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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130 Reviews
4.9 out of
5
Reviews
THOMAS BRECKNEY
Reviewed November 2015
An inspiring week in a wonderful part of the world
The Aitana mountains offer a fantastic experience for trekkers, with challenging, rugged landscapes, breath taking views and a real sense of place and history. The air is pure, the people are warm, the food is glorious.
Most Inspirational Moment
Summiting Puig Campana felt like a huge achievement. It's a proper mountain and you need stamina, concentration and energy to get to the top and back. Seeing how life works in the mountain villages and meeting locals gathering wild mushrooms was great.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Jose was exceptional.
His ability to communicate his knowledge of and passion for the area added a lot to the trip and you always felt secure. He did a great job encouraging the group to get to know one another and ensured every level of ability was catered for. His picnics deserve mention as well - delicious and well planned to give enough energy to keep you going.
Jaime was also terrific, guiding us to the summit of Aitana and enriching the experience with his knowledge of local flora and pointing out distant Moorish ruins.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Although not overly challenging, this trek really demands you have a good level of fitness and the range of terrains you will encounter means experience on the hills will make the trip a bit easier. There's some light scrambling and underfoot conditions range from flat roads to loose scree so be prepared.
The treks are long - up to 18km and 8 hours - but rewarding.
The weather was perfect for most of the trip but remember weather can change quickly in the mountains so pack a fleece and a waterproof.
On your free day it is worth visiting the Valor chocolate factory/museum down the coast in Villajoyosa - easy to reach and free entry. Don't miss the Valor chocolate shop by the beach - the hot chocolate is the best you will ever have!
Pam Peers
Reviewed November 2015
Great walks and superb scenery in the Alicante region
This was a really enjoyable week of walks in an unspoilt and very interesting part of Spain.
Most Inspirational Moment
There a number of memorable parts of the trip, and each day brought its own highlights. It was great to be able to walk in countryside that has preserved traditional ways of farming, and where everyone seemed friendly and welcoming. Being accompanied down the last stretch of the Puig Campana by a stray mule was an interesting experience! Fortunately Jose knew the owner and we were able to ensure that the mule got home safely ...
Thoughts on Group Leader
Jose was great - an interesting and informative guide and good fun to be with. He seemed to know everyone in the area, and to be very well respected.
Advice for Potential Travellers
I'm very glad that I'd got fit before the holiday - the walks were long and there were some 'challenging' stretches, though nothing too daunting.
Robert Lane
Reviewed November 2015
Fabulous walking in lovely countryside with an excellent leader and hosts
Jose has planned some superb walks in a relatively undiscovered area. We hardly saw any other walkers in 5 days of stimulating, relatively challenging walks. The accommodation as very good and the villages both very welcoming to us as visitors.
Most Inspirational Moment
Reaching the summit of Puig Campana was pretty special, though unfortunately it was a misty day - the only misty day of the whole week. Halloween in Sella, when we had fortunately done all of the walking, was the experience of a lifetime - they certainly know how to party and were only too happy to encourage us to join in, which of course we did :-)
Thoughts on Group Leader
Superlatives cannot do justice to Jose Miguel! He is incredibly knowledgeable about the area and has planned a marvellous week of walks. His management of our large group was very impressive - he let us all walk at our own pace when conditions permitted but was good at keeping at keeping us together when circumstances required. His written and spoken English are very impressive and he kept us all entertained throughout the week with jokes and anecdotes.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Get fit - the walking is quite challenging, comparable to a long day on the Lakeland fells. It is well worth making the effort because the views are fantastic, and the accommodation very comfortable, making it easy to recharge your batteries for the next day's walk.
Elzbieta Gut
Reviewed November 2015
Fabulous Trip
I had a fantastic time in Spain because I was traveling with amazing people.Both houses,where we stayed were great.I will never forget meals in Roc House in Sella,cooked and served by Steve and his wonderful wife.The food was outstanding.
Most Inspirational Moment
I cherished every moment of my trip.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Jose is a fantastic guide,patient,knowledgeable and with great sense of humor.He makes the most creative and absolutely delicious sandwiches and little treat peaces of chocolate on top of the cake who could thing of that?
