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Great scenery most important if all great snow
Being so fortunate to get huge snow making for great snowshoeing
Miguel loves these mountains and communicates his passion so well
Lots of layers first you get hot then you get cold
Cuba is amazing, fantastic country and people. But Exodus were poor from start to finish.
Before we left – most staff were great. One asked us for same info 3 times!
On arrival, we had booked an extension in Varadero. We weren’t told that Exodus can’t guarantee your hotel for this part of trip. We found out at airport we couldn’t stay at hotel we booked. Disappointing, but the substitute hotel was lovely too.
Havana – hotel so far out of town hotel we couldn’t do sightseeing as planned. Took an hour to check in! Room was dirty and badly maintained. On a road so noisy the windows shook as big trucks drove past constantly. I asked to move and was given a quieter room, but with no hot water!
Vinales – beautiful place, but more issues with room. It was cramped, grim and noisy. Could have coped with that, but also had swarms of mosquitoes in my room. I killed dozens. Told tour leader, who chided me for not telling her immediately, although I had no way to contact her! My phone wouldn’t allow me to make outgoing calls in Cuba. Owners sprayed my room, but I still killed another couple of dozen mosquitoes later that evening. This room is available for $20/night on airbnb. Massive mark up charged by Exodus.
Cienfuegos- decent, quiet room, although windowless. Air con broken and leaked all over bed. No one to report this to. Told tour leader in morning and she looked at me blankly and said nothing! Breakfast was bread and jam. Pot of coffee to share that allowed only half a small cup each. If we wanted more coffee we had to pay! In this hotel, my iPad was stolen. It was charging and never left my room. In morning, I checked the room was clear. As soon as i sat on bus (at 7.45am), I realised I hadn’t packed ipad. Told tour leader immediately, hoping she would call hotel. She didn’t call them until we reached Trinidad and she told me my iPad wasn’t in the room. Only explanation, it was stolen by hotel staff, either before or after I left. I told Exodus hoping they could use influence to pressure maid into returning stolen item. Exodus did nothing for THREE DAYS! After a lot of hassling, they called me, but still did nothing to try to get the iPad back. I believe they still use this hotel, so beware!
Trinidad – decent room, but didn’t get any breakfast one day. We think they mistook the time we requested food, due to language barrier. Girl was barely listening to us when we booked breakfast. Tour leader arranged breakfast for us elsewhere.
Havana – finally a decent hotel! And trip home was fine.
Vinales - beautiful place, fantastic way of life for the locals, in my opinion.
I took a while to warm to her. I had a lot of problems on this trip and she made me feel uncomfortable when I told her about them. I only complained when I really felt it necessary. For example, I didn't tell her I got food poisoning from 2 of the restaurants she took us to. She talked too much for my liking. She was interesting and very knowledgeable. But on a 7 hour bus journey, she probably talked for 6.5 hours. I couldn't talk to my friend on the bus or I got a glare from her! Couldn't talk to her privately for most of the trip, she was always talking to the group and didn't like being interrupted, unless it was a question relevant to her lecture. On the plus side, she was fun, very interesting and knowledgeable. Happy and able to give advice on anything I wanted to do or know.
I wouldn't recommend travelling to Cuba with Exodus, sorry! The accommodation was below par. I expected basic, but it was worse than any back packing hostel I've ever stayed in and massively overpriced. You need to get up horribly early every day in order to beat the other crowds of tourists. You're very much on the tourist trail. I would not have chosen to go to the tobacco and rum factory where crowds of tourists stare at the workers, it was weird and an uncomfortable experience. Could have done without the mojito lesson and I found the one on one salsa too intense and awkward. Two Cuban lads baa'd at us and I agreed with them. I felt like a herded sheep! Best times were free time. So much to see, but not enough free time to see it all. Exodus are useful for getting you around the country, but if you can do this another way, I would advise it.
