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!

Haven’t posted your review yet? Here’s how to do it…

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.

Select a trip specific review:

Select

95 Reviews

4.5 out of 5

Nicky Gray

Reviewed April 2024

Fabulous guide; wonderful country and people. Just do it!

One of the best group trips (and I have been on quite a few) I have done simply due to the wonderful country, lovely warm locals, excellent guide and fun fellow travellers! We travelled on many modes of transport – bus, boat (motor, kayak, paddle), train, plane, bike, foot – saw a wide variety of landscapes – countryside, small villlages, big cities – learned (more) about the old and new history of this incredible country and experienced a wide variety of foods. We did visit some homes and centres where the locals showed us how they made items such as clay pots, toffee brittle, embroidery paintings etc; never was there pressure to purchase anything which made the experience that more enjoyable. This trip has everying – just do it!

Most Inspirational Moment

It was all inspiring and exciting for me.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Thanh Vo was excellent, full of energy and so enthusiastic about his own country; one of the best guides I have met. Thanh always shared information about where we were, what we were passing or what we were looking at as well as ensuring we were well prepared for the next day along with constant reminders throughout the day. He took personal care to ensure that us few pescatarians and vegetarians did not accidentally end up with with 'wrong' food and selected a good variety of restaurants for group meals. He gave us space to do our own things at the different sites and accommodations but was always in the background when needed or to help us from getting lost! This trip took a lot of organisation - scheduling of optional tours, buses, boat, bikes and trains etc - which he did behind the scenes and everything worked like clockwork. All this along with Thanh's great sense of humour made for a really relaxed and enjoyable trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The optional bike tour of Hoi An was great fun (and the bike seats were wide!); it was more than a bike tour. I brought my own gel cycle seat for the Day 11 & 12 which helped with the narrow seats on the mountain bikes. Try the iced coffee and passion fruit juice - both delicious. All the accommodation (homestay, boat & hotels) provided good and warm bedding (we were in the north in March and it was chilly) and towels. However, I still found my sheet sleeping bag useful for the homestay visits.

Helen Codling

Reviewed April 2024

Fab trip

What a fantastic two weeks we had in Vietnam made all the more special by our lovely group and excellent guide. We had a great mix of activities from trekking to kayaking, temples to palaces. Buses, boats , trains aeroplanes and not forgetting bicycles. So many highlights to create some lasting memories. We sampled lots of authentic food and had a good mix of traditional to fancier restaurants. So good to stay at the homesteads and support the local people as well as some lovely hotels esp Hoi An.

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting the homesteads and eating some amazing food cooked simply and served with love

Thoughts on Group Leader

THANH was brilliant, nothing was too much for him, a truly great chap.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Keep your packing simple..lots of one night stays so you are always moving your bag. Most important don't miss out on this trip!

Robin Piddock

Reviewed April 2024

Trails of Vietnam

Excellent, very well organised and thoroughly enjoyable.

Most Inspirational Moment

The Home Stays

Thoughts on Group Leader

The guide was extremely helpful & personable making the trip very enjoyable

Janeen Olsen

Reviewed April 2024

Nice way to visit Vietnam

Really enjoyed the variety of activities and being able to see so much of Vietnam in two weeks. I felt the tour was both enjoyable and interesting. The trip was quite fast paced and provided a look at a lot of different aspects of Vietnam. The activities such as the hiking, visiting caves, kayaking and biking meant there were plenty of opportunities for movement and exercise.

Most Inspirational Moment

Many, but kayaking in Ha Long Bay is something I really enjoyed.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader Thang was great. Very informative and easy to approach.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I found the pollution in the cities a bit difficult for my throat, so face masks and throat lozenges were helpful. I brought padded bike shorts and was glad I wore them.

