Reviews

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

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14483 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Brigitte Bartholome

Reviewed October 2015

Tuscany in September

I went to a lovely holiday in Tuscany this September. The farmhouse/ BB was lovely and the food was great. The weather on one of the walks was fierce one day: really strong storm ( Föhn)/ hail/ rain.. We had to return to base and explored the area closer to home.The superb knowledge of the local area of our guide Sara allowed us to have great walks on the right side of the mountains for the rest of the week! It is a beautiful place
Our Italian taxi driver family spoke English with the broadest Glasgow accent!
I went to Lucca on the day off and it is really amazing- the local city tour guide was really good!
I will certainly come back to Garfagnana – and will try to learn a bit Italian first!

Most Inspirational Moment

I really enjoyed the rock arch of Monte Forato - the walk up through the beech trees and back through meadows on a beautiful day was really relaxing and allowed me to quietly dream about the world go by before the fog came in from the sea.. The other walk I really enjoyed was the one to Monte Tambura ending in the shepherds village of Campocatino a small shepherd's village which is being beautifully restored in local style. It will be super once they are finished. All the walks led us through beautiful areas on well marked routes.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sara had superb knowledge of the area and found beautiful walks every day -that was especially useful when the Föhn weather required change of plan for some days. She also tried her best to help group members who were really worried about some aspects of the walks ( height especially). To have Marmite for breakfast for the english group members was the icing on the cake!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Please read the walk descriptions carefully .Remember to bring a long-arm layer and gloves! Sara will safely bring you back down safely no matter what the weather so no worries ,

Gavin and Laura Jones

Reviewed October 2015

Sand and Safari

This trip exceeded our expectations. The itinerary provided a much more varied experience than many ‘safari’ trips – from sand dunes in Sossusvlei to safari in Etosha via dolphins and seals in Swakopmund, there was something for everyone!

Most Inspirational Moment

We enjoyed the whole experience but here are some of our 'highlights': bonding with the group around the camp fire hiking up Dune 45 and watching the sunrise getting really close to Cheetahs at the conservation project at Solitaire getting really close to seals (sharing a boat!) and dolphins on the boat trip from Swakopmund seeing rhinos and elephants around the waterhole in Etosha

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ronney was great! He was very ably assisted by Shane and Jonas and nothing was too much trouble for any of them. They worked extremely hard. They answered our questions with a smile no matter how stupid the questions were nor if it was the third time they had been asked! The food was truly exceptional - Jonas even cooked bread and cake over the camp fire!

Advice for Potential Travellers

We would recommend the camping trip as it means you bond more with the group - sitting around a camp fire in the dark with the stars spread above is truly magical. It gets really dark very quickly so take a head torch! Scrabbling about in a tent in the dark holding an ordinary torch is not easy! All the facilities at the camp sites were very clean and functional. There were always flushing toilets and hot showers so even though it is not glamping it is hardly roughing it either.

Rosalyn Craig

Reviewed October 2015

Camino De Santiago

We had a great trip, our guide Jose was very helpful and patient. The timing was well planned between am and pm walks for the most part. We found that an hour lunch was too long as my joints would become a little stiff, 30 minutes was more appropriate for me.
Our walking group was not well matched, we could have reached our destination much earlier in the day and would have had time to explore the local area but most days we arrived between 4 and 5 and it did not provide enough time to have a look around.

Most Inspirational Moment

It was reaching Santiago for sure. Seeing all the other pilgrims celebrating their achievement as well as our group was awesome. It was humbling to see people with disabilities struggle through the walk. It was a little disappointing walking through a built up area to reach the cathedral. I missed the pilgrim blessing as I didn't know that we could just show our passports and gain entrance to the cathedral. We were behind a large line up and just gave up our spot.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jose was very helpful and very patient. He made sure that he spent time with all of the people in our group. He encouraged us to walk together as a group. He had a good sense of humor.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Please have your group leader arrange for your pilgrim's passports to be handed in as a group to avoid 16 people waiting in line for their certificate. I was at the pilgrim's office for 7.30 am in the morning for the 8 opening and it still took me an hour for my certificate, later we found that our guide could have had us sign a document and hand in our passports as a group and then one person could have simply picked them up without waiting. The process described is very seamless and time efficient.

Nigel Baines

Reviewed October 2015

Sand Sea and Sky

I’ve done many group trips as well as a lot of independent travel but this was simply one of my best travel experiences. A fantastic group and wonderful leader team obviously helped but even without those this is an amazing country with spectacular vistas, ever surprising and wonderful wildlife and all under the bluest of blue skies. There is some amazing variety from the dry salt pans to the mountainous shifting dunes, huge landscapes that reach past the horizon, the strange charm of the coast and Swakopmund, the ever smiling people, the ease of travel, the facilities at the campsites and the wildlife…seeing the waterhole in the Etosha camp for the first time was a hairs on the back of the neck moment.

