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.

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47 Reviews

4.3 out of 5

Wendy Tomes

Reviewed February 2024

Great cycling through the villages and some awe inspiring forts and palaces on the way

We started in Delhi which is a crazy city . First day of cycling cancelled due to fog and the quality of air was very poor . Great days sightseeing of the city then the overnight train to Jodhpur which was an adventure . Not as much cycling as other Exodus cycling trips we have been on but the cycling we did was great . Bikes were good and the support was excellent. We visited a lot of palaces and forts all really enjoyed impressive . Food was brilliant and most of the hotels were usual Exodus standard and fine . It’s a great way of seeing Rajasthan from a different perspective

Most Inspirational Moment

Taj Mahal and the forts

Thoughts on Group Leader

We had two - Manu and Manish and both were very good .

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you are going in January bring warm clothes . The trip notes suggested we might be cold early morning but few of us were prepared for how cold it was for a lot of the time - one night we were even given hot water bottles Bring a mask or bandana to cover your mouth as when cycling through towns there is a lot of pollution and then n the villages a lot of dust

Gilly Dean

Reviewed January 2024

Amazing experience

A really amazing trip Guides really good and looked after me well I’m not really a cyclist though and would have appreciated clarification of the level. Having walked at level 4/5, I was surprised that level 3 was this hard

Most Inspirational Moment

Bird Park Amber fort Udaipur lakes

Thoughts on Group Leader

Manu and Manish were always friendly and approachable Assessment of conditions not always absolutely accurate in my opinion

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be aware that road conditions are often rough Tourist sites are awesome but local guides may be difficult to understand

Brian Meaney

Reviewed January 2024

An experience like no other

This was my first visit to India and hopefully it’s not my last. Certainly it was a different experience from my trips to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand but not in any way negative and with Manu’s guidance and Sunny’s support the minor challenges were all manageable. Cycling in the larger cities and towns required one to be alert at all times and the constant blowing of horns from motor bikes, tuc tucs, cars and buses took some getting used to. The Indian way clearly!! But as with any change one does adapt and we even managed to have some fun on a few tuc tuc journeys. One was never too far away from the many shallow and ‘without warning’ speed bumps which will keep you on your toes.
We crammed a lot into the 2 weeks but it was all very worthwhile and our time in Agra where we visited the stunning Taj Mahal in the late afternoon, and even though crowded due to the holiday period this was still an amazing experience. Then a visit to the Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was quite impressive. We had also spent a few hours the previous day visiting the beautiful bird sanctuary in the company of a wonderful guide.

Most Inspirational Moment

Without doubt the visit to the Taj Mahal.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Manu was excellent and very willing to share his family and general life's experience which gave an important and indeed enlightening insight into India and the impact Hinduism's teaching and philosophy has had on its citizen's way of life.

Advice for Potential Travellers

While the traffic can at times seem chaotic and intimidating it's important to stay calm and alert while cycling. Despite all the honking from vehicles, road users are not aggressive and honking appears to be just the Indian way of life.

Bev Cejer

Reviewed November 2023

Amazing and crazy in equal measures

If you want to experience Rajasthan’s famous sights and more peaceful rural life on two wheels this is a great trip.
The distance covered is vast, so expect long days with lengthy transfers on crazy uneven roads
If you are a confident cyclist the cycling is not too hard, however, you do need to concentrate as anything from a tuk tuk to a cow can suddenly appear in your path! Plus a tarmac surface can suddenly become rubble!
Cultural highlights include hill forts, palaces and not forgetting the beautifu lTaj Mahal.
Delhi and Jaipur are noisy and can feel overwhelming with the constant blarring of horns. The colours, sights and sounds will be with us for a very long time

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting the Taj Mahal Seeing rural life close up

Advice for Potential Travellers

We timed our visit to coincide with Diwali. Sadly spending it in Jaipur wasn't the experience we had hoped for as its a bit like London on NYE Unless the itinerary is changed so Diwali is spent in a smaller town I'd avoid going then. Pack layers as the mornings can be chilly on the bike.

Adam Espir

Reviewed December 2022

Palaces and Backroads

very good route and good rides through interesting countryside great palaces at Jodhpur, Udaipur and Jaipur Taj Mahal is special

Most Inspirational Moment

Taj Mahal

Thoughts on Group Leader

Manu was very good. Delivered the programme. Told us a lot about India, and very open about his country. All the crew were very good.

Advice for Potential Travellers

India is chaotic and assaults all your senses. On the road you will see people, cows, dogs, buffalo, and lots of rubbish and plastic. It takes about a week to get used to the chaos !

Reply from Exodus

Thank you for your review of your November cycling trip to Rajasthan with us, Adam. We were pleased to read that you enjoyed the rides and were happy with your tour leader, Manu, though we were very sorry that you found two of the hotels used to be of a poor standard, which is not at all the kind of feedback we expect to receive.

We have contacted our local operator to investigate your comments, and would like to assure you that these hotels are not our standard properties used on this trip. The properties you mention were last minute replacements for this departure, after our standard allocated hotels were unable to provide the number of rooms we required for your group due to unforeseen issues. We had believed these replacement properties to be of a similar standard, with the same facilities provided as those of our usual properties, however, it appears that they were not prepared for quite how busy they became immediately after the restart of tourism to the region (particularly domestic tourists). For our departures since, we have used the standard hotels for this itinerary, which receive very positive feedback, and won’t be using the alternative properties you mention again. While we hope that this can provide an honest explanation for the issues you faced in Sariska and Jaipur, we do remain regretful of your disappointment with the accommodation there.

