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.

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14499 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Vicky Campbell

Reviewed March 2018

Well organised trip

We booked this trip to make viewing wildlife easy for ourselves. We joined after 16 days of doing our own thing and looked forward to the group tour. The arrangements went according to plan except for the starting hotel which had been changed without our knowledge. On arrival at the correct place, we found it to be a pseudo-Egyptian monstrosity. The rest of the accommodation was much more as expected. The whale watching was tedious and involved 7 hours on a boat with a distant view of the tail of a whale. The boat race which ensued when it appeared that there was a chance to get closer to a whale was not productive and did not feel very considerate. There was a distinct lack of birds in Sinharaja and the attempt to see leopards in Yala was beyond belief with tens of trucks vying for position to see the tail of a leopard which was hidden in a tree. Not all of the hotels had much Sri Lankan food and there was limited vegetarian food at times. The packed lunches were poor.

Most Inspirational Moment

Making friends with two other couples Udawalawe Park was the most interesting, various birds, elephants and a few other mammals including a jackal. In both Udawalawe and Yala, we had good safari drivers.

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was a very considerate person who took time to get to know each of us and to establish what our interests were. His explanations about various aspects of life and history in Sri Lanka were most welcome.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't go with any hopes or expectations as to what wildlife you might see. Do take leech socks for Sinharaja, although these were made available.

Allistair Stark

Reviewed March 2018

A grand tour by bike through Vietnam.

This is a full on tour, with so much to see, and some great cycling. Highlights were the unexpected two nights on Whale Island, and the 34km – thirty four – continuous downhill from Dalat, through jungle on winding roads. This tour is classified in difficulty the same as Indochina & Angkor, but this is wrong. It is without doubt more difficult cycling, with a lot more elevation, and if done in the dry season fairly continuous headwinds. (We did the two tours back to back). However bus support is excellent. The temperatures in the south are the same as the Indochina tour – early thirties – but we obviously cooler at Dalat due to altitude, and as we got further north, particularly after the Hai Van pass. There is overall less to see in terms of temples etc, but much more in terms of scenery, and the cycling in general is a bit more interesting. Hanoi and Saigon are really interesting cities for anyone with any interest in recent history, but Hoi An is a gem of a city, relatively unknown to most people.

Most Inspirational Moment

The people. So friendly, almost without exception. (I dropped money in a wallet in Hanoi without realising, and was pursued by a young mother out with her children calling after me, to give it back. The thing is that whilst incredibly grateful, I didn't feel at all surprised at this)

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was Nguyen Tan Danh or Danh, also known to all as the 'Happy Buddha' He was simply wonderful. He is so organised, and always willing to go the extra mile to make things better, always volunteering extras. For example, having watched a large group from another country arrive in our Hanoi Hotel whilst we were there, tired and confused from their flights and all wanting the attention of a rather harassed looking leader - we compared it to how Danh almost without exception had organised all our rooms prior to arrival at hotels so we just walked in and picked up keys. He'd also got all our passport details and did all this in advance or on the road too! Five star service plus! He was also a font of knowledge on the history and geography of Vietnam and always a pleasure to talk to. As for food and coffee, he always found interesting out of the way places to visit, we will never forget the tiny cafe up a back stairwell and the 'special 'Hanoi' coffee - with eggs' which sounds dubious, but is actually completely delicious (think coffee flavoured meringue). We were very lucky to have Danh as our group leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you are not a regular cyclists, do get saddle fit. We are not cyclists, but did three months on and off prior to going. Do take your own pedals/saddle if you want, they are no problem to fit for the bike team, and you'll most likely find them more comfortable than the ones on the bikes. You will want to carry a camera; the bikes are mountain bikes with disc brakes - the handlebars are quite thick and many front panniers (like ours) didn't fit. Some folk had bought relatively cheap ones from Decathlon with long velcro straps which fitted fine. I ended up using a small rucksack, this causes a pretty sweaty back. Don't worry about malaria, but you will need DEET as mosquitoes and mosquito borne diseases such as Dengue are. Consider buying a knock down fly spray for use where there are mosquitoes in the rooms, such as Whale Island and to spray under your mosquito net. We would also take plug in mosquito coils and tablets for the same reason. Consider staying extra nights at the start/finish if you want to see Saigon and Hanoi, otherwise there is very little time, and there is plenty to see for a couple of days in each.

