Most Inspirational Moment
See above.
Reviews
Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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Reviews
Cycling Vietnam
Cycling Vietnam was an amazing and fun trip from start to finish. Beautiful scenery and varied landscapes with a good mix of urban and rural cycling. Delicious food at every point. The Vietnamese could not have been more welcoming – especially the excited kids that cheered us along the country roads.
The tour was well organised with team leader (Lok) and support team (Xiu, Nhan and Truong) providing outstanding service throughout.
The tour covers a huge distance from south to north (with bus and train support!) and along the way we had the chance to soak up Vietnamese culture and history – paddi fields, cashew nuts, traditional fishing methods as well as the legacy of colonialism and war. The city stops varied from chocoloate-box-perfect Hoi An to cosmopolitan Hanoi and everything in between (including a few hair raising roundabouts!).
The cycling was a joy throughout. A great way to visit a great country!
Poah cacheezy camandeezy danya frigee
The title is Swahili for “Cool as a crazy banana in the fridge”.
This trip was excellent! Well organised and well operated by our leader, JT. He and his team were friendly, knowledgeable, supportive, capable, polite, skilled, very VERY experienced, professional, the list goes on!
I was nervous about coming on this trip as I had never done anything like it before, but everything was so well managed that one by one, my worries disappeared and turned into excitement and even relaxation.
Everyone in the group was like-minded, determined and supportive of each other so we all got along very well. I went on my own so it was a relief to find that every one of my group had similar enough ambitions and were easy to get along with, despite coming from a range of backgrounds. I don’t believe this was just a happy accident – everyone climbing this mountain has more than enough in common to bond over and Exodus nourishes that bond well.
Most Inspirational Moment
Reaching the top! Being above the clouds and wending through the grand rain forests at the start and the very end were all highlights for me as well. Shira cathedral and the Baranco Wall also made good scrambling (climbing) and although I got a bit of a headache at the lava tower, that was something else I had been looking forward to and it did not disappoint.
Thoughts on Group Leader
JT and his team were friendly, knowledgeable, supportive, capable, polite, skilled, very VERY experienced, professional. He's already won the award for best group leader and he fully deserves to win it again.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be prepared, think about what you need. Your kit doesn't have to be perfect, just enough. Anything else is a comfort you're welcome to (but remember, either you or your porter, who WILL become your friend, will be carrying it). Consider what you will want to use when: - Travelling - On the plane - When you arrive - Leave the hotel - Wake up in the tent each morning - When it's warm at the bottom - When it's cold at the top - When it rains - When your camera loses charge - When you go to sleep in the tent - When you wake up in the morning - What information you need and how to store it (what reception is available) Just go through the situations of what the holiday will bring and consider what you need for those situations. Research altitude sickness. You don't need to be an expert and you don't need all the drugs - I personally did not take diamox and was just as well off as everyone else (some people did). Pole pole. Going slow sounds boring, but remember when sitting in your office thinking about the trip, but you're out in the wild by the tallest free standing mountain in the world. Make the most of it, look around, take pictures. You're only going to have to wait around when you get to camp. Even if you're really fit and the fastest walker in the world, you'll still fall short of breath at some point. And unless you can beat the record of under 5.5 hours to summit, I'm not interested in how fast you can do it. I'm more interested in what you get out of it, so just relax and see the sights.
Great Experiance
Great Walking without being over stretched phyically
Amazing Views
Great Chalet Hosts
Super Guide
Great Company
Most Inspirational Moment
It was all inspirational.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our Group leader Frank had a great knowledge of the area. He was also very informative about much of the flora and fauna. He kept the group together well, managing the pace to ensure that all got the best out of thier days afoot. Stops for a breather and take in the scenary were regular but not so many as to impact on the joy of each hike. His commitment showed when he was spotted in the mountains doing a recci for one of the week's later walks on his day off. Top marks!
Advice for Potential Travellers
The walks were not over strenuous , though did involve a long climb and decent each day. One does not need to be super fit to enjoy this holiday. However best suited to those who are regular walkers or from a sporting background. Best pub for a post walk drink is the Little Boxes bar, just 400m or so from the Chalet Chamonix
Rodopi bears!
A brilliant trip in all respects!
Scenery, group leader, wildlife, hotel, food all get top marks
Great walking and was lucky to be with a lovely group of just 6 of us plus Julian our leader
Most Inspirational Moment
Lots of best moments- seeing brown bears and wild boar from the hide, forest walks and beautiful meadows full of flowers and insects. Just the unspoilt scenery and rarely seeing another human being on the trails. The Yagodona hotel was also a great example of Bulgarian hospitality and generosity with comfy bright rooms and tasty home cooked meals and great local wines!!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Brilliant Julian was full of passion and knowledge not just about bears but also the wildlife of the region, Bulgarian tales and the culture of the mountain people. His positive attitude and sense of fun was also appreciated. Long may he continue to lead these trips!!
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be prepared for rain as well as sun, Maintain your sense of adventure and you will have a great time.
Fun and fantastic
This was a fun, leisurely, week-long ride through some of Italy’s most beautiful landscapes and cities, full of history, delicious food, and great gelato. I was fortunate that there was such wonderful camaraderie amongst our group, so that there was always lots of laughs, especially when the “easy, flat” sections contained lots of undulations. I would do this trip again if I could!
