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.
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14499 Reviews
4.7 out of
5
Reviews
Phyllis Ryan
Reviewed March 2018
Mexico: Myans, Aztecs & Conquistadors
An excellent experience. We saw so many Mayan sites, and learned a lot about Mexico’s history in general.
Most Inspirational Moment
The experience of seeing some of the ancient sites, even from as far back as 200-500 years BC. I thoroughly enjoyed roaming around, and climbing up these pyramids.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Arturo was a very good leader. He knew so much about his local history, and passed on his knowledge with humour and a great sense of pride.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be prepared for mosquitoes. Although it wasn't Malaria season, I still got bitten. Take a good repellent with you.
Julie and William Knuckey
Reviewed March 2018
Discover Sri Lanka
We thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this trip. It was very varied in experiences from Buddhist temples to a taste of the local culture and life of the villagers. The contrast of the busy noisy towns to the tea plantations , national parks & forest areas. The whole experience was made extra special and interesting by our excellent guide’ Bob'( his Sri Lankan name is impossible to pronounce), who explained clearly the history, culture & life of Sri Lanka, illustrated by his own personal stories. Hotels were of a good standard and the food & service were on the whole good. The train ride was an experience, expect to stand for 2 hours, though some local women made a small seating space for me and I enjoyed hearing their life stories and they generously wanted to share their snacks with me! Yala national park was very good and we did see a leopard however, the game drive in Kaudulla National park was too crowded with other viewers.
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing a Leopard in Yala National Park, Seeing blue wales, the white water rafting, and visits to local villages where we were served local food and drank from freshly cut coconuts. As well as the Buddhist Temple of the tooth.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Excellent, the best we have had yet, so informative without being over powering, always smiling and his own personal stories brought to life the history, religion and culture of the Island. I would live to go on another trip led by him.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Make sure that you have a light fleece for the hills of Nuwara Ella. Have plenty of sun cream & after sun for the coast. Be ready for sudden downpours. Trust your leader he knows the best time to arrive at attractions which might mean an early start! Just enjoy all the different experiences
Elaine Richards
Reviewed March 2018
Effort rewarded
Being complete novices my wife and I were just experimenting with this trip. We are so glad we did. The walks are all pretty challenging stuff but the rewards of the effort put in are more than ample reward. We were fortunate enough to get a pretty good week, some snow, some blue skies and not too cold and the Dolomites definitely showed us their best face. We are in our early sixties and walk regularly and found the walks doable but not easy. You get out of this holiday what you put in.
Most Inspirational Moment
Arriving at the summit of Durakopf and being completely surrounded by snow covered mountains against a clear blue sky takes some beating but there were many other moments like that. Every day provided something new and even more amazing than the previous one.
The sense of achievement we, and the rest of the group felt on reaching our targets.
Thoughts on Group Leader
It is quite hard to explain how much Sara makes this holiday. She is all the things a guide should be, knowledgeable, helpful, caring and extremely competent but the whole is so much more than the sum of the parts. With any reasonably competent guide this would be a good holiday but Sara takes it up a notch and to a different level. Excellent does not do her justice.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Make sure you are a fit and able walker and the snowshoeing will come naturally. Read the trip notes and kit list thoroughly and ensure you follow it. Bring a camera or you will regret it.
Maggie Murfitt
Reviewed March 2018
Vietnam Adventure
I have just returned from the Vietnam Adventure trip. It was my 6th Exodus adventure and I have to say it was easily one of the best I have been on.
This vast country has so much to offer, there are vast differences between the north and the south and the trip enables you to experience a lot in a relatively short time.
When we were on the boat in Halong Bay the weather was damp and grey – it gave a really ethereal quality to the experience and I think our photographs are absolutely stunning.
As we moved south the weather changed and became hot and humid which was a relief!
To me the whole trip was fantastic, it’s hard to pick favourite places but I have to say that Hoi An and My Son were truly amazing. I have never seen anything like them.
