Most Inspirational Moment
There were highlights every day, hard to pick just one
Thoughts on Group Leader
Nico our guide was excellent and very informative throughout, a great ambassador for his country.
Reviews
Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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Reviews
Christmas on the Amalfi Coast
Excellent in every respect except the gradient and terrain for the walks is not clear enough in advance. For example a 500m climb or descent over a period of 5 hours sounds reasonable except, in reality, the climbs and descents are very steep and in the case of Monte Tre Calli (on our first day) the surface is very rocky with loose stones – quite challenging although we managed it. The other walks were much more in line with our expectations. However we had a wonderful week, the hotel and food were excellent and the cooking demonstrations were great fun. We’re sure to travel with Exodus again in the future.
Amazing!
This was a fantastic introduction to Egypt – in just 8 days we saw a huge amount and learnt a lot about the country, particularly the history. It was amazing to visit places I’d read about for year. There were a lot of early starts but the payoff was some amazing sites, and then more relaxed afternoons. I loved the four nights we spent on the Nile cruise – the boat was fantastic with great food and loads of space on the sundeck to relax after busy mornings. The other two hotels were fine: we didn’t spend much time in the Cairo hotel due to late arrival and early departures, and the Aswan hotel had a great pool area and lots of places to sit and relax, although the rooms felt quite basic.
Most Inspirational Moment
Visiting the pyramids on Christmas Day was a pretty amazing way to start the trip! Karnak temple was wonderful, huge and impressive, and although busy I found a quiet spot to sit and take it all in. The Valley of the Kings was great - being able to go inside tombs which almost look freshly painted was just awe-inspiring. And after all that, sitting on the sundeck of the boat cruising along the Nile and watching the world go by was a pretty good way to spend a couple of restful afternoons.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Ahmed was amazing and made us feel so welcome in Egypt! He gave us lots of information in a really engaging way, using the group as characters to tell us the complicated history of the pharaohs. He managed a good balance of guiding and free time for us in the places we visited, and always made sure we had coffee time at the end of a visit. He gave us good advice on how to deal with vendors and was clear about where was (and wasn't) good to shop. Ahmed was always smiling and cheerful, even at 3am! And he was great at dealing with any problems (when I had an issue with a hotel room, he fixed it straight away). A brilliant guide!
Advice for Potential Travellers
The one thing I would change is when I arrived - the group flight arrives late in Cairo (and later for us as we had a two hour delay at Heathrow) so we didn't reach the hotel til gone midnight and left at 7.30 the next morning for the pyramids (and then the following day is a very early start for the flight to Luxor). I'd highly recommend coming in a day early to avoid that first morning exhaustion, but also to see more of Cairo, as there is a lot to see that I didn't get to (the Coptic cathedral, the Citadel). I'd also say do as many of the optional excursions as you can - Philae Temple in Aswan was wonderful and Abu Simbel, while an early start (and a pricey trip) was well worth it.
Wonderful Costa Rica!
Discover Costa Rica was an amazing trip in a beautiful country. It is verdant with different types of ecosystems, and teeming with wildlife of every kind. There is so much to see and do, and the days fly by. We saw sloths, iguanas, monkeys, caimans, crocodiles, birds of every kind (including the Great Green Macaw and the Resplendent Quetzel!), wonderful cloud forests, waterfalls, beaches, mountains and much more. The trip is well-organised, with comfortable transport and accommodation. The itinerary covers a number of locations in different parts of the country, so there is a fair bit of travel involved. Our driver Gabriel was good-natured, helpful and incredibly skilled at navigating some pretty tricky roads! Some of the locations are somewhat remote and surrounded by wilderness – peaceful and beautiful, and a good way to disconnect from it all. Special thanks to our tour leader, Jorge. He took an amazing itinerary and made it exceptional.
Most Inspirational Moment
Only one? That would be difficult. At the beginning of the trip, after the first day in Tortuguero where the wildlife is extremely abundant, I felt like I could return home satisfied. It got better from there..... I have to mention dinner in Manuel Antonio - we looked out of the restaurant and saw a sloth mother with baby on her tummy, travelling along the telephone wires in the pouring rain!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Jorge was truly outstanding. He is friendly, helpful, fun and extremely knowledgeable about Costa Rica - its geography, history, wildlife and ecosystems, and happy to share that knowledge. I learned a lot on this trip, thanks to him. His skill at spotting wildlife is impressive, as are his bird calls! I'm sure we wouldn't have seen half of what we did without his help. He ensured that everyone was comfortable, and went out of his way to help some of us with our post-trip arrangements. We couldn't have had a better, or nicer, guide!
