Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

During the day of husky-sledding, warming up on a fire in the forest while it was snowing.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Teddy was amazing! Great ambassador for Finnland and Exodus.

Most Inspirational Moment

Where do i begin? There were so many. Iceland is a fantastic place - stunning views of snow covered volcanoes; black sand beaches covered with 'diamonds' of  ice decorating the shore and waves crashing in over the Icebergs in the sea; lichen covered fields of lava that seem to go on forever; waterfalls that take your breath away; a truly stunning iceberg lagoon that i could have spent the whole day watching and a walk on a glacier - something i never thought i would experience.Of course the one big reason for going is to see the Northern Lights and i wasn't disappointed. To see them dancing across the sky is a view i will never forget - even if my own photos of the event didn't turn out too well.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Petur was brilliant and really made us all feel so welcome to a country that he obviously loves. His ' No Stress Bus' was well stocked with great snacks to keep us going on our trip in the south of the island. He helped make the trip so special.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take plenty of warm clothing and layer up to keep the chill out. Iceland can have all seasons in an hour let alone a day so be prepared. You'll need warm gloves for Northern Light watching unless you have ones that you can use your camera with. A good hat that will cover your ears is also very useful.I took both good walking boots for the day and insulated snow boots for the evening when you are standing around and not generating too much heat. One thing i would recommend is if you are a photographer make sure you know exactly how to set up your camera for taking photos at night. There are some good YouTube videos that might help. It's an experience that you won't want to miss and being prepared will make sure you see the lights with your own eyes and not just through the lense of a camera all the time. 

Most Inspirational Moment

I had a number of inspirational moments but I would like to mention the overall warmth and sense of humour of the people and how I always felt welcomed.  I particulary enjoyed the walk to and stay in Kasbah Oliver.  Being able to participate in their community program was very rewarding and the information provided by Mustapha about village life was greatly appreciated.  Of course, the camel trek throught the dessert in a sandstorm was highly memorable as well.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mustapha is a highly knowledgable and professional leader.  Without hesitation he was able to accommodate the group and their needs.  His choice in local guides was also superior and they too added significantly to the overall experience.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The temperature was a bit cooler than what I expected, so bring layers.  I did manage with only a sleeping bag liner as blankets were provided.  To avoid disappointment or discomfort if you have special dietary needs, you may want to consider taking your own supply of food.  Although Mustapha worked hard to ensure everyone's dietary needs were taken care of, I am sure that in remote areas this, by no means, was easy.   Thank you Mustapha for going that extra mile!The choice of restaurants were at a higher cost that what I expected, so when budgeting, take into consideration that although you are staying in basic accommodation, you may not be eating in basic restaurants.

Most Inspirational Moment

Great views across the Sierra to the coast.Wonderful Spanish home cooking at Benimantell. 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Good fun, very knowledgable and clearly a local celebrity.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It might just about be a B/C grade, but it's pretty close to a C; there are a couple of longer days, there's the odd short scrambly bit and sometimes because the area is so rarely walked the trail is a bit rough. The trip notes describe the walks very accurately, so read those rather than just go by the grade. This is all good, but it's best to know what to expect. April and May departures are likely to be pretty warm, although there was always a breeze up on the ridges.

Most Inspirational Moment

arriving at the Sun gate taking in our first view of the Macchu Pichu site. The leaders well prepared us for this and ensured we arrived in good time to enjoy the mid afternoon sunny clear panoramic views . The third night's campsite will be remembered for ever as the constantly changing views due to the clouds movements were spectacular .

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent as he had everyone's wants at heart, particularly the lost luggage on the day of arrival at Cusco? He was also very concerned at Our miss management of our supposedly booked extra days in Cusco.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I never use walking sticks but my advice would be to take them as the ascents can be long and steep, so to the descents however, the scenery is breathtaking. In Cusco take the open top bus tour as it really takes you on a grand tour of the centre and the Christ statue , the views are stunning.

Most Inspirational Moment

It has to be the scenery;  because you travel slowly and for such long distances you really can immerse yourself in the beauty of it all.  The evening chants at the monestary in Kalimpong was fantasic don't miss it. The guest house in Gangtok was charming. Darjeeling and Gangtok were bustling. lively towns with a great atmosphereHot stone bath in Bhutan and the wild spring flowers 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our Indian guide was absolutely fantastic, he was really good fun, highly experienced and incredibly good at bringing the group together. Lovely person we could not have wished for anyone better.The Bhutanese guide was more formal and quieter, he had a gentle manner and was very pleasant.

Advice for Potential Travellers

pack for cold weather some of the nights were really cold       don't take travellers cheques and pack lots of warm layers you will need them especially at night.     

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking around the Drakensbergs .  And finally getting that last wheel nut off !!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rob was a good leader, did everything for us, drove, put up the tents and cooked.  Never seen a harder working leader. Rob loved his birdlife and not just the feathered varity. There was this Polish girl who wore the shortest of shorts and tightest of tops. It was funny listening for them to go from room to room & tent to tent.But, he spent most of his time with her and didn't give us his full attention.Tsepo was a great driver and a nice bloke.  Had a lot of fun with him.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Spend more time after the trip in Cape Town.