It is a busy trip with lots to take in and lots of variety in what you do. I have to say that Tao, our Trip Leader, was brilliant. He must have had so much to organise, check and manage but he did it all with total calm and good humour. He was knowledgeable and kind and is one of the best Trip Leaders I have had the pleasure of touring with.
The standard of hotels is excellent, the toilets are fantastic and everywhere is spotlessly clean.
So book it and enjoy.
Most Inspirational Moment
My Son, Hoi An, Saigon and Halong Bay - all of it really!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Tao is a total professional. Very knowledgeable, proud of his country and top fun. Excellent
Advice for Potential Travellers
Bring extra cash if you like wine (it's a bit pricy in the hotels), and shopping there lots of bargains to be had.
Also bring trainers and a waterproof jacket, the north of the country was not very warm and it rained as well.
Ryszard Feldman
Reviewed March 2018
Leisurely Vietnam adventure
Excellent trip. Well organized and interesting. Good quality accommodations.
Most Inspirational Moment
Many good moments. Hard to select one.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Nhi Pham in Vietnam was excellent. I nominated her for leader award.
Leader in Cambodia was very knowledgeable, but not very experienced in interpersonal skills.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Recommend the trip for educational and general informative content.
Except for short Angkor leg, it was also not very exhausting.
john dingley
Reviewed March 2018
South East Asia in 14 days !
A great trip, supported by 3 very good teams. The riding was fairly easy – very flat with hardly an incline – , with a great bunch of fellow riders. I dont think we saw the best of Thailand, and it felt like we were out of the country as soon as we started. Temples and Pagodas was the theme of most of the trip, and they didn’t dissapoint. We saw monkeys and elephants – too breifly. A lot of people on our trip were more interested in the wildlife, a bit of a shame that more wasnt made of that. Cambodia stole our hearts ! The people were so freindly, the surroundings straight out of “national geographic” pages. A country with such a sad history, but certainly worth a visit on it’s own.
Most Inspirational Moment
The boarder crossing from Thailand to Cambodia was an experience not to be missed - but the highlight of the 2 weeks had to be the temples in Siem Reap. Not only Angkor Wat, but so many other stunning temples to see.
Thoughts on Group Leader
It was difficult to gel with the team - having 3 teams and 3 bikes in such a short period of time. Because of that, the team leader wasn't as "prominent" as other trips because - in his own words - he was the general manager rather than the tour guide. However, Chai looked after us very well and allowed us to build up a bit of steam on longer sections.
Advice for Potential Travellers
In Seam Reap, head straight for Pub Street - a very lively atmosphere, not to be missed !
The 5am start to Angkor Wat to see the sunrise, was very much an anticlimax for the views, but worth doing just for the atmospehere of 3000 people at stupid-o-clock all racing there by tuk-tuk.
When in Phnom Penh, take an evening river cruise - 2 hours up and down the waterways which was very cheap.
Linda Ennis
Reviewed March 2018
Classic Vietnam & Angklor-- a tremendous travel experience!
Traveling with Exodus was indeed a tremendous experience and far surpassed any group travel I have previously encountered. Hotels selected were of very high quality with excellent locations, allowing for easy access during free time to various opportunities. Activities scheduled were both educational and enjoyable, reflective of meaningful experiences in the history of each country visited. The tour was perfectly paced for active seniors, with enough activity without being overload, interspersing in enough free time to add in those activities which we might wish to choose for our personal enjoyment. Most importantly, the other 14 members in our group were totally enjoyable, warm & friendly, thereby creating an unanticipated group experience for sharing in these foreign turfs. Excellent tour which is highly recommended for anyone with an interest in both history and culture in the countries of both Vietnam & Cambodia
Most Inspirational Moment
There were many inspirational moments in our trip but if one need be selected perhaps it might be our visit to Halong Bay, where we stayed overnight on a boat while cruising among the islands. Visits to Mekong Delta as well our kayaking experience were also very special experiences, as well as the visit to Hoi An, a lovely town in central Vietnam where we were able to mingle more with the local culture. The most emotionally challenging experience of the trip was a visit to the Vietnam War Museum wherein via photos of effects of Agent Orange, we were exposed to the tremendous devastation which the USA inflicted upon these countries. The trip was both experiential on multiple levels and allowed one to pursue history and culture to whatever degree chosen.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our group leader, Nye, in Vietnam was beyond excellent. Her knowledge and presentation of information in both a casual yet educational manner was tremendous. Her capacity to keep organization in a group of 16 people while retaining a warm & cooperative spirit greatly encouraged a group experience and enable the schedule to run in an organized manner. Her flexibility to allow for individual deviation when desired as well as her capacity to show personal interest in each group member's activities was remarkable & would inspire me to nominate her as a best group leader ever experienced on a tour.
