Reviews

Beautiful Sicilian Sights but tour requires some tweaks

We saw many of the must see sights and picturesque towns of Sicily, enjoyed tasty dishes especially the ice creams and granitas and had some time to wander around places and soak up the Sicilian way of life.
We were on the first Grand Tour of Sicily so were anticipating some issues could arise. Future trips will only benefit from having a much smaller group (say max. 12 people). Much of the accommodation, restaurants, roads and some sights were on the small scale and our group of 17 people meant difficulties with accommodation type/quality, logistics and group meals. Also some changes to the itinerary (e.g. length of time spent at certain places) will only serve to improve future customers experience of Sicily, enabling them to fully immerse themselves in the Sicilian way of life, culture and history. I enjoyed my time in Sicily and thanks to our local Exodus guide feel I experienced much of what Sicily had to offer (& was on my wish-list). So if you want to see a varied heritage played out in archaeological treasures and picturesque landscapes coupled with a good dose of sunshine (we were very lucky) and tasty dishes (such as cake for breakfast – always good) then Sicily is the place to go. I just hope Exodus will reduce group numbers and not trip length.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many 'wow' moments, that only the number of photos taken can attest to, and special memories made on this trip. I really enjoyed wandering around picturesque Ragusa, plus being a Inspector Montalbano fan meant it was like being on the set. Seeing the back of Palermo cathedral for the first time was a wow moment just because it was so different to everything else we had seen. The byzantine and roman mosaics at Monreale and Piazza Armerina were very special and a lot to take in. Walking around Etna and through Zingaro Nature Reserve was a lovely experience and not to be missed. Wandering through the medieval streets (lots of steps) and enjoying the Baroque sights (everywhere you look) in Noto, Modica, Palermo and Catania were a joy. The sheer scale of some of the Greek and Roman archaeological towns/amphitheatres are a sight to beyond. Charming seaside town of Cefalu was a nice place to relax just wish we had longer.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Milena was a very good leader and coped well with a relatively large group and the problems (especially logistics getting to accommodation and for group meals) that this entailed. She was extremely knowledgeable about all the places we visited and travelled through. She was very enthusiastic about helping us learn more about Sicilian culture and history plus she had lots of geological knowledge which I found very interesting (but maybe not for everyone).

Advice for Potential Travellers

Find out about potential group size before you travel and hope that you have a small group as that will only be a benefit. Possibly take a small travel pillow as many of the beds/pillows were rock hard. If you have limited mobility or problems with stairs, be mindful that there are lots of steps, cobbles and slopes in the places we visit and even in accommodation itself. So might not always be easy going and you may need to request a room on the lowest floor possible in accommodation as there is not always a lift. Be patient as service can often be very slow in restaurants and sometimes quicker meals can be had in cafes if you need a snack. Don't miss out on the chocolate in Modica or the group lunch (very tasty, local only to that area) also make sure you experience the Etna walk and along the coast Zingaro NR. If you are a keen photographer - take a spare memory card or 2.

Reply from Exodus

Exodus would like to thank Lucy for taking the time to review her trip. We regret to read, however, that she found the size of her group to impact on the enjoyment of her holiday and that she would have preferred to spend longer in some destinations. We have been operating tours in Sicily with a maximum group size of 18 and this is the first time we can recall receiving feedback of this nature. We have addressed the logistical issues which arose on this departure due to having a larger than expected bus to transport the group and we hope that going forward, future groups will not encounter similar challenges. We have also revised the transfer times for 2018 to allow clients more time in destinations such as Cefalu. We will continue to closely monitor the feedback we receive about the set-up of the itinerary to ensure we are maximising time in the areas which clients let us know they enjoyed visiting the most and will consider making adjustments to the itinerary as necessary.– Marta Marinelli, Product Manager.

Mont Blanc Highlights Sept 2017

An excellent holiday which delivered fantastic views of the mountains.
We travelled in the middle of September and the week began with some unseasonably cold weather which resulted in one day walking in the snow. It was not too demanding but be prepared for cold weather.
The second half of the week was much warmer and the variety of weather made the trip even more interesting as the snow was beautiful but we were also able to enjoy very sunny days.
The Chalet Chamonix was very comfortable and the meals provided by Sarah and Rich were absolutely outstanding, the best we have had.

Exodus delivers again!

An amazing trip up Kilimanjaro, with a professional leader, guides, porters & support team (66 in total). The team got all 16 in the party up and all were very supportive!

Machu Picchu

A fantasic trip with some great sites of historic interest and great views.

Classic Dolomites

This was a moderate walking holiday in the Dolomites, with Premium accommodation. The trip certainly lived up to its expectations – which, with Exodus, are always high! Fabulous walking that got more challenging and more rewarding as the week went on, great group, excellent leader and wonderful accommodation.

