Reviews

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

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127 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Reviewed March 2012

KILIMANJARO CLIMB - RONGAI ROUTE

This is a fantastic and unforgettable trip, made a pure delight by the kindness of the guides/porters and the humour of my fellow travellers. It is tough but that is what makes it feel like such an achievement.

Most Inspirational Moment

It's difficult to pick one moment. Personally, I loved the summit climb. I was lucky that I didn't really feel any ill effects from altitude on that day and I knew from around 5,000m that I was going to make it. The guides are the most inspirational aspect of the trip. You have to walk at your own speed and they will support each individual. I had to go ahead of my sister but you KNOW your loved ones will be looked after so you can concentrate on your own journey. It may sound selfish but you will only have enough grit to get yourself up and being able to utterly trust your guides makes that decision easy.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Passian was our guide and I trusted him completely. That said, ALL the guides were lovely. Diglan, Christopher, Richard, Ronald and Nelson were our team, and they were all great to chat to. They will solve literally any problem you have, with bags, poles, sunglasses... They were always there to hold things, help with things - and let them! They are much better at this than us so be gracious and appreciative.

Advice for Potential Travellers

There is lots to think about but mostly, as everyone says, listen to your guides and take things slowly. I was surprised that the walk/altitude is hard RIGHT from the start. Definitely take some snacks. We had isotonic sachets for the summit night which were great as you don't really feel like eating. Remember sunscreen - particularly on your hands! I would also say don't panic if you start feeling the ill-effects of altitude. Most of us felt terrible at some point but most of us made it up. Just discuss everything with the guides. I felt very nauseous at Mawenzi Tarn (4,330m) but after drinking ANOTHER 1 litre of water and a rest I felt better. I was offered Diamox and I took it because I didn't want that nausea to come back and I never looked back!

Reviewed February 2012

KILIMANJARO CLIMB - RONGAI ROUTE

This was a wonderful experience – tough as it comes, but so well supported by the experienced guides that we could hardly fail to succeed. Cannot believe how well organised and planned the whole trip was, from the excellent food through to the expert advice of the guides.

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching the summit was obviously a key moment in the trip as the thought of this was what sustained us through the long, dark and arduous final ascent. Seeing the sunrise an hour or two earlier at Gillman's point was spectacular. Asked about the most inspirational part of the journey, I immediately think of the local team - the guides and porters, for whom nothing was too much trouble, and for whom the ascent seemd the easiesyt and most natural thing in the world. Their fitness and good humour was certainly an inspiration to me!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Abraham was outstanding. He was knowledgable, experienced had advice on every aspect of the trip, helped prepare us for thoroughly for each stage, and when necessary was prepared to take every step necessary to help us succeed. He offered to carry my backpack when the going got tough, and when I couldn't take another step without a lengthy rest, he was on hand to coax me onwards. He organised everything thoroughly and the whole trip was as smooth as clockwork as a result.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take the extra day, if available, to acclimatise. Take the Diamox. Go slowly - remember it's not a race! Drink as much water as possible. Trust the guides' local knowledge. On the final ascent, concentrate on not bumping into the guy in front! I took my ipod, saved the battery for that last climb, and it was invaluable. Take lots of photos (and videos if you can) because the memory fades fast!

Reviewed February 2012

KILIMANJARO CLIMB - RONGAI ROUTE

This trip is a perfect way to maximise your chances of getting to the summit of Kilimanjaro.

Most Inspirational Moment

Obviously getting to the summit, but also knowing that the work put in on the previous days had made it all possible.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Joshua had taken up a famous baseball player on his last trip so we felt quite chuffed he was doing us 'normal' people! He was there for you and was the reason I got to the top. His experience meant that we were in good hands and he was also very approachable and you could have a good chat to him about pretty much most things. Overall though he had your best interests at heart which was what counted.

