Reviews

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

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14175 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Anonymous .

Reviewed July 2010

GORILLAS & MASAI MARA

An amazing adventure that we will never forget! This has to be the best way to experience some of East Africa's most breath-taking scenery and meet some extraordinary people.

Most Inspirational Moment

Meeting the Agashya group of mountain gorillas! Getting all tearful as 3 baby gorillas came helter-skeltering over one another to get to within 2 feet of our group - per magic! You cannot help but be moved by the presence of these truly magnificent gentle giants. Remember to listen to them too - the noises as they communicate with each other are absolutely delightful!Visiting the orphanage which is a short walk from the Adrift camp-site in Jinga and meeting Justine who provides shelter for 29 children there. She is an inspiration! She has little money for food and to pay the much-needed teachers to come and educate the children, but she has barrels of affection and a desire to make life better for the orphans in her careComing within a couple of metres of a family of lions and having the utter privelege of watching and listening to them interact, play and have the occasional grumble. All this as the sun slowly sets over the Masai Mara. Bliss!Travelling along the roads of Uganda and especially Rwanda and being greeted by bright smiling faces and enthusiastic waving from children and grown-ups alike. The are wonderful and just thinking about them still brings a little tear to my eye!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Often is a SUPERSTAR! He was so helpful, organised, supportive, informative, flexible and good fun! He always provided us with clear guidance on the day ahead and we all genuinely looked forward to his post-dinner talks! He is clearly passionate about the people and places we visited on this trip, always urging us to interact with the locals and experience their culture. He also goes the extra mile - we adopt a gorilla who was a member of the Agashya Family. We were desperate to meet her and Often ensured we were included in the group visiting this family. Not an easy task when 50+ people turn up at the visitor centre in the morning all with their own preferences on how far they want to trek and which family they want to visit!JJ and Bernard were also fantastic! Bernard is the chef who every night informed us that 'dinner is calling for you to attack/terrorize it...'!! He never made the same meal twice and everything was fresh and well-prepared! He also has the best sense of humour!This team work SO HARD throughout the trip - they do everything to make sure your trip is perfect. They are a huge credit to Exodus!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for long bouncy drives along rough dusty roads - we made some great friends on this trip so much of the time travelling was spent chatting, giggling and waving at the local people and children who never tire of smiling and waving to the passing 'muzungos'! Sleep is tricky on these journeys but not impossible!Bring books/pens/football/bubbles for the children in the orphanages - there are two which you can visit. The children absolutely love to play and the teachers are very grateful for any items that will help educate them.Try and 'muck in' and help your tour leader and his team. This is not expected at all but we found it impossible to sit back and let Often, Bernard and JJ do all the running around for us. We helped get the chairs out and put away for meals; preparing the vegetables/fruit; keeping the truck tidy; washing up and clearing away, etc. It generates a great team spirit!Enjoy every hot shower you can along the way! Showers are available in most campsites...but they may be nothing more than a lukewarm drip at times! Pack your wet wipes and be prepared to have a more basic approach to your morning routine!

Reviewed September 2009

CLASSIC KENYA SAFARI & ZANZIBAR

Overall a great trip, we had a fantastic time. The Masai Mara was incredible and Zanzibar exactly what we wanted, i.e. chill out for a few days!

Most Inspirational Moment

See lions on our first foray into the Mara was a great start to being in the area. Also the day we spent by the Mara river was just amazing. We were a few days late for the great migration but they were still thousands of animals about, pretty awe inspring stuff.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Charles was first class and was ably assited by Robert. They both tried very hard for us to see qas muhc as possible. We only missed out on cheetah and leopard and saw lots of lions so can't grumble too much. They organised everything very well and were very accomodating of the group.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you are thinking about doing this trip and can't quite make your mind up, my advice would be DO IT!!! It really is holiday of a lifetime stuff. We had one disspointment along the way and that was a slight debacle around the hot air balloon ride but even then the rest of it was so good it wasn't too bad.Don't get too concerned about the mosquito's - we didnt see that many at all which was a relief.Take most of you money in Dollars, and you will spend a bit more than you think - drinks were fairly expensive at the camp in the Mara (which is incredible by the way!) and at the lodge in Zanzibar. Book the Ballon ride when you get there - see below.

