Reviews

A 'must do' trip that you'll never forget

Exploring the dramatic, captivating and beautiful Patagonian landscape in two short weeks. The weather ranged from windy, cold, to warm and sunny all in the same day. For those of you who are into photography you’re in for a treat.
Did I tell you about the wind?

Beautiful country - highly recommend this trip.

A very diverse bunch of people came together to experience the classic ‘cultural triangle’ and much more – but in a more in-depth way. Apart from the lovely people we encountered on our travels, the wildlife was one of my favourite aspects. My absolute favourite moment was when a monkey dropped from a tree onto our ‘snacks’ table and made off with one of the spicy biscuits (good choice!) – chaos/hilarity ensued!

Some of the riding days were tough – I hadn’t got as much training in as I had planned – but the back-up crew were always there to help! A few of the rides (particularly the big one) are on busy roads so would recommend a ‘commuter mask’ if your lungs are sensitive. The fumes from the buses can get a bit much. Although the people travelling on them, hanging out the doors and windows shouting encouragement, almost made up for it!

Fantastic place but make your own arrangements

I booked the Easter Island extension with Exodus at a cost of £1299 plus compulsory single supplement of 345. There was no loyalty discount. Flights from Santiago to EI were not included but if you book your own flights with LATAM it is possible to add the EI return to your ticket for far less than a standalone return ticket which costs around £800.
For the money charged by Exodus you get:- group transfer from Santiago hotel to airport for EI flight (a taxi would cost £25-30)
Picked up from airport and taken to hotel in EI (hotel offers a free pick up service)
3 nights at the Hotel Otai – per notice in reception charge for single room was $190, double room $260 us dollars
Two separate half day tours in a minibus and one full day trip – these cost around £25 for each half day tour and £70 gor full day with lunch but are multi lingual. We had mainly English speaking morning trip but Spanish/English in afternoon and mostly Spanish on day trip. When asked, our Guide suggested that you could have a private guide for around £100 a day – this would be preferable as English speaking and you could visit the various Moai sites at the best times of the day.
Transfer back to EI airport – again offered free by hotel.
Pick up at Santiago airport and taken to hotel – taxi would cost £25-30.
One night B&B at Santiago hotel
Airport transfer from hotel to airport for homeward flight but be warned – Exodus expected us to leave hotel at 05.20 for a flight leaving at 17.00 because they were only offering one transfer and one of our group was flying to Mexico on an early flight. Attempts to contact Exodus in UK went unanswered and local agent only arranged transfer after we had booked a taxi through hotel.
I fully appreciate that Exodus need to make a profit on their tours but there is a difference between making a profit and ripping off loyal customers.
It is much easier for couples to make their own arrangements than solo travellers but you could save almost half what Exodus charge by making your own arrangements and it would be straightforward to pre book tours, hotel etc.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing Moai.

Thoughts on Group Leader

You're on your own!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Read up on Easter Island before you go and make your own arrangements.

Reply from Exodus

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts regarding your Easter Island extension, Linda. We’re truly sorry that you felt the trips pricing did not match your expectations and we completely understand your concerns. At Exodus, we always strive to offer competitive pricing while ensuring that all aspects of the trip meet the quality and service expectations of our guests, as well as align with our Responsible Travel ethos. The costs associated with this extension reflect the services provided, including transfers, accommodation, guided tours, and the logistical support required. Still, we fully appreciate that you felt it did not represent the best value, especially when compared to arranging everything independently. In addition to your concerns about the overall value of the trip, we deeply regret that your transfer from your Santiago hotel was scheduled earlier than anticipated, which resulted in a longer wait at the airport before your flight. We can only imagine how frustrating it must have been to receive this information and while we are glad to know that you were able to source alternative arrangements to mitigate this inconvenience, we acknowledge how disappointing it must have been to face the possibility of waiting around at the airport, especially after an exciting adventure. Although the standard for this extension has been to offer a single transfer for all guests on the same day, we take your feedback seriously and will be reviewing this process as we want to ensure that future travellers have more flexibility, with the possibility of adjusting departure times based on flight schedules, so that no one is left waiting unnecessarily. Your feedback plays a vital role in how we continually refine and improve our services. Rest assured, we are committed to listening to our guests and making necessary adjustments to enhance the travel experience for our travellers and will take your comments into account to refine our offerings. We hope that despite the challenges you encountered, you were able to enjoy your time on Easter Island and found the overall experience enriching. We are truly grateful for your support and hope you will consider allowing us to serve you again in the future.