Most Inspirational Moment

There are many...running down Dune 45, the cliche of watching the sun setting, seeing a Leopard for the first time, watching Elephants and Rhinos at the waterhole, being face to face with a Cheetah with no fence in between, even sitting next to a wild Seal that jumps aboard the boat in Swakopmund.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ronney was fantastic, he couldn't do enough for us and was superbly organised as well as laid back and flexible, you could almost believe he was seeing these places for the first time like us. The whole team of Ronny, Shane and Jonas were superb and we were all blown away by the quality of the food...how he prepared all that variety on a camp fire is a mystery to me!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just go! I wondered if I over packed by including a rain coat and fleece but they were needed on the coast especially on the Seal/Dolphin cruise (which although not the most adrenalin fuelled activity is superb and well worth doing). You get a chance to do laundry in Swakopmund and it's relatively cheap. All the camp sites (as well as the truck) have charging points, I bought a three pin (round) adapter at Heathrow for about £10. I took my Keffiyeh scarf and it was ideal for walks in the desert sand as it was extremely hot and when the wind picks up the sand really does blow!

Barry Walker

Reviewed October 2015

Imperial China

This is a rather hectic tour, often using public transport. You see a great deal of China, though there is very little free time. Exodus are quite wrong in describing the trip as leisurely – in particular, when using trains you will have to carry your luggage a long way, up and down stairs, and through extremely crowded areas.

Most Inspirational Moment

The Great Wall and the Panda breeding centre.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alan was very considerate and helpful. Among the best tour guides I have encountered.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for crowds. If you not already proficient with chopsticks then get some practice in. Get a phrasebook, very little English is spoken. If you want to avoid the strict internet censorship, download a VPN before you go (I used Vypr - £6.00 for a month - no problems.) Most electrical sockets took plugs of various sizes, though flat two pin was most common. Bank of China ATMs are reasonably common and reliable. Take a cup and some tea/coffee for the trains - hot water is available.

Gillian Stapleton Smith

Reviewed October 2015

Walking the Turquoise Coast, Turkey

First holiday with Exodus, and they were excellent in every respect. Would definitely use them again. I would have preferred slightly longer walks, but I can see that in very hot weather, the walks we did would be enough. Each day was varied and just as walking became routine, sea kayaking delivered a great day out. The hotel pool was most welcome and having thought the rest day would be a waste, in fact it was lovely to have a day doing not much. As is delightful and everyone we met was friendly and helpful.

Most Inspirational Moment

The visit to Aycanda(?) and subsequent walk from the mountain plateau down to the plains. Beautiful. Though the beach at Patara was invigorating. There wasn't a day I didn't enjoy and gain from.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Hatice was our group leader and in my view was outstanding. She's funny, knowledgeable, friendly, endlessly polite and patient and almost certainly the only group leader to lead her kayaking group in singing "Row, row, row your boat' a cappella, in rounds, while waiting for the last of the kayaks to catch up. Some Americans thought this odd, but we enjoyed it. If Exodus is looking for a better group leader, they'll have to try hard.

Advice for Potential Travellers

There's plenty to do if you want to be busy after walks- Turkish baths, pleasant town and shops , good restaurants. Plus plant of activity type stuff if you find a day by the pool tedious!

Julie Astall

Reviewed October 2015

Challenging but fun

Walking on the Amalfi cast is no stroll in the park. I knew before I booked that there were a lot of steps involved but I made the mistake of thinking they would all be downhill and evenly spaced – they’re not! However i’m delighted I went and quite proud of myself for completing all walks including round the crater of Vesuvius which is quite tricky to start with, and going down into the crater felt a bit scary. Well worth it though – It was my husband’s favourite part of the holiday. Stefan the Vesuvius guide is a real charmer too, and seems to create a magical effect with a cigarette – go and see for yourself! I loved the variety of this holiday, though the evening I hobbled down the stairs because my calves were screaming so much, I did wonder whether I was on holiday or at boot camp!

