Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Waking up on the boat in the middle of Halong Bay. Kayaking round islands and seeing the monkeys leap from tree to tree. Learning to cook by imitation and gestures in the Mekong Delta. Walking through emerald green paddy fields, up steep hills. Sleeping on a bamboo floor in a traditional Thai longhouse. Handling a python in the snake farm. Being entertained by local dancers, and being dragged up to dance the finale. Cycling through villages on windy canal paths, with little children rushing out to shout "hello!". 

Thoughts on Group Leader

A wonderful story teller, full of interesting anecdotes and insights into Vietnam history and culture. He even got out his guitar on occasion and entertained us with some of his songs!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for lots of travel, by coach, rail, road, boat, kayak, and air. Bring earplugs and a jumper, as Vietnam can dip below 20 degrees in the evenings. Be ready for all sorts of extras not necessarily on the itinerary. Don't worry about the Cu Chi tunnels: the bit you walk through is only right at the end and easily omitted if you're claustrophobic - the rest of it is fascinating. 

Most Inspirational Moment

Meeting great new friends

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent friendly and welcoming

Most Inspirational Moment

Making it up to the summit at Tizi n Test (height 2100 m).  It was a steep climb, and of course very hard on the weekend warrior muscles, being the 2nd day of the trip...However, the real challenge was on the last cycling day, where we had to go through dirt mountainous and steep slopes.  A few of us found that walking was faster than cycling, and therefore chose the easy way.  I am glad, for myself, I had opted for this rather than the Atlas Descent (which although very exciting would have been most likely above my level).  

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alejandro was an excellent leader.  He has that particular trait that makes his clients comfortable and confident about his knowledge and expertise.  He made sure the front and rear cyclists were not separated by a long interval, through regrouping at no maximum of 22 km depending on the terrain.  This reinforces the camaderie among the participants.  His instructions for the cycling stretches were colorful, detailed and complete.   There was only one short section where anyone was lost, and even then, it got righted within a short time.  Such was the focus on safety.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for an exciting week.  My group had participants from Canada (2), Norway (2), Norway/France (1), Dutch (1), Singapore (2), and Brits (7), of which 5 were females.  Sleep early, as the ride is demanding...there is very little time to do anything else (except in the big towns such as Essaioura, and Marrakech).

Most Inspirational Moment

The unique and inspirational moment for me was going on a camel into the sahara desert.   The african camel is different from the Asian camel (a Bactrian with two humps).  I can understand why the ride was only 1 hour as it can be challenging for weekend warriors to ride it beyond that time.  Camping overnight in the desert was also an experience.  Perhaps it was the season or timing, but I was a bit disappointed that the night sky was not as clear as I expected.  I was pleasantly surprised at the mattress and blankets in the tent that made the overnight experience comfortable and pleasantly warm.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mustapha is a true professional.  As like most Exodus guides his number one priority was the safety of the participants.  I have never seen a group of travellers so particular about hygiene especially cleanliness of the hands before we put anything into our mouths.  As if washing was not enough, many of our travellers brought antibacterial handrubs.  No wonder none of us got stomach problems.   It is such a wonderful experience because in other tours in other countries I have seen travellers having bad stomach problems. I must also highlight that our driver was also a wonderful member of the dual team number.  The mountain roads were not easy to drive through, but he did it safely and effortlessly.  Such a professional.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I was informed to bring a 4 season sleeping bag.  I decided to take a chance on a 2 season one, and am glad because I had no space in my luggage for a 4 season one.  The blankets provided in the desert as well as Kasbah Olivier were very comfortable and warm.  However, I am uncertain whether for a colder period, what I did would have been right.  Just bear in mind the season you are going on.

Most Inspirational Moment

Night time in Hoi An.

Thoughts on Group Leader

A most personable Guy with a nice sense of humour. Always very helpful and interested in the group members.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We spent a few extra days either side of the 'fixed' schedule - this afforded us bird watching opportunities in National Parks which were superb. It also afforded us the opportunity to drive through some very interesting countryside.

Most Inspirational Moment

The most inspirational moment of our trip was in Costa Rica.    I'm new to cycling and wasn't in the best shape of my life.      I didn't realize my husband had booked us a moderate / challenge trip :-)        To get to the point Costa Rica has some pretty serious hills and I cycled up every single one of them !!!!   I may have been slow but I stayed on my bike and did it.     

Thoughts on Group Leader

I must say that I owe so much to our tour guide, Rob. Rob was thoughtful, encouraging, supportive, kind ..... Rob gave me the power to accomplish so much on this trip just by being there and vocalizing his words of encouragement. Telling me how impressed he was for a first timer that I was doing well and I could do it .. and cycle I did. Thank you Rob. It is because of you that this was the best trip and we found our love of cycling, so much so that it will now be an annual event for us.

Advice for Potential Travellers

My advise to potential travellors is to have fun.    Enjoy yourself and remember even though other people are there for different reasons this is your vacation.   Stop and smell the roses { so to speak }   take picture, ask questions and if need be don't be embarrased to ride the bus.    I did one day and it ended up being awesome .. I was able to take pictures of the other group members and they loved it.

