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

Jacqueline Bolton

Reviewed September 2016

ACE160820 Imperial China and Yangtze river cruise

This was the first group trip and first time using Exodus. Apprehensive about the busy itinerary and group dynamic. However all anxieties were quickly dispersed. Whilst the trip was busy it provided a great introduction to China.

Most Inspirational Moment

Many really memorable moments but the trip to Yangzhou was really fantastic.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader Hongbin Liu (Alan) was simply amazing and witout exception highly regarded by the whole group. His knowledge and passion for his country and desire to ensure that we came away with a true and balanced view of modern day China made the trip for us. He knew so much about everything. Was incredibly organised, kind, considerate and quickly became a friend. We cannot thank him enough for a wonderful holiday.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Need to be comfortable with the prospect of some long and uncomfortable train journeys. With some tight timings on itinerary.

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Amanda Johnson

Reviewed September 2016

Fantastic trip

Fantastic trip which I wish I could do all over again! I loved every part of it (even the dreaded sleeper trains). It was such good fun and although it covered a lot of China it has made me want to see more – it is a great country that is well worth a visit or two. Good job the visa is now multiple entry and valid for two years! 🙂

Most Inspirational Moment

Gosh there are just too many to mention as it all lived up to my expectations and in some cases exceeded them. I think the best moment for me was sitting in the rooftop terrace bar in Shanghai with a cocktail and a great group of people discussing all the things we had done on the trip and not believing it was all over! In addition, the limestone karst landscapes of Yangshou was breathtaking, the toboggan run down from the great wall and the early evening bike ride on Xi'an city walls were the best experiences but I have to say and this sounds really cliché but it was the people in the group and the fun we had that was the best part of the whole trip. Spending 3 weeks with strangers on a very busy schedule could be an absolute nightmare but we laughed the whole way round China - it was fabulous!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Gina was fantastic! The way she dealt with and fitted in with the group was great. She really got our sense of humour and did a fantastic job of keeping us in line. The variety of transport and amount of travelling we did seemed seamless as Gina just got on with it and made it happen. Gina felt like part of the group and not just a guide which made the trip even more special.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I'd like to say travel light because of the amount of travel and lugging of suitcases but the climate was such that you really needed those extra clothes to change into as there isn't much time to get any washing done. Take plenty of tissues / toilet roll - there are plenty of public toilets but no toilet paper. There will be LOTS of people but considering the volume the queues move quickly.

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Ali MacLean

Reviewed September 2016

ACE

Excellent

Most Inspirational Moment

Yangshou

Thoughts on Group Leader

Gina was the BEST. Always happy, always efficient, always amusing. If you go on this trip, make sure Gina takes you

Advice for Potential Travellers

Get Gina as leader

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Judith Cameron

Reviewed October 2015

Judith Cameron

A great trip in regards to where we went and what we saw, however the group was far too big, 17, which had an impact on pace we could go and at times it felt like we were like any other tour group being herded around which is not why I chose to go with Exodus.

Most Inspirational Moment

The Great Wall, Terracotta Army, 3 gorges, the amazing scenery especially around Yangshou.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was an absolute star, she coped well with the large group, she was knowledgeable, had the patience of a saint and always had a smile. She really went the extra mile.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Check size of group. Cruise ship was also far larger than expected, 320 as opposed to 150, and was a bit like being at a Butlins camp including the wakey wakey call in the morning that burst through the intercom in your room. Learn some basic phrases in Chinese. Go cycling in the rural areas.

Reply from Exodus

We would like to thank Judith for her review, although we are sorry that she had some concerns regarding the group size and the number of passengers on the boat cruise. It is extremely rare that a group size should exceed 16 as we realise that smaller groups can ensure a good group dynamic and experience; we would therefore like to apologise that this negatively impacted upon her enjoyment of the trip. The trip notes for 2016 have been updated as to the number of passengers on the boat cruise, but we regret the disappointment this caused.

