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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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15432 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Reviews

A Historical Tour

What I liked most about the trip was learning about the history in all 3 regions. We also went to Poland so it gave a good picture of what happened during the world wars and their rebuilding and partnerships.

Most Inspirational Moment

The biking on the Curonian Spit in Lithuania was beautiful. I really enjoyed the smoked fish served for lunch along the way. I wished we could see more of the sea during the ride as the beautifully groomed trails went through the forest. Actually most of the rides went through the forest and we did hit rain. Riga in Latfia was my favorite city. Walking through the city after our bike ride was great, historical , good food.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We had Lina for 2 days. Andrius took over for the rest of the trip. They were both warm, enthusiastic, took care of us during the rides and were at our dinners every night. Andrius knew a lot about the history of the Baltics. He grew up under Russian rule so had a great perspective of the struggles Lithuania had and he had great stories of what has made the Baltics great today.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The biking is relatively flat with some small climbs which were tougher than expected as the bikes had only 8 gears.

Increadibly beautiful trip

We stayed in the Cayman Lodge. That was the perfect home base for our time in the Amazon region. The sounds, the sights. Unforgettable!

Most Inspirational Moment

3 hours by boat (2of those hours in the dark), to watch the toucans and parrots at the largest clay lick in the world.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rolnad was the best! He had patience, and so much knowledge! He was always prepared to show us more. His abilities with scopes and cameras gave me some wonderful photos.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you visit Peru, don’t miss the Amazon!

An amazing trip with an incredible group leader

Fun, challenging and rewarding trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

Our visit to Machu Pichu

Thoughts on Group Leader

Kleb was totally incredible. He was always there for us, and went over and above when I got sick. He was patient, knowledgeable, knew the best restaurants and overall, was very, very helpful. His historic knowledge about Machu Picchu was outstanding.

Great off road taster in Portugal

Lovely trip. Rugged scenery.
Overall a lovely trip, but not your typical road cycle.

Most Inspirational Moment

When I was able to cycle in sand.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent Group leader with huge amount of local knowledge. Joao has a brilliant sense of humour which helped to ensure we all enjoyed the trip. Powerpoint presentations debriefing the days and explaining the next day were excellent.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Although there are percentages of road/off-road published for this trip, cycling on the roads is a lot quicker so you spend proportionately more time off road than the percentages imply. This trip is therefore suitable for a competent cyclist who wants to try some off roading, but not for a road cyclist looking for a typical road trip. A good off-road cyclist will find this easy though. The bikes are heavy (but well maintained) so are a completely different experience to road bikes. There are some steep hills but these are limited and only one (on the last day) is of any real length, so don't be put off by these. You can always walk up the hills as it does not slow down the rest of the group. Because of the nature of the route, the group cycles closely together, so there are limited opportunities to "do your own thing" but there are frequent stops for coffee/lunch and view points. In fact some people might find there are too many stops as the group rarely cycles for longer than 20km without stopping. However, the stops are often strategically placed before a challenging section to allow cyclists to get their energy back. Lunch is impressive so well worth joining the kitty to have lunch included every day. They are a lot bigger lunches than the average UK cyclist would have and lunch stops are typically for an hour or so. Hotels and guesthouses are excellent throughout with many having swimming pools for a nice dip after cycling on a hot day.

Best cycle week in Sicily

It was our first organized cycle trip and we discovered that everyone else in the group had already been on multiple Exodus holidays. We just had the best time and definitely want to do another one next year.

Most Inspirational Moment

The way the group bonded quite quickly and how we all looked out for each other whilst we were cycling. It was a very supportive atmosphere helped by Davide who looked after us every step of the way!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our tour leader, Davide di Mauro, was exceptional and he went above and beyond in looking after the group. He was knowledgeable, competent, caring, passionate about his island and the environment and moreover he was very funny with such an incredible knowledge of the English language.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We did go towards the beginning of September and it was very hot. However, Davide and our driver, Sepi, made sure we were constantly hydrated. So if you can’t cope with high temperatures, it would make sense to go when the temperatures are cooling down somewhat.

Buen Camino!

This was our 3rd trip along the Portuguese Atlantic coast, having done the other two coastal rides in previous years. It made sense to complete the northern end of the coastal route. It didn’t disappoint. It was a treat.
Cycling from Porto northwards towards the Spanish border ( a short boat trip across the river in very small boat complete with bikes), cycling had been fairly easy on a flattish but at times, windy terrain.
Portuguese cobbles in some villages were a regular conversation piece. The scenery was wonderful.
In Spain it became hotter and more hilly, but only one day of note with 3 increasingly sweat inducing climbs. Throughout we had lovely views, and changing terrain, welcome shade with off road trails were a regular part of this enjoyable ride.
As we were following the Portuguese Coastal Camino route, we shared it with friendly hikers, and chatted or shared the ‘Buen Camino’ greetings, as we gave each other space to pass. It made for a lovely relaxed cycling week.
Hotels were all pretty reasonable with the highlight being outside of Padron on day 5, in a lovely county retreat.
Regular coffee and lunch breaks meant weight loss was unlikely, and the route was such that we had time for an afternoon cold drink before reaching the next hotel at a reasonable time. It was probably helped by being a small group of that cycled at a similar pace, lead by an excellent guide, Alfonso.