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take time to look around,to admire the beauty of the mountains.On your free day take the bus to Villa Joiosa. While in Sella go on top of the shrine to watch the Sunrise.
Debbie Shles
Reviewed October 2015
Wonderful hike with great views
The Sierra De Aitana is predominately limestone, so there is lots of loose rock underfoot. The walking is not too tough if you are fit, have a head for heights, are careful with your footing and can manage as much downhill as uphill.
For the rest the views & mountain summits and ridge walk are breath taking and worth every step you take.
The history of the area with terracing farmlands & the plight of the people is extremely interesting.
Most Inspirational Moment
Being a regular hiker, rock formations always fascinate me. The jagged limestone ridge of the Castellets and other rock strata are intriguing & inviting to try & climb.
I love every summit and every sheer cliff and the two together make for an exciting adventure.
Enjoying each day with your fellow hiker, learning from them , laughing with them & helping each other is part of the adventure that makes you long for more.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Jose' Miguel is passionate about his hike, the land & these mountains.
The maginficent power of the rock flows through his veins and feeds his soul. He imparts this to everyone interested in loving the adventure. Jose' contiuously feed us with treats & sandwiches, and interesting information past & present.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Don't try a challenging hike if you are not sure if you are capable or fit enough.
Be sure of your capabilities.
This hike is not tough. It is a beautiful adventure.
Wayman Morris
Reviewed May 2015
Sierra de Aitana
A wonderful week walking in a beautiful area which is relatively unknown. The group got on very well and we had great fun in the evenings after a solid day of walking. Our leader was inspirational with a really good sense of humour. The accomodation and food was excellent.
Most Inspirational Moment
There were many memorable moments.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Jose Miguel is a great leader. He is very knowledgeable about the area and the flora and fauna and he seems well prepared for any eventuality. He inspires confidence and he has a unique sense of humour which kept us entertained from the airport pick to the end of the week. No request was too much trouble.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The walks are as described ie moderate/challenging. All in our group managed them well despite it being unseasonably warm.
Richard Kirk
Reviewed May 2015
High Sierra
Quite tough and long walks are rewarded by outstanding views over mountains and the coast (and later in the day by excellent regional food and wine).
Most Inspirational Moment
Reaching on the last day the summit of Puig Campana, which dominates the surroundings and looks almost impregnable (although it can be ascended without too much scrambling).
Thoughts on Group Leader
José Miguel lives in this area and knows and loves it intimately. You are not just being guided - you are being introduced to a way of life in an arid and potentially hostile environment. He is an expert and inspirational leader and leaves nothing to chance.
Advice for Potential Travellers
A Platypus or Camelbak water system is preferable (as well as maybe a bottle or two of water). Springs are rare once you leave the villages.
It is worth exploring the village of Sella (and maybe its handful of bars!) if you can make the time - there are a couple of short walks around the village available on Tripadvisor through which its history and development are illustrated.
Helen Tracy
Reviewed May 2015
Saying "amazing" doesn't do it justice
Very varied … very hot (I went in May) … some of the best walking I’ve done … and definitely the best sandwiches.
Most Inspirational Moment
Reaching the peak of Puig Campana. I really struggled at the beginning of the week as I'm not an experienced hill walker, and the temperatures were high. I'm also not great with heights and some of the climbs were intense. It was a great feeling to make it to the top and down with the pictures to prove it.
Casa Roc - the accommodation in Sella was really special. Amazing views from the apartments and Steve and Liz were great hosts.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Jose Miguel was a fantastic guide. He's really passionate about the area and incredibly knowledgeable about the history and evolution of the landscape. He also lives and breathes sustainable tourism, so we were treated to the best home made sandwiches ever, nisperos from his garden, fresh water from the mountain springs and lunch bags (and napkins) made by his mum.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take a Camelbak or similar... it's a hassle to try and get your water bottles out of your day pack all the time and you go through a lot of water. And Compeed. Lots of it.
Douglas Alexander
Reviewed April 2015
Fantastic scenery, great guide
A fantastic trip seeing the beautiful variety of the Sierra de Aitana range. Five wonderful walks exploring different parts of two scenic valleys from a range of view-points.