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Barry Walker

Reviewed October 2015

Imperial China

This is a rather hectic tour, often using public transport. You see a great deal of China, though there is very little free time. Exodus are quite wrong in describing the trip as leisurely – in particular, when using trains you will have to carry your luggage a long way, up and down stairs, and through extremely crowded areas.

Most Inspirational Moment

The Great Wall and the Panda breeding centre.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alan was very considerate and helpful. Among the best tour guides I have encountered.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for crowds. If you not already proficient with chopsticks then get some practice in. Get a phrasebook, very little English is spoken. If you want to avoid the strict internet censorship, download a VPN before you go (I used Vypr - £6.00 for a month - no problems.) Most electrical sockets took plugs of various sizes, though flat two pin was most common. Bank of China ATMs are reasonably common and reliable. Take a cup and some tea/coffee for the trains - hot water is available.

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Ross Pezzack

Reviewed September 2015

Great trip but u are in China!

This is a very good trip which allows u to experience a lot of what is China. Travelling overnight trains, fighting your way thru crowds at train stations, eating in local restaurants u would not find on your own, being crushed in local markets and on subways, staying in reasonable hotels in centre of cities, crazy pedestrian and street traffic, but also seeing the wonderful sights of the Great Wall, terra cotta warriors, westernized Shanghai, Yangtze River, and Beijing to mention a few.

Most Inspirational Moment

Terra Cotta warriors, Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, pandas, were all fantastic. But what struck me was what a capitalist society China really is. Everything is for sale everywhere by individuals, and in areas there are a lot more luxury autos than I would ever see in my country. Not sure what happened to communism. The huge population is striking, we would pass a "small" city of 10 million that u have never heard of!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alan was great, in China lots can go wrong, including streets so flooded we could not pass them to get to our train station ( he got us there), but he seemed very organized, giving suggestions for bakeries and food, ordering group dinners. He also expressed some of the shortcomings of his county, and his English was very good. He worked very hard!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Facebook and more importantly gmail did not work in China, important if u have to stay in contact for business or personal reasons. It is very hot in August and there is a lot of walking. Always carry toilet paper and of course the standard of toilets is quite low except at hotels. The standard on the trains is very low but no one died on our trip, it is what it is, it is China. If u are a coffee addict take some instant, if u really like cream in your coffee, take some coffee mate. U will be carrying your bags up and down stairs in train stations. Generally u will get pushed and shoved, it is China u learn to push back. Traffic is crazy, be careful as a pedestrian and have patience when riding a bike. We went a day early to Beijing and had a great day exploring using the subway. We happened to luck out with a cheap 2 day stopover in Tokyo on the way back, the contrasts were amazing, worth trying if u have time. We took cable car up the wall, i am glad given the limited time u have to explore the wall it allowed me to see more of the wall, but I am a slow hiker!!

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Penelope Wood

Reviewed September 2015

Imperial China and the Yangtze River

We wanted to get a real insight into China and see the great icons of the country too and this trip certainly delivered on both fronts. It was hard work at times because of the full on travel but the upside was that we saw a lot of the country and how the infrastructure works (or doesn’t, with floods in Xi’ian!). Our guide Alan/Hongbin Liu was excellent – more on him later.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many, but I've selected two. Walking along the Great Wall and seeing it weave ahead over the mountains in to the distance, imagining all the thousands of people involved in it's construction. Second top moment was being among the Karst Mountains - summiting one that was right behind our hotel in Yangshuo and cycling along the Yulong river with the peaks as a glorious backdrop.

Thoughts on Group Leader

In a nutshell, he was brilliant. He was cool, calm and collected throughout the trip and really wanted us to get a sense of China, it's history and how it's developing in the modern day. Nothing seemed to be too much trouble for him and he had a great sense of humour - not sure how he maintained that, particularly when rivers of water where running down the streets in Xi'ian and it seemed a certain bet that we'd miss our train to Chengdu - however he was right to be calm as we had loads of time in the end!

