of the climbs, which definitely made them feel more 'challenging' than they should have been. (The bus was always right behind just in case anyone needed it though.)
I definitely recommend the option to sleep outside at the house-stay, but it's worth having some layers to sleep in (and maybe a wooly hat) as it gets a bit chilly.
Prepare yourselves for lots of delicious fresh food, and very friendly, welcoming locals (who often stopped what they were doing to wave and shout hello as we passed).
Make sure you remember sun cream and insect repellant (as quite a few of us got some bites).
Despite what the trip notes say, it's apparently not a problem to wear lycra shorts.
Bring/buy a few extra snacks just in case you need them for the climbs (some chocolate/cakes were provided most days, but not all, and not always enough to last until lunch). Also there are no drinks provided at lunch (other than water to top up bottles with) so you might want to bring something with you, or leave it handy in the bus.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
The kayaking option is definitely worth doing if you have the energy left over. A bit of a workout for the arms, but beautiful scenery and so refreshing to be in the water after a few hot days of cycling. Yet another lovely lunch at the end of it too!
Likewise, the sunset cruise/dinner was well worth doing - a very chilled way to spend an evening as a group.
Sahil Shah

TURQUOISE COAST RIDE

Written September 2012
Fantastic trip with great scenery and itinerary! Well spoken guides who know how to show everyone a good time.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Turkish food!
What did you think of your group leader?
Group leader did a very good job of looking after everyone and maintaining the good atmosphere.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Be ready to drink plenty of water while on the move. Invest in a camelbak.
Lesley Pearson

TRAILS OF THE TURQUOISE COAST

Written September 2011
For me,, what a great trip! The guides made it fun, the group all got on, the food was great and the weather was hot! I was already a fan of Turkey but Kas was a fabulous place.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
For me this trip ticked all the boxes. Good challenging cycling but not too much of it, a day off in the middle to do something different, 2 shorter days in Kas giving me time to explore the place, great food, fun guides, a great group and fabulous weather...What more could anyone want?
What did you think of your group leader?
Ali and Yasshaf were brilliant.
Ali did an excellent job of hosting and making sure people knew what was going on and what needed to happen. He also arranged great group meals out when we arrive in Kas. He never favoured anyone or left anyone out - he did a perfect job.
Yasshaf led the cycling and he was great at setting a pace so that the nutters could have a bit of fun but stopped frequently enough and in all the right places to allow the slower cyclists to catch up. He was ALWAYS maintaining the bikes which gave everyone a great level of confidence that everything possible was being done to make sure things were safe!
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
This trip is listed as Moderate because there is a day off in the middle and because the last 2 days are quite short. But this does NOT mean that the cycling is not challenging. So if you think that you are going on a gentle riverside pedal...think again. There are tough climbs and tough descents. I think the notes romanticise this trip a little and make it sound as though it is easy....it's not!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
The one thing I didn't like was the amount of transfer travel at the start of most rides. Most noticeably the transfer from the airport...no details of whcih are given in the notes. It was over 4 hours. I'll be a lot smarter in checking that sort of detail out next time because that was painful....
Exodus Response
It's great to read that this trip is running well. Regarding the airport transfer, a refreshment stop is often made en route which makes the overall journey time longer than the approximate 2.5 to 3hrs it would otherwise take. Fortunately, with the imminent completion of a road project, the journey time to and from Kas is set to drop to 2 hours, meaning there will no longer be a need for a refreshment stop.
- Exodus Staff
Jane Butterworth

TRAILS OF THE TURQUOISE COAST

Written September 2011
This was a fantastic holiday, the two guides (Ali and Yashir) were great fun and ensured we had a good time. We saw parts of Turkey you wouldn't normally visit. The hotel in Kas was really comfortable and I'd certainly like to go back at some point.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The ride along the coast on the last day had some fantastic views, the long slog up the mountain was worth it!
I also enjoyed the sea kayaking on our free day, it was great fun and scenery fantastic.
The hotel in Kas was very comfortable with friend staff and excellent facilities - the pool was a welcome treat after a hard day in the saddle!
What did you think of your group leader?
Ali was great, he was able to adapt the tour to suit the group and took us to some great restaurants. He was very knowledgable and helpful. Yashir also did a brilliant job. The guys worked really hard to keep the bikes fully functional.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
keep cycling, you get to the top in the end and hold on tight on the downhills!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
If there's one thing I'd change it would be a couple of the bus transfers to our start point, these were a bit long on a coupe of occassions.