Reviews

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

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14294 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Reviewed June 2013

CYCLE THE BALTICS

Good trip for covering 3 countries in 11 days but very disappointing to find that the terrain was extremely flat so certainly not moderate in terms of difficulty. Should be regraded to easy.

Most Inspirational Moment

Picturesque towns and cities in all 3 countries and staying at a Manor House in Estonia.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Piotr was a good leader with clear instructions. Thomas replaced Piotr for the second half of the trip so although he bonded with the group quickly some members of the group decided to do their own thing which led to a widely dispersed group which was harder to handle.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Good trip for those who like flat terrain and virtually no hills.

Reviewed June 2013

DOLOMITES, LAKE GARDA & VENICE RIDE

A great cycling holiday through some wonderful scenery with a guide who ensured you got to see everything along the way.

Most Inspirational Moment

Sailing down Lake Garda and the cycle tours of each town that we rode into each night, oh and not forgetting the group meals at some very nice restaurants that Michele picked out for us most evenings together with the evening tour of Venice, quite magical.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Michele was an excellent group leader, friendly, loved Italy (understandably as he was Italian) and basically couldn't do enough for everyone on the trip. You certainly saw many things that a self guided traveller wouldn't have noticed.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This ride was rated moderate and that was about right for anyone who likes weekend road and trail riding. The pace was a little brisk at times but the cycleways were mainly flat so it wasn't a problem. Also the whilst the rental bikes at first sight looked a little stade, you soon discovered that they were well built and rolled extremely well. A great week's cycling.

Reviewed June 2013

CYCLE THE BACKROADS OF SRI LANKA

A truly amazing holiday, book yourself a place now! This was my first group trip, and I couldn’t recommend the experience highly enough. Sri Lanka is a stunning country, with a very friendly people. The itinerary was well balanced, with a bit of something for all tastes. Beautiful landscapes, history and culture, tasty food, wildlife as well as seeing the daily life of the Sri Lankans and much more besides. All this with some exhilarating riding, great challenges and even better company.

Most Inspirational Moment

It might not be an original choice, but cycling all the way to the top on the hardest day. I'm not an experienced cyclist at all, and before the holiday started I thought I'd be on the train for sure. Then I thought I would have a go, but expected to have to bus it at least a bit. Getting to the top unassisted was a very proud moment for me, and I'd advise anyone going on this trip to give it a go, the scenery is breath-taking, the sense of achievement is great and on the way up our final tea stop gave us the best cuppa I've had in my life!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Suresh was an amazing leader. This was my first group holiday, and when I go on another the leader will have a lot to live up to after Suresh and the gang. He worked flat out to make it an amazing holiday for everyone. He also went above and beyond the call of duty to help me out when I lost some stuff. The tour was well planned and went of without a hitch! He was also clearly very knowledgeable about his country, being somewhat interested in history and culture I asked him a lot of questions, he didn’t even hesitate once in answering. As well as being an efficient and effective tour leader he's just a really nice guy, and genuinely interested in getting to know the group.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you take both a gel seat for your bike and padded shorts. Some of Sri Lanka's roads are a bit bumpy, and you will be happy with your investment! Take some high factor sun cream and make sure you use it frequently, it’s a powerful sun in Sri Lanka, and you can forget it when cycling ( especially when going downhill) It can be a bit tough at times, if you have a bit of a gap between booking and your trip I’d suggest you do a bit of training. That said it’s not a race, but the fitter you are the less time you will spend on the bus, and the more time you’ll be enjoying Sri Lanka by bike. We had brought some snacks with us, but I wouldn't bother as we were so well provided for, and I had most of them left at the end of the trip. We got fed at a lot of the tea stops, and you will not go hungry at main meals either. Make sure you do maximum damage at buffets as the curry is delicious. If you go to visit the temple of the Tooth on your free day in Kandy, remember to wear trousers ( or at least long shorts past the knee), it completely slipped our mind ( though we had been made aware of it to be fair) and we ended up in some rather lovely flowery sarongs. Sri Lankan airlines is fairly basic when it comes to the inflight entertainment, so take a book or mp3 with you for that. The hardest part of the hard day was before lunch, so push through!

Reviewed June 2013

MONT BLANC HIGHLIGHTS

Great walking. Fantastic scenery. Delicious food. Wonderful company. What’s not to like

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking through beautiful alpine meadows with the abundance of flowers, with the sun on our backs and the mountains all around.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ian was a fantastic leader. He shares his knowledge and love of the area with enthusiasm.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go. Its a great holiday.