Allistair Stark

Reviewed March 2018

A great mix of temples, scenery and cycling

Fantastic temples, fantastic food, relatively easy cycling. Wonderful people.
You don’t need to be a regular cyclist to do this tour – if you follow the Exodus guide on getting cycling fit, you will have no problem.
Bus support was excellent, for anyone that got sick, or just didn’t fancy a particular cycle etc.
The mix of visiting iconic sites like Angkor Wat/ Angkor Thom etc was just right for us.
The cycling is nearly flat all the way from Thailand to the Mekong, and the expected/required cycling pace was relaxed. The only issue is heat; the temperature even in ‘winter’ was low to mid 30 celsius; regular water stops are provided, and acclimatisation helps. The hotels were either excellent – particularly the choices at Start/Finish in Bangkok and Saigon, and also in Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, and Chau Doc, or otherwise pretty good elsewhere. Almost everywhere had air conditioning, and where not, fans.

Most Inspirational Moment

The greetings and general friendliness of all local people; particularly children. Quite amazing.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was Chaiya Jaisodsai or Chai, who was just great. He made everything so easy for us, and kept everything running smoothly. He introduced himself to us as our General Manager, there to do anything he could to make things easier for us. His favourite phrase was 'No problem', no matter what the issue was, and it really didn't seem to be, even when he was attempting to 'herd cats' ie our group! Exodus has a policy of local guides in each of the countries; Chai being Thai, did the Thailand bit, but we had separate local guides at Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, and in Vietnam. The bike teams also change (as do the bikes) at the borders, but Chai stayed with us throughout, so crossing the borders was a breeze with him in control, not to mention him completing almost all of the paperwork for all eighteen of us the nights before! Amongst the other things he organised for us he also got us to eat street foods, which we may not have done without him , such as stuffed frog, tarantulas, crickets etc. Overall we cannot thank him enough.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Cycling: If you are not a regular cyclist, do cycle before going to get saddle fit. (We are not cyclists, and in our early sixties, but did some cycling for three months leading up to going; the Exodus guide provides good advice, though we didn't rigorously follow it) Do take your own cycle/pedals if you have them. Changing them is no problem at all for the cycle team. Do wear padded cycle shorts, and do follow the advice on wearing nothing under them, it just adds to friction. (I was sceptical of this, but am now a convert) Clothes are very easily washed and dried overnight in almost all rooms. The group leader can easily arrange full laundry which is very cheap, but generally only where you are staying more than one night (Siem Reap/Phnom Penh) Consider using or taking Sudocrem or other moisturiser/antiseptic to prevent or treat chafe. The bikes are mountain bikes with disc brakes, so if you take a front pannier, remember that the handlebars are quite thick and your attachments may well not fit. Ours didn't and we were not the only ones! Some in the group had bought relatively cheap velcro fitting ones from Decathlon, which had long velcro straps and fitted well. You will want some way of carrying your camera, phone, and those of us that carried a small rucksack got very sweaty backs. All the bikes have water bottle holders. Water stops are numerous, electrolyte powders were provided, along with a huge amount of snacks with every water stop. We didn't bring our own energy bars etc, and there was absolutely no need to. Cities: If you want to see Bangkok, consider adding extra days at the beginning, this will also allow acclimatisation to the heat. Similarly, consider added a night or two at the end if you want to see Saigon, otherwise there is really very little time to see either. Insects: Malaria is not a problem on this route, but other mosquito borne illnesses like Dengue are, so bite avoidance is important, you will need DEET! If going again we would also buy a knockdown fly spray, as not all the rooms in the hotels were mosquito free, and also to spray under the mosquito net in the homestay on the Mekong (plenty of mosquitoes there!). We would also take a plug in type mosquito coil with tablets for the same reasons.

Jo Mullin

Reviewed March 2018

A wonderful trip

Thoroughly enjoyed this holiday. We saw so much wildlife from sloths and monkeys and even an anteater to scarlet macaws and toucans, as well as the elusive quetzal, dolphins and lots of beautifully coloured birds, fish and reptiles. The group we travelled with was very friendly and good fun.

