Reviews

Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It’s the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you’re interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers.

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14484 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Phil Sturdy

Reviewed October 2015

October on the Amalfi coast

This was our first trip with Exodus and it didn’t disappoint, the Amalfi coast was stunning and our guide Paul together with the staff at 2 Torres were fantastic. Our son 7 loved the whole experience.

Most Inspirational Moment

The best part for all of us was the walk of the gods, we loved the views and the lunch provided in the small rustic building was really great. Our son loved playing with the other children on as he put it getting up to mischief!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader Paul was really helpful and all the kids loved talking with him and asking about the different places. He was very flexible in arranging things to do on the free day and made time to talk with all members of the party.

Emma Brogden

Reviewed October 2015

Trekking, wild camping and good food at its best

This is a fantastic trip for anyone seeking long walking days through beautiful scenery, energised by good food and enthusiastic and friendly staff.

Most Inspirational Moment

The view from the summit was breathtaking - though there was hardly a single place where the view wasn't interesting throughout the trip.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Hamid was brilliant... friendly, helpful and enthusiastic and always smiling... even first thing in the morning or when we were tired after a long day.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Earplugs - Morocco has a lot of dogs which you can sometimes hear from campsites! Water - the bus which meets you at the end of each day with the tents will carry water in bulk so you don't need to worry about purification tablets, as its easier to buy five litre bottles (the guide arranges this) and decant some into smaller day-bottles each morning for the day's walking.

Marie Longworth

Reviewed October 2015

Great trip

The trip was great with a decent amount of hills! The distances were doable and the cycles by the coast wonderful! The hotels were all very good especially the Agriturismo which was amazing!! The only gripe about hotels was the one in Syracusa which was ok and had no outside space!
We had thee most fantastic lunches courtesy of Giussippe which were better then any dinners we had!!
All in all a great trip!!
Great group of people helped!!

Most Inspirational Moment

Not applicable.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Thomas was such a lovely guy! An absolute gentleman! He looked after us so well! Good leaders really matter!! Great sense of humour!

Advice for Potential Travellers

No.

Juliusz Chroscicki

Reviewed October 2015

Absolutely fantastic

Ecuador is a beautiful country and its interior is not completely swamped by tourists. People are very friendly, accomodations were very comfortable, food was very tasty and plentiful and we had a great weather

Most Inspirational Moment

My personal highlight was the hike to Whymper refuge on Chimborazo volcano. I also loved Cajas NP, Banos, the descent from Papallacta Pass to the jungle, the train ride... Actually it would be difficult to point out a part I did not like

Thoughts on Group Leader

Pablo is brilliant, easy-going with a great sense of humour. He managed to instil a very laid back mood in the group. We knew we were on a schedule but never felt rushed or pressed for time - we always had time off in the evening. That last part was probably due to Nelsen, our driver. He was driving very safely but he was also rather fast - I was sitting next to him during the trip and I could appreciate his great work. Both Pablo and Nelson were a big part of the success of the whole trip

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take bug repellent, sun block, listen to your leader's advice and enjoy!

Rachel Felice Fefer

Reviewed October 2015

Lovely!

Moderate level hikes but leisurely pace – all perfectly doable. Stunning views, walking up and inside Vesuvius is amazing.

Most Inspirational Moment

Views from Vesuvius

Thoughts on Group Leader

Christine is fabulous! She knows the towns, the people, the history inside and out - a true local combined with the perspective and understanding of a Brit.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Going in October was great - I'd imagine the summer heat makes the treks harder. Bring a walking pole! Save some $$ for a day trip to Capri complete with private topless taxi with a wonderful driver/tour guide (Christine did a top notch job arranging it for us). Spend some time in the town and get out of the hotel for at least one dinner. If you can, spend some time before or after the trip in Italy to have a more complete experience instead of just going/leaving with the tour.

Reviewed October 2015

Sylvia Herd

This was a great trip, showing off the main sights of South Africa, with the added bonus of Lesotho & Swaziland. Although there were some long driving days, we were a small group of 6 who gelled really well & had a very competent staff of 3. Personally I felt the Garden Route was overrated, so I was pleased that I’d done the reverse itinerary as this saved the best until last. But I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

I really enjoyed St Lucia (which I'd never even heard of before!). Also Lesotho, the Drakensburg Mountains &, of course, the various safaris.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Both our group leader & our cook were really knowledgeable, friendly & helpful & great fun to travel with.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for some long days on the bus. The camping was fun, fully supported so you're not allowed to do anything to help, & the S African camp facilities are very good.