Reviewed June 2013

GALAPAGOS & AMAZON

A fantastic two and half weeks. The organisation of all the guides was superb, excellent food through out the holiday and the wildlife sightseeing in both the Amazonian rainforest and on and around the Galapagos Islands was sensational.

Most Inspirational Moment

The mini-bus having to stop and then squeeze past a giant tortoise on the track road on our first tour on Santa Cruz.Snorkelling with sea lions swimming close by, and having to "make way" for a large turtle as it ascended to the surface for air, I was floating directly above the turtle looking down while it was feeding.Walking past sea lions basking on beaches, and laying down beside them (not too near!!) to have the customary tourist photograph taken.Diving off the Cachalote yacht into the Pacific Ocean.

Thoughts on Group Leader

All the leaders were superb. Juan (Galapagos islands) was very good and attentive to detail and very informative about the wild life. Jairo (Napa Wildlife Lodge) was also very good, friendly and outgoing, helpful and knowledgeble.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take waterproof camera for snorkelling. Take more cash than you think you might need, especially if you wish to tip the guides, boat crew and other leaders through out the hoilday. Used ATM once to withdraw additional dollars without any problem, took the precuation of using an ATM within a building (e.g. inside The Raddisson Hotel).Pack lightly and with luggage that can be folded for the yacht cruise. Storage space is limited, the Exodus holdalls are superb for this job and you can pack these in a larger bag so you can split luggage and leave some in the hotel in Quito.

Reviewed June 2013

ESSENTIAL PERU

From start to finish this is a full on adventure – constantly on the go but seeing so much as a consequence. Stunning scenery and very friendly people.

Most Inspirational Moment

Climbing up to Machu Picchu and the view from the guard house. Awesome!

Thoughts on Group Leader

We were so lucky as we had a wonderful Peruvian guide called Fabricio who encouraged us to participate fully in everything and Roz from Bath Travel who was so very helpful and supportive.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go with an open mind and be prepared to try anything - also pack for very cold conditions as well as warm - the air in the mountains is extremely chilly. Take immodium and paracetamol in case of problems - we all had a day not feeling too well.

Reviewed June 2013

HIDDEN TREASURES OF JORDAN

A really good holiday in a fantastic country with some amazing ancient sites, Jerash and Petra being absoutely stunning. Good country, great companions, a passionate guide, and with a few tweaks to the itinerary, could be an amazing adventure for anyone with an interest in archaeology and biblical history.

Most Inspirational Moment

Petra was just awe inspiring. Spending two days there was fantastic as you got to go off the tourist trail to some of the less well visited parts of the site. However, the most inspiring aspect, was not seeing the Treasury for the first time, but getting up the climb to see the Monastery at the top, which I think is equally stunning, and with fewer people.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Zuhair was very passionate about his country and people which was great. He really made an effort to improve the itinerary from the base itineray from Exodus, including a trip to the see the new National Museum of Jordan, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are now located, a trip to see tha Baptism Site on the banks of the River Jordan, and a night in the camp in Wadi Rum, rather than a quick drive by. I think these certainly added to my enjoyment of the tour. The only downside was that he did abandon us when not on the tour, so we had to sort out our own evening entertainment.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Definitely take your own guide book as you will find yourself having to find your own locations for eating in the evening in Amman, the hotel is nice, but just a typical Westernised hotel quite far out from town. It will also help with some of the background to the larger archaeological sites like Jerash and Petra. Check the itinerary before you go as well, the extra trips our guide had arranged really made a difference to the tour, i.e the National Museum of Jordan to see the new location for the Dead Sea Scrolls, the baptism site on the River Jordan and the extra night in the desert, rather than 3 nights in the Petra Hotel.Be prepared for a bit of walking in Petra, it is not recommended to use the horses, camels or mules as the owners can be quite aggressive when it comes to payment, walking is certainly manageable as long as you have a reasonable level of fitness.When changing money, don't be palmed off with an 50 notes. Nobody in Jordan seems to have any change, even in the Amman hotel, amazingly. Aqaba is seriously hot, (well in June anyway). It was almost unbearable and felt about 10 degrees hotter than anywhere else in Jordan. Also you won't be able to to go on the snorkelling boat trip unless there are enough of you on the trip, we didn't have enough so a few people had to make do with snorkelling off one of the private beaches.

