Reviews

Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers  

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.

Simply use the selector below to search our trip reviews and start reading real feedback from real Exodus travellers who have ‘been there and done that’!

Lots of our clients also like to post handy tips and advice about their travels. It’s great to know what to expect on an Exodus adventure before you go, so make the most of their experience and you’ll make the most of yours!

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Once you return from your Exodus adventure holiday, you will be emailed a link to add your review. Any feedback collected is posted onto our website, totally unedited.

Alternatively you can navigate to the relevant trip page and add your review via the Reviews tab.

Reviews

Michelle Mancy

Reviewed September 2014

Slovenia in September

Slovenia was lovely – the people were warm and friendly, the landscape beautiful, the food hearty. Highly recommend a visit to this picturesque country!

Most Inspirational Moment

Perhaps the walk on the final day. We did not experience any view as the fog was very thick but I loved this steep walk in any case. The fact that it was our final challenge may have had something to do with this ..

Thoughts on Group Leader

Bugy was - I assume - our group leader. Overall I thought he was very good - a careful guide with good English language skills, a lovely man. I like the fact that he was a local Slovenian. He tended to be overcautious when setting our expectations on walk severity and timings and I would have found it easier if he was more receptive to feedback. On the whole I thought he was great in any case. Felt safe in his care.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We were slightly disappointed with the weather on this trip. It was quite wet. I still loved it but do make sure you have waterproofs for day long walking in the rain! Definitely take the opportunity to swim in a glacial lake :)

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Vicki & Mark Gilbert

Reviewed September 2014

Great walking, views and place to stay

This trip excelled our expectations in several ways. The scenery in the walks was magnificent with a good variety – villages, pastoral, wooded, rocky, ravines. The accommodation was very good with lots of facilities on site and a lovely town in short walking distance. The food also excelled expectations – lots of choice at breakfast and choices for the evening meal too. Beautiful quiet location, well-kept grounds – very quiet at night, ideal for sleeping well.

Most Inspirational Moment

Beautiful village of Moustiers-Ste-Marie. Massive array of colourful stalls at the Forcalquier market. Breath-taking views of Verdon Gorge and ravine above Moustiers. Lots of laughs.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Yves was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. The welcome pack with useful information and maps of all the walking routes was an excellent addition and something we have not had on previous Exodus trips. Yves was sensitive to the needs of the group. His experience as a mountain guide made him a supportive leader with just the right balance of humour, tact and assertiveness. He adapted the week's programme according to weather conditions and each day's walk according to abilities of the group and finding very welcome shade in a rather hot week.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Greoux itself is a lovely little town for a wander so try to find time to fit this in. There are plenty of facilities at the Chateau Laval site including indoor and outdoor pools, zip-lining, boule, volleyball, tennis, horse-riding and evening activities, if you wish, too e.g. films, games. So, if you don't feel up to walking every day there is plenty to do without going far. The vast majority of the other guests at the hotel were elderly so not a place to go for raucous nightlife. Allow plenty of time for bag-drop at Gatwick and Marseille (we hadn't travelled with EasyJet previously so didn't realise how long the queues would be).

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Richard Lowry

Reviewed September 2014

Bosnia Herzegovina

A fantastic trip! I really liked the combination of several days walking alongside the opportunity to take in some culture too (Sarajevo is an amazing city). Bosnia and Herzegovina is a really beautiful country and my advice would be to go now before it is spoiled by mass tourism.

Most Inspirational Moment

It was interesting and moving to learn about and see evidence from the recent Balkan war and hear our guides talk about their experiences during this time. I enjoyed the scenic views of glacial lakes but due to poor weather conditions and terrain reaching the top of Maglic Mountain (Bosnia's highest peak) was not possible. Since I went for the challenge of such an opportunity this was disappointing. Rafting down the Neretva river.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leaders were good. They were extremely knowledgeable about their country and provided a very balanced view of its recent history. Well organised, happy to answer questions and their health and safety considerations were very good.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be well prepared for wet weather. Gaiters were a great investment. It is worth considering adding a couple of days before or after the trip to see a bit more of this beautiful city. It is worth considering adding a couple of days before or after the trip to see a bit more of Dubrovnik- I visited the city walls as well as taking the boat across to Lokrum island. It is also worth taking a ferry boat ride to the island of Lupad. I organised a day trip to Montenegro- visits to the Bay of Kotor for wonderful scenery and a good climb along the city walls of Kotor up to the fort is good if you like a challenge but be prepared to race down in time for the pick up time. Budva for wonderful beaches definitely worth visiting again for a longer stay.

