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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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Once you return from your Exodus adventure holiday, you will be emailed a link to add your review. Any feedback collected is posted onto our website, totally unedited.

Alternatively you can navigate to the relevant trip page and add your review via the Reviews tab.

Reviews

Northern Lights Iceland

This was a fantastic holiday with amazing sights (Northern Lights included!!!). Each day was filled with wonderful sights.

Most Inspirational Moment

Stepping onto the Black beach and seeing the fabulous icebergs. Bathing in the Blue Lagoon. Seeing Northern Lights.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Petur was an excellent, hardworking guide and made every effort to ensure we had a wonderful time.Nothing was too much trouble and his excellent driving skills during a bad storm ensured we did not forgo any of our itinery. He made the holiday fun and was very informative. Thank you Petur.

Iceland Northern Lights

This was a superb, action-packed holiday. And now that I have seen some of Iceland, I want to go back and see more of the island. Each day was full to the brim with different sights and experiences. We didn’t see the lights (well, only a faint line in the sky) but that didn’t spoil the holiday for me given the sheer beauty of the sights which we took in over the course of the holiday.

Most Inspirational Moment

I can't limit myself to one single sight. Instead, I will pick the day when we visited the Seljalandfoss waterfall (it was fascinating to walk behind this waterfall), the green house project for the best tomato soup lunch ever, the stunning Gullfoss waterfall, the hot spouts at Geysir, and finally walking along the fault line of the tectonic plates at the national park. It was completely dark for this last stop but we did the short walk as a group and had some fantastic laughs along the way.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ibi was fantastic. Her style was very much understated but she made sure we knew what we needed to know, without "being on top of us". She was always on hand if we needed extra equipment, e.g. letting us know when we would need the (Exodus supplied) spikes for walking.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The only downside for me is that there was limited opportunity to explore Reykjavik itself. We drove through it early morning when everything was shut and I would love to go back and see more. Therefore, adding on extra days at the start or end of the trip would be a good option.

Iceland Northern lights

If you’ve never been to Iceland, & you love the outdoors, you really must put it on your bucket list. Fantastic scenery, intriguing history and culture with weather systems that give all 4 seasons in one day. Who would believe that the sand on the beaches really is black!

Most Inspirational Moment

The glacial lagoon is a sight like no other..no wonder it features in lots of movies including 007 sipping prosecco in The blue lagoon on the final day is a great way to end the holiday

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader, Ipe was fantastic. Not only was she our leader for the week but also the driver and her local knowledge was second to non.....she even found the northern light for us despite low probability forecasts

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't let the variable weather conditions happen you spirits. It may well be sunshine in an hour it really is that variable....but have your rain gear with you at all times!

Iceland experience

This was an awe inspiring trip with excellent company and a splendid guide. Personally, I achieved 2 firsts: glacier walk and lava tube caves.

Most Inspirational Moment

Experiencing the continental divide between the tectonic plates of Europe and North America

Thoughts on Group Leader

David was very understanding and excellent at getting us to places at the opportune time.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for a physical holiday

Unpredictable fun in the land of incredible landscapes

This trip was a fantastic and fun adventure from start to finish. I had no idea what to expect from the trip and was not used to cold weather climates but the unpredictable changes in the weather just added to the excitement. The itinerary was packed full of amazing sights including beautiful waterfalls, thermal geysirs, an iceberg lagoon, black sandy beaches, a swim in the blue lagoon and so much more. We also got looked after well each and every day, and where the planned schedule had to be adapted due to severe weather conditions, I still had an amazing time.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were too many on this trip! But some of the best moments were relaxing in a hot tub with a waterfall as your backdrop, walking up to see a glacier, the iceberg lagoon and swimming in the blue lagoon with snowflakes falling on your face and sipping a drink from the swim up bar on the side of the lagoon.

