Most Inspirational Moment
Camping in the Bedouin camp in Wadi Rum
Thoughts on Group Leader
Excellent
Advice for Potential Travellers
June is exceedingly hot, go in March/April/May to avoid the heat
Reviews
Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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Reviews
A week in Jordan
An excellent trip, very full on but really interesting. Although the trip notes state that the trip is ‘moderate’ I would say it was more energetic than moderate. Lots of climbing and walking
A great first group guided holiday
A first rate holiday with some great walks and time to relax over some fine lunches in places I would not have found on my own. The hotel was a very peasant family run place and the food delicious. This was our first guided group walking holiday and I intend to do another, quite probably with Exodus, who I thought were great from the first booking call to the holiday itself.
Most Inspirational Moment
The scenery was absolutely wonderful and I enjoyed the company of the group.
Thoughts on Group Leader
The group leader Severio was excellent. He was well organised, knowledgeable and really led the group up in a nice friendly way. He went the extra mile by doing things like in organising walks/trips for us our day off and the final Saturday.
Advice for Potential Travellers
There is little preparation needed as Exodus take care of you all week. The walking is moderate as the brochure/website suggests. I see in the comments that much is made of steps! There are steps but they do not spoil the walking and frankly are the only practical way of reaching the coast from the village where we stayed.
General review
Everything was very good except the hotel near Encumeada which was expensive,had very poor staff, and no acoustic attenuation between rooms. In short wholly unsatisfactory.
For this reason Exodus does not get an Excellent rating
Most Inspirational Moment
The mountains
Thoughts on Group Leader
Very good
Advice for Potential Travellers
One of the walks is very hard
Great Trip
This was an excellent well planned tour. I found the pace busy but not overly strenuos or hectic. You have plenty of variety, Mt Etna seaside towns and harbours, quaint old towns as well as the ancient sites. What made this trip so good was the guide, Vanessa,, who often went the extra mile to help the group, and the group itself, 15 very different people who got on well. We stayed on for 4 nights after the end of the tour for rest and relaxation near Taormina and this was certainly the right decision. Taormina itself is very crowded and touristy with the side streets and the public gardens offering a welcome relief. Palermo was the best big city with plenty of character.
Most Inspirational Moment
The drive up to the hilltop village of Erice plus the stay at the farmhouse.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Vanessa was one of the best, if not the best, tour leader I have travelled with. She had excellent English having lived in Dublin for eight years. She was extremely well informed and organised. She often went out of her way to help the group or individuals. For example we had independently booked a hotel at the end of the tour. Not only did she drop us off but checked the booking before we arrived and arranged for hotel staff to meet us at the end of the drive to the hotel. She was always cheerful and fun.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be be prepared for some long bus journeys and quite a busy pace. Don’t worry overmuch about the walks. Our group managed both walks without any issues but good walking shows are essential for the Etna walk. Consider staying on after the tour but not at the tour hotel.
Outstanding Italy Trip
Great combination of sightseeing, excursions, walking and activities in Puglia.
Most Inspirational Moment
Trullo hotel in Alberobello was lovely; Matera was fascinating - luxurious cave-dwelling.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Barbara was really excellent - efficient, knowledgeable and friendly.
Advice for Potential Travellers
No need for hiking boots, but bring sturdy sensible footwear for the walking. Some rough tracks and cobblestones involved.
Setting the Italian bar very high
This was my first trip to Italy (I know, I know, but I love France and it’s closer) and its hard to imagine that any other trip could be as good at this one. The Amalfi coast scenery is simply spectacular, and beautiful. Our guide, Severio, was excellent and entertaining and unobtrusively shepherded our group along the cliff top paths. The hotel was good too, with excellent well balanced food, friendly staff, and cocktails by the pool. And I learned how to spin pizza dough to make a nice round pizza, something I’ve been unsuccessfully trying to do for years. Definitely in the top three holidays of my life. Fab.
Most Inspirational Moment
The Path of the Gods. The views are better than the hype, they really do not disappoint. Vesuvius was pretty special too. Standing on the crater rim, with a 300m drop to the crater floor on one side and Naples spread out below us on the other, brings home how fragile our comfortable lives can be and how small we are compared to the geological might of the Earth.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Excellent. It's harder than it looks being a good group leader, keeping everyone together and managing peoples' different walking paces.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The paths are steep, occasionally exposed, have a lot of steps (literally 000s) and it can be very hot. So you do need to be reasonably fit, not prone to vertigo, and have a 1.5 or 2 litre water bottle minimum with you. Oh, and there's lot of good food and wine, so don't expect to loose any weight! On which note, the carafes of wine at the hotel are good, but the wine by the bottle is no more expensive if you're drinking 2 or 3 glasses and very good quality indeed. So don't just drink the wine provided, explore what else is on offer, it was all excellent.