Our group leader in Cambodia was also very knowledgable and presented educational material beyond expectations on Angkor. His presentation was less personally influenced and casual than our previous leader and somewhat more difficult to focus upon due to his tendency to present infinite tangential information. The heat in Cambodia also exacerbated the difficulty of this part of the tour, which may also reflect a wish for less detail in this experience.
Advice for Potential Travellers
I would highly recommend Exodus travel after researching numerous companies as an excellent tour company and suggest this tour for anyone with interest in these countries from an educational and cultural perspective. We chose February as the month least prone to monsoons and weather was quite accommodating during our Vietnam portion of the trip. Heat is Cambodia was more than anticipated and did have some effect on our willingness to explore further on our second day, but fortunately, the group was in consensus regarding this concept.
Eliane Lamotte
Reviewed March 2018
MOV180211
My trip to Cycling Vietnam was very good. Son Nguyen was very good, we were 18 in the
group, occasionally we needed more information about the next day so we could get ourself
prepared better (ex. sleeping on train and boat).
I wish we had more time in Hanoi, we were flying home the next day getting on transfer bus
for 10.30am. Coming away from Halong Bay going to Hanoi, after several hours on bus we
visited the Temple of Literature and Hoa Lo Prison Museum. I think it would have been better
if we were given the choice to see those two sights because we were near our hotel when we
went to the Hoa Lo Prison Museum (only a few people were interested).
Most Inspirational Moment
Everything was magical especially with the celebration of New Year (Hoi An)
Ha Long Bay kayak/sleeping on boat.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Son Nguyen was very good.
ANDREW GRUN
Reviewed March 2018
TRANSYLVANIA WINTER WALK & SNOWSHOE
Wonderful snowy scenery in the forests. Expert guide (Thomas Oyntzen) with great historical knowledge of the area. Great historical buildings built to resist invasion from the Turkish empire. Very pretty mountain farming villages built on very steep grazing land, which is very hard to farm. Great wildlife to view. Very comfortable hotel with lovely food.
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing the wildlife: bears, chamoix, bats and the steep rocky mountain scenery.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Thomas Oyntzen. Very helpful generally, particularly with snowshoeing and knowledgeable about the local history and local routes to explore. Spoke very good English and gave very detailed explanations of local history and the peoples involved. Had obviously studied history to an academic level. There was a lot to explain in this area, where there was often conflict between the Austrian and Turkish empires and buildings like churches were often fortified to resist invasion. There was a lot of interesting historical facts to learn about a country, which was very different to Britain.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Come prepared for real deep snow and cold weather. A real Winter experience in a completely different landscape to Britain.
Eileen Bigg
Reviewed March 2018
A wonderfully green country, creating hope for the planet
A thorough tour of Costa Rica from coast to coast, from sea level to mountain high
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing the beautiful colours of the birds, especially the quetzel ... and teeny tiny frogs ... and the headlamp beetles on a night walk ... and swimming in the refreshing water by a waterfall, and the sea in Manuel Antonio National Park ...
Thoughts on Group Leader
Pedro was excellent and thorough and gave us every opportunity for new experiences.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Remember to use your sunscreen and insect repellent, and wear a sunhat, even when swimming in the sea! Be warned that everything in your case will absorb moisture while in the rainforest. Take a universal plug for the sinks.