Most Inspirational Moment

To have had the priviledge to stay at Everest Base Camp for 2 nights alongside the Indian Expedition Team - ArunTreks.  This memory will stay with me and my husband for the rest of our lives and there is no doubt, that no matter how much you try and explain to someone what this experience was like, unless they had actually been there, they will never understand.  None of my photos highlight the actual size and depth of this place.  The Khumba Ice Fall - magic!Gokyo Ri - stunning.  A very beautiful area and am so pleased that we decided to do this particular trip rather than just Everest Base Camp visit. Fantastic!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Lakpa - what an absolute star!  I could not have done this trip without him.  I was ill on a couple of occasions and he was there to sort me out on each.  He was kind, thoughtful and had a wonderful sense of humour.  His knowledge of the area is absolutely outstanding.I feel I owe him so much - This man deserves a medal!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Ensure you are prepared for the cold.  It was -25 at Base Camp and in a tent, you need to be prepared.  We took our own sleeping bags which went down to -22 but these bags were in no way any comparison against the Exodus sleeping bags you can hire - we had these on a previous holiday and I sure wish we had them on this one!You do have to have mental stamina.  We had 4 hard climbs on the trot - Gokyo Ri, Cho La Pass, Kala Patthar and then Everest Base Camp.  If you are not feeling well, you need mentally to have the strength to carry on.  Having a good leader like we did, is a huge bonus also.

Most Inspirational Moment

Well seeing wild tigers is the only thing I can say here, truly amazing experience, gives me goosebumps thinking about it! The Rickshaw ride was really good fun as was the Tuc Tuc ride too. Seeing the Taj Mahal was brilliant.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Harish was a rather lovely tour leader, smiley, funny, made everything go smoothly, looked after us and got us medicine when required. Worked really hard making sure we were all having the best trip we could, he worked so hard behind the scenes. Nothing was too much trouble, he always kept us informed of the next days goings on etc. brilliant I would say and we were lucky to have him as our tour leader. Fact !

Advice for Potential Travellers

The game drives are so dusty so take something to cover your face when needed. After the game drives our hair was full of dust but we didnt care it was all fun ! The food is really good and if you are careful you can avoid Delhi belly like I did. Everyday up really early and you don't really catch up on the sleep but its an adventure so enjoy it all. The sun is hotter than hot, almost unbearable at times, a good hat with uv protection is best. Take some pens and pencils etc for the children at the school, I took a fair bit and they loved them all. Take plenty mosquito spray I took 2 and used it all, ants in the room here and there but that's to be expected when you're next to the forest, soon got rid of them though. Take a few snacks for in between meals, I took cereal bars and was glad of them. The overnight train was better than I expected and it went quite quickly, it was clean and tidy.

Most Inspirational Moment

I found the people of Sri Lanka the most inspiring part of this holiday. From the small children who are clearly so excited to see you riding through their village, to the people encouraging you along the way, to the kindness and friendliness of all the people we met where we stayed I would say the Sri Lankans really made this holiday for me. By far the friendliest people of all the countries I've been too. Considering such a violent recent history I found it a very humbling experience.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Suresh and his team were - quite simpy - fantastic. None of the group had to think for the whole time we were there. You woke up, ate, went outside and your bike was all ready and waiting for you. Food and water were just around the corner. Between them they made sure we were all cared for during the cycling from the moment we left to our arrival at the next hotel. At every junction someone would be there directing you and stopping the traffic if necessary. They also arranged regular breaks - often ready waiting with drinks, biscuits and fruit. If you're worried about the logistics of a cycling holiday - don't be - they couldn't make it easier.I've been on a few group holidays now and Suresh is definitely the best leader of all those holidays. His love for his country is very clear and that was fantastic to see as we went to different places. He was also very good at making sure people were aware of what the cycle was going to be like - i.e. the state of the roads (generally very good), sections that would be difficult, the heat of the day - and most importantly what the hotel pool would be like at the end! His patience as 16 people each asked the same question time and time again was admirable...

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you're wondering whether you can do the cycling my advice would be - if you're of a good fitness level and you can take the heat then you will be fine. I haven't cycled much since I was a teenager so more than fifteen years ago and I managed to complete all the cycling on this holiday - even up to Nuwara Eliya. I go to the gym about 3 times a week so I am quite fit despite the lack of cycling experience. But it's definitely not a holiday where you can just wing it. The heat gets to you (often 35C), the distances are long, and the country is hilly. Different people find different things difficult but I would say the hardest part for me was (some of) the roads which were quite rough in places (but on the whole were excellent). And the van is always there to pick you up if you need a break.  On a practical level I would say - take more cycling gear than you think necessary and lots of handwash. Invest in a good gel seat and shorts with very good padding. You do get sore but as long as you have the gear you'll be fine. I didn't have as much as I could've taken but it was fine but if I was to do this holiday again I would make sure I had more changes of clothing for cycling as the heat means you sweat a lot. I would also make sure that what you take is 'very active' wear. Take factor 50 and don't do what I did and buy cycling gloves with holes on the back of the hand - that part of your body will burn (badly)