Most Inspirational Moment

Pompei and Herculeneum (which we visited on our day off) were places I had wanted to see since I was a child. They both exceeded my expectation. My only sadness was that we were so time restricted on both visits. The expanse of both sites, and how much remains, to be seen, is just incredible. The other truly inspirational moments involved members of the group . Foe example, despite a severe knee injury, Neil was determined to complete the main walks including 'walk of the gods' with it's ending of 2332 steps (and that didn't include the flights leading down to them! ) He did it too, without a moan. What a star.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Paul is very patient, extremely good humoured, and enjoyable company. He even carried a couple of bottles of Prosecco on the Walk of the Gods' so we had a special treat on our final lunch stop. What a hero. A certain member of the group would have prefered Limoncello - so you may need to extend your range of drinks for future trips Paul!!! Despite the whines of 'are we nearly there yet', 'not more ******* steps, and 'can we just cut that part of the walk out', Paul managed to chivvy us all along with his reassuring phrase of 'just round the corner'. He lied but it was all in a good cause.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Get into training on some hill walks, and forget using lifts - lots and lots of flights of stairs. Also, the better rooms of the hotel appear to be in the main building. Worth asking if you can get one. A couple of our group had this fore knowledge and had a balcony and fridge!

Charlotte Lacy

Reviewed October 2015

Fantastic trip to a stunnning country!

This is another great Exodus trip which we thoroughly enjoyed. We decided to go to Bosnia on our honeymoon and it was a great decision. The country is stunningly beautiful and has so many hidden gems. The countryside is incredible and you barely see another person on the small tracks that you walk along. Each city brings a lovely contrast to the walking. They are unusual and fascinating places to visit. Definitely recommended!

Most Inspirational Moment

There were so many highlights to this holiday it's hard to single anything out. All of the walks offered amazing views and each city had it's own story to tell. We had a preconceived idea of Sarajevo from the images of the war many years ago. However it is an incredible city which is so full of history and has been beautifully rebuilt. The old city is fascinating to wander around and seeing so many different cultures and religions living side by side without conflict was impressive! A must see city for anybody!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Samer was a fantastic leader. His passion about bringing tourism to Bosnia and allowing people to see the beauty of his country was so clear to see. He showed us around brilliantly and was a lovely man who made everyone feel valued.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Keep an open mind throughout the trip and be prepared for the basic accommodation in the National Park. It's completely as described as the rooms are pretty old but the views are stunning and a dip in the swimming pool nearby is a must (although it is pretty damn COLD! Be prepared for some long hours on the little bus as many of the walks can be quite far from where you're staying. Bosnian mountain roads aren't very well maintained but our driver was particularly skilled and determined at getting up them :)

Gyan Fernando

Reviewed October 2015

Great Balkan Adventure

Starting from Dubrovnik airport we crossed quickly intoKotor, Montenegro. Having enjoyed the beautiful city of Kotor we then drove to Cetinje through a series of 25 hairpin bends! Spectacular!
Durmitor National Park and its gorges was our next highlight. Then came the Zabljak Plateau and finally into Sarajevo.
Apart from this great city we saw the remote and semi-nomadic village of Lukomir, a not to be missed experience.
We next found ourselves in Mostar another great place.
Finally it was back to Dubrovnik!

Most Inspirational Moment

The visit to the remote and semi-nomadic settlement of Lukomir in Bosnia. Also Mostar and Sarajevo itself!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Evelin Balta was a very nice guy with a great sense of humour. He also was good at keeping his sheep together and was good at organising things for us

Advice for Potential Travellers

Spend an extra few days in Dubrovnik

Barry Cooper

Reviewed October 2015

Highlights of Armenia and Georgia

This is a comprehensive tour through theses ex-Soviet states visiting many Churches but also enjoying fine scenery and interesting towns.

Most Inspirational Moment

To see the renaissance of religion in these two ex-Communist stares and to observe the devotion of the local communities

Thoughts on Group Leader

We had three Leaders, one Raffiq in Armenia and Anna and Salome in Georgia. Raffiq has a brilliant mind having just attained his PHD at 25 and starting University at 15. He must be watched as a possible Armenian future leader. His knowledge of the Sites we visited was excellent and he gave us comprehensive tours without notes. A remarkable tour leader in many respects but he did lack some organisational skills. Anna met us at the Georgian border and proved to be a friendly competent leader who gave us an excellent tour of Tbilisi and into the Mountains but had to return home for family reasons. She did not have the same degree of site knowledge that Raffiq had but her knowledge was satisfactory and she had good organisational skills. Salome took her place and it was difficult for her to fit into an already developed group but after some hesitancy, she developed into another excellent leader and she became a well liked and appreciated leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is a cultural tour rather than an adventure tour and as such is different to many tours run by Exodus and on our tour the average age was higher than I have seen on any of the previous twenty-one tours that I have undertaken with Exodus. I am aged seventy-one and in Albania I was the oldest, I would suggest that I was average aged for this Tour. I would recommend any younger clients to consider this when booking.

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