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Sue Haseltine

Reviewed September 2014

Walking in Tuscany

This was a great trip! Brilliant food, fantastic guiding, beautiful walking, a lovely place to stay and fabulous mountains to explore. I didn’t realise this part of Tuscany was so mountainous and that really surprised me. The walks were gorgeous but be prepared for 600metres or more of ascent most days, sometimes more over varied, sometimes rough terrain. The wide open views at the top though are well worth the climb up!

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking across limestone pavement and reaching the summits of some incredibly beautiful mountains. There were lots of views to die for! Being fed a three course meal each night was a real treat and they looked after me brilliantly (I'm a coeliac)

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sara our group leader was simply amazing! She had a fantastic knowledge of the area and looked after us like we were her family. She always went the extra mile in every way. We all felt like we'd known her for ages. She did so much and seemed to have endless energy which was especially good when we'd run out of ours!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring comfortable stiff-soled walking boots. Walking poles are useful too, especially for the descents.

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Heather Wall

Reviewed September 2014

Everything about this tour as advertised - apart from a terrible guide

I travelled on this trip to celebrate a milestone birthday, the group comprised husband and wife with daughter in 20’s, young couple, 25 yr old Canadian backpacker and a solo male and female in their 50-60’s. Vietnam is a friendly and welcoming destination and the trip, transfer and accommodation were exactly as described. The whole experience was spoilt by our guide ‘Ha’. Who after the first couple of days became moody and disengaged, at times even bored with the group. He actively split the group at mealtimes insisting on sitting with the younger members of the group, using the excuse that four of us were vegetarian. The highlight of the trip for me was the visit to the Meekong delta and home stay, cooking over a wood fire with the family and watching the children catch fish. Our local guide was full of enthusiasm and information – excellent!! Unfortunately our own guide seemed rather jealous of the reception and warm thanks our group showed her. On day 8 as we walked through the case at the Marble mountains Ha took it Upon himself to physically mimic one of the ladies in the group who was walking a little slower that the rest of us and as we descended some steep stone steps appeared to find it amusing that we were having to take care negotiating the descent. I have a knee injury and was walking with the aid of a trekking stick. Neither of us delayed things unduly. On the journey to Danang he decided that we would stop at a local bakery for lunch. There was something of a language barrier and limited choice of choice for the non meat eaters in the group. Nobody made a fuss when he helped himself to a dumpling and left to eat it and left ignoring mine and two others request for help, meaning our half of the group was trying to explain their needs to bewildered staff. I am a seasoned traveller and traveled solo internationally on many occasions, less frequently in organised tour groups. On occasions that I have travelled with Exodus before including most recently I have had nothing but praise for staff support and trips themselves. Finally after the experience in the caves I contacted customer support from my hotel via email and was told to provide feedback after I had returned. We were only half way through the tour. In the light of this unpleasant experience it is highly unlikely that I will be travelling with Exodus again.

Most Inspirational Moment

Meekong homestay

Thoughts on Group Leader

Terrible, moody and petulant. Certainly demonstrating no empathy for members of the groups with slight mobility issues.

Advice for Potential Travellers

See my comment in the 1st section of my feedback

Reply from Exodus

We would like to thank Heather for her review, although we are very sorry that she was so disappointed with her tour leader. As we normally receive very positive feedback about our leaders in Vietnam, further to receiving Heather’s feedback our local operations manager met with the tour leader to discuss the comments raised; we are confident that further to this meeting future clients will not be equally disappointed, but we regret that Heather’s experience was not so positive.

Megan Devenish – Trip Manager for Vietnam

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Janeen Lillas

Reviewed September 2014

Essential Peru

This was a component of my 6 weeks in Peru. It was long drives in the bus but you got to see the countryside of a Peru in detail. I felt like this was explained and I was prepared however some other people found the bus travel too long.

