Reviews

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

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14253 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Reviewed December 2012

A TASTE OF CUBA

From the first moment we all met our wonderful local guide Rayselis, she very much stressed we would ‘taste’ Cuba with all our senses – and we did! We packed in so many experiences and sensations into just 8 days it was fantastic! I felt the trip absolutely made the most of every minute and it was a sensational trip – literally! We danced, we drank rum, we smoked cigars, we savoured all the charms of Cuba! Great trip and highly recommended, very well planned.

Most Inspirational Moment

So many great and inspirational moments. Old Havana is fabulous and we all loved the wonderful colonial hotel we stayed in for the last 2 nights in Havana Vieja. I loved the salsa class on the first day - leave your inhibitions at the door! I just felt it set me up for the whole week and I was able to dance with local Cubans at different venues for the rest of the week! Including with our wonderful driver Andres!The beautiful pastel painted colonial towns of Trinidad and Cienfuegos were lovely to visit. And I loved the day out in the countryside of western Cuba on the last day - Vinales, where we visited rum and cigar factories and a farm.I opted to do a catamaran day trip in Trinidad (optional) and had a fantastic time - snorkeling, relaxing on the desert island we ended up on, paella cooked up by the boat crew, stroking tame iguanas, rum and coke flowing all day. It was fantastic and a real highlight for me.There was also the dinner out in Trinidad arranged by our guide where we were taken in classic cars to a fantastic resataurant in the countryside where I had the most delicious lobster ever! Another huge highlight was dancing at the Buena Vista Social Club in Old Havana on the last night. And getting our photos with the band afterwards!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rayselis (Rai) was amazing - she had abundant energy and incredible knowledge of Cuban history, culture, music, everything. She was fabulous! She kept us dancing the whole 8 days!Cuba is complex in tems of where to go to get the best food - she certainly excelled on that throughout, taking us to (or suggesting) incredible restaurants where we could have lobster, fish, or the best of local food. She took us to an incredible place on the last day in Vinales where we paid about £9 a head for this absolute feast - lobster, snapper, chicken, pork, black beans, rice. Totally Cuban food in a country setting - it was amazing.All in all, she was an excellent guide - she just made the whole trip so enjoyable throughout. I'd also say that our driver Andres was exceptional - Cuban roads are not great but he such a safe driver and most charming as well.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take sterling cash and change plenty at Havana Airport (good rates there) because you don't get another chance to change at good rates until day 4/5 in Trinidad. Our guide when we were met at Havana airport helpfully told us to change at least £150 per person and I agree that was a sensible amount to change at that point. Be nicely patient at Havana airport - they are pretty slow at immigration....In fact really really slow! Prices are OK but don't expect mega cheap. Mojitos about £2. Lobster meal maybe £10. People in Cuba ask foreigners for soap and toiletries - bring some from home or stash the ones you get in the hotels and then give them out to locals, they appreciate it.Having a few words of Spanish goes a long way.

Reviewed December 2012

VIETNAM ADVENTURE

An amazing holiday from start to finish. The only negative is that we had to come home!

Most Inspirational Moment

Meeting such lovely people in Vietnam, an amazing country. Staying in the home stay was a high light and the locals seem to want to share part of their lives with us.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Tuyen-Vu was fantastic. Our group of 15 - aged between 30-75 all had different needs but he managed to look after us all and make sure we all had a great holiday. His knowledge was amazing and his social skills with organising taxi's, meals and cyclo tours second to none. Anyone who has Tuyen as their group leader are in for a great adventure.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Book yourself on the next trip and discover what Vietnam has to offer! If you book flights via Exodus request seats together, while they can't guarantee you will sit together it did work on all our long haul flights.Go with the flow - while we did stick to the trip notes a majority of the time sometimes opportunities come up that you have to grab.Take both Vietnam Dong and US Dollars- While at bigger stores, restaurants and the tour guide accept dollars some smaller places only prefer to take local currency. Don't always assume restaurants take debit/credit cards, they don't.

Reviewed December 2012

CYCLING THROUGH RAJASTHAN

The trip was well organised the team leader was good, the support good, it would have been hard to ask more of the five people we had looking after the ten of us in the group.

Most Inspirational Moment

It inspired us all.