We saw many different landscapes and the whole trip was extremely well organised.

Most Inspirational Moment

It is impossible to pick one - seeing so much wildlife for the first time was wonderful. And the scenery was ever changing and beautiful.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Guillermo was a brilliant guide - he spotted so much wildlife, had a vast knowledge of nature and was kind and very well organised.. You will be very lucky if you have him as your guide.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you have deet and sunscreen and good walking boots or shoes for when it is muddly and to keep things from biting your ankles. A rain poncho will keep out the rain and keep your rucksack dry. Have a good camera. Relax and enjoy it

Dennis Jenkins

Reviewed March 2018

Discover Sri Lanka

A superb trip with so many varied experiences and one which although most of the major sites were visited also included chances to see day to day Sri Lanka and meet the people whose ever smiling personalties are one of the hallmarks of this beautiful country.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were so many inspirational moments that prioritising some of them proves rather difficult. The temples, climbing to the top of Sigiriya Rock, the ancient site of Polonnaruwa, exploring Kandy, especially the ceremony in the Temple of the Tooth, but above all seeing a wild elephant emerging from the forest of the Kadulla National Park and then seeing such large numbers of elephants, many with young, on the open plains of the park. Also, seeing a leopard, all be it for only a few seconds, and the other wildlife in the Yala National Park. The whale watching was also another highlight.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Roshan has won many awards for running this trip and it is easy to see why. He was able to remain calm at all times, his instructions were always very clear and he drew the group together so that although we were all strangers at the beginning, by the end we felt we had known each other for years! His hidden talent of singing on the penultimate night will always be remembered! He was able to rearrange things at a moments notice, for example when it was obvious that doing the Horton Plains trek was not really feasible in the thick mist that we encountered at the start, he managed to still get us the train ride(well worth it), and a walk to Little Adam's Peak which was at lower altitude and so therefore meant we did get some excellent views.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Most of the general advice has been given in previous reviews but one useful extra we did was to extend our stay by 2 nights to include Colombo which wasn't on the itinerary. Roshan, however, was very helpful to us by changing our extra 2 nights in Colombo to an excellent hotel resort called the Suriya just north of Negombo and getting our transfer there to include a Colombo City Tour. A relaxing way to end a busy tour!

Dennis Jenkins

Reviewed March 2018

Discover Sri Lanka

Most Inspirational Moment

Thoughts on Group Leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

Steve winfield

Reviewed March 2018

an experience but quite tiring

What you get to see and do is quite an incredible variation: one minute in the hustle and bustle of cities – old and new – next in the snow on mountains, then in the desert and next on the coast! Through all of this you get to experience what Morocco is in terms of a modernising African country but you also get to see that it is not all modern ‘1st world’ living, it hasn’t forgotten or left its past; for me the latter was why I came on this trip.

Even for a premium trip some hotels etc and their locations weren’t great; generally cold, damp and you weren’t exactly encourage to explore the local areas at times.

The trip downtime all but vanished and this left us with very prescriptive days which wasn’t what I expected or wanted. Add to this the very uncomfortable bus seats and you’re left feeling very drained and stiff at the end of most days, but also feeling that you’d not been able to make the most of what you visited. Sometimes you want to get lost in a city to explore it, not jolly around on a ‘follow the brolly’ excursion; for me that’s not an adventure.

Our biggest disappointment was the food. Due to the hotel locations or how your guide presents restaurants there is very little variation beyond beef (or is it goat) / chicken tagines, kebabs and salads. And despite the myriad of spices and herbs in the markets most meals were really very bland.

Overall it was quite an experience and I’m glad I’ve done it.

