Reviews

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

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15 Reviews

4.6 out of 5

Kathleen Ramsey

Reviewed January 2018

Snowshoeing in Transylvania

This trip provides a varied programme of walking/snowshoeing in beautiful scenery, with visits to a bat cave, a bear sanctuary, Bran Castle, a fortified church and the medieval town of Brasov. Physically, two of the longer days were quite demanding, so a reasonable level of fitness is required. We stayed in a very comfortable and remote guesthouse in the mountains; the food was excellent and plentiful, special diets were accommodated and our hosts were friendly and spoke excellent English. We were part of a very sociable and well-travelled group, and came back with plenty of ideas for other trips. Romania has a fascinating if troubled history and our guide, Holger, was very knowledgeable and provided a good insight into both ancient and more recent periods.

Most Inspirational Moment

We were lucky to have plenty of snow, so the snowshoeing was a delight, especially on the clear bright days. The scenery was beautiful, although we did have one day when in snowed throughout and so views were minimal.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader, Holger, was capable and considerate, with a good dry sense of humour. He took a while to get used to the group, but became more sociable as the week went on.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you haven't snowshoed before, make sure that you are confident that your showshoes fit correctly and have no defects before you set off. Although plenty of bread and a variety of fillings are provided for packed lunches, there are no snacks, so I would recommend that you take some, as we definitely needed extra calories between meals, especially on the two longer days. A travel kettle could be useful too. The temperatures were well below freezing, and the roads around the guesthouse and in the towns were very icy. We found our instep crampons very useful; other members of the group used Yaktrax or similar.

M B

Reviewed January 2018

Transylvania Winter Walk & Snowshoe

Definitely a moderate trip ( in winter ) . Some challenges with packed ice / deep snow so a reasonable level of fitness would be helpful.

Most Inspirational Moment

getting through a couple of very steep , snow and ice packed sections of a couple of the walks

Thoughts on Group Leader

Thomas was full of historical info and local knowledge which he was more than happy to share. good sense of humour and encouragement when he thought it was needed.

Advice for Potential Travellers

use clothing layer system, plus gaiters . Weather can be sunny / cold / rainy / snowy . There are times when you dont snow shoe but may need to walk in deeper snow as its safer than an icy path. Alternatively it could be muddy and gaiters do help keep you clean. Definitely take some shoe grippers that can fit onto your boots i.e. Yaktrax or those rubber /spiky things sold in many shops. Some paths are sheet packed ice and the grips give you that extra safety feature , but you will be putting on and taking off multiple times during a walk so make sure you are familiar with them. The paths vary depending on if they are in open / forest / gorge etc. If you can , carry an old hiking trousers belt / webbing/ bit of string . Its useful to help tie down the snow shoes onto your rucksack ( if you dont have side straps on the rucksack ) . The guesthouse is cosy and warm , plenty of hot water. No TV in rooms . You make your lunch sandwich at the breakfast table in mornings and carry it with you. Might be worth carrying your own trail bars / jelly babies etc if you like to snack en route . A flask to carry your own tea ( the guest house will fill with hot water or fruit tea ) may also be useful in cold weather. You really only need a bit of spending money as one night in a restaurant in Brasov ( I had 2 beers plus main plus starter and it was 60 Lei or 12 pounds total . Roughly 5 Lei to the pound ) . The guest house runs a tab that you settle on final night. You just help yourself to beers ( one beer is 5 or 6 lei depending on brand , teas in afternoon 4 lei ) from fridge , mark it on your list and settle at end . The guest house is in middle of nowhere , really isolated . So no town or shops to walk to etc.

Gillian Helme

Reviewed February 2017

Snowshoeing in Romania

A really good, interesting holiday. Rather more moderate than leisurely but very enjoyable. The group had a good age range and we all got along very well. The weather was glorious for all but one day and the guest house was lovely. The food was very good and the staff were all very friendly.

Most Inspirational Moment

Definitely the bear sanctuary was the highlight but the whole trip was quite something. The scenery is breathtaking and the mix of ancient and modern is really interesting.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Traian was very engaged with the group, friendly and entertaining. He was very knowledgeable about the history of Romania and was a good guide on the visit to Brasov.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I think we all agreed that this was a more moderate than leisurely trip. We didn't always need the snowshoes and YakTraks were very useful. You do need a decent torch for the bat cave.

Dave Butterworth

Reviewed March 2016

Stunningly beautiful

From start to finish the trip was great. Overnighted at a hotel just outside Heathrow. British Airways flight from Terminal 5 couldn’t have been better. BA really efficient and comfortable; Terminal 5 speedy, efficient and without hassle. Thomas, the group leader met us in Bucharest airport and the first clue about what was to come came when he announced we transfer from the mini coach to two 4×4 minibuses to ascend to the hotel. Katharine, the owner/manager of the hotel was superb. All staff were very friendly, serving excellent food and the accommodation was nice and cosily comfortable. The snowshoeing was lovely, we were blessed with good weather and in the first part of the week temperatures of about -10C/-15C which meant light fluffy snow. The walking was at times quite demanding and having undertaken the Finland trip previously (moderate) I felt Transylvania was a good moderate. I’d never visited Romania before nor the Carpathian mountains. Romania was unspoiled, “untouristy” and the mountains were beautiful. I’d happily return to the area in the Spring or Autumn to see another season. There were some serious climbers in our group, a number of whom were eager to come back and “do” some of the peaks/ridges. The whole group, which had quite an age range, got on well together with no awkward moments.

Most Inspirational Moment

More than one: The bear and wolf sanctuary. The ice stalagmites inside a cave. The overall "wow factor". Seeing a wall creeper which I understand is rare.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Thomas was very knowledgable about wildlife and local history. He was the sort of person one could rely upon in a crisis. His estimates of difficulty and distance/time seemed a trifle optimistic sometimes!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go for it - you'll be glad you did. The Romanian currency is the Leu with an exchange rate of a little less than 6 to the UK pound, but Euros are also accepted in some places. Consider getting yourself a pair of Yaktrax (Pro preferably) before you go.

Elizabeth Jeffery

Reviewed February 2016

Snowshoeing Transylvania

I thought this was generally an excellent holiday. I loved Transylvania, the countryside, and mountain views and being able to walk and snowshoe in such a beautiful area. The hotel was excellent and Katharina was a very generous and involved hostess. The food was always wonderful. We were also lucky to have such a friendly and happy group. Everyone got on well and there was no-one left out and no awkward moments.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the bears and wolves in the sanctuary and Dracula's castle at Bran - but I also loved the walking and snow shoeing - and in fact everything!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Thomas was OK as a group leader but if I have any criticism at all about the holiday, it was that he didn't always seem very engaged with or interested in the group - and on occasion we could have done with more information about the activity. He was very well-informed about local history however.

Advice for Potential Travellers

No. Just go. You will love it!

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