Sally Jeffries

Reviewed March 2024

Disappointing trip

Overview of this trip is misleading, I soon realised I was on the wrong trip for me. This is NOT an active trip, in two weeks there is a three hour stroll (trainers are fine) and the included kayaking is not a tour but one hour circling around in a very small enclosed area of Ha long bay. Lots of additional bus time to that in the itinerary with several hours on most days travelling through urban areas and far too much time spent in cities or busy places.

Most Inspirational Moment

The sleeper train as I hadn’t experienced that before. Cycling was enjoyable, finally off the bus, but very flat so perfect for non-cyclists.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Duy was very cheerful, reliable, organised and patient. He was very knowledgeable about the history of the places we visited.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is the tour for you if you enjoy bus tours and visiting busy cities. The activity is very limited and easy, so suitable for anybody who’s not a walker or cyclist. There are many nights when you can’t take your full luggage with you, in addition to that detailed in the itinerary, so be prepared for a lot of packing and unpacking. Note for wildlife lovers that there was a distinct lack of any wildlife or birds seen on this trip.

Reply from Exodus

We’re grateful for Sally for taking the time to review her experience in Vietnam, although we’re very sorry to read that the trip didn’t match up to the expectations she had prior to departure.

We would note that the itinerary for Sally’s group ran according to the breakdown we give in our trip notes, which details the amount of walking, kayaking, and cycling our groups can expect. Although we understand that Sally disagrees, we feel that, as a Culture trip, an activity level of 3 (Moderate) is appropriate for Trails of Vietnam, as the activities do require a higher baseline level of fitness than our level 1 (Leisurely) Culture trips.

Our product team are very confident that this grading is appropriate based on the overall feedback we receive for Trails of Vietnam; we would share that, for departures which ran in 2023 and so far in 2024, the majority of our clients rated the accuracy of the trip notes as either ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ I their post-holiday feedback forms. That said, we would not be closed off to making amendments in this regard should future general feedback more reflect Sally’s comments.

We are, however, concerned at Sally’s comments about there being no natural light in her rooms on three nights, and are following this up with our local team in Vietnam.

– Kelly Reid, Exodus Product Manager

Catherine Perry

Reviewed March 2024

Not quite as expected

A good trip overall but NOT if you are expecting to see the ‘beauty of Vietnam’. Far too much time based in major cities with long bus trips in and out of them to try to get to some more rural areas. Lots of air pollution in cities and plastic rubbish in waterways even in Ha Long Bay.

Most Inspirational Moment

Kayaking on Da Bac reservoir ( an optional extra)

Thoughts on Group Leader

Duy was excellent. Felt very safe and cared for and he remained positive and keen despite having had no time off since his last trip and some early starts.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do NOT book this trip if you are keen to do trekking, cycling or kayaking as there is very little of this and lots of sitting on buses in traffic. If you do book the trip take padded cycling shorts and gel seat covers for the bikes- we did and they were very helpful.

Dee

Reviewed October 2023

A Cultural Adventure starting from North to South

2 weeks filled with various activities from hiking through the rural forest and rice paddies to kayaking in the reservoir and Halong Bay to Cycling in the Mekong Delta. I couldn’t have imagined a better way to see Vietnam than this trip as it covered the countryside to the cities! I particularly loved Hoi An despite the monsoon season starting earlier in October, it was so pretty to see it come alive during the night when all the lanterns were lit up and the boats went down the river.

Most Inspirational Moment

So many moments, it's hard to pinpoint one! Kayaking through emerald water of Ha long bay and seeing the caves. We were lucky as it was just our group in the area so it was very peaceful. We also visited Ti Top island afterwards when all the day trippers were leaving so we were the last people on the island which was amazing without the crowds!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Trung was very helpful and was very knowledgeable of Vietnam's history. We all learnt so much from him and came back home wanting to learn more. He had the best suggestions on where to go to eat and the best dishes to try out!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Maybe bring something warm to wear for the overnight train especially if you're sleeping on the top bunkbed as it can get chilly with the aircon

Heather S

Reviewed July 2023

Busy but Fun Getaway!

