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.

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14242 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Reviewed July 2012

MONT BLANC HIGHLIGHTS

the best walking trip i have been on….great hosts in oliver and elaine…spectacular scenery and views…

Most Inspirational Moment

i took the cable car up the aguille du midi on my day off and the views of the distant mountains and the surrounding peaks were pretty spectacular.

Thoughts on Group Leader

oliver was a great guy,very experienced leader and good fun....he was very happy to help and answer any questions about anything at all....he put no pressure on anybody and maintained a pace which all group members were happy with .

Advice for Potential Travellers

take warm and wet weather clothing at all times when walking as the weather can change at the drop of a hat.

Reviewed July 2012

MONT BLANC HIGHLIGHTS

I had never been to walk in the Alps before and had never been on a walking holiday of this sort, so decided to go with Exodus. The whole experience was excellent, from the chalet where we were based, to the area as a whole and the walking in particular.

Most Inspirational Moment

The most inspirational moments seemed to go on and on. The views on all the walks, with the exception of one when the weather closed down, were superb. Mont Blanc was almost always on view, but closer in the flowers on the meadows and the occasional wildlife, such as marmots, were a treat, especially in June.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Oliver, our group leader, was highly experienced and this was obvious from the moment he led us up the first ascent. He was assessing the capability of all 15 of us so that he could set the right pace and balance the walking with rest stops. As we got fitter during the week, the pace increased slightly and the walks became slightly tougher, but this was very much in accordance with the trip notes. Oliver has a great sense of humour and a wealth of jokes which I much enjoyed. They made the whole experience great fun. He was also very careful, where necessary, to explain the safest way to walk across ice and snow and to show how to minimise the risk of a fall. This was kept in proportion and it did not become a health and safety show. He also insisted that we keep ourselves well hydrated, which was necessary as we experienced some of the hottest weather of the year. Oliver has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the plants and flowers that we encountered which were in profusion at the end of June. Oliver has a small fox terrier, by the name of Dylan, who accompanied us on 3 walks. He is a great character whose company we all enjoyed and who became quite a mascot of the group.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Enjoy this tour. It is a great introduction to the Mont Blanc area and Oliver will show you all the best bits of the Tour de Mont Blanc. You need to be of average fitness, but the walks were never of any great distance (perhaps 9 miles), but some longish ascents are included. If you like walking in amazing scenery, you will find this tour excellent value for money.

Reviewed July 2012

MONT BLANC HIGHLIGHTS

A fabulous trip, excellent walking, great guide and stunning scenary

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many great sights and amazing views of the mountains throughout the trip.Seeing the mountains while standing between Switzerland and France on the first walking day while watching the Mont Blanc Marathoners struggle up the path. Looking at the mountains in a field of alpine flowers in the blazing sunshine.Sitting in the Bonatti refuge at over 2000 metres eating pear and chocolate tart, drinking expresso while looking at the most inspirational mountain scenary. Seeing a Golden eagle and a Marmot.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Olivers excellent leadership meant I could be in terrain which I could not hope to have managed alone. His unique sense of humour and respectful approach to the mountains, other walkers, the mountain refuge owners and to the group made the trip very special. He has an amazing knowledge of Alpine flowers and the local landscape which also enhanced my enjoyment of the walks. There were one or two people on the trip who were better suited to a grade C holiday who were frustrated at the grade B pace of the trip but I found the walks entirely suited to my fitness levels and well described in the trip notes.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take all equipment that is recommended in the trip notes. I used it all!

Reviewed July 2012

MONT BLANC HIGHLIGHTS

A fabulous trip, excellent walking, great guide and stunning scenary

Most Inspirational Moment

Thoughts on Group Leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take all equipment that s recommended in the trip notes. I used it all!

Reviewed July 2012

IMPERIAL CHINA & YANGTZE RIVER CRUISE

This is a great trip for those that want to have many and varied experiences packed into 21 days. The itinary is full on and involves a great deal of internal travel. Overnight trains were probably the low points but were coupled with the brilliant highs of walking on The Great Wall, visiting the Terracotta Armies and seeing some very cute baby pandas!

Most Inspirational Moment

I was very much looking forward to visiting The Great Wall and it did not disappoint in any respect. We travelled to a quiet part of the wall and for most of the time were the only people on it. This was a terrific start to the trip!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was great, full of energy and very clearly wanted us all to have the very best trip possible. He balanced the needs of the group well and his own energy and enthusiasm was infectious.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Anyone considering this trip should be prepared for an unrelenting itinary that requires some stamina. Toilet facilites are of a varied nature! You will not spend many nights in one place so packing needs to be given careful thought along with ensuring you can carry/wheel your bag in/out/onto planes, trains and buses.

Reviewed July 2012

HIGHLIGHTS OF GEORGIA & ARMENIA

Two interesting countries emerging from a troubled history, seemingly modern and European in feeling. Both were very pretty, the food was excellent and the people friendly and welcoming. Then there were the Churches – lots and lots of them! Rather a sedentary tour, could have done with some exploring on foot.