Reviewed June 2013

MT TOUBKAL CLIMB

Much tougher than I’d anticipated and didn’t enjoy it hugely. However, I’m sure others on the same trek would be of very different opinion to me. I’m 68, reasonably fit but found this tougher & less enjoyable than the treks I did to Annapurna Base Camp & Kala Pattar a few years ago (in spite of the fact that the latter was 1,000m higher than Toubkal).

Most Inspirational Moment

Inspirational? Well getting to the summit was an achievement but, IMHO, not hugely enjoyable in view of the terrain one has to trek through to get there. But I did enjoy getting back to Marrakesh and having a wonderful fresh orange juice with ice cream in a cafe overlooking Jamaa el Fna!

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was OK and I think he was looking after our safety which is the main concern. Eg, when we descended from Mnt Toubkal, we were in 3 groups & he stayed with our slowest group & ensured we avoided the snow fields we'd been through on the ascent. But at other times he was very much at the front, practically out of sight and there was no back-marker as I've experienced on other treks. It was up to the group itself to ensure that slower members were accompanied. To be fair, at the start, there was one of the muleteers at the rear but latterly he had to go ahead carrying one of our number who'd suffered a sprained ankle.Our guide was also very kind in taking us to see his home & meet his children, and drink wonderful mint tea!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't underestimate how difficult it is, the Trip Notes (IMHO) are too brief & just don't give the necessary detail, principally that probably most of trek is over lose stones or scree & quite difficult to walk on, requiring a lot of concentration. And the ascent of Mnt Toubkal includes quite a bit of clambering over boulders.Also I was somewhat concerned that we depended on bottled water - I'd taken purification tablets but there's no opportunity to get boiled water & add the tablets. At Toubkal base camp, the only source of bottled water is from the refuge which necessitates scrambling down to a stream & up the other side. I wouldn't have thought that there are any recycling facilities for the bottles.I took an additional mattress but not necessary. Tents were OK although one of them had to be abandoned on the first evening as one of the zips had burst. Be prepared for VERY basic toilet arrangements. Our group didn't really suffer from altitude sickness but it is a tough acclimatisation in just 3 days before you tackle Mnt Toubkal.Also, compared to the treks I'd done in the Himalaya, I didn't find the scenery all that great - it's very arid, dry, stony; but then that was what I expected.

Reviewed June 2013

CYCLE CILENTO & AMALFI COAST

Firstly, the bikes that we had for our week along the Amalfi coast were first class. The whole group appreciated this, especially the lady who had hired an electric bike.It was a lovely bonus to have a pool at all but the last hotel, with our first view of the coastline from the hotel balcony absoutely stunning. The guide was very knowledgeable and kept the group together, showing us hidden gems within the areas.And we couldn’t have ordered better weather!!!

Most Inspirational Moment

Realising that I'd got to the top of the hardest hill of the week without thinking about it!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Paulo was quite reserved in talking about himself but, as a leader of a group, he was excellent in sharing his local knowledge and keeping the group together. He could, I suppose, have circled round to the back of the group more rather than always riding out front, to make sure all of the group got maximum enjoyment from the trip.On the last free day on the trip, Paulo even took a group of us walking in the forests behind Amalfi which was beautiful and which we wouldn't have found without him

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is not a trip for those who only cycle down to the shops at home a couple of times a week - the hills are challenging and you've got to want to conquer them rather than being annoyed by their being there. A couple of people on the trip only cycled the first day and then took up the whole of the possible recovery space for cyclists in the support vehicle

Reviewed June 2013

CYCLING THE DALMATIAN COAST

This was a really good trip with a nice balance of cycling and sight seeing. The islands were the high point with some simply beautiful scenery and unspoilt towns and countryside.

Most Inspirational Moment

The towns of Hvar and Korcula.We had two meals at small, family run restaurants which were some of the best on the trip.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Bojan was a good tour leader, he was well organised and compentent. Some more details on the local history and things to look out for on the rides would have been nice but he was very proficient and we felt well cared for.Boris needs a new van though, preferably one with air conditioning as some of the transfers were a bit uncomfortable, especially with 16 hot cyclists and lots of bags, cycle hats, rucksacks etc!

Advice for Potential Travellers

The cycling is not too challenging and the longer days are broken up with lots of stops. The hills are steady climbs and the views from the top are well worth it, as are the downhill sections!!I would also recommend buying your own water if you have a senstive digestive system. The bottled water provided by the tour leader ran out on day three and was then replaced with tap water.

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