Anthony Mcnulty

Reviewed October 2015

Great mix of Exercise and Culture!

The trip was very much according to expectations and as the trip notes described. I was on an October departure and that was “out of season” for some places so some of the usual restaurants/stops that the guides would typically use were closed but they adapted accordingly… The guiding was excellent and as a pilot this trip had 2 guides based on previous comments/feedbacks that it was difficult for one guide to manage if group was fragmented. I was impressed by how they adapted the trip and listened to our feedback to make changes on the go. I was also positively impressed by the amount of history and information on the locations that the guides were sharing. The initial days were a bit hilly but very manageable for anyone cycling regularly. The bikes were hybrid/trek types which were ideal for the purpose as we had multiple terrain types but primarily road. The agenda was quite full so morning starts and new hotel every night… with typically 90mins to 2hours in the late afternoon between arriving back at the hotel and heading out again for a city tour and dinner. It was a wonderful trip with many varied experiences and locations!

Most Inspirational Moment

I very much enjoyed the cycling through the forest part of the trip (Czech Canada) which was very enjoyable and of course the achievement of arriving in Budapest!

Thoughts on Group Leader

We were lucky to have 2 guides, both were very experience on the trip and excellent leaders. They constantly reached out for feedback and give the group options to customise the trip as much as possible.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Definitely be prepared from a fitness perspective so you can enjoy it... If you are regular cyclist it should not be overly challenging. The weather was changeable so suggest also to bring plenty of layers and waterproofs. Consider going 1 day earlier and/or staying 1 day later to have more time to enjoy Prague and Budapest.

Tim Waudby

Reviewed October 2015

Lots packed in!

This trip covers a lot of ground. I have been to Morocco several times so knew what to expect to a degree and I took my partner along this time to see some of things I have enjoyed in the past. We booked the Premium departure as I wanted to ease my partner into travel in the African continent with as many comforts as possible and we were very glad we paid the little extra as the better desert riad is definitely worth it! It has been mentioned that this is quite a sanitised trip, where there is little interaction with locals and I would agree with this to an extent but you do have free days and we took ourselves off to visit a local (non tourist) hammam, where we had a blast with the locals. We knew that the better parts of the trip would be the desert and mountains so went with the flow in the cities. The city guides were very good and knowledgeable and spoke very good English. I would agree with other comments that the day in Fes does become frustrating as you are herded from one selected shop to another, Fes is a maze and without help you would get very lost. We did feel we learned a lot though and the shopkeepers were good fun. It’s just a long and tiring day in the heat.

Many of the group were ill and I think this made it difficult for some of the group to enjoy much of the trip. One couple were quite rude about making sure they always had the best seats and their insensitivity extended to wildly inappropriate dress when visiting a local household. There was a fair bit of moaning and this spoilt the trip to an extent. I felt like a tourist at times and not in a good way but there were opportunities to make a break for it and do things on our own.

Most Inspirational Moment

The desert camp. We had a fantastic camel driver called Sayeed, we got massages and even a concert at the desert camp, which was all a wonderful experience. The walk through Todra Gorge was excellent, we got to see an eagle soaring over its nest and a nomad family camped up in the mountains.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Yahya was very patient and gave us a very comprehensive intro at the beginning.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We took sleeping bags, which we didn't need. A sleeping sheet/sleeping bag liner is enough until late October early November. You won't need full walking boots just good walking cross trainers with good soles are enough in the warmer months. Plan ahead what you want to do in Essaourria. Had I known, I might have booked some surfing or quad biking. You need to go and look for your own entertainment on the free days as few options are presented to you and this can lead to not making the most of your time but there were times we were happy to rest. We changed about £350 each, which paid for meals and a few souvenirs plus a hammam session for two in Essaourria and a Caleche ride with visit to the Jardin Marjorelle in Marakesh. Yes there is a lot of time spent on a minibus - but - you stop every hour/hour and a half for toilets/drinks/photo stops so it doesn't seem too arduous. I have been on other trips where you can spend 8 hours in a cramped bus with one stop. Don't let that put you off if you want to see a lot of Morocco in a short space of time. Don't expect there will always be hot water, working air conditioning, lights in the bathroom and you'll be fine.

