Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Getting to the top of Ooty!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Peter did a good job of looking after everyone and our bicycles!A highlight was when he took us on an impromptu trip to a festival near Guruvayoor where we saw a procession of 25 elephants decked out in gold splendour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The quality of the bicycles provided is fantastic so there is no need to take your own. Take plenty of antiseptic hand gel and wet wipes in small containers so that you can carry them with you all day. Have a massage at the Cochin Ayurveda Centre, located in the Hotel Fort House - it was the best massage I have ever had.

Most Inspirational Moment

Really enjoyed the boat trip on Halong Bay and the cookery lesson.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Amazing. A top class leader. It was our 25th Wedding Anniversary when we were away and he made it a special event.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It can be cold in the North so go prepared.

Suggestions

It would be good if a cycling half day in Hoi An could be included. We did it alone and really enjoyed it. A local guide would have been well worth it.

Most Inspirational Moment

Looking over my shoulder on the final climb, seeing the horizon change from deepest, darkest blue to sunrise and at that precise moment, knowing for sure that we would all get to the top.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was called Makeke. He was brilliant. He organised well, gave very precise briefings each day and continually gave interesting information about the mountain.He was ably supported by Assistant Guides, James, Olauf, Godfrey and Vernance. They were all so supportive and could not do enough to help everyone on our trip. All were prepared to chat and share their experiences on and off the mountain, which made the whole experience extra special.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't waste another second, book it now, then practice every day on a step machine until your thighs ache. It is physically hard work, but worth every ounce of effort. I was probably the slowest person in our group, but it is like being a fun runner in a marathon. The object is to finish, there are no extra points for speed.

Suggestions

We had a lovely bunch of people in our group,  all with their own personal reasons for making the trip. Makeke and the other guides were great, but there is no way any of us would have got to the summit without the tremendous effort of all the porters and the stomach engineer. They all deserve a medal.

Most Inspirational Moment

Floating down the Tenorio river, we saw lots of wildlife. Visiting Ometepe Island, great to cycle on and great hotel location, the views of the island and volcanoes are fantastic.Bocas Del Toro islands are a total contrast to the other places visited on this trip, very lively with a fun atmosphere.Looking for frogs in the ground of the hotel Atlantida in Cahuita.  Great Cubra Libres too.The hotsprings in La Fortuna were excellent - have a pina colada and a couple of minutes in the cold pool before you change back for dinner.Seeing Toucans in the grounds of the last hotel

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rob is a great leader, he is very fit and extremely well organised.  He is very pleasant to talk to and obviously very passionate about cycling and fitness generally.We thought we might get more information about the local areas we travelled to and through but this did not seem to be part of the trip.The rest of the team (drivers/assistants/mechanics) are also excellent, the bikes are well maintained and there is a good supply of water and fruit at stops on route.

Advice for Potential Travellers

You do need to be reasonably fit to complete all the cycling.  Some people chose to ride on the minibus for some parts of the cycling that they were not comfortable with - hills (up and down), distance and traffic, this is OK if you are happy to do this, we wanted to do everything and would have been disapointed if we were not up to the challenge.  Slower riders did not slow us down, it just spread the group out a bit more. It gets very hot and you need plenty of changes of clothes and lots of suncream even on days when it rains.  We took our own saddles and I think this helped, I personally found padded cycling shorts too hot and managed ok with just lycra shorts, whilst my husband wore padded shorts every day.

Suggestions

The 3 countries are quite different and the places visited are varied and very scenic in different ways, we saw lots of wildlife but it's quite difficult to take photos of birds etc.  Nicaragua is quite poor and is the cheapest for food but beer was cheapest in Panama 60c.Accommodation is generally of a good standard some is rustic but charming, but the hotel in San Juan Del Sur had very small rooms with no character and the breakfast was somewhat lacking in service, quality and quantity.Be prepared for long border crossings especially between Nicaragua and Costa Rica - it took over 3 hours. 

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro was simply breathtaking. The views and the sunrise were nothing short of mind blowing. Taking the slightly longer lemosho route was a good idea for acclimatisation purposes. The trek from bottom to top was great if not a little damp due to the weather.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The head guide was a really helpful and knowledgable guy called Makeke. He kept us informed the whole time and answered any questions if he could. His assistant guides were also extremely good. Everybody was ultra cheerful the whole time.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Its very easy to just trudge along staring at the heels of the person in front, try to look up, there are some fantastic views, birds, animals etc to see. 

Suggestions

I would thoroughly recommend this trip to anyone. Just be aware that there are some quite strenuous parts during the trek that some folk may find physically quite challenging.

