Reviews

Cycle Romania

I very much enjoyed my week spent cycling in Romania. We were cycling through very beautiful scenery, visiting many interesting historical sites. We bonded very well as a group and had a great tour leader.

Magical Machu Picchu

Amazing hiking over the Salcantay pass to the magical Machu Picchu.

A rush!

An enjoyable trip taking in most of the ‘must see’ places in Sicily: a great overview of the island. One niggle, though, is that because of the scale of the place the whole trip seemed too rushed: lots of time in the coach, and not quite enough time at various locations to give them justice.

If you can afford the time (and higher cost), the newly-introduced ‘Sicily Grand Tour’ would be a better bet, but if you are prepared for the pace of this tour the ‘Treasures of Sicily’ does live up to its name.

Amazing China trip

Everything about the trip was amazing if a little challenging at times. It included all of the ‘Must see’ sights of China, many of which were mind blowing – how did they manage to build a wall that long and high so high up in difficult terrain?! We travelled on flights arranged by Exodus from a regional airport and the transfers were part of the package and worked well. The optional trips in Beijing were good and the Acrobatic and Kung foo shows were both worth doing and entertaining. The overnight sleeper trains were interesting!! Some stations had escalators which was great but some only had staircases which were challenging and stowing our large bags in the sleeper compartments often involved lifting them onto the area above the door as there was limited space under the beds, the men in the party found themselves lifting several bags each. The optional excursion to the Han Yang Ling Mausoleum, which we did before the Terra Cotta Warriors was on a very different scale and very interesting. Most days involved leaving the hotels between 7.30am and 8.30am in order to travel to the place of interest for that day and arrive in good time before the crowds got too big. In Chengdu we did an optional visit to an ancient Chinese town en route to the Giant Buddha in Leshan which was interesting in spite of the ‘touristy’ nature of the place. We went to the optional Chinese Cultural Show which was amazing – so many unusual brilliant acts, the ‘Face Changers’ were fantastic. The bullet train was very smooth and seeing the porters carry our heavy bags to the China Goddess 2 for the Yangtze river cruise was humbling, they are so strong!! The cruise ship was much nicer than we had expected and the accommodation was very nice, we even got a lesson in playing Mahjong which was quite complicated but very interesting. The scenery in Yangshuo was amazing and the optional trip to the tea plantation was great fun even in the rain! The trip to the Ancient water town of Xitang was lovely and fortunately as we were not there at the weekend, it wasn’t too busy. One evening in Shanghai our guide suggested going to the Global Financial Centre to the Observatory on the 100th floor as the weather was good, to hopefully see the sunset over the city – we were lucky and it was beautiful. Our last day in Shanghai was wet but it didn’t stop any of the activities and we had time to see some of the city before we left the following morning.

Great Wall, great tour

Walking the Great Wall is a great tour with a good mix of activities. I go on theses trips to do some good trekking, but it is also nice to see the important tourist sites in Beijing. What is nice about this itinerary is that you do Beijing, spend time away and then finish in Beijing giving you a nice balance and not spending too much time in the big city. The guesthouses are a unique experience and are run by the nicest people I have ever come across. I highly recommend the Xi’an extension as the Terracotta Warriors are a must see, and Xi’an itself is very different with a lot of charm and character.

Treasures of Sicily

A very busy week spent travelling to a considerable number of places. Not much time to see anywhere properly but a good overview of the island. A lot of time spent in the coach.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking on Etna was an interesting and inspirational part of the trip - if you enjoy views and volcanoes!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader did not interact with the group and carried out his duties without humour, fun or enjoyment. This was the most disappointing aspect of the week, as having travelled with Exodus before, I have had far better group leaders who can make the holiday wonderful, exciting and longing for more. We had two other tour guides for a short period of time who were knowledgeable and interesting. Vanessa was particularly helpful on our last day helping us with travel arrangements and being a real group leader even diverting the coach to see some extra sites on the way to the airport. What a difference had she been our group leader for the week!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do not take any extra items unless you really need them. Pack so you can find items easily without unpacking your suitcase each night. Bags of items of clothing are a good idea. Some people used poles when walking on Etna. Take them if you feel more comfortable using them on steep slopes - up and down. Take shoes to wear for swimming in the National Park as the beach is made up of large stones.

Reply from Exodus

We were sorry to hear that Susan was disappointed with aspects of her tour’s leadership as her tour leader usually receives very good feedback; we are in contact with Susan directly in this regard and our local manager has also followed up on her concerns with her tour leader. 

 

Marta Marinelli – Product Manager for Sicily

cycle Romania

A brilliant holiday. The tour guide Raluca Teodor was outstanding. She was passionate about her country with all its history which she conveyed simply so that I remember so much. She was also very kind and always aware of our needs. Her co helper Liviu was also extremely helpful and they both made a good team. In Bucharest at the end of the holiday with the BA flight problems Raluca organised a new hotel for us to cater for our extra stay before our flight home via Turkish Airlines. The whole group gelled very well and this will always be an Exodus holiday to remember.

Wonderful hiking trip, great guide Stephanie

The trip was great, really nice group of people ands very knowledgable guide with a great sense of humour. The location was beautiful and the hikes very satisfying.

Croatia Islands & Mountains

Activity packed trip in the stunning Croatian Landscape
Non stop loads to do and see

Highlights of Provence

A lovely selection of walks and we had great weather. The hotel was welcoming and the breakfasts were very good, although some of the rooms were a little cramped. Greoux les Bains was an excellent place to stay, with lots of good quality restaurants in the town to choose from at night.