Most Inspirational Moment

The remote trek through the hills to get to look down at the Treasury in Petra, and the scenery in Wadi Rum is spectacular

Thoughts on Group Leader

Khalid was our group leader, and it was because of him that the trip was so well organised and ran so smoothly. Nothing was too much trouble for him, and he posseses great knowledge of the history and culture of the region

Advice for Potential Travellers

Khalid provided food snacks, lunches and drinks while we were on the road, including unlimited water. You have to pay, but it is well worth it. The cycling is not excessive, and the coach is always close by for people that might struggle with some of the hills

Most Inspirational Moment

Snorkelling with turtles, sea lions and the most enormous shoals of dinner plate sized fish. The sea lions in particular were great fun – swimming towards you at the speed of a torpedo, you think a collision is inevitable and then at the last minute they dive underneath you. I’m sure they loved the look of panic on our faces! The turtles were completely unbothered by our presence and in some places were so plentiful you had to be careful you didn’t kick them in the face.Another memorable occasion was watching the seals at night chasing fish round the boat – the speed at which they can change direction is quite amazing.And I can’t fail to mention the famous Blue Footed Boobies – truly as stupid as their reputation.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We had two group leaders – Danny in the Amazon and Juan in the Galapagos. Both were excellent. Juan in particular was very entertaining – we knew he was a bit of a joker from the moment he pretended to mistake a rock for a giant tortoise.

Advice for Potential Travellers

AmazonDon’t expect to see much wildlife in the Amazon – there are too many trees in the way! It is an experience that I enjoyed but I was expecting to see far more than we actually did. Most exotic birds were viewed through binoculars and the giant otters proved frustratingly elusive – although another group did see them. However, gently gliding along creeks listening to the call of the howler monkeys was still special.It’s a good idea to take a small fold up bag so that you can leave some of your Galapagos clothes at the hotel when you go to the Amazon. You won’t need them in the Amazon and it will save them getting damp in the humid conditions.You will need to wear long sleeved shirts and long trousers every day in the Amazon – although the bugs weren’t annoying.GalapagosOn the boat you will be barefoot most of the time while aboard – so the only footwear you really need is a pair of walking sandals and a pair of walking shoes.They will give you a swimming towel for the week, so there is no need to take one (but a small trek towel to take ashore to brush the sand off your feet is a good idea).The water is pretty chilly, even at the ‘warm’ time of year so I found a wetsuit essential.

Most Inspirational Moment

Every day revealed some new delight, whether it be understanding the complex irrigation systems, lunching in a spot where it was impossible to avoid sitting on an orchid, watching birds of prey circling above in a clear bue sky or just enjoying a good walk in excellent company.  The Alhambra was perhaps the icing on the cake.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jeremy was a great walking companion with lots of local knowledge, real enthusiasm for the area and clear explanations of the various walks.  He paced us well and was usually able to encourage us along the final kilometre with the promise of refreshment in a local bar.  It is a great luxury to walk in stunning countryside knowing that the route has been thoroughly researched and adapted to the group's needs.He was also a massive support when the Alhambra ticket facility crashed just as we arrived to pick ours up.  The half hour it took to get re-started was frustrating but we got there in the end. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

We were lucky with the weather and had glorious sunshine all week.  Instead of the waterproofs and thermals we had thought we might want, we needed sunhats and sunblock, so be prepared for any conditions.  As others have indicated, also be prepared for it to be wet under foot - it's all down to those extensive irrigation systems.If you want to visit the Alhambra, book on line before you travel. 

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling to Dalat and up the Hai Van Pass were personal highlights as the scenery was so beautiful I did not dare stop when the going got tough as I wanted to savour the sights rather than zip through them on the bus. I can honestly say that around every corner and over the top of every hill was a sight worth seeing and savouring. One turn it might be a peaceful river scene with a little boat gently putt putting its way around, the next you might see a load of water buffalo snouts poking through the water right the way through to beautiful rainforests, the most stunning beaches and ocean views I can say I have seen anywhere in the world...to date.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Danh was great fun and had a good blend of knowledge and humour all throughout the trip. Cocktails on the sleeper train, cramming all 19 of us into a 4 man cabin on the sleeper train and the "penguins" are all good examples of his sense of humour. Always made sure that the pace of the trip was suitable for all members and gave good guidance as to what was coming up in terms of the following day and what we needed to do, where we needed to be and by when.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do train for the trip as elements of it are tough. If you are relatively fit and take your time in the granny gears you can climb anything. Read up on Vietnam as there is a lot of history that you will be ignorant to. Whatever you plan on packing, I would say halve it and then take a few less items. You will only need 2-3 set of cycling clothing and the same for the evening. As Ryan said in the review before this one, you can buy anything else very cheaply when you are out there. Take a mixture of Vietnamese Dong and US Dollars as both are useful to possess. You can change money in the hotels are decent rates without commission being charged as well.