Everything about this trip was excellent – snowshoeing, scenery, comfortable accommodation with friendly, helpful people and delicious food. There was also the opportunity to taste local food and wine and visit an Eco museum. Miguel was an outstanding guide and organiser.
The last day in the Aiguestortes National park. We were the first group walking on a meter deep of fresh snow.
Excellent in every respect.
The trip notes are accurate but of course need to be modified depending on the snow conditions.
An excellent trip with good leaders, brilliant cycling, excellent food, amazing sights and a really friendly group.
Meeting the local people who were incredibly friendly and welcoming Scary cycling in some towns/villages Cooking our own meal under guidance! Staying in a plantation owner's family house Exploring vegetable, flower and spice markets Cycling from door to door with only 1 transfer
Seaker was a really good, knowledgeable leader who adapted the schedule to allow for the particular interests of the group. He was able to give confidence to those of us slightly worried about the amount of traffic in a few of the places we cycled through although we were mainly on very quiet roads. He found us brilliant places to stop for tea breaks and lunches at small local restaurants and made us feel that we were truly seeing the "real" India
Respect local traditions, pack light, go with the flow, make sure you get your visa sorted and join the right queue at the airport in India!
This was our first trip to India and it provided a fascinating introduction. It is aptly named. The colours are truly amazing. Even though some of the journeys were long, there was almost always something interesting to observe from the window.The itinerary was full and the local guides very informative, as was our tour leader. We had a very friendly group, a great tour leader, lots of good food and are already thinking of planning our next holiday in India!
There were so many - the obvious ones like the Taj Mahal, but also Bundi, where we were away from the tourist trail, drank the most delicious masala tea and wandered through the market, after visiting an abandoned fort, much loved by our local guide. The colours in the markets and the beautiful artwork . The people , who were unfailingly polite, the traffic , riding in tuk-tuks, the wedding processions in the streets - apparently it was an 'auspicious time' to get married!
Ajay looked after us very well. He was very informative about all aspects of Indian life and answered our questions in detail and with good humour. It was good to hear someone speak so positively about the future of his country. He was always attentive to the group's needs,particularly in the search to find a working ATM! He organised a few extras - e.g. the Sikh temple in Delhi and the Midnight Gardens in Agra. He went out of his way to organise a trip to the cinema for four of us. His obvious love of his country and his pleasure in sharing it with us, shone throughout our trip.
The weather was unseasonably cold at the beginning of our trip, so would recommend taking warm clothes if going in January - especially for sleeping, as hotels have no heating! Be prepared for long bus journeys and take something to listen to - can be quite bumpy for reading! Those with back problems might want to reconsider the ride in the cantor . It was particularly bumpy and one of our group was incapacitated the next day.
What a fabulous trip!
Three amazing countries with some challenging rides, an abundance of wildlife and lots of laughter.
It was all about the wildlife for me and we were lucky enough to see sloths, toucans, pelicans, monkeys, agoutis, coatis, iguanas, crocodiles, butterflies, various species of heron and many other colourful birds. Experiencing the Masaya Volcano at night was also an unforgettable experience. For me, Nicaragua had the charm, Costa Rica had the wildlife and Panama had the landscapes.
Andres and the whole support team (Ronald, Paul and Alvero) were great. The team couldn't do enough for us and we were very well looked after throughout the trip. The whole support team laughed with us for 2 weeks.
The hills can be tough especially in full heat and even though the distances are relatively short, a certain level of fitness is required. Take plenty of sun block and insect repellent. I wish I'd taken a video camera for my bike / helmet.
An awe-inspiring experience which exceeded all our expectations. The scenery is truly stunning, as were the encounters with wildlife. Life aboard the Academik Ioffe was very comfortable, the food was good and experts were on hand to help us with all aspects of the trip. After the first spectacular day of expeditions, we wondered how the rest of the trip could even begin to match the early promise, but each day brought new experiences and excitements.