You are walking for 7-8 yours a day, ascending 800-1000m most days and the pace is not difficult. There has to be a minimum pace as need to get back in time for dinner etc. but we always had plenty of time for beer or icecream after the days walk.
As you can probably tell we had some lovely weather with most days 20+ for the end of March.
Evening meals were brilliant with the variety of food
Most Inspirational Moment
The whole trip was just an amazing way to spend a week hiking in the Spanish mountains.
Summit views were brilliant as we had wonderful clear days on most of the walks.
Thoughts on Group Leader
José was a brilliant tour leader and his love of the area made the walking even more special. His knowledge and willingness to talk about all aspects of life in the mountains was excellent.
Advice for Potential Travellers
When booking flights check with exodus about flying locally as lots of places seemed to fly to Alicante at the same time of day. For example, stanstead, Birmingham, Manchester all arrived within 20 mins of the group flight from gatwick.
The fourth walking day can be done in approach shoes if you prefer.
Most people drank between 2-3 litres each day.
James Baxter
Reviewed March 2015
Challenging but rewarding!
This was a demanding but thoroughly enjoyable trip for a pair of novice walkers. It was our first ever walking holiday and as the trip loomed we were worried that we may have been a bit ambitious selecting a Moderate/Challenging trek despite doing a good amount of preparatory walking to get fit. The walking was tough with around 800-1000 metres of accent on each walk coupled to quite long days. A couple of our fellow travellers who had been on other ‘challenging’ grade trips mentioned that they thought this trek was more demanding. This is probably down to the fact that the terrain is very rocky and uneven in places and considerable sections of the walks were on rough trails which was quite hard on the feet. The ascents were generally not a problem and although hard work they were conducted at a civilised pace with everyone finding their own speed.
There is an excellent balance to the days which were very satisfying with the hard work being rewarded by some fantastic views over the surrounding area, which is totally unspoilt and a world away from the costal resorts of Alicante and Benidorm. More importantly (I think) there was a heavy emphasis on refreshments in the evenings with plenty of food, wine and beer which I don’t think anyone felt the least bit guilty about indulging in after a day’s toil in the hills.
The accommodation was very good. The first hotel was clean and basic with a good breakfast and dinner in the evenings. The second hotel, which I was expecting to be more remote and rustic, was Casa Roc in the lovely little village of Sella. This was a charming spot with clean and comfortable rooms and communal kitchen areas and terraces. The honesty bar with its seemingly inexhaustible supply of beer and wine was particularly popular. We didn’t find sharing facilities too much of an issue, we shared a bathroom with two other people and were quite happy to trade the earlier slot in the shower for an extra half hour in bed! The hosts Steve and Liz were very friendly and clearly work hard to keep their guests happy. Liz did a fantastic job producing delicious authentic Mediterranean meals for us in the evenings, no mean feat considering how many people she was catering for. Steve did an equally good job keeping the jugs of wine and the bread baskets topped up.
There were 14 people in our group and without exception everyone was friendly and sociable and for us this really made the holiday that extra bit special. There were people who were obviously more experienced and fitter than us but they were very supportive and encouraging, especially when we expressed doubts about joining the group on the last day for the climb to the 1408 metre summit.
Most Inspirational Moment
The last days walk to the summit of was definitely the hardest part of the trip but the sense of achievement and the views from the top were spectacular. Even Benidorm looked nice!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Jose is a fantastic guide and has a great sense of humour. He has a wealth of knowledge about the area and is obviously very passionate about it. It can’t be easy trying to keep 14 people organised and motivated but he did a great job. He encouraged people to take their time and didn’t pressurise people to go faster than they felt comfortable on the more difficult sections. On our free day he offered suggestions on what we could do and offered to organise transfers back from the costal town of Villajoyosa, and generally acted as mediator, translator and negotiator.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Walking poles and good strong boots with ankle support are a must if like me your knees don’t like going downhill. Also water was only available from springs on one of the five days of walking so take heed of the trip notes which advise you to bring two 1 litre bottles. The tap water from the hotels is perfectly safe to drink. Despite it being early March several of the days were pretty hot (by British standards) and shade is often elusive, and with 7-8 hours of walking you may need more water than you think.