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was good and most helpful

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't eat the meat or chicken!!

Reviewed December 2012

DISCOVER NAMIBIA

An excellent trip providing a snapshot of all the wonderful things Namibia has to offer. My expectations were exceeded on a daily basis and I ran out of words to describe the wonderful places, people and animals that were all part of this holiday.

Most Inspirational Moment

Sitting by the waterhole in Etosha and watching a zebra family cautiously make their way round and in to drink; finding one lone elephant having a drink, only for him to be joined by the rest of his family, some giraffes, hyenas, jackals and warthogs; sitting by Sesriem Canyon and watching baboon families on the other side watching us as the sun went down; walking through the dunes to Deadvlei surrounded by the wonderful desert scenery to name just a few!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ronney was very pleasant and helpful and knowledgeable about his country. He worked hard to make sure we got the most out of our holiday. The teamwork displayed by Ronney, Sam and Jonas was exemplary. They were so efficient setting up camp in the evening and striking camp in the morning while we just relaxed! A special mention must go to Jonas' excellent cooking!

Advice for Potential Travellers

November in the desert is seriously hot - even at night! On the last day the market at Okahanja is not the nicest - there is serious pressure to buy and the stalls all seem controlled by one company so you do not feel that your money is going to the community. Check with your guides but depending on flight times you may have free time in Windhoek later that day. There is a community craft market in the centre of Windhoek which is a much more pleasant experience so if you know you will have time there just have a coffee in Okahanja and leave the shopping to Windhoek (the coffee shop in Okahanja served great coffee and cake!).

Reviewed December 2012

CUBAN HIGHLIGHTS RIDE

A thoroughly enjoyable holiday. Rated as moderate, the cycling was broken down into comfortable sections, with coffee and lunch breaks – closely followed by the bus, mechanic and leader to ensure everyone kept together. The group worked really well with a mixture of couples, singles and mother and son helped by plenty of cocktails! Cuba is a great country to go to and their beaches are fab ! Several opportunities to party and listen to live music if you want to. Would definatly return.

Most Inspirational Moment

Last days cycling was really tough, lots of hills, so a great acheivement to make it without getting a lift!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Group leader was extremely friendly and approachable. She really went out of her way to help, going to bed at 4am when we were being interviewed by the police over my stolen phone!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Tips would be to take toilet roll, sterling only cash,( which you can change at the hotel) immodium, your own water bottle & crash helmet a small day pack for camera whilst cycling and wet wipes. Take lots of suncream as its very expensive over there. There really aren't shops (other than the hotels), so take everything you need. Security of property take note, I did have my phone stolen from my locked bedroom, another guest had their trainers stolen from the poolside, and a camera aquired from a handbag whilst clubbing......

Reviewed December 2012

WILDLIFE & WILDERNESS OF BOTSWANA

A wonderful two weeks exploring the best of Botswana's wildlife and wilderness. Anything but bland, we had some truly memorable experiences with lovely sunsets, but the holiday was best summed up when our group leader asked our group of nine for their favourite moment and received 9 different responses before we came full circle and gave some more.

Most Inspirational Moment

Too many for a number 1 choice but the following were equally brilliant: Wild Camping - sleeping in the wild with elephants, hyena, honey badgers and others visiting the camp during day and night. We were well looked after by the crew and there were some very close encounters.Wildlife galore - the sheer scale of what we saw and some brilliant encounters. Highlights included seeing 3 leopards and spending 25 minutes with 2 of them barely 10 metres away - great tracking from Kenny to get us there and to know the leopards would move towards an extra special photo opportunity location. Seeing a very fearsome pride of 7 lions on several occasions and quite miracously seeing three different packs of wild dogs on 3 separate game drives. A huge number of antelope (some rare) and herbivores too (including a stampede of 60 plus buffalo just 2 minute walk from our Livingstone campsite - just as well we didn't walk).The River Cruise at Chobe which is the best 200 pula you can spend - a great guide gave us a very different perspective of the wildlife from the water with some close up encounters. This is the best chance to see crocodile and rarer forms of antelope. Walking safaris - a brilliant time walking amongst the wildlife and opportunities to observe the animals from safe but very close distances. led by a very keen, enthusiastic and knowledgable group of young locals, they kept us safe from an elephant charge when the wind changed direction suddenly. Also provided local entertainment with genuine relish and fun.Victoria Falls - spectacular viewings from the Zimbabwe side and a great variety of fun activities. The microflight is not for the faint hearted but provides a wondeful bird's eye view of the Falls.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sam was excellent, very well organised who kindly took time off his free day to make sure we got through Zimbabwean immigration without any trouble. The trip ran very smoothly, he was an excellent cook (certainly nothing bland with his cooking) and got us through every immigration point easily. Also gave very good advice on seeing the Falls from Zimbabwe. Kenny our tracker was a brilliant wildlife guide who manoeuvered us into position for some truly brillinat sightings and photo opportunity. Joseph and Brude were very friendly and extremely efficient with all of the camp chores.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just go! This trip has a terrific itiniery with excellent staff and is the best value trip for Botswana I have seen.October is extremely hot but you just have to rememeber that it is one of the best months for spotting wildlife, particularly big cats.Take Sam's advice and see the Falls from the Zimbabwean side if going in British autumn.