It is difficult to pick out a single experience. Cruising in zodiacs amongst icebergs and below glacial cliffs, watching penguins porpoising in the sea or making their way up and down snow slopes or across rocky terrain to the rookeries, observing penguin behaviour in those rookeries, experiencing humpback whales surfacing next to our zodiacs, whale/bird/seal/penguin/dolphin-spotting from the deck of the ship, descending directly onto fast ice from the ship after an impressive parallel parking manoeuvre, watching the sun setting (just) across the ice-filled bays......
David McGonigal was an excellent leader. He was very experienced, knowledgeable, enthusiastic and affable, and amended the programme to make sure that we got the very best experience each day depending on the ice and weather conditions. In addition there were several other experts on board, all of whom shared their knowledge of the environment, fauna and history generously and enthusiastically.
We had good weather most of the time, with temperatures around freezing, but it can get very cold on the outer decks of the ship, especially if you can't drag yourself away from viewing the wildlife and spectacular scenery, and when sitting still on the zodiac excursions for two or three hours at a time. We took heat pads for hands and feet, but didn't need to use them. Sunglasses/goggles and sunscreen are essential. We were provided with good quality binoculars and outer weatherproof garments and boots. Closed toe shoes must be worn in all public areas of the boat; a pair of clogs or similar would have been useful.
Travelling alone on my first Exodus cycling trip I was apprehensive on a number of fronts! I worried needlessly, as the group of 17 assorted singletons and couples quickly bonded supported by the indefatigable, Long our tirelessly helpful guide. It was so much fun despite the cough/cold that beset many of us- the support bus was there to take the strain as well as providing endless and local snacks at the end of each cycling section.
Sitting by the roadside waiting for the cyclists to arrive, when I was unwell, having banana fritters cooked for us by an old Vietnamese lady who could speak no English and we had no Vietnamese whilst showing the family, pictures of a pet dog! We felt part of the community. The prolonged party night on the train from Hue to Hanoi was a scream- the accommodation on the train was much better than I remember of British Rail - the craic was good and Long, the consummate host!
For Long, nothing was too much trouble and he dealt with our medical problems and everything else without missing a beat and with constant good humour.
In January, a variety of clothes is required- layers especially as the temperature in Saigon was 35 degrees and 16 in Hanoi. Also bring waterproofs as it can rain even in January, as we discovered. Females should bring a female-specific saddle to avoid saddle sore and padded pants are essential.
We only had very limited views of the northern lights and the weather was not kind with much wet weather and grey skies. There was a lot of travelling as described in the trip notes. Waterfalls and other scenery was impressive.
The Blue Lagoon was much better than expected. Another highlight was the museum at Eyjatjallajokull explaining the 2010 volcanic eruption. Gullfoss was very impressive as was the Jokulsarton glacial lagoon and the associated ice on the beach.
Kristian was a very enthusiastic leader who did all he could to find northern lights and explain the history and culture of Iceland. His enthusiasm for his country was clear.He made sure we were safe at all times.
Take plenty of warm clothes and waterproofs
This was to be our “holiday of a lifetime” – I was slightly concerned it might not live up to my expectations as I had wanted to visit Galapagos for many years. However I was not disappointed! Every day I thought it couldn’t get any better, but it did. The wildlife was all fantastic. I didn’t expect to do so much snorkelling, but it meant we were swimming with turtles, sealions, sharks and many colourful fishes 🙂
Highlights for me were Floreana (especially meeting the Wittmer family), camping and walking up Sierra Negra, and swimming with turtles.
Fabian was excellent! He pulled a very diverse group of people together and made sure no-one was left out. His knowledge of the islands and the wildlife was great.
Read the book "Floreana" by Wittmer before you visit the Island of Floreana. It is a fascinating story and you will look at the island in a different light! Buy a wildlife guide book before you go. I expected there to be a wider choice of guides on the islands, but there is in fact very little choice.