Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

What I like about Exodus is that they come up with a blend of tourism and cycling that is inspirational itself. The Viet Cong tunnels from the war and the brief visit to the 'museum' were highly informative as was the knowledge of the tour leader which was outstanding. The visit to Halong Bay was outdtanding too - I'd seen films and photos of the huge 'Rocks' in the Bay but to cruise among them was vividly fascinating - although I could have passed on visiting one of the islands with a tiny overcrowded beach on a Sunday afternoon!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was excellent. An educated, well informed local person. He constantly referred to us all 'as my family' and I think most of us bought into his philosophy. As I noted earlier we had 2 'difficult' participants who were not up to cycling the distance within the required timings but understandingly felt that they had a right to complete the same distance as everone else. A conundrum that requires careful management that took a while to resolve. Presumably Exodus has a policy to address this but it was somewhat absent early on.

Advice for Potential Travellers

A really fascinating, interesting and at times challenging trip - BOOK it!

Most Inspirational Moment

Hard to pick a single event. Every day brought something new and different. The Temples of Angkor are simply stunning

Thoughts on Group Leader

Chai was outstanding. He did a great job showing us new and different aspects to daily life in all three countries. His team of drivers, cyclists, mechanics and local guides were superb.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Research what you will see and visit in advance so you get the very best out of the trip. Bring comfortable cycling clothing, but not too much, laundry is easy. Make sure you bike size is correct and confined ahead of travelling. Get some miles done on the bike before travel so you’re fit enough to enjoy the scenery and not struggling

Most Inspirational Moment

Chimborazo national park.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Read the trip notes carefully.

Most Inspirational Moment

Chimborazo national park.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Read the trip notes carefully.

Most Inspirational Moment

Chimborazo national park.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Read the trip notes carefully.

Most Inspirational Moment

Trek up to the pass at Accoccassa (4625m). and the view of Mt Veronica.

Advice for Potential Travellers

1. Don’t be put off by the altitude — it is extreme (see Accoccassa (4625m), followed by an evening in a camp also above 4000m, but we (a very mixed group) managed it. 2. If you can, get an extra day in Cusco to acclimatise. Well worth it, both to get used to the altitude and also to have more time to look around — depending on flights, you might not get long in Cusco on the way home. One day _less_ in Cusco on the way in could well leave you struggling with the altitude. We were stuck in Bogota after our flight was cancelled due to local electrical storms (well looked after by Avianca, once they made up their mind to cancel the flight); a day at 2640m does not prepare you for 3000-4000m. 3. The Museum of Pre-Columbian Art – MAP Cusco (https://mapcusco.pe/en/) is well worth a visit (and is open on Sundays). 4. Ollantaytambo is a wonderful place to visit and walk around (not only because it is the first “civilisation” after the 4 days trekking...although the first shower was very welcome). Obviously, there’s no guarantee of Top Gear filming in the main square (don’t know when the episode airs, but the cars were very loud!), or the local schools rehearsing for a festival, but the town and temples are fascinating. 5. The international departure lounge at Cusco airport has just one (very) small cafe. Stay in the domestic lounge (up the escalator to the left of the entrance to International) for food, bar & shops, if you can.

Most Inspirational Moment

I loved the mountain village, the quiet, the hammam, having mint tea in the home of our guide's family. Having a hot cooked lunch up in the mountains was special.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader, Hamid was great. He was knowledgeable, considerate, funny, and always aware of what was happening with various members of our group. He shared so much about the Moroccan culture, answering and encouraging questions from the walkers. We came away with so much more than experiencing a few walks in the mountains.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared with layers for all kinds of weather. It was cold in the riad at night, but plenty of warm blankets were provided. Don't skip the hammam! I hadn't planned to do this, but was so glad that I did.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the baby turtles hurtling towards the incoming tide at Tortuguero

Thoughts on Group Leader

Brilliant guide - very friendly and very knowledgeable about everything from the plants and wildlife to the history of the country

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring an umbrella !

Most Inspirational Moment

The early morning game walks in Okavango.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rowan is efficient and Sifiso is a good driver. Both were great at spotting wildlife for us.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Get some small notes if you can. We took US dollars & changed into BWP in Botswana. We spent approx. $700 (USD) pp total, of which approx. 1300 pula pp cash in Botswana. (includes delta flight & Zambezi cruise but not Vic Falls flight). We put the Maun flights & Zimbabwe supermarket shopping on plastic. Plug sockets were mostly South Africa round pin. It was very hot in October, but dry so mosquitoes were less of a problem.

Most Inspirational Moment

Halong Bay boat trip.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sometimes difficult to understand what he said, but he was very hard working.