Reviews

Beyond my expectations

This was a really happy accident. I had wanted to do the Inca Trail, but I booked my trip too late and Exodus put me on the Moonstone Trek instead, which was a ridiculously good piece of fortune.
As it turned out I was the only person on the trek – I felt ridiculously pampered. I had a guide, one chef, two porters and our four pack horses.
The first day we went to the Moonstone which gives the trek it’s name before heading on to the departure site for the trek itself. While climbing up the hills we passed another tourist group coming the other way, but they would be the last tourists I would see until the end of the trek.
The scenery as incredible – not the lush forests you might see on the Inca Trail, but an incredible trek through the high pampas. We walked through little settlements where the locals offered us wheat wine (although my guide said it would probably be best not to take them up on it as it can upset your stomach if you aren’t used to it).
I joined up with the rest of the group in Aguas Calientes at the base of Machu Picchu the night before we all headed up, and I decided to get up early the next morning to get a glorious view over the lost city from the sun gate. It was well worth the early start.

Moonstone Trek

I chose to do the Moonstone Trek – a remote and quiet Inca trail reaching the dizzying heights of just under 4700 m. I was the only person doing the trek and had my own guide, chef and 2 horsemen. I thoroughly enjoyed the trek, beautiful scenery, remote small communities and Inca sites en route. My guide was very knowledgable and i learnt about about the history of the area en route. I was looked after extremely well: fantastic food and hot tea and water in the morning. I highly recommend this trek and Exodus, it is a once in a lifetime experience.

Inca Trail

Brilliant from start to finish.
This trip excelled my expections as I have never done an Exodus trip before. I am a keen fell walker but have never seen a such diverse beautiful countryside. From river valleys to rugged mountain tops. The second day was quite steep up dead womans path but well worth it. We always got plenty of encouragement from our guides Edwind and Anthony. They were very knowledgeable about all the history and flora and fauna. But the highlight is the Sun gate and your first veiw og Macchu Pichu.

It was Amazing

Peru

My Peru holiday with Exodus was just amazingly fantastic. I have seen beautiful mountains before in the Alps but had not previously experienced the amazing sunsets you get on the Inca Trail or the stunning night sky. You could see the stars and milky way with absolute clarity. Nor have I descended down through Amazon cloud forest with its amazing flora and fauna. To do all that whilst walking such historic trails was mind-blowing. You feel really close to mother earth and nature. The descent through the Sun Gate to view Machu Picchu cannot be overstated as a beautiful moving experience. It is the best view of the site but what is undersold is that on this trip we arrived at the Sun Gate as Machu Picchu was closing and we had the site to ourselves. You descend through the site. I climbed the wooden steps to view the Gatekeepers Hut and it was occupied by just 3 Llamas! The next day on the formal visit there were swathes of visitors.
The porters on the trek were amazing, I have a new definition of fitness now after watching porters run past me with a 25kg backpack almost a big as themselves. After their trek they erect your tent put your stuff in it and have a bowl of hot water waiting for you and prepare your meal. Meals were all freshly made, healthy and very tasty. They really do carry fresh vegetables up the trail.
The joy of a shower and a flushing toilet after the trek is still with me!

Cusco is an amazing place to explore and just to sit and watch. Its pace can be manic, it felt like being in a Rio carnival at times. Traffic is crazy and controlled by women police officers who are fearsome and fearless. They need to be, horns toot endlessly and everybody just shoves as far as they can. Its noisy and very vibrant. The Cathedral is beautiful and the huge picture of the Last Supper where they enjoy guinea pig is interesting. I did eat guinea pig and Llama, the Llama is good, cross between steak and lamb but not keen on guinea pig. We visited Inca sites in Cusco and if you are a history buff you would be overjoyed as their is so many sites.

This holiday has completely changed my view of holidays, no more standard European Alps walking holidays. I crave history and culture experiences. I am still in a state of wonder a week after getting back.

Only downside of the holiday is the free roaming dogs, some of which have homes but are not allowed in, but some are just hungry and scavenging out of rubbish heaps. Not so much in Cusco centre but just outside. 3rd world regarding animals.

The Inca Trail

This was my second trip with Exodus and the organisation could not have been better. I was pcked up from Cusco Airport, transferred to my hotel and introduced to the other memebers of the group. We had a day to acclimatise in Cusco and then started the Inca Trail. It was absolutely briliant. The walking was quite steady but some very steep sections. The scenery was spectacular and the night sky was equally as spectacular. We could clearly see the Southern Cross. The food at each camp was superb (How the chef managed to cook such good meals, including 1 vegetarian, on a 2 ring portable stove, beats me!.) The tour guide, Edwind, was very knowledgeable and each Inca settlement we passed, he gave us a “history lesson”. The timing of the walk to go through the Sun Gate, was exemplary, as we did so late afternoon and viewed Machu Picchu when there were hardly any tourists in the site. The views of Machu Picchu were breathtaking and it is no wonder it is one of the 7 natural wonders of the World. I would highly recmmend this walk but remember there are some steep sections, particularly the second day, so be prepared!! In short, an excellent trip well organised by Exodus and a great toour leader. Excellent value for money.

Amazing trip

I wanted to do something like this for a while but didn’t get the chance.
Going on this trip was amazing and now I am grateful I was able to do it.
Everyone was very nice, the porters were amazing(the chef even made a birthday cake for me), Beto and Mel really good and even though I struggled a bit on the second day the trip was just perfect.

Exceeded expectations

Well organised, brilliant guide and unbelievable porterage team.

Hiking the Inca Trail

Very challenging four day hike to Machu Picchu. The hike itself was absolutely beautiful, with incredible views all along the way. Our guides, Julio Santos (lead) and Josval were excellent. Julio was full of interesting facts at every site we were to stop at along the way, and Jos was more than willing to help may our experience a memorable one.
The porters, the head chef and his assistant were outstanding. Their professionalism, and extreme efforts were appreciated by all. The food was incredible!
A great experience I would recommend doing the hike to anyone.

Andes

Challenging but an experience of treking in remote, dramatic landscape aay from the 21st century!

Try the Moonstone trek!

Booked trip late, so the Inca Trail itself was sold out. This didn’t bother me, as the Moonstone trek sounded great – and it was. Loved the fantastic scenery, the pre-Inca and Inca structures, the glimpses of Andean village life, the excellent food, and the peace and quiet of the trek. Rest of trip was great, too – good itinerary, excellent organisation. Cuzco is a wonderful city to explore. Really enjoyed optional Sacred Valley day trip. Machu Picchu did not disappoint, either (and I have found the odd big-name sight disappointing in the past). Overall, hard to fault this trip.