Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Basilica cistern. Visiting different mosques really helped me to understand the history of the Ottoman Empire and more fully appreciate the Muslim religion. We were a really tight group, and everyone helped each other.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Best trip leader I ever had! She even went out of her way to help me celebrate my birthday with the group. She also tried to teach us some Turkish and shared her recipes with us. I truly hope you will use her again and again for all your Istanbul/Turkey trips.

Most Inspirational Moment

God's Window

Thoughts on Group Leader

fantastic

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is a phenomenal trip for nature lovers and photographers. Remember your insect repellent!

Most Inspirational Moment

The amount of wildlife viewings in a single drive was incredible. The food was outstanding

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was knowledgeable about wildlife, nature conservation and the natural wonders and very pleasant. I felt he handled the group well and could answer all of our questions

Advice for Potential Travellers

Invest in a good pair of binoculars, sunscreen even when it is cloudy and apply anti insect spray. This is the trip for you if you are a photographer!

Most Inspirational Moment

Loved seeing the orangutans and the boat trips on the river in Borneo. Staying in Malacca just before the Chinese new year was amazing. Fantastic trip through the mangroves in Langkawi! Loved everything!

Thoughts on Group Leader

James was an amazing leader - everything planned and discussed with us beforehand. Timings were always agreed upon, restaurants discussed and then booked. He always asked whether we wanted to eat together - which we did! James always went over and above what he had to do, in our free time he offered suggestions as to what we would could do and often took us! He had so much knowledge and stories that we loved listening to. A great leader! In Borneo everything ran very smoothly with Beverley, she was a lovely guide who quietly organised everything for us. Her local knowledge was great and we saw so many different animals and birds.

Most Inspirational Moment

Naturally, seeing the orangutans, Proboscis monkeys, and Sun Bears was a highlight since that was something I had wanted to see. Having our guide, James Ling, made an amazing trip even better. We have been fortunate enough to have traveled on many guided trips and would rate James Ling as a number-one guide. He is such an asset to Exodus Travels. Seeing the many many sights of Malaysia was a highlight as well. Going into the trip, I did not know much about Malaysia, and it was a country I was so taken with.

Thoughts on Group Leader

James Ling---outstanding leader and guide!!! James did so very much to make the experience good for us. There were 16 people with individual needs and wants, and James did his best to help and take care of those needs. He has so much knowledge of all aspects of Malaysia and enriched us in our knowledge of that. From the very first arrival at Kuala Lumpur, James greeted each and every one of us by our first name. James added extra activities to the trip, and we came away with such an appreciation of so many aspects of Malaysia. He kept us informed of times, etc., via WhatsApp, which was helpful to keep us all organized and knowing times and other information deemed important. James also let us know some of his own life and family, which made him more of a "person" rather than just our guide. I continued to be impressed by his ability to inject so much into the trip, making it a trip to remember. It seemed as if he had an identical twin (or even a triplet), as he had so much energy and got so much done. If we asked a question, he either knew the answer or would figure it out for us. The only thing I would have suggested was for James to slow down a little on the walking, as my husband and I are 76. We were able to keep up, but his pace was so fast. We understood that after the fact that there were so many things James wanted for us to see and do so that excused the fast pace. He knew restaurants that were good in taste and safe for us to eat at. It was appreciated that we did not eat at "chain restaurants" but experienced local food. It was also appreciated that he added so much to the itinerary. James is so appreciated for all he showed us and taught us. His patience was apparent each and every day. He was what made the Malaysian part of the tour so great. I would encourage other travelers who are going on this trip to find out if James Ling is the tour leader. My husband celebrated a birthday while on the trip and James made arrangements with the hotel for us to have a special room to eat and celebrate as well as getting a cake for us. James did so much each and every day.

Most Inspirational Moment

The visits to the mosques and underground water storage bulidings. Learning about the Roman and Ottoman empires.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Melissa was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about Turkey and the history over centuries She was well organised and arranged everything on public transport and the boat trip as well as entrance to buildings. Her English was excellent.

Most Inspirational Moment

Exploring Comuna 13 and seeing Bottero's bronzes in Medellin, Visiting an indigenous tribe's village and engaging with them. Tasting local fruits in La Minorista market, touring round the old city at Cartagena.

Thoughts on Group Leader

A very enjoyable tour ... engaging and personable tour leader ... reasonable local guides. A very capable and personable tour guide. He engaged with all members of the group and arranged many "extras" which were most unexpected. He was, I believe, liked by all members of the group.

Most Inspirational Moment

Indigenous village, food and sightseeing tour of Medellin

Thoughts on Group Leader

Enthusiastic and happy to help

Most Inspirational Moment

Attending the Maori dinner and seeing the dancing and singing. All the walks through the national parks especially Abel Tasman and the return trip on the catamaran, Seeing the glaciers for the first time and the cruise on Milford Sound. The jetboat ride and the walk in the woods. The hotel at Tongariro national park, Powderhorn Chateau, was excellent.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jordan was excellent. He was very flexible regarding the requirements of everyone. He was an excellent, considerate driver and we felt safe when he was driving. He was thoughtful and kind, going to a pharmacy to get some items for one of the group in his spare time. He was very sociable. He would come along to all the group dinners in the evening and mix with us. He imparted a lot of local knowledge about the areas that we travelled through.

Most Inspirational Moment

A memory I will cherish occurred in Corcovado national park. I was cricking my neck to photograph some noisy spider monkeys swinging around high in the trees above us, when I heard our guide whisper 'don't move'. I looked down and saw a coati by my feet, as oblivious to me as I was to her. She was part of a small group and we avidly watched them foraging around us for quite a while- it was a wonderful experience!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Adriana was excellent and I can't praise her highly enough. She was knowledgeable, friendly, helpful, patient with all our questions, and also had a great sense of humour! Her experience showed; she was always organised and on time and I know she must have worked very hard in the background to make sure everything ran as smoothly as possible. She was relaxed and her pace was good which allowed plenty of time for spotting wildlife. Adriana worked very well with our driver Andres who was also very kind and helpful.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It's worth going a day or so earlier if you can to give yourself time to acclimatise. There are some good museums in San Jose, or you can chill out at one of the hotels- we stayed at the Bougainvillea which has extensive botanical gardens with a variety of wildlife.