Most Inspirational Moment

- Climbing Jebel Aklim. Was a good testing climb and had wonderful views.- Drinking tea and eating some food in a Berber family's house in the city of Cats.- I really liked the gorge walk on the third walking day. It was one of the few places with water and it was beautiful.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very good. Friendly. Patient. Good knowledge of local area and of Morocco. Made the trip work well and set a good pace. He was good at estimating how long each part of the walk would take.

Advice for Potential Travellers

- It does get cold at night, especially when camping higher up, so make sure you bring a warm sleeping bag and enough layers.- The terrain is very rocky and many people got blisters as a result so make sure you are confortable in your walking boots and bring compeed/blister-kit.- It was possible to buy bottled water during the trip but because of the difficulties with rubbish disposal of plastic bottles, I feel its better to take water purification tablets.- The pace was good and the leader's estimates of how long each section would take were accurate. You'll generally have a rest stop every hour. It does get hot so bring sun cream and a hat.- We don't camp at official/permanent campsites so there aren't any facilities there. There will be a mess tent to eat in and a toilet tent.- Food is tasty and varied. Even for vegetarians, there is plently of good variety.- The journey to/from Morocco is long as there is a connecting fight at Casablanca.

Suggestions

I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it. There's a lot of up and down walking (very little flat) on rocky terrain which can be a little troublesome but if you can cope with the heat you'll be fine.

Most Inspirational Moment

Looking out over the vast expanse of the site at Petra and imagining the multitude of people over many thousands of years who had walked the same path.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was excellent and provided a wealth of knowledge of the history of Jordan and of the whole of the middle east. In addition we had a great cycling guide - himself an international cyclist, able to make sure that the various needs and abilities of the group members were all catered for.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do it! Even if you have not done a cycling trip before, providing you have basic bike handling skills and a reasonable level of fitness you will be fine. The trip combines a good mix of up and down hill and exhilarating stretches of fast flat road.

Suggestions

If you are interested in exploring new countries but need a reasonable level of exercise and activity when on holiday then this could be the trip for you.

Most Inspirational Moment

The 25-mile downhill cycle ride in Panama was a white-knuckle adrenalin rush, with breathtaking scenery to boot.Cycling around Lake Fortuna, moving from high altitude rain showers to scorching sunshine, looking out over the picturesque lake.Drinking pina coladas in the hot springs in Fortuna.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rob was excellent, he was a highly-effective shock absorber, making the border crossings and other potential difficulties seem effortless. He even let us have his room at the last hotel when we had a problem with our room.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The cycling is tough, so make sure you're fit enough, or be prepared to sit out some rides in the bus as the hill climbs go on a long way.  I thought I was really fit after months of cycling and spinning classes, but still found the going was tough, in the heat and humidity.Toilet facilities are non-existent on some rides, so be prepared to slum it.

Suggestions

Panama was the biggest surprise - the countryside was beautiful and the cycling was the best on the whole trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking through the spectacular scenery of Wadi rum.

Thoughts on Group Leader

It was Amer's first trekking group with Exodus, a very friendly and easy-going leader. He also had an encyclopedic knowledge of the area and it's history & traditions.

Advice for Potential Travellers

You don't see running water for 4 days and the toilet facilities are, um, primitive. Take wet-wipes, anti-bacterial hand gel and a good sense of humour.

Suggestions

The trekking, scenery and oppertunity to sleep out under the stars are fantastic but it's not really a "wilderness camping" experience. Camping is in very small two-man tents (We were able to sleep out) and there's a fair amount of 4x4 traffic around. If a more traditional "Bedouin" type experience is what you're after you should look at the "Sahara desert trek" (TMU): kit goes on camels, bread is baked in an open fire every day and you sleep in a traditional Bedouin open tent.

Most Inspirational Moment

There was no one inspirational moment but many. The scenery is simply stunning taking in tropical rainforest, dry tropical forest and vast plains (sometimes even in the same day). We visited a few of the many volcanoes in the area and enjoyed their natural hot springs. But the truly inspirational moments came after the longer bike rides, some of which are quite difficult, as the sense of achievement overrides the tired legs!  

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rob was a good leader and very organised. I really liked his approach as he would listen to the group suggestions and adapt the itinerary where needed. The group meetings in the morning before each riding stage were particularly helpful and he was very encouraging to the less able cyclists. His only let down was that he didn't always have the background information to the countries to hand - though he had internet access on his iPhone for some answers!  

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for a challenging holiday. The brochure does describe it as moderate/challenging and this is accurate but don't think as I did that 'it can't be that challenging, it's a holiday after all!' Some of the climbs are steep and long, some of the roads are rough dirt tracks, it can be very windy (those head winds are a killer) and we did cycle in 36+ degree heat. The long, fast downhills are a well-earned bonus!

Suggestions

Go for it! You'll not regret it and you'll come back with an SD card full of pics!