Most Inspirational Moment

By quite a distance the time in the desert, it is amazing. We had a little bit of time whilst at our auberge to explore the nearby dunes getting a taster of what was to come, but the trip on the camels into proper desert environments and spending the night out in the desert I would happily do again tomorrow. Seeing the wonderful changes of colour as the sun dips down across the dunes, watching the shadows grow and the landscape change is magical.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable but at times quite aloof and trip timing seemed to come from a different time zone - 8 hours journeys were 11 hours+.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I would suggest that the rating of leisurely is compared to other tours they do. Whereas we found it ok some didn't; don't expect just gentle inclines or less and for winter tours bring proper walking shoes - trainers won't be good enough. At the back end of Feb early Mar it is a pain knowing what to pack. During the day in the desert it was mid 20's at night though around freezing. Cities at the start were just into double figures but Riads and hotels a little chilly, not so bad if you can get the a/c blowing warm air though.

Reply from Exodus

We would like to thank Steve for his review, although we sincerely regret that some of the properties on this tour fell below his expectations and that he did not enjoy the food in Morocco. We use client and staff feedback to review each property and if any concerns are raised by clients throughout the year, these will be addressed and dealt with accordingly. We are pleased that Steve overall had an interesting experience; however we have taken both his and Teresa’s (please see above) feedback on board and will make any necessary changes.

Tom Harari – Product Manager

Miller Alison

Reviewed March 2018

Fabulous Trip

Absolutely brilliant trip. Everything I’d hoped for. Loads to see and do. Lovely country, lovely people. Interesting and varied accommodation. Great group of travelling companions.

Most Inspirational Moment

I loved it all - but the stand-out moments were the visit to St Clemente, the time in the jungle and shopping in Cuenca.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Pablo was excellent - extremely knowledgeable, very friendly and highly organised. Mauricio our driver was also fantastic - I always felt very safe on the sometimes challenging roads.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Things I took which I didn’t need! 1. Mosquito net. 2. Expensive and heavy Electricity voltage converter - the cheap 2- prong adapters worked perfectly well. 3. Thermals and too many cold weather clothes - we really only had one activity where extra layers were required and even then only a fleece and light-weight jacket, although a warm hat was welcome. 4. Beach towel - towels are provided for the hot spring swim and tubing.

Helen Webster

Reviewed March 2018

Wonderful holiday!

I would recommend this well organised holiday to anyone who wants to explore the diverse landscapes of Costa Rica, as well as see a wide range of wildlife – sloths, monkeys, spiders, frogs, snakes, dolphins, butterflies – as well, of course, birds ( we saw over 100 different types!) The accommodation ranged from good to excellent, and the food was varied and plentiful – not just rice and beans! We were also very fortunate to be with the nicest group of fellow travellers.

Most Inspirational Moment

A difficult question to answer, as there were so many wonderful experiences, but the three days at Drake Bay were very special.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Guillermo was the best of guides. He was patient and kind, he happily shared his love and deep knowledge of Costa Rica with us, as well as ensuring we all took all the photos we wanted. He also added several additional activities, which were appreciated.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you pack Deet, strong suntan cream and a good poncho. Water shoes for any river crossing or the sea, would be useful at Drake Bay.

Julie FINLAYSON

Reviewed March 2018

Colours of Rajihstan

The trip was good, but very fast paced with very little time for any relaxation. We were extremely well looked after and the standard of the hotels were good. The palaces , forts and temples were amazing and we had a local guide to explain all about them, which kept it interesting. The mini safari was good and we had excellent sittings of tiger in the wild. The downside of the trip was the bad air pollution, in all towns, but particularly bad in Delhi . The amount of rubbish in the streets was awful and everywhere which was not good to look at constantly .The standard restaurants and the food in them was very good, and the restaurants were well chosen.
The guide we had was amazing and made the trip really good, by putting in little extra options, like palm reading and henna tattoos.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing Tigers in the wild. The town of Udipur was very beautiful and enjoyed the boat trip on the lake.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leader was excellent, very professional and knowledgeable. He was patient and kind and went out of his way to make sure everything was arranged and timely. He also was honest and humorous. He made the trip excellent.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure to have warm clothes for mini safari as it really is cold in the early morning on the back of open air trucks. Take plenty of hand sanitizer. Take cash to change while over there as it can be arranged very easily in the hotels, a lot of the ATM cash points dont work or are empty and queuing to use them is not great. Take plenty of over the counter medicine with you , in case of stomach upsets, as there are a lot of long drives. Read up on Hindu gods etc before you go as it would make the culture more understandable.

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