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.

Simply use the selector below to search our trip reviews and start reading real feedback from real Exodus travellers who have ‘been there and done that’!

Lots of our clients also like to post handy tips and advice about their travels. It’s great to know what to expect on an Exodus adventure before you go, so make the most of their experience and you’ll make the most of yours!

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Once you return from your Exodus adventure holiday, you will be emailed a link to add your review. Any feedback collected is posted onto our website, totally unedited.

Alternatively you can navigate to the relevant trip page and add your review via the Reviews tab.

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107 Reviews

4.6 out of 5

Ann Robinson

Reviewed July 2024

Brilliant

This was a superb birthday treat. The accommodation just lacked air conditioning, as it was so hot
Food good with excellent hosts. Scenery beautiful, with all that was promised.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the bears from the hide. Caterina was able to share her expert knowledge, and the bears did not disappoint

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sebi was an excellent leader . He shared so much information about the area and the history. He made assessments about the group and made sure that we were all comfortable with the pace, use of shade and rest . He spoke with all of us, so everyone felt included.l

Advice for Potential Travellers

Look at the weather forecast, it was much hotter than expected. Be aware of tics, I picked one up and hadn’t had the jabs.

Heather Smith

Reviewed July 2024

Absolutely wonderful!

I had a wonderful trip to Romania with Exodus. I would highly recommend this trip, it was great fun and very insightful. Overall an absolutely fantastic adventure.

Most Inspirational Moment

The visit to the bear sanctuary was very interesting and humbling.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was fantastic. He was clearly very passionate about his country, and was extremely well-organised. Nothing was too much trouble for him, and he was clearly very well-prepared.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you suffer from hayfever take some antihistamines with you. The pollen count can get very high in the meadows in summer.

Anne-Marie Harrison

Reviewed July 2024

Romania

Very lovely holiday, everything went smoothly, the hotel was very comfy, the food good and the hosts were very helpful. The walks were quite challenging, for the grade and as the weather was hot, but our guide was great at finding shady spots for us! The group got on well together.

Most Inspirational Moment

Getting to the top of a clamber up the rocks and seeing the views! Waking up in the morning to the sound of the cow bell!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Couldn't have been better...knows the area really well, was very friendly and kept an eye out for everyone. Organised everything very well and was always there to help, answer any queries etc. He was key to making the holiday so enjoyable

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't be fooled by the grading, all the walks are hilly as the area is itself very hilly

Hayley Nash

Reviewed July 2024

Carpathian Walking & Bears

A fantastic trip! A variety of walks, with a hand-full of slower activities to balance out the week nicely. The Carpathian Mountains are absolutely beautiful.

Most Inspirational Moment

The bear hide! We saw about 9 bears in total including cubs - an amazing experience to see bears in the wild.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sebi was superb - a brilliant wealth of knowledge, made sure everyone in the group was included, and had a great sense of humour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

As someone else has mentioned - take earplugs! You will hear the dogs barking throughout the night.

Claire Carpenter

Reviewed July 2024

Perfect walking and wildlife holiday

We would thoroughly recommend our week in Romania. The walks were really thought out; our leader was excellent and the hosts at the guesthouse really interesting and thoughtful.

Most Inspirational Moment

The evening in the bear hide was so memorable. Saw lots of bears and cubs - an amazing experience.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Really excellent. Very knowledgeable, helpful and friendly.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Great flowers in May/June, the meadows were incredible.

Pamela Peers

Reviewed June 2024

Superb trip with excellent walking and lots of bears

Villa Hermani is an excellent base for this trip, which combines interesting walks with opportunities to see bears in their natural habitat. We also visited a bear sanctuary to understand the atrocious conditions under which some bears have been abused by circuses and other ‘tourist/entertainment’ businesses.

Most Inspirational Moment

The bear hide was pretty spectacular!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Tomas knows the area very well and went out of his way to share insights into the history and present-day culture of the region.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take walking poles. I was surprised that a level 2 trip included walking poles as essential items, but I now understand why. Some of the descents are very steep and those without poles found them particularly challenging. Take an eye mask - the curtains in the wonderful Villa Hermani do not block out the morning light, and it gets light early. We stayed in Bucharest for several nights both before and after the trip - it's a wonderful city and well worth a visit. Public transport is cheap and efficient - for example, the 100 express bus from the airport to the centre of Bucharest runs every 15 minutes, takes less than an hour and costs only 3RON (about 50p!)

Sarah Watts

Reviewed May 2024

Stunning scenery and bears

I had no idea how beautiful Romania is the location of Magura was so green in May, the rolling hills and snow capped mountains was perfect. Lovely hotel, friendly staff and plenty of home cooked food all locally sourced.

Most Inspirational Moment

Bears!! And seeing their footprints when out walking, along with all the other wildlife you see and hear (cuckoos).

Thoughts on Group Leader

Thomas was fab!! So friendly, a wealth of knowledge, inclusive of the whole group, a brilliant guide.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take walking poles, as in parts it’s steep and undulating. A lunchbox is a good idea to take, just so it’s not squashed in your rucksack or in the paper bag that’s provided when you make them at breakfast. Take ear plugs as you will hear the dogs barking at night!

Denise Fagan

Reviewed August 2023

"Walking and bears"

Well organised trip, faultless hosts at Villa Hermani and an excellent leader in Sebi. The scenery was amazing and the walks were all excellent and well paced for our group. The bear watching in the hide was outstanding.

Most Inspirational Moment

Bear watching in the hide along with our host Katharina's knowledge and dedication of the brown bears and their protection.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sebi was excellent. He assessed our group's walking ability on the first day and adjusted the pace accordingly on subsequent days. He was friendly and very approachable and would answer any questions we had about the routes, landscape, wildlife and Romania. He became part of the group rather than just the leader. His English and knlowledge of his own area and country was excellent.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The walks are very much as described and I would definitely recommend walking poles, mainly for the descents down some rocky paths.

Janet Leverton

Reviewed August 2023

Just 'Bears!'

This was a really interesting trip in rural Romania; we were blessed with amazing weather, so the views and scenery were quite beautiful. The trip was a good mix of sight seeing, exploring and walking. The walking wasn’t difficult and very leisurely, plenty of time to soak in the surroundings. Personally, I would have enjoyed more walking , but visiting Bran Castle and Brasov was interesting. The visit to the bear hide was undoubtedly the highlight, we watched 9 females and 5 cubs for over an hour, a very special moment. The guest house was comfortable and the food was delicious, home cooked and plentiful. There were no options, vegetarians and vegans may struggle.

Most Inspirational Moment

Has to be the bears, watching bears in the wild was an absolute privilege, Katerina who ran the guest house, is a passionate bear supporter, it was so interesting and informative listening to her.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sebi was a great leader, he ensured our week was the best it could be. The walking pace and experience of our group was quite diverse, he managed the differing paces and needs with ease.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just to be aware, the guest house is in a rural community, hot water is not a given; showers were often on the chilly side. We extended our stay and enjoyed a few days in Bucharest, would recommend the city, lots to see, easy and safe to get around, and reasonably priced.

Janet Leverton

Reviewed August 2023

Just 'Bears!'

Most Inspirational Moment

Has to be the bears, watching bears in the wild was an absolute privilege, Katerina who ran the guest house, is a passionate bear supporter, it was so interesting and informative listening to her.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sebi was a great leader, he ensured our week was the best it could be. The walking pace and experience of our group was quite diverse, he managed the differing paces and needs with ease.

Advice for Potential Travellers

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