Thoughts on Group Leader

I really liked the group leader, David Kelley. He was very thoughtful and wanted us to have a great time, and he felt personally responsible that we didn't see the northern lights even though that was down to the severe weather conditions we had. He also had a wicked sense of humour (British, sarcasm) which made me laugh all trip. And he cut up cake in the snow with a plastic knife and fed us. What was also fab was his immense passion for Iceland and what he was sharing with us which was apparent throughout.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Key advice is to make sure you have the right clothing for the trip, the weather is really very unpredictable. So definitely take waterproof trousers and a balaclava, woollen mittens and a hat that covers up your ears and will stay on in a blizzard. Also a waterproof bag and waterproof case for your camera. It can be sunny one minute, then hail can smack you across the face the next, and then it's snowing! Embrace the unpredictability of the trip and don't be disappointed if things don't go according to the itinerary.

Iceland and Northern Lights

Excellent trip with a lot packed in to such a short time. You get to see much more than if you had just booked a trip to stay in Reyjavik. One of the most beautiful Countries I’ve ever been to.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the Northern Lights, seeing the seals playing in the lagoon and ice walking on the Glacier. Beautiful! (Couldn't narrow it down to just one!)

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent. David is from England but has lived in Iceland for 10 years. He knew everything there was to know about Iceland and coupled it with a British sense of humour! He was keen to make the experience as great as possible for everyone whilst being safety conscious at the same time (you can't influence the weather!) True professional!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take lots of layers as the weather is changeable. My head was lovely and snug, however one pair of gloves did not keep my hands warm when taking photos! Take a tripod for Northern Lights photos.

Incredible first taste of Iceland

After a 4 hour flight delay and miserable weather the first morning, our luck changed and we had glorious sunny weather for the rest of the trip which showed a wintry Iceland off in all its glory. Although the trip is short, a lot is packed in and we did and saw more than I’d anticipated. The scenery really was stunning and I would love to go back in summer to explore further. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this trip to others, although I think the weather can have a really big impact on how enjoyable it will be.

Most Inspirational Moment

The northern lights appearing for us on our last evening in Reykjavik, and Day 3 of the tour when we visited the glacial lagoon and diamond beach then donned crampons for hiking the glacier.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Gudni was fantastic and looked after our group very well. He was very calm and personable and provided lots of interesting information about the country as we drove around. It was the first trip where I've seen the guide also do the driving, but with the help of his Madonna-style headset microphone it worked perfectly.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Clothing: We were extremely lucky with the weather, but I would definitely recommend lots of layers, and a scarf/buff/balaclava to protect your face is essential. I took both walking boots and snow boots but didn't wear the snow boots at all. They provide you with chains for your boots (which we found to be essential) and you need walking boots really to use them. You also need walking boots to fit the crampons for the glacier hike. I used a Peruvian-style hat with ear flaps for most of the trip, but you also need a beanie-style hat (no bobble) for the two occasions where you need to wear a helmet. Waterproof trousers and coat are essential as you may get wet in the cave and from waterfall spray, even if it’s not raining (a lens cleaning cloth for your camera is also useful as you’ll end up with lots of droplets on it near the waterfalls). I’d also highly recommend two pairs of gloves – the thin inner pair will protect your hands when taking photos. Other equipment: I took a flask but didn't use it. There was a kettle in the room at Hotel Laki, but not in Reykjavik. You can easily fill up a bottle with drinking water throughout the trip. It may sound strange, but sun cream may be useful, especially if you go later in the season; it had clouded over a bit by the time we did the glacier walk, but otherwise there would have been a fair bit of exposure and reflection from the sun. Northern Lights: We were extremely lucky and saw a great display on the last night. However, be prepared to be flexible and keep extra layers on the bus with you just in case. We headed straight from the day's activities for dinner with the intention of then checking in to the hotel and getting extra layers on etc before heading out into the countryside (away from light pollution) as the forecast was looking good. However, the lights had other ideas and appeared for an hour at 8.30 pm, just as we were finishing dinner. We all piled into the bus and headed 10 minutes to a peninsula near the harbour in Reykjavik. So whilst we didn't get to see them against dark skies, we did avoid a long drive and hours of standing outside in the cold, and were back at the hotel by 10 in time to head out to a bar. A friend who went on the trip in January had a 2 hour drive each way to find them on the last night and got back to the hotel at 3 am! When you are at Hotel Laki, if you hear people moving about in the middle of the night and doors going, don’t lie in bed wondering why people were being noisy like I did; it probably means somebody has spotted the lights, so throw your warm clothes on and get up to the viewing area on the roof! I only have a compact camera (Panasonic Lumix TZ30) but managed to get some reasonable photos after doing a bit of research online before I went. I used the manual mode with F3.3, ISO 800, a 15 second exposure, and self timer to avoid camera shake. The key was having a mini tripod with me (that allows you to angle the camera upwards) – even though it’s small enough to fit in my pocket and I looked a bit silly next to everybody with their proper gear, it worked perfectly.

