Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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This most recent trip in particular was fantastic. I’ve also heard a lot of great feedback from other participants that have done multiple trips with Exodus and they all said each one was a quality holiday well planned out and executed.
Most Inspirational Moment
Cycling through Sri Lanka gave us a unique, immersive perspective of the country, allowing us to deeply experience its local culture, customs, food, and traditions while learning about its spices, teas, and wildlife—including memorable sightings of leopards and elephants in their natural habitat. What truly made the trip unforgettable was our guide, Suresh, whose passion, enthusiasm, and deep knowledge brought Sri Lanka’s culture and beauty to life
Thoughts on Group Leader
Suresh demonstrates genuine passion for showcasing his country and consistently goes above and beyond to ensure every guest has an exceptional experience. He is highly attentive, continuously observing the group and anticipating needs to proactively create memorable, personalized moments. His warm, personable nature combined with deep knowledge makes him an outstanding and engaging trip leader.
Super happy friendly locals, very varied terrain, loads of wildlife and a wide ranging introduction into Sri Lankan culture.
Most Inspirational Moment
An assault on the sense. Bright colours in flowers and clothes. Excellent tasty food everywhere. Paddy fields and mountains. Challenging cycle climbs and some stupendous descents.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Suresh was amazing. Anticipating everyone’s wishes and delivering.
Cannot recommend highly enough.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Have no doubt this is one of the best.
So glad we went.
This trip came well reviewed from many other travellers I have met on other cycling trips so we had so see what it was all about – expectations were exceeded in every way. The cycling was challenging but rewarding, the team flawless, most importantly, it provided an immersive experience in the very best Sri Lanka has to offer that you simply can’t get from seeing the country any other way.
Most Inspirational Moment
Too many to list, but cycling through the tea plantations and having dinner at a locals house were special standouts.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Suresh was THE most professional, personable and attentive guide we have ever had. They have all been fantastic, but he took it to a new level, bravo.
Advice for Potential Travellers
If you want to be exposed to everything this country has to offer then - book it and go!
We had an incredible trip. A perfect balance of cycling, nature, culture and relaxation. Our tour leader Ruwan and and his team were amazing , the whole thing was perfect…..
Most Inspirational Moment
Reaching the top of the big climb day - a challenge but worth every drop of sweat 😁
Thoughts on Group Leader
Ruwan was superb- so knowledgeable, great organisation and crystal clear communication and a really nice guy to boot !!
What a fantastic trip. Our tour leader, Ruwan and the support crew were excellent, with great communication and no detail overlooked. Cycling is a great way to enjoy Sri Lanka and was made all the better with visits to local family-run businesses and homes to really get an insight into the lives of the local people. There were also many opportunities to see a variety of wildlife and birds. The two weeks seemed much longer because we packed so much in. All in all, a great holiday.
Most Inspirational Moment
Managing to cycle all the way up to the tea plantation on Day 6 and seeing wild elephants in Yala National Park.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Ruwan is an excellent leader with such incredible knowledge of Sri Lankan history and wildlife & birds.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Don’t be put off by the day cycling up to the tea plantation, as the support bus is there if needed or alternatively opt for an e-bike. Take some warm clothes for Nuwara Eliya as you'll need a fleece for the cycle down the following day and it can be a bit chilly in the evening.
Amazing trip with a fabulous leader, Ruwan, great support team and group of other cyclists. The team ensured everything always ran smoothly with lots of smiles.
Most Inspirational Moment
Getting up the big climb! Ruwan makes sure you are eased gently into the cycling. The stops are well positions with lots of wonderful snacks and fresh fruit. Cycling through the tea plantations is really scenic and takes your mind off the climb!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Ruwan was a fantastic leader. Great organisational skills. He gave detailed information about the stages both verbally and gradient profiles on the WhatsApp group chat. He was a fountain of knowledge about Sri Lanka with a real passion for its history. He organised lots of interesting non cycling activities as well, like a meal and cookery demonstration at a family home. Ruwan organised transport for us on our day off in Kandy, recommending places to go. Ruwan is also excellent at spotting wildlife, especially birdlife as we cycled along.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Bring a flannel to wet and go under your helmet to help with the heat. Although Ruwan organised purchases of these for those of us that didn’t have one.
Half and half pedals were great for cycling in traffic and then being clipped in for the big climb! Do some endurance training if you don’t cycle regularly, however the gradient on the big climb is steady not horrendous so don’t worry about that!
If possible arrive a day early, stay in Negombo (closer to the airport than Colombo) I recommend the Belmont Boutique Hotel with free airport shuttle, lovely small hotel with great food and close to beach.
A lot of our group including us stayed on longer. Our home stays were amazing.
Get off the beaten track and see how ordinary people in Sri Lanka live, yet still visit many of the well-known tourist sights.
Most Inspirational Moment
Cycling the climb up to Nuwara Eliya (even though I pulled a hamstring close to the top and didn’t make it!) - not only is it a challenging ride, but the countryside it goes through is peaceful and idyllic.
