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.

Simply use the selector below to search our trip reviews and start reading real feedback from real Exodus travellers who have ‘been there and done that’!

Lots of our clients also like to post handy tips and advice about their travels. It’s great to know what to expect on an Exodus adventure before you go, so make the most of their experience and you’ll make the most of yours!

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14469 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

David Pike

Reviewed February 2019

Great trip

Fantastic group holiday. Excellent group leader and supporting team of 3. Pleasantly surprised by the quality of the hotels and very good breakfasts. Lunch stops in a variety of town and country settings. Interesting excursions aside from the cycling. Good quality bikes with suspension and disk brakes.

Most Inspirational Moment

Enjoyed the 10k climb up to the Hai Vann pass summit despite getting drenched on the way up and down. Also the Cu Chi tunnels, Whale Island and Halong Bay Cruise.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Tung was an excellent host and looked after the group well. He worked exceptionally hard and was usually successful in resolving any minor difficulties. Particular mention is necessary for his efforts when our overnight train broke down shortly after leaving Ho Chi Min City. Alternative arrangements had to be made quickly and he successfully guided the group to Hanoi so we were on time for our Halong Bay visit.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Didn’t need my travel kettle as every hotel had a kettle in the room but if you like real tea take some teabags. Lipton tea normally available at breakfast occasionally hot but always very weak but not always in the rooms. It was usually possible to request a jug of fresh milk from reception. In Hoian 9 of the group visited the Hioanian Wine Bar and Restaurant in the top 20 restaurants on Trip-advisor. Ambience, staff and food all excellent. We were offered a complimentary glass of Prosecco and a small appetiser. Great menu of local dishes but I chose an Australian rib-eye steak which was divine. Cost for the main course including a beer and tip was less than £15. Generally cycled on quieter country roads but occasionally in heavy traffic. I would describe the driving as predictably chaotic. Traffic manoeuvres around other cars, motor cycles and scooters and pedestrians regardless of which direction they are going in. Motor cycles and scooters sometimes ignore the rules of the road and frequently go through red lights. Fascinating to watch.

Jeff Craddock

Reviewed February 2019

A brilliant trip

Our first visit to Vietnam; what an amazing trip. We had a fantastic tour leader (Phuong Le). It was clear from our introduction that she was determined to take good care of us, make sure that we had a great time, and she was going to
Introduce us to the unique life and culture of Vietnam. The trip broke down to a number of very different elements. We loved it all, and would recommend this trip without hesitation

Most Inspirational Moment

Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and the estate where he lived and worked. A great feeling of serenity and peace in this place; the respect which is afforded to this towering figure of the twentieth century

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fantastic, and key to making this trip so good. Great empathy with the group. Clearly loved her country and culture. Gave us great insights into life in modern day Vietnam

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go for it!!

Chris Burden

Reviewed February 2019

Highlands of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a very beatiful island with loads of natural and cultural highlights,

The tour is descrfibed as walking and treking. If you read the detailed notes it’s fair to say that, yes there are walks, but nothing that I would describe as treking. The walks are comparatively gentle; the jungle walks a bit like Lakeland walks underfoot – but in forest. The climb up Adam’s Peak certainly got the heart pumping, although with the crowds of pilgrims all around there were plkenty of enforced spots where you rested.

There was a lot of travel time in vehicles. All as described in the trip details –

Most Inspirational Moment

Sigiriya was magnificent, beautiful, and unique in my experience. Well worth the well-protected stairs up the rock face to the top. The Adam's Peak pilgrimage to see the Buddha's footprint and sunrise from the summit was a great experience, being a fierce stairway climb shared with grannies who could scarcely move from one step to another, and younger aduklts carrying their babes in arms. Not your usual climb to a summit.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Neelaka, our group leader was excellent, as were his team. Neelaka had a great knowledge, particularly re wildlife. H ekpetr us well informed always with great charm and humour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Look carefully at the details. But I'm glad we didn't. Coach tours are not usually our thing - but this one was excellent.