Advice for Potential Travellers

You really don't need diamox if you follow the advice and structure of the trip. Just set off at the guide's pace, eat the food even if you don't feel like it and drink lots although not too much or you'll flush out all your salts! The summit night is hard because you have walked to the base in the morning, then you do the summit up and down, then walk to the next camp in the afternoon, with no sleep. It's fine though, just go at your pace, don't dress too warmly, if I did it again I'd have 3 layers on the bottom and 5 on top. Down jackets are not necessary if you layer correctly. Hire one of the sleeping mats as it doesn't count towards your allowance that the porters carry and it gives you a good nights sleep. Also there were a lot and I mean a lot of people whose luggage was mysteriously disappearing at the airport and then reappearing a couple of days later. In the meantime you had to hire all the gear that was missing and it's not cheap, some of the hire costs are higher then buying the kit in the UK! 2 out of the 3 people on my trip had their kit go missing. 10 out of 11 on another. It's an issue that needs addressing as the last thing you need is all your expensive kit going walkabouts when you're about to take on such a challenge.

Reviewed January 2012

KILIMANJARO CLIMB - RONGAI ROUTE

An amazing trip, don’t think about it just do it. The rongai route is much better than the coka cola route and you’ll have a great time.

Most Inspirational Moment

Approaching mawenzi tarn (our campsite that evening) surround by fog/clouds and not seeing anything the while time until 3 minutes before we get to camp and the clouds break with mawenzi peak right there towering above us!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Meke was out guide leader. Exodus used the company African walking tours locally and Meke was from there. He was outstanding. He ran a really tight group. You could easily see him managing a western company he was in that much control yet made sure we were having a good time and were medically safe.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring lots of snack, eg junk food. There's plenty to eat but you are expending so much energy it is a great opportunity to eat as many chocolate bars as you want!

Reviewed January 2012

KILIMANJARO CLIMB - RONGAI ROUTE

My friend climbed the Rongai Route with Exodus and had only good things to say and highly recommeded the trip to me. All I can say is that the trip with Exodus was everything I had hoped for, a brilliant experience!

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching the highest point of Africa

Thoughts on Group Leader

Tosha from the African Walking Company was calm, patient and pleasant and was a pleasure to have as our leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Although we all want to get to the summit of Kilimanjaro, take the time to enjoy the journey getting there.

Reviewed January 2012

KILIMANJARO CLIMB - RONGAI ROUTE

This was a fabulous trip, not exactly a holiday, more a lifetime experience. If you’ve never done anything like this before, or are not sure if it’s for you, I’d advise to just book it quickly before you talk yourself out of it – believe me, it’s not something you’ll regret (apart from maybe on summit night…but that’ll soon pass!). Even if you don’t make it all the way to the top, you’ll have an amazing experience which will stay with you forever. We had a great group of people to trek with, and somehow we all made it to to the top.

Most Inspirational Moment

For me, reaching to Gilman’s Point at sunrise was probably the most emotional moment, even more than Uhuru. It’s hard work getting there and the sense of achievement coupled with the sunrise and the sight of actually seeing the curvature of the earth can be pretty overwhelming!

Thoughts on Group Leader

When I asked how many times he’d been to the summit of Kilimanjaro, he looked me square in the eyes and told me he'd never done it before (!) – fortunately he was joking, he’d actually done it over 100 times and his knowledge and expertise were fantastic. The guides too were wonderful, with loads of experience and we had complete confidence in them. They regularly checked everyone for symptoms of AMS, and kept a close eye on those who were feeling it more than others.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don’t worry too much about it. The vast majority of the walking is not too hard, there’s no rush and and there’s plenty of time to rest and get your strength back each night. However, the summit night is extremely difficult, but do-able – it’s just a case of keeping your head down and keep going. It won’t be the physical exhaustion that gets you – but the altitude might, and you can’t do anything about that! Remember, everyone in the group will be fighting their own internal battles, the slowest people will go at the front and you’re unlikely to hear anyone complaining about that! You only need to be ‘reasonably’ fit – if you don't make it to the top due to altitude sickness (which is the most likely cause), the disappointment is only going to be made worse if you’ve trained as if it’s the Olympics! Also, don't believe all the urban myths surrounding Diamox - some people swear by it and others say it's totally unnecessary - each to thier own. Do your own research regarding pros & cons and make your own mind up.

Reviewed January 2012

KILIMANJARO CLIMB - RONGAI ROUTE

This special trip also gave us the chance to get to know the locals and our porters for the trip by joining their english classes for a couple of mornings. By the time we were on the adventure we had already go to niow the fabulsous group of people that would be supporting us on trek.