Advice for Potential Travellers
Sunscreen and insect repellent are a must. Costa Rica is hot and humid - pack accordingly. It's helpful to have light-weight, quick drying trousers for walks in the forests. Laundry facilities are available at two locations. It was useful to have an extra pair of walking shoes, since one pair got drenched in a rain shower and took a couple of days to dry out enough to wear. It is quite cool in the Dota region (Savegre cloud forest), so a warm jacket is definitely needed there. Be prepared for rain - I had a raincoat, but a poncho or backpack cover would have been helpful. If you have a camera - consider how you are going to protect it from the rain.
Trip of a lifetime
It was an amazing trip of a lifetime. The location and activities were fantastic, the Basecamp was very homely, and the team that work there were great. I would recommend this trip.
Most Inspirational Moment
The last four days of the trip were my favorite- the quinzee building, snow showing walk/hike, huskies and ice climbing.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Martty was great, very knowledgeable and friendly and was around practically 24/7.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Basecamp will give you a thermos, but will ask that you don't put tea or coffee in it only water or squash. It would be useful to know that you should take your own thermos if you don't want hot water or squash. There is no kettle for tea/coffee in the rooms, although there is also tea/coffee available all day in the communal area. The outer wear that is given to the group was worn and old. If you have your own better quality clothing then take that, there is no standard or anything specific about their clothes for the cold temperatures. The bar closes at 10pm, and there is no drinking up time and you can't take drinks back to your room, or bring your own.
Excellent Varied and Full Trip
Every day was like having 2 days in one! We saw and did so much each day. The itinerary was packed but it all worked really well and we visited so many wonderful sights. Each day was so different and varied and for each site we had our own specialised guide who explained things well and gave us time to enjoy each one. Naveen Bazaz, our Exodus leader, looked after our every need. We all really enjoyed his sense of humour and his caring nature.
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing a tiger in Ranthambore National Park. This tiger came up so close to our vehicle and walked unperturbed past a long line of jeeps which were on the path with us. We spent a good 20 minutes watching her. The second most inspirational moment was seeing the Taj Mahal reveal itself slowly from the early morning mist.
Thoughts on Group Leader
I cannot praise Naveen Bazaz highly enough. He was so caring and looked after our every need so well. I enjoyed listening to his commentaries on the places we were visiting and he was very attentive. We all loved his sense of humour and the way he socialised with us. We valued his advice at meal times when choosing our food. Naveen gave us many local experiences such as visiting a Delhi family for a cookery demonstration and meal afterwards, taking us to sample street food and a famous "lassi" shop, to name just a few. We were very lucky to have Naveen as our leader.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Bring warm clothes for Delhi and Ranthambore National Park. The hotel in Ranthambore did provide blankets for the early morning game drives. Take a mask/buff because there's a lot of dust on these game drives. Also take binoculars. A pack of cards for the long train ride.
Tremendous Cycling
Fabulous holiday, great cycling, great group of people and brilliant Costa Rican crew who looked after us very well, Ricardo, Walter and Luis.
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing the most beautiful birds at Las Cruces.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Ricardo was excellent, looked after everyone well and went out of his way if we needed anything.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Prepare for the cycling which can feel harder in the heat.
Exellent trip!
The is the perfect place to learn to cross country ski or brush up on your skills. Incredibly beauiful scenery, great instructor/leader and very comfortable accommodations. I loved the spa! The trails were well maintained and we were lucky with the snow.
Most Inspirational Moment
Being able to ski 25 Km by the end of the week. You get fitter as you go!
Thoughts on Group Leader
One of the best ever! Friendly, caring, inclusive. Went the extra mile.
Advice for Potential Travellers
If you bring a camel back for drinking water, buy a little fleece for the tube so the water doesn't freeze at the higher altitudes.
Absolutely brilliant family Christmas trip
We went on this trip as a family of four with children aged 12 and 14, over Christmas 2022. We had an absolutely brilliant time and the memories will stay with us forever. Costa Rica just has everything- amazing wildlife, great weather, beautiful scenery, beaches, friendly people, felt very safe and just a wonderful and easy place to be. Without exception the activities were all brilliant especially the hot springs and rafting. Johnny and Victor looked after us incredibly well and really went the extra mile to make sure we had a great time. Johnny clearly has a genuine love for his country and is exceptionally knowledgeable regarding the wildlife. The travelling was all very pleasant and the only bad thing was that the trip had to end! Cannot recommend this trip highly enough if you want a great experience with loads of amazing wildlife, fun and adventure.