Most Inspirational Moment

Loved the trip in the Popeye boat to cross the border into Spain, and the high level ride from Baiona above Vigo. Highlight had to be arriving with hundreds of other pilgrims in Santiago de Compostella, then taking part in the pilgrims mass in the evening.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alfonso was wonderful. He was knowledgable, organised, efficient, sociable and humorous. The perfect guide. He also made sure we wasted no food - amazing appetite! He was well supported by our driver Victor - another real gentleman.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be aware that a good chunk of the trip is off road, through woods and trails, hence the use of mountain bikes. It was good to be off road again, but it isn’t everyone’s preference. Cobbles on the first couple of days were ok, but just worth being aware of that. Sharing the trail with walkers was better than expected - following Alfonso’s advice about how to make them aware of our presence respectfully, ( and realise how many walk with ear pods so don’t hear us). Would highly recommend the trip, we thoroughly enjoyed it.

An Unique Set of Islands

Each of the three islands has it own personality. What they have in common is a view of Mount Pico which alone is worth the trip. You find yourself constantly searching out the mountain to see what view the weather has in store for you. The landscape with the rock walls, cows and corn fields everywhere is in itself something one may never see on any other set of islands.

Most Inspirational Moment

My pick would be the final day when we did the Caldeira crater walk. One can find a way to walk up to the lip of a crater but to do a complete walk around the top looking into the crater itself is something else. What made the trip that much more special was sharing it with our group--9 great people from 3 continents.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jorge did it right. He announced he would be having dinner every night with the group. This solidified us a unit. He picked great restaurants. On the trail he assisted others as the need arose. Good sense of humor and a very talented handpan musician. Other reviews have mentioned the trail lunches and rightfully so. None of this make you own--we had a picnic each day with fresh food brought in that catered to the dietary needs of the group.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I like to hike in cooler weather so I chose September. The temperatures were fine but I was not prepared for the humidity. On the first day we had some sprinkles, not worth a rain jacket but the humidity left me drenched. Wear good hiking boots with plenty of tread not trainers. Bring poles. Some days were just walks others were some steep ups and downs. Day 3 whale watching option was canceled due to lack of any sightings. The accommodations and the quality of the meals were the best of any of my Exodus trips.

Lisbon to Algarve Cycling

I thought this was a really enjoyable trip with a great group of people and an excellent leader. The accommodation was very comfortable, the food and drink was good and of good value. Joao was really friendly and helpful with a great sense of humour and very supportive. He gave us clear instructions every day and explained the terrain and the timetable for the day. Felipe was also really good in his support role. The countryside is beautiful, especially as you go further south.
I was unsure about some aspects of the trip so I hope the following will help others: I think that, if you are a competent road cyclist, then there is no great problem with the off road sections. You can go at a speed that is in your comfort zone. There seemed to be a greater proportion of off road than in the notes but some of this may be due to the much slower pace on this terrain. The bikes are quite heavy but well suited to the terrain.
I was apprehensive about cycling on sand, as were several others, but Joao’s explanation of the technique made it fun and everyone did it successfully. There was less of this surface than I expected.
The other question is should you hire an electric bike and I would say, if in doubt, hire one. I used it on 5 hills and I was pleased I did. You don’t have to use it all the time if you don’t want to. I tried sandy sections with and without the electrics and I found the electrics helped to keep going a little (on the lowest setting) which is the key to cycling through the sand.
As a road cyclist this was an interesting mix of road and off road; it might not suit someone who just wants to ride on tarmac.

Inspiring and wonderful trip!

I booked the tour as a solo traveler – I’d chosen this trip for it’s small group and itinerary. In short, it was wonderful – the guide Adonia, the drive Sofisto and the fellow travelers were all fantastic people – fun, witty and a joy to be around.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing 24 elephants running toward a water hole and once in, reveling in their relief and play - Complete with many baby elephants. It was such a wonder to behold.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Adonia was awesome at reading the crowd's mood and engaging those who may have been reticent. He was knowledgeable and kind, plus great at getting everyone excited to see the amazing sights. He was great!

Advice for Potential Travellers

There is a fair amount of driving days on this trip - I didn't mind but the some of the roads were in poor condition. Hope this improves. Bring a good camera - the animals are everywhere and a zoom lens is a must. The camping in the wild was a highlight of the trip!

Review Centre
Reply from Exodus

We’re delighted that Coleen had such a wonderful experience on her trip, and that Adonia, Sofisto and her fellow travellers helped make the holiday so memorable. It is especially lovely to hear that witnessing the elephants at the waterhole and the wild camping experience were such highlights.

While we’re pleased she enjoyed so many aspects of the trip, we also note her 3-star rating and appreciate her comments regarding the long driving days and the condition of some of the roads. Unfortunately, road conditions in some of the remote areas visited can be challenging, but we recognise the impact this can have on the overall experience and appreciate her feedback. We’re grateful she still found the wildlife, guiding and group atmosphere so rewarding, and we hope to welcome her on another adventure in the future.

– The Exodus Product Team

Whale of a time on Vancouver Island

Just back from another great Exodus trip. Whales and bears of British Columbia is an excellent trip. We saw black bears and grizzlies, orcas, grey and humpback whales, seals and sea lions, river otters and a raft of sea otters, porpoise and bald eagles. Very well organised, four great boat trips, a couple of ferries and a good mix of walks and optional activities – kayaking. Our leader, Taylor was excellent. All the accommodation was comfortable. The minibus drives were comfortable with interesting views and frequent stops. Friendly group. A brilliant trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

The grizzly and black bears.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Taylor is a great leader. She is efficient, helpful, friendly and personable. She briefed us clearly on timings and requirements for each day. She made us great lunches and booked group dinners. She is a safe and confident driver. She gave us frequent stops on the drives. If we do another Canada trip I'd hope to have her as leader again.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't bring too much stuff. Quick dry layers. Good phone or camera. Look at the animal first before taking photos. Bring cash for tips.