This trip is a really interesting mix of activities, biking, hiking and kayaking, along with sightseeing. I felt that the days were quite busy but it maximized what I was able to see in Vietnam. Though not inexpensive, I would recommend doing the extension to Cambodia. The temples were absolutely breathtaking.

Most Inspirational Moment

My favourite part of the trip was the visit to Halong Bay. The karst mountain scenery was just gorgeous and our experience dining and sleeping on the boat was exceptional. Kayaking here was the cherry on top. My most inspirational moment was likely visiting the day program for individuals who had been mentally or physically impacted by the war. Having an opportunity to purchase some of the beautiful embroidery they created was very meaningful for me.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jay was an absolutely incredible guide from start to finish! He made the most of our travel time together on the bus by sharing his wealth of knowledge about Vietnam and the rich history of the country. He was always willing to answer our questions and did all that he possibly could to maximize our enjoyment of the trip. Dee and Thida were our guides on the extension in Cambodia and they were also terrific. These three guides enhanced my enjoyment of the trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I would have been more comfortable on the hikes if I had brought along my hiking poles. If doing the Cambodia extension, and using American currency, it is important to know that currency will only be accepted if it is crisp and rip free. It is also preferred that it be dated within the last ten years.

Silpa Shah

Reviewed May 2023

Something for everyone!

A full flavoured trip, high octane with activities and culture combined. We were a group of 5 + leader.

Most Inspirational Moment

Loved the cultural immersion, even during cycling there was so much culture to bathe in. You cannot escape the cultural aspect, and you’ll learn so much about the making of different crafts, and how the indigenous communities combine their efforts to ensure their survival and that nobody in their community is left vulnerable.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Hue (Lilly) enthusiastic, sociable and shared local and historical knowledge as well as personal experience. Her organisational skills were spot on and her spoken English was excellent. In short, she went over and above to ensure we were happy and safe. She’s probably by far the best tour leader I’ve had on Exodus.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I went during the first two weeks of April so don’t underestimate the weather. The further South you go the hotter it becomes. Make sure you drink plenty of water, take a hat, sunblock, sunglasses, hand sanitiser/wet wipes, swimwear, inset repellent and a good pair of walking trainers and sandals. Take quick dry or light cotton clothing. The homestays and sleeper train provide decent bedding and mosquito nets (in former) but might want to take a sleeping bag liner. Fortunately Hue had the foresight to request gel saddle seats to save us from sore bottoms during our bike rides. Having gel seats is not a norm but can be requested by the tour leader.

Jan Bek

Reviewed December 2022

Top to Bottom Vietnam

A great way to see lots of the country and experience different aspects from Cities to the Hill tribes

Most Inspirational Moment

Just how well the country has recovered from the devastating American/Vietnam war and how the people have gotten on with their lives.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We were very lucky to have Ashley Truong as our leader. A young woman from the central part of Vietnam who was always happy to chat and share her knowledge of all parts of Vietnam. Apart from the organisational aspect of her role which she fulfilled admirably, she was fun and understood the group's sense of humour which wasn't too off the wall but is often difficult for a non native English speaker. She explained a lot of the history and current political issues of the country without appearing to be biased or bitter. She made the trip all the more worthwhile.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The homestays are quite adequate for westerners although you do have to share with several others and the toilet facilities are clean but basic. The hotels are clean but generally 3 star and perhaps a bit dated in the decor. It seemed very safe (although you do have to take sensible precautions with wallets and cameras). Crossing the road is a case of walk purposely across without hesitation and the scooters will drive around you which can be a bit disconcerting at times. The treks are really just walks around the homestays and the bike rides are mostly on roads with the attendant lorry and scooter traffic. So the activity level is pretty moderate. You are on the go all the time except for a couple of nights in Hoi An which is a fun filled city where you can get bespoke clothes made up overnight.

1 2 3 … 10 Next