Most Inspirational Moment
Watching our children’s reaction (they’ve never been further from the UK than France!) to all the amazing things we saw, especially the wildlife
Thoughts on Group Leader
Johnny was an absolute star- caring, witty, exceptionally knowledgeable and just great fun to be around.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Go!! You won’t regret it.
Safety issues
Overall, this was a very disappointing trip. Some things were not controllable eg the weather, but others were not good including some serious safety issues. 1 There were things in the itinerary which did not happen, and indeed the guide said they would be taken out of the itinerary shortly! 2 Driving for 4-6 hours each day when there was only 5 hours of daylight meant that we visited many sites in near or complete darkness. 3 Snow grips were supposed to be provided, but they had not been put on the van. I slipped and twisted my knee and a number of people fell over. Thus, several of us did not make it to the waterfall. Much more serious injuries could have easily occurred. 4 The guide had to drive for long periods on dark, icy roads. When he was driving he was sometimes giving commentary to us – not ideal. More critically, he was having to phone ahead to organise logistics of food and optional trips whilst driving. This would be illegal in the UK! 5 Several accommodations were pretty low standard, but I recognise that the logistical issues are great in such isolated communities.
Thoughts on Group Leader
He was a good guy, but he was working alone - doing logistics, driving and guiding - and was clearly very tired by the end of the trip.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Check on safety issues and the time of year - some things don't happen in November despite what it says in the itinerary.
Reply from Exodus
Dear Graham,
Thank you for your review, although we are very sorry to read that you were disappointed with certain aspects of the trip, particularly that you felt your safety was compromised at the Dettifoss Waterfall. We recognise that the terrain surrounding this natural wonder can often be slippery, so to enable our groups to reach the best vantagepoint, our tour leaders carry ice grips in the vehicle. Unfortunately, in a case of human error, on this occasion the tour leader forgot to pack this equipment and we understand that this caused some members of the group to slip on the icy surface, which is a matter of genuine regret. We have since reminded our leaders of the importance of double-checking packing lists before setting off, which we hope will prevent a similarly worrying experience for future groups. We are further sorry that changes had to be made to your itinerary due to road closures caused by inclement weather. The philosophy of adventure travel is one that allows alternatives and a substantial degree of on-trip flexibility; changes in itinerary may be caused by severe weather events and, whilst we would normally endeavour to warn groups of any significant amendments ahead of a trip, the conditions that affected this itinerary were more extreme that could be predicted. After a thorough analysis of client feedback, including yours, and consultation with our local operator, we have now made permanent changes to the tour that mean it is more likely that all activities on the itinerary can be completed at any time of year, and trust that this will provide a smoother experience for future groups. However, we remain apologetic that your experience fell short of your expectations for the trip. In terms of safety while driving, we have spoken to our tour leader on this trip and he has assured us that any phone usage while driving was made using a hands-free Bluetooth system. Furthermore, commentary is only provided when the leader is completely confident that safety will not be compromised. Finally, whilst long drives and limited daylight hours are features of this tour that cannot be controlled, we are sorry to learn that your group arrived at some sites in the dark. We have received comments from other members of the group who indicated their satisfaction that the leader adapted the itinerary to allow for sites to be seen in daylight, although acknowledge that this does not align with your recollection of the trip. We hope you feel that we have taken your concerns seriously and will consider Exodus for a future adventure, on which we would affirm our steadfast commitment to client safety.
Emma Cambers – Product Manager
Just WOW
This trip is a full on adventure through Egyptian history. Expect many early starts to visit some inspiring and amazing places. From pyramids, temples, Pharaohs, God’s, obelisks, sphinx, nile cruise, tombs, stories, food and fun, this trip is definitely a highlight of my travels to date.
Most Inspirational Moment
The story telling by are guide using the group to take on roles in history truly brought the ancient Egyptian timeliness to life. Every day was inspirational.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Ahmed was one of the best leaders I have ever had on a trip. He was well organised, knew his history, told stories in such away the history came to life and he was respectful of the group, other tourists and the monuments we visited. Could not of asked for anything more.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Do take USD to pay for the option trips as by card they add 3%. Do arrive a day earlier to Cairo. The local guide arranged for 7 early arrivals a day out to Memphis, Citidel and Sakkara. We also stayed extra nights in Aswan. This meant we dropped out of optional trip to Abu Simbel and spent a day chilling on the cruise boat docked at Aswan. We then made our own arrangements after the cruises left and arriving at 10.30am had the place near to ourselves whereas the group left at 4am and were queuing. Note we were disappointed with cruise room view as assumed we would have a nile view. Unfortunately as the boats dock adjacent to each other we spent the entire trip docked against another boat looking straight into another room. No natural light or air. Not what we expected but all boats the same.