Reviewed December 2012

THE TROPICAL SOUTH

The trip was made by the excellence of our guide, Aijht was interesting, knew his subject very well and fun to be with. He made the difference between a good holiday and an excellent one. The other members of the trip, a great crowd, felt the same.

Most Inspirational Moment

I think the overnight stay on the houseboat is an experience never to be forgotten. The magic of the rivers , our own cook , having drinks sitting on the deck. A once in a lifetime moment.

Thoughts on Group Leader

PLease see above. I cannot speak to highly of our guide leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We went totally vegatarian while on our trip, my wife a doctor, advised it. It was sound advise we had no problems whatsoever.

Reviewed December 2012

SIERRA DE AITANA TREK

Challenging trip just as trip notes said!!! good value for money eatable mealsthe sun shone no rain just as the brochure suggested interesting lively guide

Most Inspirational Moment

reaching the top after a push and a shove to go from the dark side to the flat light side of the peak!!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jose was funny sweet and lots of fun my did he walk FAST A very good sandwichmaker he even pleased the vegetarian of the group when i was cold in one of the stops hotel he made sure the heating was on for me and got me blankets

Advice for Potential Travellers

Get fit lose weight be prepared for challenging uphill walking

Reviewed December 2012

GALAPAGOS & AMAZON

A very full holiday that combined the museums and architecture of colonial Quito with an extraordinary variety of wildlife and habitat.

Most Inspirational Moment

watching the giant otters in the Anangu creek, and snorkelling in the 'turtle garden' at Fernandina Island.

Thoughts on Group Leader

All good. The leader in Napo (the Amazon basin) was outstanding. The leader in Quito was a mine of interesting local chat on political and social subjects.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The schedule is focussed on the Amazon basin and the Galapagos, but Quito itself is also a treat. It has a charming colonial old town, some wonderfully over-decorated baroque churches, as well as some good museums (the Museo Casa del Alabado is not the most famous, but should not be overlooked). The local guide organised a morning tour of Quito, which was good, but is very brief. Bear in mind that Quito is high (>2,800 m, and >4,000 m at the top of the cable car), so take it easy and allow a day or two extra. Get up early to visit; the best weather seems to last no more than the morning. Rain and thunderstorms punctuated every afternoon. It is also worth considering the optional excursion to the cloud forest, if only for the variety of humming birds, although there is much more to be seen - provided it is not too cloudy. This is normally a day tour, and slightly unsatisfactory as it is a 2.5 h drive each way, and one arrives too late for the best of the weather and the bird-spotting. One couple solved this by arranging to spend the night there in the interval between the Napo valley and the Galapagos. A number of us thought that Exodus is missing a trick by not offering this as an extra.

Reviewed December 2012

PETRA & WADI RUM BY BIKE

I had to use my annual leave by the end of the year, I’d always wanted to read a paper in the Dead Sea and to see Petra and I don’t like sitting still – so a week biking round Jordan sounded promising – and it was. It lived up to and indeed beyond my expectations.

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching 40 mph on my bike on one of the (many) down hill stretches.

Thoughts on Group Leader

A one off - conscientious, caring and thorough and with more stories about Jordan, donkeys, polygamy and prophets than I'd dreamed of.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go.

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