Most Inspirational Moment

Armenia - The scenery was wonderful, and the little Churches perched on hilltops were magical. Each day there was a lovely lunch in a beautiful setting, and the best of all was with a family in their garden near to Lake Sevan.Georgia - The drive up the Georgian Military highway was fantastic with magnificient scenery and interesting stops along the way. What a shame we arrived too late in the day to walk up from Kazbegi to Holy Trinity Chruch and had to go by jeep. The food in Georgia was also a highlight. I did a wine-tasting too - the wines were memorably good.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Both Mery in Armenia and Eliza in Georgia were excellent guides, enthusiastic and keen to tell us about their country. Both made that extra effort, such as buying us local delicacies to try, which added to our experience and made the holiday really memorable.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a swimming costume to Armenia; it is hot there and many of the hotels have swimming pools.

Reviewed July 2012

MONT BLANC HIGHLIGHTS

A thoroughly enjoyable and well organised week. Oliver and Elaine are excellent hosts, the Chalet Savoy is a comfortable and homely base for the trip with amazing views, and the food is excellent. The five treks are all different, varied and well planned. All in all, this is a fantastic trip to see the best of the Mont Blanc area.

Most Inspirational Moment

Hard to pick one single moment, the views of Mont Blanc and surronuding mountains on the various treks throughout the week are all breathtaking, although the panoramic 360 view on the last day at the top of Agiuillette du Brevent are amazing. Make sure your camera is well charged!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Oliver is a fantastic leader. What he doesn't know about the mountains, history, and the flora and fauna really isn't worth knowing. He clearly loves and enjoys what he does, and he made a real effort with the group to make sure the slower members of the group were ok, without holding back the faster walkers amongst us. I couldn't fault his leadership. The trip alone is excellent, but Oliver really puts the icing on the cake.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you take lots of layers. I found that when we set out in the morning it was usually quite fresh and chilly, but by the time you got walking, you soon build up some heat and the midday sun in the mountains can be very strong, so make sure you have some suncream, glasses and a hat. Waterproofs are essential as well, as the rain can come out of nowhere.

Reviewed July 2012

WALKING IN TUSCANY

The whole holiday came up to expectations. Our guide Sara couldn’t have done more for us and adapted our walking to suit the weather per4fectly. The accommodation was comfortable and welcoming and their food delicious. The walking was challenging for me but achievable and worth the effort. Having the company of Elvis the dog on some walks was an added bonus.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking the ridges on the last couple of days was lovely, the sun had appeared and it was great having constant wonderful vistas and knowing that I could manage the terrain.

Thoughts on Group Leader

I couldn't fault Sara. She was thoughtful, competent, efficient and caring.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go.

Reviewed July 2012

KILIMANJARO CLIMB - RONGAI ROUTE

Climbing Kilimanjaro was an adventure for me. i wasn’t sure what to expect, but found that the trip exceeded my expectations! We were all so well looked after and the whole experince was fantastic. Getting to the top of Kilimanjaro is not guarenteed, but as a group we all made it, which is a real testimony to how well we were looked after and supported on the trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

Standing on the top of Kilimanjaro with my friend - we had been planning it for a year and had trained and prepared together for it all. We raised £4600 for charity in taking on the challenge, and the sense of acheivement and fulfilment standing at the top of the mountain together was amazing - I will never forget it!

Thoughts on Group Leader

So well qualified for his role. A man full of wisdom and understanding for the job he had to do - I felt we were in very safe hands.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be well prepared for the trip - kit, training, medical advice etc - the better prepared you are the more likely you are to suceed and the more you will enjoy it!

Reviewed July 2012

MONT BLANC HIGHLIGHTS

Oliver, the leader, was unenthusiastic, like an office clerk doing the same job for years. He was difficult to understand, sometimes snappy but foremost, I felt like on a school trip when a teacher would scold you for anything. It was obvious he had some bad experience in the mountains, because even when you tried to keep walking, tired of stopping all the time, and stayed ahead of the group, he panicked and would brag about safety in the mountains for hours &days! Food was quite basic, we all craved for veg and fruits and had to stock up ourselves with those things. Last but not least, it didn't feel like grade B+, there were too many stops, you couldn't get into the rhythm of walking because of the guide stopping with his dog every 5 minutes! That was quite annoying as we didn't pay for a stroll with a dog in the park.

Most Inspirational Moment

the scenery was breathtaking

Thoughts on Group Leader

disappointing and spoiling the whole trip

Advice for Potential Travellers

if you are a slow walker, don't mind eccentric guide and basic food, you will enjoy it.

Reply from Exodus

Oliver has been an Exodus leader for many years and his knowledge and experience are of the highest level. He regularly scores very highly in our client feedback survey and as can been seen from other comments on this review page, clients have been extremely happy with him and the trip as a whole. Oliver also leads winter itineraries for us and you will be able to see many 4 and 5 star reviews on these also: Trip codes CEB, CEC and CYC. For any leader client safety on the trip is essential and this means ensuring the group do not become too spread out on a walk. This can be more tricky to manage in a group with varying abilities but all our leaders are experienced at managing this situation to ensure that the group are happy and enjoy the trekking pace. Please note that this itinerary is Grade B and not B+ and the itinerary has been set to reflect this. Elaine, Oliver’s wife prepares a delicious menu throughout the week and again you will see from previous reviews that this is well received. With each evening meal there are normally 3 different vegetables served and breakfast and lunch usually include fruit. Dylan their Fox Terrier does accompany some of the walks and has proved a popular addition. He is extremely friendly and loves having his photo taken!

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