Reviews

Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers

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37 Reviews

4.8 out of 5

Reviewed November 2012

PERU EXPLORER

Excellent trip. Well worth taking if you want to see as much of Peru as possible. Driving rather than flying between the various points provide a deeper insight into the real Peru. Its well worth the extra time it takes.

Most Inspirational Moment

The group I was travelling with was awesome as was our guide Rene Calancha. Between them the made the whole trip into an extraordinary experience. There are so many inspirational moments, from visiting a cemetaty on All Soul's day and celebrating with a local family to walking the Inca Trail. It's impossible to pick one highlight.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We had the best. Rene has a great sense of humour (an absolute necessity considering the group) and was able to competently deal with some difficult situations that came up. His knowledge of the Inca culture, history and Peru itself was astounding.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you walk the Inca Trail, inform yourself. It is a difficult walk, especially the second day and you should be prepared both physically and mentally for the long steep climbs on uneven stone steps that you will encounter. Wear good trail shoes or boots and bring layers of clothes. The weather can vary from hot to wet and cold in a metter of hours.

Reviewed November 2012

PERU EXPLORER

Peru was wonderful, a country of so many contrasts: the colours, the scenery, the wildlife, the people, the flora, all fascinating. We packed in so much in the three weeks, it really did seem much longer, every day held even more amazing things to see.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking up to the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu in the morning before the hordes of other tourists arrived was really magical....and on the jungle walk, when our local guide dived into the undergrowth and appeared with a very, very long snake in his hands - amazing and beautiful. I felt really privileged to be able to touch this gorgeous creature in its natural habitat. ... and Lake Titicaca - stunning, having read about it in Arthur Mee's Children's Encyclopaedia I had been wanting to go there for probably nearly sixty years!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rene Calancha was excellent in every way - fun, knowledgeable, tireless and, most of all, extremely patient.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't lose your passport! I did and it is not recommended. Once again, Rene was brilliant and arranged everything for me to be able to return to Lima to get the yellow emergency one (now known as the "idiot's passport").

Reviewed November 2012

PERU EXPLORER

If you want a relaxing holiday, carefree and pampered, choose something else. Peru Explorer is more of a travel experience and you will need the resilience for some 05.00 starts and long days, climates to challenge your packing, mostly middle of the road, sometimes quirky, hotels, three nights wild camping, and probably a bout of being unwell at some point, as everyone in my group was. What you’ll get is the most comprehensive tour of the southern half of this splendid country, all its highlights, an Andean trek, astonishment at the sophistication of the Incas, three starkly different climate zones and, demanding its own mention, the simply world class attraction of Machu Picchu. Yes, it really is as staggering as you’re imagining, not over-hyped, and up there with Angkor, Bagan and the Taj.

Most Inspirational Moment

Mountains are a particular draw for me so I deliberately chose the Moonstone Trek for its views of the lovely glacial cone of Ampata. There's a point on day three where you trek up to the remains of a small Inca temple which stands on a lofty promontory. And there, towering above you as you crest the ridge, is Ampata. Any of you who've scrambled round a rock, pulled open your tent flap, or seen the clouds part to give you that first glimpse of a fine mountain will know the feeling.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rene - he was good and I would recommend him.

Advice for Potential Travellers

1. Think carefully about what you want from this trip. It should include a definite liking for the trek element, a wish to see as much as possible of Peru and a preparedness to tough through bits to achieve. If, though, what you really want is Machu Picchu plus maybe a bit of something else, choose one of Exodus' other itineraries in Peru. If you don't want to trek, weigh up picking a non-trek tour as opposed to choosing Peru Explorer and passing the trek days in Cuzco - you will find yourself in Cuzco for most of a week. Interesting city though it is that's a long time and our Cuzco hotel was nowhere near comfortable or well appointed enough to sustain this. 2. Talk to your travel clinic doctor about acetazolamide (Diamox), specifically to take advice about the option of starting this medication in Arequipa to possibly help with acclimatising to what is to come - a road ascent in part of a day of about 8,000ft from Arequipa over the high pass en route to Chivay. To my knowledge, none of us did this and all of us developed altitude symptoms to differing degrees coming on either at the pass itself or by bedtime in Chivay. I'm a GP, had some acetazolamide left over from last year's Exodus climb of Mts Meru and Kilimanjaro, started taking it in Chivay and didn't look back. Purely personally, starting this pre-emptively in Arequipa rather than Chivay is the one thing I would have done differently.

Reviewed January 2012

PERU EXPLORER

The Peru Explorer package was very well organised and led, gave us a pretty comprehensive picture of Southern Peru and was good value for money. Given the distances involved and the sheer scale of the programme, it inevitably involved a great deal of coach travel – it certainly wasn’t a restful holiday! We were lucky in that our group numbered only nine and we travelled in a coach which catered for more than twice as many people. The Inca trail was wonderful and, although we were by far (a good dozen years) the oldest people in the group, we managed the walking without much discomfort. And we were tremendously well looked after by the ample contingent of porters, cooks and bottle-washers.

Most Inspirational Moment

Waking up on the last morning of the Inca trail to find that llamas and alpacas had invaded the camp.

Thoughts on Group Leader

This was our first package tour so have no comparators, but Rene Calancha did a great job - way above our expectations. He was a mine of information about each area we visited and was always willing to help whatever the issue, and even "rescued" me when my fear of heights got the better of me!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Three things: prepare your stomach for all eventualities - begin a course of pro-biotics before leaving;book a couple of extra days in Lima at the beginning or end of the trip; andif you're doing the Inca Trail, or similar, "train" for the long ascents and steep descents before leaving so that you can devote your energy to dealing with the challenges of altitude.

Reviewed January 2012

PERU EXPLORER

Had wanted to visit the "sights " of Peru since learning about the Incas as a schoolboy .This trip realised those dreams .

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu after 4 days on the Inca trail.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mr Rene Calancha is an absolute star , knows everything there is to know about Peru or knows someone who can help.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take your guides advice about the affects of both the strong Peruvian sunshine and altitude . They know best . Pack for all weather conditions

Reviewed October 2011

PERU EXPLORER

Met our expectations in almost every respect.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking through the Sun Gate (on a sunny day) after 4 days walking was one of those moments I hope not to forget.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Group leader Carlos was excellent, and kept (most) of the group going and enthusiastic when it would have been easy to lose cohesion. He joined in wholewheartedly and got many of us enthused about Peru playing Paraguay in the world cup.

Advice for Potential Travellers

You need to pack everything for the range of weather expected, but don't take too much! Layers that you can you can use at different altitudes and in different climates are best. Good walking shoes are also fine for the Inca trail.

Reviewed May 2011

Trip of a lifetme

Wonderful holiday, incredible local trip leader, lots of travelling

Most Inspirational Moment

So many moments in the trip were amazing, Surviving the Inca Trail (Me not being that fit) and the jungle

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader Holget was an amazing group leader, local from Cuzco, always helpful, gave you enough information in small amounts.Helped us on the Inca Trail when we were struggling, loads of local knowledge, great knowledge of resturants

Advice for Potential Travellers

If doing the Inca Trail get used to walking up hills expecially steep hills, if you do the peru explorer trip altitude shouldn't be a problem as you get time to get used to it as you go along.It can be cold in the evenings on the trail, metal water bottles are useful, filled with the hot water they provide make a great hot water bottle. ** They do not supply automatically a sleeping bag (you can rent them from exodus or bring your own) ** **## Dont buy large bottles (over 100ml) of Pisco at the airport if its going in your hand luggage, they will be taken off you at the next airport if your flight isn't direct ##**

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