Most Inspirational Moment
The first glimpse of Lake Garda.
Thoughts on Group Leader
This was my second trip with Michele as leader - he's extremely experienced, takes great care of everyone and everything, and goes above and beyond to make sure you're having a good time. Whether you are being supported up a climb, being recommended a good restaurant, or going on one of his optional early morning rides, if you're lucky enough to be in a group of his, you're in safe hands. He and Martino made a great team, with Martino joining in with all the support, all the laughs, and all the climbs. We were lucky to have them both taking care of us.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Go for it and enjoy!
MontBlanc
Fabulous Alpine walking trip. Base camp at a nice chalet, communal style. 13 people.
Most Inspirational Moment
This trip is Inspirational and inspiring. At every turn there is another view or another peak of snow capped mountains towering above. Sensational, majestic and solid. After 1000 metres of climbing it’s also pretty nice when the track evens out and suddenly one realises one is ‘on top of the world’!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Pete was brilliant. Understood the group, our hiking abilities and our personalities and catered for all individually and collectively. He was risk averse, informative, fun and responsible at all times
Advice for Potential Travellers
A reminder that this is an ‘alpine’ trip do do expect to climb mountains. Bring a small case only, as I saw many struggling with heavy bags everywhere. Bring good quality hiking socks and well worn in shoes or boots and high quality specialised blister dressings just in case
Great trip
As the trip title suggests, this is great way to explore Macedonia, with a couple of days in Bulgaria and a day in Kosovo thrown in. The trip took in a good mix of cities, small towns, national parks and lakes (and a lot of churches, monasteries and mosques!) and included local visits to wineries and a beekeeper’s; all well guided/hosted. Although the trip is a leisurely one, the itinerary is very full which was great for the amount we saw and did in 10 days, but did mean that we had less free time than other trips I’ve been on. The trip was well planned and organised with only a couple of longer drives (needed to see as much as we did) and all the staff and local guides were great. Overall it was a great trip through some beautiful and fascinating countries and I would love to go back to the region.
Most Inspirational Moment
Hard to choose from such a full trip but my personal highlights were Rila Monastery , Lake Ohrid (and the cathedral tortoise), the morning/lunch at the beekeeper's and the night at the winery.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Nebojsha was a great; friendly, organised and incredibly knowledgeable.
Advice for Potential Travellers
We had limited time in Sofia and Skopje so if I were to do the trip again I would consider adding an extra night or two to the trip to have more time in one or both cities. Be prepared for the very generous portion sizes - you will not be hungry on this trip!
TDA180616
Fantastic holiday beautiful sights an amazing area to visit. The tour guide Martina Cipolla could not have done more. She was very knowledgeable open friendly and great at making sure everyone’s abilities were catered for. The hotel was lovely friendly staff food was brilliant.
Most Inspirational Moment
Walking Mount Vasoovius
Thoughts on Group Leader
Brilliant could of asked of more from her
Advice for Potential Travellers
No only enjoy
A week in the mountains
It was a very well organised holiday and our leader was very attentive, friendly, experienced and knowledgeable. The walks were varied and through dramatic and lovely scenery.
At the welcome meeting the evening before the 1st walk, Jose emphasised that we were on holiday and should walk at our own pace.
Unfortunately, there were some very fast walkers, who took off at some speed every day, which then set the pace, leaving me, very much, at the back. I felt I had to try and keep up and fell over a couple of times (not seriously). I think that this resulted in the leader thinking that I wasn’t up to some of the walks. I have done several walking holidays of this grade and managed well at my own pace. I realise, that with such a small group, there is less likelihood of there being a variety of walking speeds.
Most Inspirational Moment
There wasn't one particular moment. The photos that have been kindly shared, showed just how beautiful this area is. It was so peaceful and wild, helped by not coming across other walkers, apart from a couple of times.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Jose is totally committed to making the holiday a good experience and chose good routes. He arranged some fun things to do in the evenings, which helped to make the group gel. His sandwich making is legendary!
Classic Dolomites
The walks were well chosen, giving us a good mix of the mountain ascents and panoramic views. I believe the leader provided good guidance on the walks however the largeness of the group and variable fitness of group members meant there were challenges for the leader keeping to the necessary timetable to meet connecting bus transfers etc.
While generally the hotel was of a good standard, the formal set menus had restrictive choice and often had too many courses (up to 5). White table cloths and waiting staff in dinner suits seemed far too formal for a walking tour. Also waiting staff were run off their feet and worked extraordinaryly long hours. The evening where we ordered our meals provided the best meal of the stay. That said, every effort was made by staff to serve us as best they could.
I also wish to highly commend the hotel staff for assisting with resolving a medical problem my partner suffered from in the early part of the week.
Most Inspirational Moment
The ascent of Monte Piano, the panoramic views and the exploration of the WWI fortifications.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Alex was a competent group leader who was helpful, had a good sense of humour and managed a large group with variable levels of fitness with diplomacy.
Advice for Potential Travellers
This walk requires a reasonable standard of fitness and potential walkers should not unduly focus on the comforts available at the end of each walking day. While the walks were quite demanding achieving the views were very rewarding.