Thoughts on Group Leader
I’ve been on many Exodus trips with some leaders well known to the Exodus community of travellers, but Ruwan was a gear ahead of the rest: relaxed, sociable, efficient, punctual, great at communicating the plan for each section of the ride, excellent at working with his support team and possessing an encyclopaedic knowledge of his country’s history, culture flora and fauna.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Pack a flannel - soaked in water and put on your head under your helmet it cools you down on long hot rides (of which there are many).
Eat as much curd (buffalo milk yoghurt) and treacle as you can lay your hands on - it’s delicious.
This trip was the best Exodus tip we have done and I highly recommend it.
The accommodation we stayed in was of a high standard and the different parts we saw of Sri Lanka were very varied and I feel we saw so much of this special country during this trip.
The food was absolutely outstanding on this trip and we went to some amazing off the beaten track restaurants. One of our favorites was the ladies who cooked the vegetable curries, the dinner at a locals house, and another was the buffet at the old colonial hotel, you may burn 2000 calories cycling but you will eat 3000 calories of amazing food if you want too. Suresh has a saying ‘do maximum damage’ at the buffet and that we did! wait till you try the egg hoppers you will be hooked!
A bit of detail about the cycling: my husband and i were the youngest on the trip at 44 and 52 but we decided to go for the e bikes as it was our first cycle holiday. I highly recommend this option, whilst we had a good level of fitness, and I had trained for this trip doing 100km cycles. Even though we had done level 4 graded Exodus hiking trips before,we wanted to make sure we enjoyed the big climb days and did not slow everyone down, not that it is ever an issue with a lovely exodus group! We also didn’t know if everyone would be super amazing club cyclists and we would be the slow ones, but we had a complete mix of lovely people and we didn’t have anything to worry about. We have just booked our next Exodus cycle trip and have gone for normal bikes.
We had the e bikes turned off most of the time and actually felt after a couple of days we should of gone for normal bikes but it did mean we could enjoy the big climbs and not worry at all, but the van is close behind you on those days and very easy to jump into, so if you are worried you are not fit enough for this trip or not a super keen cyclist i highly recommend going for the ebike option as the trip is definitely worth it and an amazing experience, the ebikes were a very good standard and brand new. At the time of the trip I was a modest cyclist and cycled mainly during the summer months at home, I did properly train for the trip and made sure i had done the 100km distance on a few occasions but this was just to give myself confidence and I just wanted to make sue i was well prepared, don’t think you have to do a lot of training for this trip, the pace is good and no one was ever left behind, it is a level 4 so you do need some fitness but with a good level of fitness you could do it, if you are worried definitely go for the e bike option.
I would agree with some of the other comments that it wasn’t aways back roads and sometimes the traffic was crazy but we always felt safe with Suresh at the front another guide at the back and the bike mechanics were often following us, i really cant thank the whole crew enough just an amazing team who were brilliant and everything was seamless.
It can be hot and I recommend bringing some electrolytes with you, the crew carry more water and food than you could ever need so nothing to worry about there. Have cold gear for the mountains in the evening as it does get cold.
I felt there was also a good amount of things organised outside of the cycling and it felt we always had plenty of things organised in and out of the saddle, the tea plantation visits were amazing also the jewelry factory, the visit to the gardens in Kandy also really great mix of things to see and do outside of the saddle. Finishing the trip at the beach was fabulous as well, there are so many different sides to Sri Lanka I felt we saw them all.
We had a totally amazing group of people in the group who shared this adventure with us, and we all got on so well it was wonderful to get to know them all, we have always had great groups with Exodus. but this was the best group yet, so thank you also to all of them who made the trip so memorable.
Most Inspirational Moment
So many to choose from but for me the most memorable moment was always the little kids running out of their houses to say hi, they loved it when we said hi back.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Suresh was brilliant and always on hand to give us history about the country and we were very well looked after by him and the crew. A huge mention goes to the bus drivers and the bike mechanics who were always on hand with water and food and i felt like every time we cycled round the corner they would just appear with snacks and water, they even stopped the traffic for us a busy junctions. Everything was seamlessly organised and we felt very well looked after. Our bikes were always clean and ready the next morning for us and nothing was too much trouble.
Well organised. Looked after. Attentive crew, very knowledgeable tour leader. Beautiful country
Most Inspirational Moment
Real highlights were the crew and the tour leader. The people of Sri Lanka were wonderfully friendly. The views and countryside were breathtaking. The safari, the elephants and the tea plantations were my best bits
Thoughts on Group Leader
Very knowledgeable. Very organised. Could answer any question. A lovely guy and a fantastic representative of his country
Fantastic leader in Ruwan, with an excellent support team made every thing happen smoothly and with many smiles. Great cycling and Ruwan knowledgeable told us about many aspects of Sri Lankan life and its history. Lots of interesting activities and places visited as well as great cycling. We were extremely well fed and watered, with a huge variety of local food and snacks. The roads bikes were great and well maintained.
Most Inspirational Moment
Completing the big climb! The gradient is relatively kind, which really helped! The leader, his team and a great group. Cycling through the tea plantations.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Ruwan is a fantastic caring leader with superb organisational and communication skills. He has a deep and wide knowledge of all things Sri Lankan and his passion for history shines through.