Sarah Ahern ~ Exodus Product Manager

 

Enjoyable trip

An enjoyable trip and you do cover vast distances but for a 13 day trip too much time is spent hanging around in airports.
I note that the itinerary has been tweaked for 2025 so this may help a bit.
One word of warning for solo travellers (apart from the excessive single supplement) is that there are very few group meals. Our guide did not stay in the group hotel at Santiago so for first couple of nights you’re left to your own devices for evening meals. We then flew north to Atacama and again no group meals. Only once we were in the Lake District did guide arrange a group meal one night and then there were group meals all the time in Patagonia.
Scenery in Patagonia was fantastic and we had a couple of decent walks.
Apart from San Pedro de Atacama the hotels were all good although wifi often only in reception area.
Credit and debit cards are accepted everywhere so you don’t need much cash. Wine is cheaper than beer or soft drinks and evening meals no dearer than UK.
Be prepared for a lot of early starts and quite a few breakfast boxes.

Super Holiday

Trails of New Zealand is an excellent memorable trip. Wonderful scenery, great walks, very comfortable accommodation. Well-thought itinerary, good mix of driving interspersed with walks and other activities.

Highlight of Vietnam and Cambodia - Nov 18 - 29, 2024

As per the trip title our 12-day adventure was designed to visit many of the better known locations in both countries including Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An, Ho Chi Min City, Angkor Wat and Phnom Penh. We traveled by a combination of minibus, boat and plane during our time in these two countries which maximized our time to visit the many interesting locales.

Mary Poppins

unforgettable experience with a fantastic group of people.

A lovely trip, but it could be much better with a slightly updated itinerary

This is a great trip if you like your wildlife. Make sure you bring the best camera/lens that you have got as you can get some amazing photographs.

Having said that there are a few things that could be better:
– Tortuguero is famous for its turtles. We didn’t see any even though we went to the beach around dawn both mornings we were there. Subsequently we found out that you can go on a local guide tour overnight, they then liaise with other guides to share where the turtles are (it is a long beach) to give you the best chance of seeing them. You may have to ask about it at the Lodge about booking a guide
– Manuel Antonio. Likewise a local guide would help find more of the wildlife here, as they know the area & have the required spotting scopes
– Savegre. To see the Quetzal (which is the main reason for going there, & is spectacular) again, you need a local guide to take you to the right area. These can be booked via the hotel
Hopefully Exodus will include these local guides/trips going forward as I have shared this feedback with them.

We enjoyed the coffee/chocolate tour at La Fortuna, where you get to make your own chocolate (you need to add a lot of sugar otherwise it’s very bitter !)
We also did a night trip to see more frogs & other night animals while at Manuel Antonio which was good

Prepare to be Astounded

Wow! If it’s adventure you are after, then you’ve come to the right place. Iceland has so much to offer, not only the Northern Lights. There are glacier hikes, caving, surfing, whale watching to name a few activities in Iceland. For the not so physical, there are beautiful waterfalls and amazing landscapes that are breathtaking to say the least. If you have never been to Iceland and you’re contemplating it, do it! You won’t regret it.

Great way to see more of Cuba!

This trip was a fantastic way to explore more of Cuba and learn about it’s history and culture from locals! The cycling was great overall, there were some hills that were tougher – especially with the humidity and being directly under the sun, but very rewarding. There were lots of long stretches on the trip where we could all cycle at our own pace and so many locals coming out of their homes and shops to wave while we cycled by. I especially loved the views on day 11 cycling along the coast to Cienfuegos! Lunch at the farm on day 13 was definitely the best meal we had while on the trip, but in general, I was surprised with the food options we had for many of our meals. The itinerary was also jam packed with different activities, I absolutely loved our beach day in Trinidad and the classic car tour of Havana was so much fun!