Advice for Potential Travellers

My advice would be to make sure you are pretty fit as this is quite a full on trip, lugging baggage on and off various forms of transport and there are some great active optional activities to take up too. Be prepared for high volumes of people and when jostled, jostle back or you won't move very far! Also, go soon as from what we experienced China is changing fast.

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Janet Duff

Reviewed January 2015

Everything's bigger in China

Fascinating jam-packed itinerary of one of the most important influences of the modern world. Looking at the historical sites (like the Great Wall, the Summer Palace lake, the Terracotta Army) side-by-side with modern China’s immense infrastructure projects (the railway tunnels/bridges, the Three Gorges dam and ship locks) demonstrates how China has always done things fearlessly and BIG.

Most Inspirational Moment

Photographs of the Terracotta Army don't really prepare you for the vastness of what is only a fraction of the whole site, and the detail of the warriors is fascinating right down to the tread on the boot of a kneeling archer warrior. The pandas were pretty cool too - but they DO look like dudes in panda suits (I tried very hard to see the zip)! The food was fantastic everywhere we went (with the possible exception of Congee - a Chinese breakfast I never quite mastered). Cycling round the walls of Xi'an.

Thoughts on Group Leader

One of the great things about the best Exodus tour leaders is that they get you to places at the best times to beat the crowds. Our leader Xin worked tirelessly, the clock-round for two and a half weeks.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I loved this journey, but we need to be honest about the intensity of the schedule. Despite the lack of physical "activities" on this trip, it is arduous. Negotiating the main railway station at a city of more than 30 million people (when most of them seem to be crushing to get in to the station), 16-hour train journeys in filthy compartments, squat toilets with dire hygiene, pollution which catches in the back of your throat - this trip covers huge distances and is pretty intense, takes it out of you, and you need to be stronger than the activity rating would suggest. There is very little "downtime" and Chinese hotels don't have much in the way of common areas where you can chill out, swim or watch the world go by. None of this can be changed by Exodus, it is part of the experience of this much China, but it is not for the faint-hearted. Psych yourself up and power on through. The rewards of this fascinating country are fantastic, even if they don't come easily!

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Colin Billings

Reviewed December 2014

Imperial China and Yangste River Cruise

Excellent overview of the main sites in China.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the pandas they were lovely. It made me realise how delicate and fragile nature is, these animals would struggle to survive in the wild In complete contrast the 3 gorges dam project was a huge technological undertaking, I wondered if the disruption it caused was justified

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ting-Ting was excellent. She managed the group over a very long and exhausting holiday.

Advice for Potential Travellers

There are three overnight train journeys. You have to carry your own luggage over considerable distances to and inside the station. Pack as light as possible.

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Reviewed November 2014

Imperial China & Yangtze River Cruise holiday

This has been a truly amazing adventure. The itinerary although very extensive, enabled the group to feast upon the historical sites, cultural & diversity aspects of this amazing country. There was plenty of opportunity to interact with the locals which was very interesting which one wouldn’t normally find on such a tour

Most Inspirational Moment

The many & diverse ethnicities of the Chinese people with their own different traditions & identities. The sheer size & enormity of the country that has grown so rapidly (complete with its huge numbers of German cars).

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jenny, wow what can we say, except that she's just an amazing, inclusive, intelligent, inspirational group leader, whose knowledge knew no bounds. Her grasp of English & associated humour was a real treat. Jenny was forever mindful of the groups needs & wants. Two group members had birthdays during the tour & Jenny made sure that they were memorable. This was a really nice touch & was appreciated by all

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do not bring US dollars as changing them is time consuming due to long queues in the banks. ATM's are in abundance (easy to use & instructions in English) Don't forget your toilet paper (none available in public toilets) You must: 1 - Go up the Shanghai World Financial Centre, for some spectatcular views from the 100th floor 2 - Eat at the Pure Lotus Vegetarian restaurant in Yangshuo (you could turn vegetarian after just one meal!) 3 - Visit the Han tombs Museum before they get too well known (optional excursion)

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