Most Inspirational Moment
Tortuguero was brilliant and Esquenas Lodge
Thoughts on Group Leader
Couldn’t have done more to make for a great holiday
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take a poncho
Reviews
Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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Reviews
Discover Costa Rica
Fabulous holiday – due in no small part to our guide Katia, she went over and above what could have been expected. It included early morning and late evening walks to watch wildlife that weren’t included in the tour.
Also travelling with a great bunch of people absolutely made the holiday. Can’t wait for my next Exodus trip.
Richard
Transylvania Winter Walk & Snowshoe
Definitely a moderate trip ( in winter ) . Some challenges with packed ice / deep snow so a reasonable level of fitness would be helpful.
Most Inspirational Moment
getting through a couple of very steep , snow and ice packed sections of a couple of the walks
Thoughts on Group Leader
Thomas was full of historical info and local knowledge which he was more than happy to share. good sense of humour and encouragement when he thought it was needed.
Advice for Potential Travellers
use clothing layer system, plus gaiters . Weather can be sunny / cold / rainy / snowy . There are times when you dont snow shoe but may need to walk in deeper snow as its safer than an icy path. Alternatively it could be muddy and gaiters do help keep you clean. Definitely take some shoe grippers that can fit onto your boots i.e. Yaktrax or those rubber /spiky things sold in many shops. Some paths are sheet packed ice and the grips give you that extra safety feature , but you will be putting on and taking off multiple times during a walk so make sure you are familiar with them. The paths vary depending on if they are in open / forest / gorge etc. If you can , carry an old hiking trousers belt / webbing/ bit of string . Its useful to help tie down the snow shoes onto your rucksack ( if you dont have side straps on the rucksack ) . The guesthouse is cosy and warm , plenty of hot water. No TV in rooms . You make your lunch sandwich at the breakfast table in mornings and carry it with you. Might be worth carrying your own trail bars / jelly babies etc if you like to snack en route . A flask to carry your own tea ( the guest house will fill with hot water or fruit tea ) may also be useful in cold weather. You really only need a bit of spending money as one night in a restaurant in Brasov ( I had 2 beers plus main plus starter and it was 60 Lei or 12 pounds total . Roughly 5 Lei to the pound ) . The guest house runs a tab that you settle on final night. You just help yourself to beers ( one beer is 5 or 6 lei depending on brand , teas in afternoon 4 lei ) from fridge , mark it on your list and settle at end . The guest house is in middle of nowhere , really isolated . So no town or shops to walk to etc.
The perfect winter escape
If you’re looking to get away from it all in unspoilt scenery, try out different winter activities, and generally have an experience you’ll never forget, then book this trip.
The location is beautiful, the staff are great, the food was absolutely delicious, and I didn’t want to leave!
Most Inspirational Moment
The optional snowshoe hike in Riisitunturi National Park was fantastic. The scenery was something I'd never seen, and everything I wanted to see when I imagined Finnish Wilderness. Also the silence in the forest, and exploring on snowshoes with others, or practicing cross country skiing alone. It's a perfect escape bubble from the rest of the world.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Teddy/Bjorn was great - very laid back with a great sense of humour. All the staff at Basecamp were knowledgeable and really friendly. The whole place has a relaxed and cosy feel.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Just do it! If you like being outdoors, making new friends, and trying out new activities then you'll have a great time. You don't need any experience of the activities, just be willing to have a go. On a practical note: The afternoons are mostly free so you can be as active as you choose to be - either snowshoeing, cross country skiing, using the sauna and hot tub, or just taking a nap! Evenings were spent playing cards or boardgames, chatting, or reading by the fire. Drinks are available from reception - I recommend the cloudberry liqueur, or the peppermint in some hot chocolate! Optional activities can be quite pricey so do allow for that. You pay for everything on your tab at the end of the week. If you're not a downhill skier or boarder then Ruka doesn't have much to do, but I found the day spa and a nice coffee shop. A few others went snowmobiling. Wifi works in the dining room/reception (most of the time) and you can always use 4G in the rooms if you need to. Bring a spare power pack if you like taking photos on your phone. The cold will drain your battery quicker than at home. Basecamp really do provide everything you need to stay warm, and you don't need to pack much at all. Just a few sets of your own baselayers, hat and buff, and then jeans and jumper for the evening.
Fabulous Winter Walking
If you’re looking for European winter walking, this is for you. The sun was gorgeous (although the wind is cold on the mountain tops so make sure you have warm clothes) with fabulous, long range, 360 deg views. Jose’s sandwiches are already legendary, and rightly so, but he is also an experienced, knowledgeable and fun walk leader. The perfect escape from a dark, grey, damp UK and only a short flight away. Don’t expect to lose weight though!
Most Inspirational Moment
Getting to the summits and enjoying the fabulous views
Thoughts on Group Leader
Jose was fabulous - knows the area well and is enthusiastic about sharing information so you understand your surroundings and appreciate the walks even more. Very conscious of the group to ensure that everyone is enjoying the walk, that the pace is right, and anyone who is a little uncertain in parts is encouraged and supported.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Bring layers, gloves and a warm hat. The sun can be warm (sometimes we were in T shirts) but the wind is icy, especially on the mountain tops (in January anyway).
Annapyrnna Circuit
A great holiday. Excellent leader, good group, great weather, excellent views, lovely locals.
Most Inspirational Moment
Getting to the top of the Thorong la Pass and the high mountains all around us. Pokhara was great fun on New years eve.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Very good, he mixed in with the group in the evenings and was always joyfull and very knolageable.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Go to enjoy yourself and have plenty of card space in your camera. It is a strenuous trek with plenty of steep ups and downs to tax the knees
Walking on Evia
A really good short walking holiday with rewarding hikes, beautiful scenery and lots and lots of good food. Greek hospitality has to be experienced to be believed.