Lawrence Wheeler

Reviewed February 2019

A fabulous triñ

An excellent, very well-balanced tour around Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It provided a good insight into the life, culture and landscapes of these two states.

Most Inspirational Moment

The day spent walking through beautifully green tea plantations in the Kannan Devan Hills from our base in Munnar, and then up up up!! The views were stunning, and actually attaining a summit that at first appeared to be way too high provided a fantastic sense of personal achievement.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader, Philip Rojan, was excellent. He was very knowledgeable about the history of the region, its culture, its people, architecture, geography and food! He did a great job, which made for a wonderful holiday.

Advice for Potential Travellers

A highly recommendable and thoroughly enjoyable tour. You will not be disappointed. However, you should be prepared for rather poor English by some hotel employees, and the occasional lack of hot water in some accommodation.

Paul Martinez

Reviewed January 2019

Wonderful wildlife

We had an excellent opportunity to sample Costa Rica’s varied and unusual wildlife and habitats in a tour led by a knowledgeable and inspiring tour leader. The accommodation was well chosen and the itinerary carefully enabled us to experience the Caribbean and Pacific coasts as well as highlands and intermediate areas. Having such an excellent guide really did make a difference. I don’t think we would have spotted half of the birds we saw without his keen eyes and ears!

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing around 150 different bird species.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our tour was led by a knowledgeable and inspiring tour leader, Andres. He went out of his way to be helpful and provided additional opportunities to enhance our tour by visiting private gardens which were attractive to birds, and also by providing 4WD transport at the second Savegre lodge to save us what would have been a strenuous uphill walk , so that we could enjoy and spend more time on the descent through the cloud forest. He also gave up a couple of hours of his time to go through in detail the 170 or so species of birds we had seen on the tour. I don't think we would have spotted half of the birds we saw without his keen eyes and ears! He were well informed about each step of our tour and our guide was also very clear about options. Andres has great people skills as well and was responsive to the needs of different people in the group, including the organisation of an impromptu birthday celebration for one of our group members.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Good binoculars and a decent camera are a must.

Hilary Brattle

Reviewed January 2019

A fabulous trip

This trip was fast paced and full of variety. We stayed in seven different locations during the two weeks which meant we were packing up and moving on every two days. The scenery we saw in between locations was incredibly beautiful and the bus rides were always interesting as our guide made sure we stopped for coffee, lunch or a surprise! …..a sloth and baby in a tree or crocodiles basking in the river!
The lodges were all full of character and of a high quality. Meals were typical Costa Rican with amazing variety and choice. The fruit was outstanding.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were so many magical moments. Quetzel hunting with dozens of other crazy people at 5 30 am. We had almost given up hope when Glenda made the first sighting and we all captured the flash of green tail.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader was called Glenda and she was a marvel, transmitting her love of Costa Rica to all of us through her constant stream of information. As we travelled we learnt about the history, culture and wildlife of this wonderful place. We were amazed at her ability to spot the smallest bird or animal hidden in the undergrowth. Nothing was too much trouble for her and she was brilliantly organised. We felt we were in very capable hands with Glenda and our driver Carlos.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for a variety of weather conditions. A warm jumper and trousers were needed in two mountain locations whilst thin clothes were needed in low lying areas. Be prepared to get up early to see wildlife!

M and C Palmer

Reviewed January 2019

Snowshoeing in the Catalan Pyrenees

An enjoyable and interesting trip that gave us an insight into the local landscape and culture. Snow only truly arrived 2 days into the week and our leader Miguel adapted well, staying true to the themes of the itinerary and giving us good walks without snow and then in fresh snow of depths up to 3 feet. Note – some stamina is needed, especially in the deep snow! Local villages, remote valleys in a national park and peak summits were all sampled, together with insights into local history and culture such as the Freedom Trail escape route, and Catalan wine and cheese tastings. A very enjoyable week.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the unspoilt beauty and power of the Catalan Pyrenees.

Thoughts on Group Leader

A dedicated guide able to make decisions at short notice as the weather conditions necessitated a change of plan.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Read the Trip Notes, they give a good guide as to the walking level required.