Sicily Was Grand But Tour Needs Tweaking

Sicily was beautiful and this tour provides an excellent taste of this lovely island, but, tour groups for this trip should be limited to a maximum of 12 people, as 17 is too many for this trip and resulted in numerous logistical problems.

The bus was too big to fit down the narrow roads, meaning that we were frequently dropped a long way from our destination and had to walk the remaining distance, including carrying heavy luggage. A smaller group would have enabled a smaller vehicle to be used that could get closer to hotels and sites.

Most of the destinations are small towns and do not have large hotels, meaning that a large group has to be widely dispersed across various accommodation, which takes lots of time and logistical effort to organise. When you’re tired after a long day’s sight seeing you just want to get to your accommodation and not have to lug your stuff for miles and then wait for ages whilst all of the logistics of who stays where are sorted out.

Some of the accommodation also appeared to have been changed at the last minute to accommodate our group size and we were disappointed by the quality of some of the accommodation, which did not meet our expectations. The hotel in Palermo was dirty, and the hotel in Taormina had poor standards and served us stale croissants for breakfast, along with random leftovers from the previous evening. Some of the beds were terrible, with the bed in the hotel at Syracuse being like a slab of concrete.

Restaurants in Sicily are also not geared up to cater for large parties and we encountered numerous issues with the group meals, including, in one case, waiting over an hour just for drinks. Two and a half hours later some people in the group still did not have food and many of the orders came out wrong. This was the worst experience, but it wasn’t unique.

Sicily also has towns with many steps and slopes, and a lot of the guest houses do not have lifts, meaning that you have to carry your own suitcases up flights of stairs. This is something that needs to be considered if you are a person of limited mobility.

However, many of the towns are truly beautiful and we did enjoy the trip despite the above problems.

Most Inspirational Moment

We loved Ragusa and wished we could have stayed an extra day. The Roman mosaics near Piazza Armerina were truly spectacular and a highlight of the trip

Thoughts on Group Leader

Milena worked incredibly hard and did a very good job, but we felt that she was hampered by the size of the group and the issues that resulted from that.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Check the group size before you go. Bring your own pillow if you want a good night's sleep If you like chocolate make sure that you buy some of the delicious chocolate from Modica!

Reply from Exodus

Exodus would like to thank Jamie for taking the time to review his holiday in Sicily, although we are sorry to read that his experience was impacted by a larger than expected vehicle being allocated to his group. We realise that this unforeseen issue created some logistical challenges during the trip, such as accessing sights in the historical centres, but we are confident that going forward future groups will not be impacted by a similar issue. This is the first time we can recall concerns about the size of the group being raised and we are confident that our leaders are well used to managing groups of up to 18 clients very well; we acknowledge, however, that Jamie would have preferred a smaller number of travellers and we will continue to closely monitor the feedback we receive regarding group sizes. – Marta Marinelli, Product Manager.

Best wildlife experience ever

The whole trip was fantastic with all the wildlife sightings. The big 5 in the Masai Mara plus the birdlife
was unforgettable. Every country visited had something special, but of course the highlight were the gorillas. All that being said the trip was made even better by Jacob our guide, nothing was too much trouble, Stone Cold (Boniface), fantastic driver, Godfrey, great cook, Ester the lovely assistant. The 4 of them were so friendly it felt like it was one big family. They are the A-Team.

Sardinia is special

Was on the 16th Sept. departure for Walking in Sardinia – proved to be a good time of year 25*C and plenty of sun but also some shade and gentle breeze. Lovely time to arrive as it was the weekend of the annual Dorgali festival, with small groups of singers and musicians touring the streets, street stalls, wine tastings etc. etc. Nice atmosphere and the town felt safe to wander any time of day. Local people were polite & helpful.
Walks were on the strenuous side for me – but I enjoyed the challenge and on the few occasions I needed advice or assistance it was available immediately from our leader and/or other members of the group.

Great trip for wildlife

Thoroughly enjoyed this trip. We had a great guide, Gustavo, and fab driver, Juan, who helped make the trip a success. We saw plenty of wildlife, including sloths, greenback turtles, monkeys, iguanas, frogs (including the iconic red eyed tree frog) and birds too numerous to list. Costa Rica is a lovely country with rich biodiversity and unspoilt countryside. The people were friendly and largely English speaking and very helpful in all the places we stayed. Our accomodation was of a good standard and the first and last lodges were particularly good. In spite of travelling in the rainy season the weather was kind to us – an added bonus.

Highlights of Albania

This was an excellent tour with a lot covered in the 10 days enabling us to understand the difficult times Albania has gone through as well as opening up the many things it has to offer as a destination. It was a busy trip but did not feel rushed at any of the places we visited as it has not yet fully embraced mass tourism (although some places like Butrint no doubt get very busy in the summer months).