Excellent trip
This was my fifth holiday with Exodus and once again it was most enjoyable. The combination of spectacular scenery, picturesque towns and visits to Vesuvius and Pompeii make the Amalfi coast an ideal destination to visit. Hotel Due Torri is a comfortable family run hotel. The staff are all friendly and the food is excellent.
Most Inspirational Moment
Great walks with spectacular views and the opportunity to swim some days. The walk round the vast crater of Vesuvius and the visit to Pompeii.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Vania is an excellent guide. She is friendly, knowledgeable and well organised and always has a smile
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be aware that there are a lot of steps on some of the walks and walking poles do help.
Little known gems
Walking in Matera was an interesting and eye opening experience. I knew nothing of the history of this facinating “heel of Italy’ so was extremely surprised and delighted to discover it in the company of 5 other travellers and our wonderful guide Nino.
Most Inspirational Moment
The history of Matera is so interesting and thought provoking. Wandering around the old town and seeing into the 'caves' was such a privilege. The town is incredibly stark built into a cliff with each place a cave transformed into living histories of people going back thousands of years. Alberobello was another wonderful discovery and so beautiful and unusual.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Nino was our guide, he is knowledgeable and extremely helpful. He ensured the group knew what to expect everyday and was very considerate of people's walking abilities.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Don't expect the walking to be particularly interesting. We had extremely hot weather which made the walking unpleasant for me. The walk was 9 June 2018. The walks overall were the least enjoyable part of the trip. They were not long so we had a lot of opportunity to explore on our own which was great. The villages and history was the surprise for me and made the experience wonderful. The food was disappointing to me as it was fairly plain and was very much localised. While its important to discover new foods i didnt really enjoy it. We did eat at a wonderful fish restaurant and we also got to spend half a day at the beach which was fantastic and really energised the group. One thing despite the guide saying one needs proper walking boots or shoes i think a good pair of trainers would be sufficient as long as they have a hard sole. I swapped mine and immediately felt more comfortable especially in the heat. The whole trip was incredible, it was a small group who got on well together and had many great laughs along the way. Nino was a fantastic guide who made everything wonderful, i would recommend this trip to anyone.
Steptastic Italian Adventure
A well structured trip that takes in both the famous Cinque Terra villages, but also some less frequented and equally stunning hiking routes. There is plenty to do in this area and Moneglia is a good base, as it is lively without being overrun with tourists, which is sadly the case in some of the other towns nearby. Eating out most evenings means you get to experience authentic and varied Italian cuisine and the hotel is comfortable and welcoming.
Most Inspirational Moment
Most of the walks featured stunning views and numerous spontaneous swimming opportunities, which was great fun after a hot day's walking! Whilst it is good to have seen the Cinque Terra villages, I would not rate these as the highlight of the trip, unless you enjoy large crowds :-)
Thoughts on Group Leader
Paul was an excellent leader. His meticulous organization of the daily travel arrangements at the start and end of the walks meant the days ran smoothly and we were able to enjoy some free time for swimming etc after the walks. He also selected a good range of local restaurants for the evening meals. He went beyond the call of duty, helping organize activities for the free day and managing a group, whose different fitness levels made organization very challenging at times. An excellent advert for Exodus!
Advice for Potential Travellers
Whilst this trip is graded as moderate, the geography of the area means nothing is flat and most walks involve at least 200 m of ascent and descent, much of this on steps. Poles and proper walking boots are absolutely essential. It can also get very hot and humid, which should not be underestimated when climbing up steps, even if you are relatively fit. This is also first and foremost a trekking holiday and not just city touring with some walking thrown in!
Fantastic Tour of the Croatian Islands
My partner & I had a super time cycling round the Croatian islands in June 2018. Our tour leader, Mario, was fantastic and nothing was too much trouble for him. It was very well organised and the itinerary was busy but it meant we got to see a lot. Some of the views from the cycle were fantastic. One thing I would say is it is very hilly and I would maybe rate it more than a moderate. On the second day of cycling there was a 25km uphill climb which was pretty tough in the heat. There are plenty of stops though and no one is left behind. There is also a support bus for anyone that does not fancy the hills and you can join in the cycle from the top of the hill.
The first accommodation was a need of refurbishment and a little disappointing. The room was pretty basic. The other two hotels were nice, especially the one in Lumbarda. The restaurants we went to were all really nice and we got to sample lots of local dishes.
Overall I would recommend this trip – we had a super time and great memories from it.
Most Inspirational Moment
It was a real sense of achievement to reach the top of the hill of the second days cycling and the views were amazing!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our tour leader, Mario, was super and really looked after the whole group. He shared lots of local knowledge with us and was really organised and he ensured everything went smoothly for us.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Pack padded shorts and a water bottle.