-Sarah Puttnam, Product Manager

Cathy Parmenter

Reviewed February 2019

Great cycling and site seeing combination

This trip is a great way of seeing a selection of famous sites as well as getting glimpses of the real India from cycling on back roads, waving at friendly locals, looping round cows, avoiding wandering pigs, nipping past sleeping dogs, pausing to allow flocks of sheep and goats to cross, overtaking bullock carts and even camels. The sometimes parched scenery may not be as lush as south India but there are plenty of sights to see along the way and regular snack stops to break up the longer cycling days. The longer rides tend to be pretty flat and there are some stiff but achievable hills too. But there’s always a back up vehicle for anyone who has had enough and plenty of snacks and sweet chai to keep you going.

Most Inspirational Moment

The Taj Mahal literally took my breath away, the Amer Fort in Jodhpur was amazing and the City Palace in Udaipur was spectacular, but there were many fascinating insights into local life too whether seeing a couple making rope along the roadside or watching bricks being made by hand.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sanjay and Manu were both excellent, highly experienced guides who worked hard to make sure that everything went smoothly.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you are travelling in January, it is probably going to be colder than you think. I was glad of the down jacket I had worn to the airport and even wore it for cycling a couple of times until me and the day warmed up. Personally, I felt most comfortable wearing my over the knee mountain biking shorts as village women always have their legs covered but no one had any issues when wearing shorter shorts. Two pairs of cycling under shorts were sufficient as there are enough two night stops for them to get washed, three would be better if you have them. You'll need something warm to wear on cold evenings too as we ate outside a couple of times. But I guess that won't apply to later departures.

Gary Brown

Reviewed January 2019

Good cycling but a shame about the pollution in the cities.

We’ve visited India twice before, the first time 20 years ago and then again 10 years ago, and so as keen cyclists we were excited about the prospect of cycling around the back roads of Rajasthan. The cycling was fantastic, along quiet country roads through small rural villages where everyone waves and shouts hello. Brilliant! But beware – after the cycling you end up in large cities where the levels of pollution are now so bad that it is not only unpleasant to walk around but potentially very bad for your health. I and 3 others ended up with chest infections and 2 of us couldn’t cycle again for the remainder of the trip. Our trip was over Xmas and New Year and the hotels, although perfectly clean and adequate, had no heating and it was very very cold at night – we had to ask for extra blankets just to be able to sleep. Our leader Manu and all the support crew were excellent but the bikes were a little tired. Would I recommend this trip – No! Although the cycling was great the pollution in the cities is horrendous!

Most Inspirational Moment

The cycling and the excitement of the local children.

Philip Atkinson

Reviewed November 2018

Fantastic trip through Moghul India

This was a great trip to be on, saw amazing sights; buildings, landscape, wildlife as well as having a chance to see and interact with local people. We cycled through some varied and interesting landscape as well as some that was dull. The roads were quite a mix, some better than the guides remembered from their last trip, others much worse. The heat was relentless on a few days due to lack of shade and start times being later due to coach transfers, this did cause problems and maybe needs more thought. I have to say that, after a few days cycling, most of us improved but the 34km extenI think the trip will be a five in future but it needs some tweaking of itinerary and trip notes to get there. sion on day eight seemed to be wasted as the countryside was probably the worst we came across, uninspiring. Overall a great trip though with a few adjustments to trip notes and tweaking of itinerary.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were a few, sorry! 1) The forts and palaces generally, especially at Jaipur and Udaipur 2) cycle up to Kumbhalgarh and visit to the fort 3) Morning guided heritage cycle around Jaipur, everyone thought that was fantastic 4) Ride through Sariskar NP buffer zone on day 10 5) Day 13 cycle through backroads to Fatehpur Sikri 6) And finally, the visit to the Taj Mahal, amazing

Thoughts on Group Leader

We had two tour leaders who shared duties, Sanjay who was the most senior and Tapesh. I thought they were a good mix and ensured we had the chance to meet locals, especially in impromptu situations. They looked after everyone on the rides and catered for the varying levels of fitness and determination. Socially they were good fun as were the cycle rides. They made the trip in my opinion.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don’t underestimate the heat and it’s impact on performance. Drinking plenty is difficult when the water in your bottle is 40C so try and mix with other drinks or take some squash or similar. Travel light, a bar bag is a useful thing to take rather than rucksack. Have camera handy for photos as you pass through small villages and chai shops.

Ray Powell

Reviewed March 2018

Cycling with a bump

A great first experience of India

Most Inspirational Moment

Handing out pens to local school

Thoughts on Group Leader

Manu was very good and was always around to help us out when we needed it

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you have good travel insurance

curtis wierenga

Reviewed February 2018

loved cycling in rajasthan

This trip was great! The cycling wasn’t overly difficult. The trip offers a wide range of sites to please everyone. Our guides and crew were excellent, the bikes were great as was the support vehicle. We always had drinking water and snacks while we cycled. They took great care of us.

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling through some of the small villages on our last day of cycling. There is no better way to be immersed in the Indian culture.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Manu was fantastic, very professional but also alot of fun at the same time. Great sense of humour! We have travelled many years in many countries with many guides and Manu ranks right at the top!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Enjoy! Don't be afraid of the food or drinking water or the sheer number of people. It is fantastic

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