Most Inspirational Moment

Kili is defnitiely not for the faint hearted and whilst not too demanding physically (the more prep you do, the easier on the body it is) However, the slow plod up the mountain in the dark is tough mentally. But worth it when the sun comes up and you can see the crater and all that is around you. Awesome.

Thoughts on Group Leader

John the trip leader was excellent, always cheerful and daily checks on the physical and mental health of the group. Florence was also excellent, a little calmer, but alwys on the look out to see how members of the group were doing, and I believe he has just had a well earnt promotion. All of the porters and assistant guides were adorable.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Train hard, listen to the guides and enjoy the journey. Laugh you way through any moments of discomfort.

Reviewed January 2012

KILIMANJARO CLIMB - RONGAI ROUTE

The most challenging and inspiring thing I’ve ever done, a great way to raise money for local charity EACH. The altitude and weather made it pretty awful at times, but the walking, the spectacular views and great cameraderie made it brilliant, I’d do it again tomorrow!

Most Inspirational Moment

Getting to Gillman's Point despite suffering badly from altitude sickness, and seeing the spectacular sunrise. And the cameraderie amongst the group, and fantastic support of the guides, porters and helpers who got us there and back safely. And knowing that we had raised a lot of money for a very worthy cause. Anything is possible if you try.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent, the daily safety briefings were very thorough and left nothing to chance, and he showed concern whenever any of us showed signs of illness or fatigue.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you are fit beforehand, check that if you need to put all your clothes on you can get one over the other, and don't take a wind-up headtorch (as one of our group did) as it won't last the night!

Reviewed January 2012

KILIMANJARO CLIMB - RONGAI ROUTE

My husband and I decided to climb Mt Kilimanjaro for our honeymoon. I didn’t have much climbing experience other that doing Snowdon a couple of times so I was a bit nervous!But once we met our group (12 of us total) and our guides I felt a lot more relaxed. The climb was tough especially on summit night. Nothing can prepare you for that! However we trooped on and all somehow made it to Uhuru!Coming down back to Kibo huts was hard too, but after that is was fine and the thought of a shower and a good stiff drink powered me along!

Most Inspirational Moment

Wow, the whole trip was inspirational. I think trudging through the night and arriving at Gilmans Point at sunrise is definitely one of the best feelings ever. Once i reached to Gilmans I fell into a heap in the corner and sobbed my little heart out! Reaching Uhuru with my new husband by my side was amazing, it's quite hard to take everything in at that point, but knowing you've reached the roof of Africa just blows you away.I have to also point out how inspirational the porters were too. Incredibly strong and fit as they overtake you carrying bags and tents and stoves! Amazing guys!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was JT, he was very helpful, caring, supportive and good fun as was all the other assistant guides especially Francis. Top guys who managed to get our whole group to Uhuru.

Advice for Potential Travellers

My advice would be don't worry! I spent sleepless nights thinking about climbing Kilimanjaro but i needn't have. When you're there enjoy the views, the people and try not to think too much about summit night. You might make it you might not, the fact that you've even attempted it is worth so much and it's an experience you'll never forget.

Reviewed January 2012

KILIMANJARO CLIMB - RONGAI ROUTE

Not a thing I did not like – but as this was my 4th trip that’s hardly surprising. This time – no anxiety – no stress – just trying hard to make myself a part of the mountain. It does work – believe me.

Most Inspirational Moment

I deliberately opted not to do the summit climb in favour of spending time at Kibo. Walking part way up whilst others were coming down - time to take in the view - realising that even at 17,000 feet my pulse was normal and waking up to see Mawenzi, the camp and the main route up covered in snow - my first snow on the mountain on my 4th trip. Let's not forget either the ascent to Kibo from the Saddle - walking an hour in horizontal sleet without a care in the world and not the slightest inclination to hurry - so un-me. Finally the guides - maybe because it was my 4th trip and I am 60 they seemed to treat me as a bit special (or possibly mad!!)

Thoughts on Group Leader

Highly competant

Advice for Potential Travellers

I have seen people die on the mountain, fit strong mountaineers descending looking like old men, people who made it easily to the top unable to remember anything about summit day and I have also seen a lady of 70 reaching the summit carring her guides rucksack. After 4 trips I have learned the truth - you rush (fight) the mountain at your peril. Go slower than you want to - the mountain will wait. Stop when told to. Talk less that you want to. Become a part of the mountain and you will make it.

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