Daniel Gradwohl

Reviewed October 2015

Visual highlights indeed, unique experiences not really

If you’re looking to see a vast amount of Morocco this is a great trip. If you want to meet and interact with Moroccans and have in depth experiences and understanding of Morocco, this possibly won’t deliver. There are several long days on the bus and we believe Essaouira could be deleted to spend more time in other interesting areas like Fes or the Todra or Dades Gorges.

Much of a trip’s enjoyment comes as a result of the tour leader and also group dynamics. We felt the group of 15 generally bonded (with a few exceptions) but that the tour leader was very restrained and overly cautious. We believe we saw a lot of beautiful countryside but never really met or interacted with any Moroccans who weren’t in retail or at a hotel.

The food was much more expensive and bland than we were expecting and seemed very generically “Moroccan” with unflavored couscous, limp vegetable tagines, and overcooked meat skewers. Bring some Tabasco if you like food with some flavor.

Hotels were generally of good quality but not always within walking distance of sights (in Fes it’s in New Town and nowhere near the Medina or restaurants).

We do enjoy learning about different cultures and their history, socio-economic policies, and arts and crafts, but each time we stopped somewhere to learn about these it became a (sometimes high-pressure) sales job. The afternoon in Fes seemed completely devoted to going from craft shop to craft shop.

Generally we are happy with the trip and the fellow travelers we met. The hotels were very adequate (this IS Africa, after all) but the food uninspired. The shopping pressure turned us off and we felt our tour leader’s over abundance of caution prevented us from really having contact with local Moroccans. It was disappointing due to heavy rain we weren’t able to experience the Kasbah Oliver hammam. There wasn’t very much physical activity. The long days in the van could have been made more enjoyable and interesting, but instead most of us spent the hours either reading, listening to music, or sleeping. On the days we had free time the trip notes mentioned optional activities but most were never presented to us, weren’t possible, or were reatedly forgotten by our leader. The free morning & afternoon before the camel trek seemed a complete waste with no optional activities and only shopping possible. It seemed we spent a lot of time sitting around between meals and group meetings.

Most Inspirational Moment

Sleeping under the stars at the Erg Chebbi dunes, the camel trek, the rushed hike in the Todra Gorge; seeing the ruins at Volubilis and marveling at the society that lived and flourished there 2,000 years ago.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Moustafa (he never told us his last name, even when asked) seemed to operate with an over abundance of caution, wanting to protect us from dangers never facing us. As a group we'd ask to do something and his first instinct was to reply "It's not safe" and we were constantly warned about pick pockets, unsafe local food, unsafe water, unsafe weather, and unsafe souks where we'll be ripped off if we attempt to buy anything without him around to protect us and supervise our bargaining. Oh, and don't forget the hand sanitizer! This got very old very fast. He did present some basic information about Morocco but tended to repeat himself. With the repetition and constant safety warnings we tended to ignore him. The last two days in Marrakech required us to meet with him about airport transfers twice. This is unnecessary and intrusive (it messes with the whole day). Just put a note in the room's pigeonhole or post it on the wall. We're adults. If the information is gone, we will get a ride to the airport one way or another.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring a sleep sack for the desert camp (and warm socks). It was colder (and wetter) in September than we were expecting. I was glad I had my trekking poles for the Todra Gorge hike and the 5km walk to/from Kasbah Oliver. Hiking boots were not necessary, but was glad to have trainers with support and grip. A headlamp/torch was also handy. There were not kettles in the hotel rooms so if you want tea/coffee in your room bring a travel mug and immersion heater. Most hotels outside the cities did not have hair dryers in rooms or even for loan from the front desk. Again, if this is important, bring your own.

Luke O'Brien

Reviewed October 2015

Uzbekistan uncovered

Very nice trip, good company and leader. Historical monuments are not as old as some in other countries (modern compared with Roman). But good trip none the less – Beautiful tiles