Reviewed January 2009

CLASSIC KENYA SAFARI & ZANZIBAR

I went on this trip without any expectations. I have a fantastic time. Saw more animals than I ever thought I would and met some great people in the group. Zanzibar was fantastic and to spend New Years Eve in a sailing regatta with the locals will be something I will remember for a long time.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing Rhino's on Christmas Day.Seeing dolphins in the wild for the first time.Sailing regatta with the locals from the Fumba village on New Years Eve.Dinner on the beach on our last night at Funba Beach Resort.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Robert was full of knowledge about the animals.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Find out about tipping from your guide. It would be useful to take some small notes with you as everyone expects a tip.

Reviewed January 2009

MOUNTAINS & VILLAGES OF EVIA

A really great way to spend Christmas. Good walking, great people, really excellent week.

Most Inspirational Moment

When we started our walk down the gorge from -2 degrees and ankle deep in snow at the top, to warm enough to eat Christmas lunch outside at the bottom!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Thanos was wicked! He was flexible and adaptable, and worked well around the amazing range of weather we experienced

Advice for Potential Travellers

I was given a single room without paying a supplement. I don't know if this is done routinely but it is a fairly basic hotel with twin beds close together in every room. I don't think I would have wanted to share when there is such close proximity and no real other place to go except the bar. If personal space is important to you pay the supplement!!

Reviewed April 2008

FESTIVALS OF BHUTAN

Fabulous! A once in a life time and a definite ‘do before you die’.

Most Inspirational Moment

Too many to adiquitely explain! The people were the highlight. This country is still largely un spoiled by tourism, i hope it stays that way. The children have no fear of strangers and love to see thier photos on the back of your digital camera. We were welcomed so warmly and seen as a novelty which was lovely. The most powerful moment for me was being invited into a section of one of the monestaries which tourist arnt usually allowed into. It was beautifully decorated and we recieved a blessing from one of the monks before we left.The most peaceful moment was standing ontop of a mountain over looking the capital, Thimpu, surrounded by fluttering prayer flags.The most heart warming was being invited to our guides home to meet his daughter and see how Bhutanese people really live.Last but not least - arriving in Nepal to co-incide with Holi, one of the main Hindu festivals where people throw coloured paint at eachother.

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was fantastic. He allowed our itineray to be flexible and managed to meet our varied expectation and aspirations. He really made the trip worthwhile. In nepal we didnt really have a guide but we had a local rep who explained to us about the local area and how to get to the places we might want to see. He also arranged for us to do an extra guided tour of Baktapur which we paid for out of our spending money.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take clothes for varied weather conditions - it was very warm while we were there (march depature) and i ended up having to wash most of my tops to wear them again. The temples and the festival require women to wear loose fitting clothes with arms covered to below the elbow. Skirts shouldnt be above the knee. Also do not wear hats at the festival or in temples as it causes offense. We were advised not to change travellers cheques at the airport which was a disaster. Most hotels dont hold enough funds to change travellers cheques of any size. This left several people in our group without spending money for most of the trip. My advise would be take US dollars which are widely accepted. Nepalese rupees are also accepted and change travellers cheques at PARO AIRPORT as you cant change them anywhere else easily. There was no problem with using travellers cheques in Nepal. In case of emergencies it is worth taking a first aid kit which has some steralised needles in it. That way if you need to go to hospital, for what ever reason, you dont need to worry about hygiene.

Reviewed February 2008

CLASSIC KENYA SAFARI

We had a great holiday in Kenya, despite the upheaval in the country we felt safe and were lucky enough to experience the Masai Mara with very few other tourists.

Most Inspirational Moment

On our last morning we went out on a game drive and were lucky enough to follow a male lion who then met up with his 2 brothers which we thought was incredible. More was to come, however, with the alpha male insisting that a lioness be banished from the pride. What followed was a scene from the Lion King with one male chasing the female up and down the river bank and hounding her away from the group. To make his feelings very clear, the alpha male then roared with the loudest noise I have ever heard. It was truly an incredible experience that we were very fortunate to have watched and witnessed.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Charles, our group leader, was very well informed and helpful. I learned more about Kenyan politics than I probably needed to know but we trusted Charles and his local knowledge. He also ensured our safety by securing us a flight out of the Masai Mara rather than risk the 6 hour journey in very volatile circumstances.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I would thoroughly recommend this trip. Lake Elementatia whilst still firmly stuck in Edwardian times was an experience but be aware that the accommodation is not quite up to the standard you might be expecting, especially if recently arrived from the UK. We were lucky enough to stay at Basecamp Explorer which is an incredible project to be a part of - do some research about it before you go. It's still a long way to go, and quite an expensive trip, for only 5 nights accommodation - consider going to Lamu or Zanzibar as an extension to make the very most of the trip.

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