Eamon Keating

Reviewed January 2019

Visit but not with exodus

We added Easter Island to our Discover Chile tour (which was excellent) but were very disappointed with the Exodus service. The accommodation in Hotel Otai was very good but could easily be booked direct and there are lots of alternatives near the centre. The main reason for the review was the very poor guide service. We expected Exodus to maintain it usual high standard especially in a location as dramatic as Easter Island. On the 1 day tour our guide was hugely disappointing – she didn’t accompany us around the sites; her knowledge was very shallow; and she was just not interested. On day two we had a younger male guide who was engaged and knowledgeable but catering for a group of 21 across 2 languages was a major shortfall. We also found that the flight costs wold have been cheaper if we booked direct. My recommendation is definitely to visit the island; make the arrangements directly; three nights is sufficient; book a day long individual guide locally; and rent bikes to revisit the places you liked.

Most Inspirational Moment

The quarry and the large platform nearby

Thoughts on Group Leader

We have travelled on 8 occasions with Exodus and the quality of the guide is a major reason to remain loyal. On Easter island the service used by Exodus fell woefully short of our expectations – both in terms of quality and also in terms of group size – I was sitting on the pull down seat in the aisle of a small minibus for the duration of the tour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Definitely to visit the island; make the arrangements directly; three nights is sufficient; book a day long individual guide locally; and rent bikes to revisit the places you liked. Hanga Rua and Pea restaurants on the seafront are recommended

Reply from Exodus

We would like to thank Eamon for his review, although we are very sorry that he was disappointed with the guide service on this trip. We appreciate that there is a difference between a tour leader and a local guide, but we expect that the guides we use will provide a positive experience for our clients at the sites they are guiding. We understand that the first guide was feeling unwell on this day and that this may have affected her performance, but we nonetheless regret that this impacted Eamon’s experience. Whilst we were pleased to read that Eamon found the guide on day 2 to be engaged and knowledgeable, we regret that he was disappointed with the size of the group he guided and that he was required to speak two languages. We have updated the trip notes to include more information about this in order to help better prepare our clients for what to expect on the Extension, as we recognise that the set-up is rather different to those on our main tours. The prices we charge clients are reflective of the costs we incur, but in our flight-inclusive prices we also include an amount to cover the cost of flight related issues for which we may be liable in accordance with our obligations under the Package Travel Regulations. Our customer services team have written to Eamon in more detail regarding all of the issues he has mentioned. Malcolm Parkinson – Product Manager

Glen B

Reviewed January 2019

Epic

What a fantastic adventure summiting Africa’s highest peak with the most amazing and supportive group of people, ever!!!!

Easily The most difficult thing I have ever done.

The trek was a well oiled machine. Porters were amazing. Tents were were dry and set up by the time we entered each camp. The food was fantastic.

The toilet was a godsend.

The guides were amazing, supportive, present and empathetic. I never would have summited without the excellent pacing and patience of Seraphine. I never would have made it die without the quick thinking, preparedness and assistance of Seraphine, King Janes, Abraham and others.

Of our group of 11 trekkers, 10 made it to Gilman’s point, and 8 of made it to Uhuru Peak!!!

I highly recommend Exodus and the African Walking Company (AWC)

Most Inspirational Moment

The comaraderie of the trekkers. We were so supportive and respectful of each other. The best examples of man’s humanity to their fellow man.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Abraham was amazing!!!! I cannot say enough positive things about that guy!!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Keep a positive mental attitude. Bring 5 pairs of pants, sox and tops - dry clothing is the ultimate luxury. Keep them ina plastic bag. Bring and use Diamox. Don’t be a hero, the trek is uncomfortable enough without doing it with a headache. It really works. Wear sunscreen. My face is peeling because I forgot to wear it on the summit run. I’m ten shades darker and my entire face is peeling. Looks like I have a skin disease. Wet wipes. Bring way more than you think you need. Bring candy. Get the warmest sleeping bag you can find!! And mother most important thing to remember: walk slooooooooowly. Speed kills.

Cameron Edwards

Reviewed January 2019