Northern Lights (and much, much more)

A very enjoyable trip and a perfect introduction to Iceland.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many highlights but, as you might expect, finally getting to see the Northern Lights (after two largely unsuccessful previous trips – one to Norway, and one to Sweden - to see them) was a big deal for me. And this was despite an abysmal forecast (“Aurora Activity=0”!) Our tour leader, David, somehow managed to magic them up from somewhere. Other than that, Gullfoss (waterfall) is particularly spectacular and photogenic and the crystal clear lumps of glacier ice on beach are beautiful and fascinating.

Thoughts on Group Leader

David was very good. He worked very hard for us and, thanks to him, we took in a very full itinerary without ever feeling rushed or short-changed. I have no doubt we benefitted a great deal from his knowledge and experience of the country.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don’t underestimate how cold it is/can be. Make sure you’ve got plenty of suitable clothing. If you’re (primarily) going on this trip in the hope of seeing and photographing the Northern Lights then make sure you know what you are doing and are very familiar with your camera’s controls (including how to operate it in the (near) dark). In order to take photographs of the Lights, you do, of course, need a camera that can take long exposures (typically 15-20 seconds) and a sturdy tripod. I would emphasise “sturdy” as it can be very windy and, especially, with long exposures, you need things to remain as still and stable as possible. And don’t forget to remove any and all filters from your camera lens before trying to photograph the Lights.

Iceland Northern Lights

Excellent introduction to Iceland.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the ice crystals at Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon - beautiful.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Kristjan was an excellent leader - he drove and entertained us throughout the trip and we learnt a lot about Iceland, its people and culture. He went out of his way on the last night looking for suitable locations for the Lights as we had a lot a cloud on previous nights. He was just as excited as us to finally see them!

Advice for Potential Travellers

If travelling by Iceland Air, food is NOT included - take some sandwiches with you to eat on the plane!

Winter is coming - and Iceland is the place to experience it!

Fantastic country – other-worldly landscapes – this trip offers a thrilling mix of the ancient sagas which tell their own tale of the landscape, the stories of modern life under constant threat of volcanic eruption, geography and geomorphology, wildlife and food. And if you get Kristján as your tour leader, you will be among the luckiest Exodus travellers out there – I’ve done 9 or so Exodus trips and am confident he is one of the best, most knowledgeable, resourceful, responsive, hard-working and entertaining leaders out there.

Most Inspirational Moment

Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon - utterly breathtaking. Think of Superman's ice palace, add colour and seals! I had no idea such places exist - so beautiful, one or two of us had a little tear. We were lucky enough to see the aurora borealis on the last night, thanks to the persistence and hard work of our leader Kristján. It was an amazing experience - so much is said of it - but it has a great deal to compete with against the dramatic landscape that is Iceland.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Kristján is one of the most knowledgeable, resourceful, responsive, hard-working and entertaining tour leaders out there. He was tireless in ensuring that we all had the greatest time. His enthusiasm for his country and his delight in sharing that knowledge and enthusiasm with travellers is quite infectious! We "tested" him with questions on geomorphology, politics, history, the sagas, women's rights, religion, wildlife, you-name-it, and Kristján rose to the challenge every time.

Advice for Potential Travellers

These days we all look at the weather forecast on the internet - but remember Iceland is very breezy, so the windchill factor is considerable. Take loads of layers (including for legs and feet), a hat with ear flaps (e.g. trapper-style), and an outer windproof and waterproof layer. If you're planning any photography, consider two pairs of gloves (a thin pair you can work in plus an outer pair for additional warmth). To photograph the aurora I'd recommend a tripod, long exposure, wide aperture, cable release / self-timer. Batteries perform poorly in the cold so take spares and keep them in an inner pocket.