Most Inspirational Moment

Machu Picchu was definitely a highlight. It's picturesque setting is out of thus world. It was a very awe- struck day.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Friendly and eager to please. Communication could gave been better - not everybody got the same message. We might have appreciated a little but more commentary when we were passing areas if interest because if we asked we got it and it was interesting.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring some entertainment for the long bus rides- I had IPad with movies on it and podcasts and knitting. That helped pass the time when the scenery was fairly constant.

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David Shelton

Reviewed September 2014

Great Trip

This trek has everything from fantastic views through to some hard climbs and strenuous days. However, if you can do Everest base camp and Kilimanjaro you can certainly cope with this trek although you have to respect the altitude just as with the other trips. There is a good blend of other activities (particularly Cusco) with the trek, the high point (literally) of which is getting to the top of Dead Woman’s Pass and arriving at the Sun Gate

Most Inspirational Moment

Along with some great views and the Inca ruins, including Machu Picchu, we had breakfast on top of a mountain at sunrise. The guides, porters and horsemen are inspiring in a different way because of their hard work and fantastic support for the trekkers - they were second to none.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Willfredo was an excellent guide. He had great knowledge, could tell Inca "stories" and looked after us very well. He had some difficult decisions to take (snow blocking the pass, fire on the track, road closures etc.) but always came to the right conclusion in the interests of the group. He was very personable and everyone in the group liked him very much. Bruce was an excellent assistant on the trekking part of the trip, also demonstrating good knowledge and guiding skills.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Read the trip notes so you are clear about what is going to happen and don't ignore the altitude warnings. I take Diamox and it has worked for me on 3 separate trips but the effects of altitude are random so don't treat it lightly. As the notes suggest take dollars and change to Sol as you go - you can get dollars and sol from the local cashpoints at banks. If you are not a natural camper be prepared for some cold nights (proper sleeping bags etc. are essential), but it is worth a degree of discomfort to experience this part of the world.

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Deborah Whittaker

Reviewed September 2014

Walking the Amalfi Coast. ..in steps

Really enjoyable holiday in a very friendly family run hotel with just the right amount of walking to discover the highlights of this beautiful coast, alongside a coach trip to fabulous Pompeii and a walk around the rim of Vesuvius.

Most Inspirational Moment

Realising how much life in Roman Pompeii resembles ours today.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Christine was lovely and friendly and full of interesting stories and added thoughtful touches to enhance our holiday experience.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't underestimate the number of steps. Train beforehand and take walking poles to protect your knees.

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Alison Vaughan

Reviewed September 2014

Carpathian Culture and Wildlife

A great 8 day trip, I just wish it could have been longer. We got to see 5 bears which far exceeded my expectations. A beautiful areas to walk in where time seems to have stood still. Fantastic food and accommodation.

Most Inspirational Moment

Sitting in a bear hide watching 5 bears rip a wild boar to shreds whilst a fox watched waiting for the scraps.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ugo our leader was one of the best. That's saying something after 17 trips. Very witty, full of local knowledge and he showed that he really cared about the local people.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Not much flat so put in some miles before the trip to get the most out of it.

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Christopher Cooke

Reviewed September 2014

Family Tropical Island Wonderer Sri Lanka

Such an amazing holiday from start to finish. Was an excellent opportunity for our us and our son to experience the culture of this wonderful country with like minded families.

Most Inspirational Moment

Without a doubt, it was the opportunity to bathe one of the elephants in the river. Such majestic creatures.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Wasanta was magnificent. A very knowledgeable and likeable man with a willing to please. He made things happen for the group and maintained a 'happy camp'!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

There is a lot of time spent on the coach as there is so much to see and this may be an issue for younger travellers especially. Also a few roads are very 'winding' and if you do not travel well it would be most advisable to obtain a travel sickness solution that works for you. Also invest in decent mosquito repellent - we did and did not receive 1 bite!! Be prepared for visiting the temples with appropriate clothing to cover shoulders and knees, this applies to everyone, even children, and remember not to pose in front of Buddha.

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