Most Inspirational Moment
The long hike up to the top of one mountain to see the remains of an doorway arch and views across the island.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Probably the best group leader we have had (and we have done a lot of Exodus and Explore holidays).
Advice for Potential Travellers
In December you need to be prepared for cold, wet and windy weather (it even sleeted on us at one point), and pack layers accordingly. A pole or poles will help on the descents.
A great tropical escape in the winter months
This was an excellent trip but marred by the noisy festive celebration around the New Year in the beach resort of Kovolam; the noise continues into the night. The lush tropical scenery was a welcome get away from the dark December days.
Most Inspirational Moment
Backwaters, temples in Madurai, tea plantations.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Sam was fantastic. One of the best. He was highly knowledgeable in all aspects of India and gave relevant commentaries as we journeyed. He was also patient with us on the menu selections.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The trip was rated as easy walking. I would say on two days it was moderate.
Tropical South
Excellent trip. It was good to get a day at the end in Kovalam. We could have done with 3 days on thew backwaters which was fantastic.
Look out for the “Easy to moderate” hike in Tea plantations which is at least medium and on several sections it is a hard tough hike not suitable if you have dodgy knees or not fit.
Tour leaders tend to be risk averse or for the sake of “commissions” and take people to “tourist” restaurants for meals. The best food for most of us was always in the local restaurants.
Hope Exodus will stop exporting this virus of “Tipping” to India.
No Indians tip bell boys to take bags up/down in lifts so why “impose” this negative practice on them?
Why don’t you just pay the drivers etc. better wages instead.
Most Inspirational Moment
Home-stay, Walk and talk in the spice garden, On the houseboat
Thoughts on Group Leader
He was Good and very hard working although he felt compelled to keep giving commentary despite many people sometimes being marginally interested.
A great if (for me) a strenuous trip
I really enjoyed this trip. We had a full (15) and varied group, two couples, an American family and ages ranging from late twenties/early thirties to seventies. They were great fun and helped to make the trip. We were also extremely fortunate, no rain in what is the wettest month in Madeira, sun and above average temperatures for the first half of the week. All the hotels were of an acceptable standard with generally very good and varied breakfasts. The exception was the hotel in the centre of the island where the choice at breakfast was very limited and the food quality poor. The walks offered varied terrain and fantastic views but certainly merit the grading moderate.
Most Inspirational Moment
I enjoyed the end, the two days in Funchal, maybe because I felt I'd earnt it! We did an optional extra dolphin boast trip, went on the cable car and generally soaked up the atmosphere. Funchal at night during the Christmas period was lively with very tasteful decorations. The views of the north coast from several of the walks were spectacular.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our group leader was Andre a very experienced mountain guide. He was extremely friendly and helpful and considerate to those of differing walking abilities and experiences. The walks all went well without incident because of this. He was also good at recommending places to eat which accepted 15 individual bills.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Don't do this without either regular walking experience or some preparation before hand. There are five walks. I ducked out of the most strenuous one ( I wasn't the only one) but the last was also for me hard going, too many rocks, too many tunnels and too many hills. To be fair it was not the route in the itinerary which we could not do because of road closures. Definitely consider walking poles, invaluable especially for the down hills.
Mixed feelings
Perhaps summarizing the trip as overall fair is a little on the harsh side. After all, I did see beautiful landscapes and enjoyed good times with my partner, as part of a group 14. However, I wasn’t ‘wowed’ by India. There are too many issues of inequality, discrimination, misogyny and last but not least pollution. I enjoyed parts that were quiet in the tree plantations in Munnar, the temple at Madurai, some aspects of the walk in the jungle, and the cruise on the backwaters but these were very short moments in the midst of extreme noise and pollution, and issues of inequality, discrimination, misogyny always in the background, and on occasions, very much in the foreground. I would have preferred spending longer in the hills, on the backwaters, in the temple, etc, but as the tour is packed with things to do, there’s very little time to breathe and take in properly what you are being shown. It is a shame as one of the big selling point for Keralan trips is the backwaters, for instance. But you’re on the water for less than 24h, and you’re not moving overnight like you would on a Nile cruise, you start at midday, moor at 5pm and leave again at 9am so cruising time is just about 7 hours. The hotels were also not very good: most were run down and in need of TLC. It’s always so much nicer after an intense day out to come back to a room and feel that you can relax properly not having to worry about hygiene. I have traveled in many places in South East Asia, China, Sri Lanka, Africa and Latin America, and hotels in Kerala (and Madurai) were by far the worst I’ve stayed in. On the plus side, food was good, with other options than curries in most places we went to. If you love coconuts, you’ll be happy as lots of curries are made with them, and you can drink coconut water from the shells almost everywhere, yummy! Overall then, this trip was a mixed bag, and I would only recommend it if you are fully aware that it won’t be relaxing, and that don’t have too many other destinations to compare it with.
Most Inspirational Moment
Cruising the backwaters, followed by visiting the temple at Madurai, and the tree plantations.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Sam was very professional and knowledgeable. He also had a great sense of humor.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be prepared for an assault to all your senses and to face the fact that misogyny and discrimination are everyday issues. You also know nothing know about sound pollution, air pollution and garbage/plastic pollution until you have been to India! Quite frankly I came back from the holiday more tired than I was before I left. That's mostly due to the fact that we were traveling from one place to the next every other day (with three nights in a row in a different hotel). But India generally speaking is not a relaxing place, unless you go to a beach and don't move for a few days, I guess. I have learned a lot but I wouldn't say India is a place I'll be eager to go back to.